Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 847 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
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INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
desired to find and locate upon unappropriated
public land under the land law of that year (giving
to each head of a family of actual settlers 320 acres
of land), visited Waco, then a little village, to consult
with the old pioneer and surveyor, Maj. George
B. Erath, in regard to land matters on the Bosque.
'rhis gentleman, who had for years made surveys
all over that section of the State, took at once a
friendly interest in him and his companion, showing
him on his maps where vacant land was to be had.
Later Maj. Erath, with Neil and Duncan McLennan,
went with Mr. Canuteson, made the surveys
and field notes for a large tract of land, and thus
about fifteen families were established on Neill andown doors, but later on, when a grist-mill was
started at Waco, it was hauled there by oxwagons
and sold from $1.25 to $1.50 per bushel.
Corn at that period did not do well. The cultivation
of cotton was not thought of by settlers, the
impression being that the soil was not adapted to
it; that it was too black and sticky. Subsequently
this idea was proven to be erroneous. Good crops
of cotton are now raised on these farms. Attention
was also given to stock-raising, as grass was
abundant, both summer and winter. After a mail
route was established from Fort Worth to Georgetown
a post office was given to Norman Hill, and
Mr. Canuteson was made Postmaster, which posiIi
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fO. CANUTESON.
Meridian creeks, and the Norwegian settleinent in
Bosque County started.
Mr. Canuteson selected for his farm 302 acres in
the valley of Neill's creek, near the center of which
rises a high peak, and on this elevation he built his
house, which was afterward known as Norman Hill.
Nearly all kinds of wild game were in great abundance,
and the newcomers felt that they had come
to a land of plenty, indeed. Being outside of the
line of forts, the new settlement was often exposed
to Indian raids. The settlement grew apace, the
county was organized and things became more
comfortable all around. Wheat was the only money
crop made for a long time. They had been used
to raising the smaller grains in the old country,
and hence knew how to cultivate the wheat. Most
of the grain raised found a ready market at theirtion he filled to the satifaction of the people up to
the beginning of the late war. He was given the
same position under the Confederacy, and when that
government collapsed he was again appointed by
the United States government to his old position.
This position he held until his removal to Waco.
Mr. Canuteson, as an inventive genius, was
booked to supply the wants of the community so
far as machinery was concerned, and built several
reapers and threshers. The first reaper that
he constructed did not contain a pound of iron
castings, as the nearest foundry was at Houston,
250 miles distant. The cutting blade was made
from an old cross-cut saw. Notwitstanding these
disadvantages the machine worked excellently and,
although for twenty-five years past he has had the
leading and almost the only machine shop in Waco
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A history of pioneers in Texas and their confrontations with local American Indians.
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/847/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.