The development of the ranch as a frontier institution in the Spanish province of Texas, 1691-1800Show full item record
Title | The development of the ranch as a frontier institution in the Spanish province of Texas, 1691-1800 |
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Author | Myres, Sandra L. |
Date | 1967 |
Genre | Dissertation |
Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
Abstract | The great colonizing nations of Europe -- England, France, and Spain -- utilized many methods and institutions in conquering and occupying the American continents. This study analyzes one such institution, the ranch, as it developed in the Spanish province of Texas. Archival records, government documents, and travel accounts and diaries of the soldiers and missionaries have been used to show the evolution of the ranch as an institution for political and economic control along the Spanish frontiers of Texas during the eighteenth century. Chapter I discusses the introduction of ranching into the Caribbean area during the first years of Spanish conquest and the spread of livestock to the North American continent. The presence of cattle and horses on early expeditions into the present day United States and the establishment of a ranching industry in New Mexico during the seventeenth century are also outlined. Chapters II and III summarize the Spanish occupation of Texas from 1690 to 1800 and discuss the introduction of livestock into the province by the missionaries and early settlers. The growth and development of the ranching industry during this period and the major problems faced by the early Texas ranchers are also analyzed. Chapter IV discusses the techniques and methods used by Spanish ranchers to work cattle and horses and details some of the vocabulary, dress, equipment, and games which evolved from early ranching enterprises. Chapter V outlines some of the problems of a ranching industry in relation to government regulation and policy. Livestock laws, branding regulations, development of the Mesta or stockmen's association, and the efforts of Commandant General Teodoro de Croix to organize and exploit the Texas ranching industry are discussed. Chapter VI analyzes the economic influence of ranching in Spanish Texas during the eighteenth century. Drives southward to Mexico and the development of an illegal but profitable trade with Louisiana are discussed. This chapter also outlines the influence of Spanish mercantilist policy, French settlement of Louisiana, and Anglo-American occupation of the Mississippi Valley on the livestock industry of Spanish Texas. The ranch was a multifaceted, multipurpose pioneering agency with economic, political, legal, and social and cultural features. As an adjunct to the missions and presidios it helped to advance the work of Church and State. Further- more, ranching provided a means for utilizing semi-arid land and in the Spanish Borderlands offered the one readily available avenue for economic development consistent with the human and natural resources of a frontier area. |
Link | https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/33499 |
Department | History |
Advisor | Worcester, Donald E. |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Doctoral Dissertations [1485]
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