WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1837-1841
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Before coming to Texas McKinney was engaged for a time in the Santa Fe trade. McKinney first came to Texas in 1828. He took out a headright in Austin's colony (see Austin's Colonial register, General Land Office of Texas). For a time he engaged in the Mexican overland trade from San Antonio to Chihuahua, and from there to Natchitoches on Red River. From San Antonio to Nacogdoches he traveled the old Camino Real. He took to Mexico cotton in one hundred, or in fifty pound bales, packed on mules (250 pounds was considered a load for a mule), and brought back mules, horses, brood mares, and some money. Every now and then these pack- trains were attacked by Mexican robbers but McKinney generally managed to escape with little loss to his cargo. But this overland route was a hard one, and by the end of 1830, he had given it up for safer keel-boating and trade between New Orleans and the Neches river. It is difficult to estimate how long he followed this business, but it could not have been long, for in the fall months of 1831 we find him a resident of Nacogdoches, and married to a Mrs. Nancy Wilson, whom he had met there. In 1833 he was a partner with M. B. Menard in the milling and lumber business in Liberty county. Early in 1834 he formed a partnership with Samuel M. Williams, under the firm name of McKinney and Williams, at Quintana, and the partners played an important role in helping to finance the early stages of ·the Texas revolution. Neither partner was wealthy, but each was fortunate in having good credit and wealthy connections in the United States. On their private responsibility these partners advanced to the Republic of Texas more than $150,000. McKinney, like his partner, Williams, was frankly a land speculator, even after the establishment of the Republic; in fact, it was from their speculation in lands and other commodities that they made their money far more than from merchandising. At one time this firm owned more than one-fifth of the city of Galveston, but so anxious were they to see the city develop that they did not try to realize a big profit, so sold all their stock for from $160 to $200 per share. This firm was also one of the first, if not the first to open up internal navigation in the Republic. Even before the Revolution, they had built for this purpose the Lau.ra, and the Yellowstone. These boats plied up the Brazos, the Colorado, the Trinity, and Buffalo Bayou. In 1835, the firm had the steamer Lafitte added to their fleet. Some of these vessels played a conspicuous part in the Texas revolu- tion, and they were cheerfully placed at the disposition of the government for the purpose of conveying troops and supplies to the army under Houston. McKinney & Williams were unfortunate with all their ves,els, and lost heavily on every boat they had constructed for themselves. While the firm carried on an international trade, it never owned a line of coastwise sailing vessels; but Henry H. Williams, the brother of Samuel May Williams, and a prosperous merchant of Baltimore, Maryland, did own such a line, which he placed in trade from Baltimore to Quintana. In 1835, before the beginning of the Texas revolution, Samuel M. Williams was successful in securing a charter from the Coahuila-Texas state govern- ment for a "Commercial & Agricultural Bank." Because the firm was not able to raise the minimum reserve ($100,000) necessary to establish a legal bank, it could not be organized. Nevertheless, in 1837, the firm
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