TEXAS, OUR LARGEST STATE 



1349 



of the wells and furnishes cheap fuel for 

 many important industries. 



Coal underlies a very large area in 

 the State and in many places is mined 

 cheaply. 



It has been estimated by the United 

 States Geological Survey that the known 

 areas of bituminous coal cover 8,200 

 square miles, and that 5,300 square miles 

 less well known contain more or less 

 workable coal. The known lignite areas 

 cover 2,000 square miles, and there is 

 more or less valuable lignite under 53,000 

 square miles. The total tonnage is esti- 

 mated at 31 billion tons, of which less 

 than one-tenth of one per cent has al- 

 ready been mined. 



There are great deposits of iron ores, 

 salt, building stone, asphalt, clays, gyp- 

 sum, and other valuable minerals in 

 Texas, most of them not yet extensively 

 developed. 



Water, the most important and valua- 

 ble of all minerals, occurs in numerous 

 streams and springs and in vast supplies 

 underground and is tapped by artesian 

 and other wells. The artesian waters are 

 utilized in many districts both for do- 

 mestic and municipal use and for irriga- 

 tion. 



Texas is drawing more water from the 

 ground by artesian wells than any other 

 State in the Union, not excepting South 

 Dakota, and this water is one of the es- 

 sential elements in the development of 

 wide areas, in which surface supplies are 

 insufficient or unsatisfactory in quality. 

 Houston, for example, has 42 wells 300 

 to 1,400 feet deep, yielding 28,000,000 

 gallons a day, which is sold at 30 cents 

 per 1,000 gallons. 



PUBI.IC LANDS 



When Texas was taken into the United 

 States, in 1846, she reserved her public 

 domain as State property, a unique con- 

 dition which no other State enjoyed. 

 Four years later she sold to the Federal 

 government for $10,000,000 the portion 

 now constituting the eastern half of New 

 Mexico. The State has a public land 

 policy of its own materially different 

 from that of other commonwealths, the 

 main feature being that it grants larger 

 areas to the settler. As a republic, Texas 



had but little cash, no credit, and no es- 

 tabHshed taxation, so it had to dispose of 

 land for money or its equivalent. To 

 this end there were large issues of land 

 script and large grants of land were also 

 made to old settlers, immigrants, and sol- 

 diers, amounting in all to nearly 40 mil- 

 lion acres. Land was also offered as 

 recompense to agents bringing in colonists 

 and to railroads, while about 52 million 

 acres have been set apart for educational 

 purposes. 



the: busy citie:s 01^ Ti^xas 



Texas has nine cities with population 

 exceeding 20,000 and 40 cities with more 

 than 5,000 population. San Antonio leads 

 in size, for she has attained the 100,000 

 mark, including the United States troops 

 in near-by Fort Sam Houston. 



This city is located in the center of 

 the southern portion of the State and is 

 the metropolis of a wide area in one of 

 the most prosperous sections of Texas. 

 San Antonio was started by a few Fran- 

 ciscan friars 200 years ago and has been 

 the center of many stirring episodes of 

 Texan history. It is built about the his- 

 toric Alamo, and while this famous 

 building and other notable old missions 

 remain, San Antonio is very modern in 

 temperament, as well as in development. 

 Her jobbing and retail trade amount to 

 $37,000,000 a year and manufactures to 

 $17,000,000, which is a remarkable show- 

 ing for a town of its size. 



A few of the old-time features still re- 

 main in striking contrast to the new sky- 

 scrapers and other products of modern 

 progress. Here and there may still be 

 seen old Mexican homes, with heavy ce- 

 dar doors hung on primitive home-made 

 hinges, that were built in the early days. 

 San Antonio is a favorite resort for tour- 

 ists, of whom it entertains 25,000 to 30,- 

 000 every season. It is well equipped 

 with modern hotels, has a delightful win- 

 ter climate, and there are many ^'sights" 

 to entertain the visitor. The old Alamo, 

 in the heart of the town, is the center of 

 interest, and especially the Mecca, of all 

 patriotic Texans. It was here that the 

 heroic little band of Texan soldiers, fight- 

 ing for independence, held off the Mexi- 



