CONCLUSION
About 48,500,000 acres of the Texas Public Domain have been set aside for public education. This is about one-fourth the area of the state. The State of Texas still has an interest in about 16,000,000 acres, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office has charge of these. This land, which is scattered all over the state, offers leases on oil, gas, sulphur, and other minerals, timber, and grazing. Altogether, this land brings the State nearly $30,000,000 per year in income.
This study reveals that early Texas leaders were farsighted. They maintained faith in the future of Texas and utilized the most abundant resource of the state—land—to insure a prosperous future of their beloved Texas.
III.
ITEMS OF INTEREST TO BE FOUND IN THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE
1. THE SPANISH ARCHIVES. These archives contain some 4,000 original titles written in Spanish and issued by the Spanish and Mexican authorities when Texas was under their control. In addition, there are approximately 4,000 sets of field notes written in English by American Surveyors during the colonization program initiated by Spain and carried out by Mexico. These documents date as far back as 1745 but mainly encompass the period from 1823 to 1835. See Spanish translator.
2. MAP OF TEXAS SHOWING PARTS OF ADJOINING STATES, COMPILED BY STEPHEN F. AUSTIN. See chief of engineering division.
3. MUSTER ROLL OF THE ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS. See director of records division.
4. INSTRUMENT BELIEVED TO BE THE ORIGINAL DRAFT OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS from which the final draft was taken. See director of records division.
5. PATENT (a quitclaim deed) ISSUED BY THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS under President David G. Burnet. See director of records division.
6. PATENT ISSUED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS under Governor Sam Houston. Located in Milam Scrip 329. See chief file clerk.
7. COPY OF SAM HOUSTON’S WILL. Located in Nacogdoches I-1134. See chief file clerk.
8. COPY OF ROBERT E. LEE’S WILL. Located in Bexar III-6947. See chief file clerk.
9. CERTIFICATE TO SAMUEL G. POWELL, DATED FEBRUARY 3, 1854, FOR 320 ACRES OF LAND FOR BUILDING WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS THE STEAMBOAT “BETTY POWELL”. Located in Fannin Scrip 495. See chief file clerk.
10. INSTRUMENT EXECUTED IN LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, IN 1855, AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, then American Consul in Liverpool. See director of records division.
11. ORNATE, BEAUTIFUL MAPS COMPILED BY PROFESSOR DOCTOR C. C. STREMME (see reference to Professor Stremme in note about Old Land Office Building on the back of picture of this structure). Tyler County map dated May, 1858. Houston County map dated October, 1868. See chief of engineering division.
12. MAP OF MASON COUNTY COMPILED BY F. H. ARLITT, 1859, NOTED FOR ITS BEAUTY. See chief of engineering division.
13. THOMAS TOBY SCRIP NUMBER 1 FOR 1000 ACRES OF LAND. Located in Milam Scrip 87. See chief file clerk.
14. PAYROLL RECORD OF WILLIAM S. PORTER (O. HENRY), 1887. See director of records division.
15. PICTURE OF DRAFTSMEN IN GENERAL LAND OFFICE, 1887, INCLUDING WILLIAM S. PORTER (O. HENRY). See chief clerk.
16. MAP OF KENT COUNTY, 1889, BY WILLIAM S. PORTER (O. HENRY). See chief of engineering division.