From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Allen Ranch
Allen Ranch
out Texas. Allen’s herd grew rapidly such that by the
1860s had gained exclusive shipping rights for cattle to
New Orleans and Cuba from the Morgan Lines, Texas first
steamship company which was later to become a major
factor in establishing Houston as an important Texas
port and railroad shipping center.[7]
Boom times
Allen’s fortunes grew rapidly after the American Civil
War. Through partnerships and acquisitions Allen’s main
ranch expanded and he gained ranch lands in other areas
of the state.[6] He established processing plants for cattle
hides and tallow along the Buffalo Bayou near his range
as well as Galveston. The Galveston, Houston and Hen-
derson Railroad was built through the Allen Ranch in
the 1850s and later the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Rail-
way and the La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad.
The ranch’s docks along the Buffalo Bayou became major
Ranch, Ranch,
The Allen Ranch or Sam Allen Ranch was one of
shipping points and helped contribute to the growth of
the first and longest running ranches in the history of
what would become the Houston Ship Channel. The
the state of Texas in the United States. The ranch was
ranch even had its own private railway station known as
started a few years after the Texas Revolution in what
"El Buey."[8]
is now southeast Houston and Pasadena. The ranch itself
Sam W. Allen’s son, Samuel E. Allen, took over man-
extended from Clear Lake to Harrisburg (in modern east
agement of the ranch and, though some of Sam W. Allen’s
Houston).[1] The cattle range covered much of southeast
other business ventures failed, the Allen Ranch contin-
Harris County and Galveston County covering many of
ued to prosper and grow.[6] It was the largest ranch in
the modern communities around Galveston Bay.
the region and one of the largest in the state. By 1900 the
The financial success of the Allen Ranch and its as-
Allen Ranch comprised over 17,000 acres (69 km2) large-
sociated businesses substantially influenced the early de-
ly in Harris County with pastures in Galveston County
velopment of Houston, Harrisburg[2] and Pasadena,[3]
and other surrounding counties. The main portions of
and contributed significantly to Galveston’s economy in
the ranch covered much of modern Pasadena, southeast
the 19th century.[4]
Houston, Clear Lake City, La Porte, and other areas.
The Allens invested heavily in area business develop-
Beginnings ment, in Galveston and Harrisburg, and then later Hous-
As a young man Samuel W. Allen (no relation to the Allen ton (notably they founded the Oriental Textile Mills, once
Brothers who founded Houston) came to the newly es- the world’s largest press cloth manufacturer in the cot-
tablished Republic of Texas in 1842 in search of opportu- ton industry).[8] They were also wealthy socialites known
nity. He arrived at the young town of Harrisburg (modern throughout the region.
east Houston) and soon after married into the Thomas
family which had come to Texas as part of Stephen F. Modern era
Austin’s original colony.[5] Using land from the Thomas
Following Sam E. Allen’s death in 1913, much of the fam-
grant which was located along the Buffalo Bayou be-
ily’s ranch holdings were sold off to new development
tween Harrisburg and Galveston Bay (what is now
around Pasadena and the growing city of Houston.[6] Sam
Pasadena) Sam Allen launched a cattle ranch in 1844.[6]
E. Allen’s son, Sam M. Allen, continued to operate the
His cattle range extended much father down the shore-
remaining portion on the main ranch in Harris County
line of the bay.
as well as the ranch lands in Brazoria County. Following
Like many ranchers in Texas, Allen began his herd by
Sam M. Allen’s death in 1947, the remainder of the ranch
gathering Longhorn cattle, descended from Spanish cat-
was liquidated.
tle brought to the New World, which ran wild through-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Allen Ranch
Today many areas of Houston, Pasadena, and other Allen was a rancher and a partner in the Galveston-
cities bear names referring to the Allen family and the based firm of Allen and Poole, the largest shippers of
ranch properties.[6] cattle in Southeast Texas ..."
[5] Webb(1952), page 19
See also [6]
[7]
^ Texas State History Association. Allen Ranch
Francaviglia (1998), pg. 221
• History of the Galveston Bay Area [8] ^ TSHA: Allen, Samuel Ezekiel
• History of Houston
• Pasadena, Texas
References
Notes • Webb, Walter Prescott (1952). The Handbook of Texas.
Texas State Historical Association.
[1] Allen, Samuel William from the Handbook of Texas http://books.google.com/?id=Oh8UAAAAYAAJ.
Online Texas State Historical Association • Francaviglia, Richard V. (1998). From sail to steam: four
[2] Texas State History Association. Allen Ranch. "In centuries of Texas maritime history, 1500-1900. University
1876 the Morgan Lines [which went on to promote of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72503-4.
Houston’s development] moved operations from http://books.google.com/?id=UZnJIPCOALAC.
Galveston to a new wharf opposite the Allen Ranch’s • Allen Ranch from the Handbook of Texas Online
docks [on the Buffalo Bayou]." • ALLEN, SAMUEL EZEKIEL from the Handbook of Texas
"The Allen Ranch". Online
http://www.earlytexashistory.com/Pasadena/ • ALLEN, SAMUEL WILLIAM from the Handbook of Texas
Allen%20Ranch/index.htm. Retrieved 12 Sept 2009. Online
"Allen supported the commercial development of • Morgan Lines from the Handbook of Texas Online
Houston and was one of the founders of what was • Pasadena, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
to become Texas Commerce Bank (Chase Bank)."
[3] "The Allen Ranch".
http://www.earlytexashistory.com/Pasadena/
External links
Allen%20Ranch/index.htm. Retrieved 12 Sept 2009. • "The Allen Ranch".
"He encouraged the construction of the railroad, http://www.earlytexashistory.com/Pasadena/
over his ranch lands, from Harrisburg to La Porte Allen%20Ranch/index.htm. Retrieved 9 Sept 2009.
in 1894, and built his own private railway station, • "Photographs, undated, in the Southwest Collection/
"El Buey." As Pasadena began to develop in the late Special Collections Library at Texas Tech
1890’s many of the early settlers worked on the University". http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/swcpc/
Allen Ranch and many more could boost of 00252/swc-00252.html. Retrieved 9 Sept 2009.
personal friendships with the Allens." Coordinates: 29°40′34″N 95°10′26″W / 29.67611°N
[4] Allen, Samuel William from the Handbook of Texas 95.17389°W / 29.67611; -95.17389
Online Texas State Historical Association. "Samuel
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allen_Ranch&oldid=450467039"
Categories:
• History of Texas
• Buildings and structures in Harris County, Texas
• Ranches in Texas
This page was last modified on 14 September 2011 at 13:33. Text is available under the Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
2