There were, on Jan. 1, 1931, 188,539 m. of public roads in Texas, of which 18,868 m. were in the State highway system. On Aug. 3', '934, the State system extended 19,913 M. On Jan. 1, 1933, 10,106 m. were paved and 2,596 m. were gravelled or macada mized. Receipts to the State highway department for 1932 totalled $54,264,000, coming chiefly from licence fees, gasolene taxes and Federal aid, and disbursements totalled $42,796,000. From 1925 to 1935 motor bus transportation developed rapidly. In 1931 the number of bus miles operated was 34,650,687. There were on Dec. 31, 1931, 137 companies operating 727 passenger vehicles. Motor vehicle registration in the State increased from 194,720 in 1917 to 1,337,766 in 1934. In 1932 there were 147 airports and landing fields in the State.
The earliest explorations were made by the Spaniards, Cabeza de Vaca, 1528-36, and Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, 1540-42. There were many other Spanish expeditions in the first three quarters of the 17th century which entered or crossed parts of the State, and in 1682 the Spaniards founded the first permanent settlement at Isleta in the Rio Grande valley a few miles below El Paso. In 1685 the French under the Sieur de la Salle founded a colony at Matagorda bay, which, however, was soon abandoned. The French threat was sufficient to scare the Spanish into activity, and beginning in 1690 they established several ecclesiastical, mili tary and civil settlements known respectively as missions (Fran ciscan), presidios and pueblos. In the territory, with vaguely defined limits, was formed into a province and named Tejas, or Texas, after the confederacy of Tejas Indians. For more than a century the conditions were favourable for colonization. The French in Louisiana proved peaceable neighbours and that prov ince both under French (to 1763) and under Spanish rule* (1763 1803) served as a protection against the English. Spain failed to take advantage of this favourable period, however, and it was lost after the United States purchased Louisiana in 1803.
Three abortive Anglo-American invasions during the first few years of the century indicated the future trend of events. The first, under Philip Nolan, in 1799-1801, was poorly supported, and was crushed without difficulty ; the second, under Bernardo Gutierrez and Augustus Magee, 1812-13, captured San Antonio and defeated several Mexican armies, but was finally overpowered; the third, under James Long, 1819-21, was less formidable. The United States claimed the eastern part of Texas, basing the claim on the Louisiana Purchase, but by the Treaty of Florida with Spain, finally ratified in 1821, these claims were given up and the eastern and northern boundaries were fixed as follows : the Sabine river, the 94th meridian (approximately), the Red river, the iooth meridian, the Arkansas river and the 42nd parallel. So far as
Spain was concerned this was only a form, inasmuch as Mexico, of which Texas was a part, was just completing its long struggle for independence (1810-21). In 1821, also, Stephen F. Austin established the first permanent Anglo-American settlement at San Felipe de Austin on the Brazos river. This was followed by extensive immigration from the United States during the period of Mexican rule. It is estimated that the population, exclusive of Indians, increased from 4,000 in 1821 to 10,000 in 1827, and to nearly 20,000 in 1830. In 1827 Texas was joined to Coahuila to form a State of the Mexican federation.
Difficulties arose between the Americans, especially the mem bers of the Edwards colony around Nacogdoches, and the Spanish settlers who were there before the Americans came. There was also a Federal decree in 183o forbidding further immigration into the colony, while lavish grants of land were made to Mexican favourites. A convention at San Felipe de Austin in 1835 organized a provisional government with Henry Smith, who desired independence, as governor and Sam Houston as major general of the armies of Texas, and two commissioners were elected to seek aid in the United States. Hostilities had already begun, armed conflicts having taken place at Velasco, Anahuac and Gonzales over customs regulations and attempts of the Mexicans to disarm the American settlers.
A Mexican army under General Cos, which had marched into Texas to disarm the Texans, was driven out of San Antonio, but early in 1836 Santa Anna with a larger army returned to lay siege to the city. Or. March 6, the Alamo, in which the garrison of 183 defenders had taken refuge, fell with the slaughter of every man. On the 2oth, the Mexicans captured the Texas general, Fannin, and his force of 371 men, and a week later shot them all except 20 that had escaped. Houston then assumed active command and re treated before Santa Anna until he reached the San Jacinto river, where he turned and dealt the Mexicans a crushing blow which brought the war to an end. Santa Anna himself was captured. The weakness of the Mexican Liberals and the necessity of secur ing aid in the States led the Austin party to abandon their opposi tion to independence, and on March 2, a convention had assembled at the town of Washington and adopted a declaration of inde pendence. On the 17th a republican Constitution was adopted, and in Sept. 1836 Houston was elected the first president. In 1837 the independence of the republic was recognized by the United States, Great Britain, France and Belgium.