Potential immigrants to Texas in the nineteenth century were fed romantic notions about this land of land aplenty, and these notions appealed to all kinds of hardy people. To adventurous souls, promoters' and travelers' descriptions of Texas painted it a savage and exciting country. To the classically minded it seemed reminiscent of the Mediterranean region--the cradle of Western civilization. For some with strong religious convictions, Texas seemed comparable to a new Eden.
Whether considered wilderness or garden, Texas projected a strong image to newcomers, and these early Anglo residents likewise developed powerful feelings about the land. In this study, author Robin Doughty reconstructs and analyzes the way the nineteenth-century settlers developed an attachment to the land in order to make it their true home.
As people brought the land and its previous inhabitants under their control, the environment became less of an adversary and they found time to take pleasure in it through recreation. Colonists developed a spirit of pride and satisfaction, achievement, and community in Texas because they felt they had made a home in a beautiful but wild land.
