From Jacci Howard Bear,
Your Guide to Austin.
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How did this spot on the map that we call Austin, that we call home, come to be? Let's take a few minutes to look back at just one aspect of Austin history - the city itself, how it was founded and how it became the capital of Texas.

Colorado River settlements and Waterloo
In the early 1800's there were various Anglo-American settlements along the Colorado River in Travis County. In 1835, Jacob Harrell and his family left one of these early settlements and set up a camp in a new location. It was near the present site of the Congress Avenue bridge. This camp is the first documented settlement of the area that would come to be known as Austin.

In 1837, after Texas had declared its independence from Mexico, William Barton moved from his property in Bastrop County to a new home on the Colorado River near the springs. Does his name sound familiar? It should. The area he settled became Barton Springs.

Meanwhile, other families joined the Harrell's at their camp and named their settlement Waterloo. Soon more families moved into the area and created settlements with familiar names such as Montopolis and Govalle.

Austin vs. Houston - a 3 decade battle
When the Congress of the Republic of Texas began considering sites for a permanent capital, Vice President Mirabeau Lamar pushed for Waterloo. He had visited the area during a buffalo hunt and found its beauty and natural resources quite impressive. General Sam Houston disapproved. He felt that it was too far from the coast and too close to Mexico, still a threat to the new Republic.

Despite protests, Waterloo, renamed Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, became - at least for the moment - the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839. The street plan first proposed by Edwin Waller (who later became Austin's first mayor) remains largely intact today for the area from 1st to 15th Streets.

In 1842 with Mexican troops once again invading Texas and capturing San Antonio, the seat of government was moved to Houston then to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Austin citizens protested and eventually the government moved back to Austin.

Texans voted in 1845 to join the United States of America and were admitted as the 28th state of the Union on December 29, 1845. Austin was again selected as the the seat of government, this time for a period of five years.

A state-wide election in 1850 selected Austin, once again, as the state capital - this time for a period of 20 years. Three years later the Old Stone Capitol building was completed on the site of the current Capitol complex.

Austin wins
In a state-wide election Austin won out over Houston and Waco to become the capital finally and permanently in 1872. Houston received 32% of the votes, Waco 11%.