Eagle Lake in Colorado County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Rice Culture in Colorado County
Photographed by Gregory Walker, April 2, 2010
1. Rice Culture in Colorado County Marker
Inscription.
Rice Culture in Colorado County. . The rice industry did not spread into the coastal plains region west of Houston until the very end of the 19th century. In 1898, Captain William Dunovant (1845-1902), a local plantation owner and entrepreneur, planted 40 acres of rice at the southeast corner of Eagle Lake (2.5 miles south) as an experiment, using convict labor from a nearby prison farm to construct levees and harvest the new crop. The small tract produced such encouraging results that in 1899 Dunvovant built a pumping plant on the lake and irrigated 250-300 acres. The second venture proved so successful that over 30,000 acres of rice were under cultivation in the Colorado River Valley in 1900, and over 56,000 acres in 1901, mostly in Colorado County., Rice quickly replaced cotton and sugar cane as the primary cash crop in Colorado County. That the crop had a widespread economic impact was reflected in the increase in property values, the influx of new families, the reclamation of abandoned croplands, the rise in new railroad construction, and the rapid development of allied service industries, such as rice mills and irrigation and canal companies., Rice and the culture it supports continue to be a major economic factor in Colorado County.
The rice industry did not spread into the coastal plains region west of Houston until the very end of the 19th century. In 1898, Captain William Dunovant (1845-1902), a local plantation owner and entrepreneur, planted 40 acres of rice at the southeast corner of Eagle Lake (2.5 miles south) as an experiment, using convict labor from a nearby prison farm to construct levees and harvest the new crop. The small tract produced such encouraging results that in 1899 Dunvovant built a pumping plant on the lake and irrigated 250-300 acres. The second venture proved so successful that over 30,000 acres of rice were under cultivation in the Colorado River Valley in 1900, and over 56,000 acres in 1901, mostly in Colorado County.
Rice quickly replaced cotton and sugar cane as the primary cash crop in Colorado County. That the crop had a widespread economic impact was reflected in the increase in property values, the influx of new families, the reclamation of abandoned croplands, the rise in new railroad construction, and the rapid development of allied service industries, such as rice mills and irrigation and canal companies.
Rice
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and the culture it supports continue to be a major economic factor in Colorado County.
Erected 1974 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4255.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 29° 35.311′ N, 96° 20.035′ W. Marker is in Eagle Lake, Texas, in Colorado County. It is at the intersection of East Main Street and Commerce Street, on the right when traveling north on East Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Eagle Lake TX 77434, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. This page has been viewed 966 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 26, 2010, by Gregory Walker of La Grange, Texas. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
