Roads in the Lake Creek
Settlement
Mentioned in the
Washington County
Commissioners' Court
Minutes
by: Kameron Searle
This article is about early references to the Lake
Creek Settlement when it was located in Washington County, Texas. Originally
the Lake Creek Settlement was located in Austin's Second Colony during the
Mexican colonial period. During the Texas Revolution (1835-1836), the Lake Creek
Settlement was located in Municipality of Washington. Following the Texas
Revolution, the Lake Creek Settlement was located in Washington County until
Montgomery County was created on December 14, 1837.
The WPA (Works Progress Administration) transcribed
the minutes of the Washington County Commissioners' Court from April 3, 1837
to January 7, 1846. These transcriptions can be found in the archives of the
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas in Austin,
Texas. The original minutes of the Washington County Commissioners' Court from this
period (Republic of Texas) are no longer located within the Washington County
Clerk's Office so historians are very fortunate that the WPA preserved these
records by transcribing them during the Great Depression.

File Box 4E 418 - Dolph Briscoe Center for
American History, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
See File # 4E
418, "WPA Historical Records Survey - Washington Co. - Min. Comm. Court," 2. Book
I, (Carbon & MSS).

Washington County, Book 1 (4-3-[18]37 -
1-7-[18]46), Minutes Commissioners Court.
The first meeting of the Washington County
Commissioners' Court was held on April 3, 1837. At this meeting, Justice
of the Peace/Commissioner George Galbraith from the Precinct of Lake Creek made a
motion to lay a road from the Lake Creek Settlement to the City of Houston.

Page 2
On motion of George Galbraith.
Resolved that a road be ordered to be laid out from Lake Creek Settlement
to the County line in the most direct and practicable rout to the City of
Houston and Benjamin Rigby Raleigh Rodgers, Hiram Rosin
Charles Garrett and William Rankin...

Sheet 2 of Page 2
...be appointed to survey said rout to this Court
at the next regular term thereof:
The Court adjourned
until Tuesday Morning 9 o'clock
Tuesday 4th April 1837
The next day, April 4, 1837, Justice of the
Peace/Commissioner William Robert from the Precinct of San Jacinto moved that
the road from the Lake Creek Settlement to the City of Houston be continued
north from the Lake Creek Settlement to the town of New Cincinnati.

Sheet 2 of Page 3
On motion of William Robert.
Resolved that the road from the City of Houston to Lake Creek Settlement
be Continued to run North from Lake Creek Settlement in the most direct
and practicable rout to New Cincinnatti on the Trinity and that William
Clark Job Collard H. M.
Crabb John Caruthers and Ranson Alfin be appointed to survey said
rout and report to this court at the next regular term
thereof.

Page 4
On motion of William Robert. Resolved
that a road be laid out from Baptiste Village to intersect the road from
New Cincinnatti to Via Lake Creek to the City of Houston and that Ralph
McGee Joshua Lumley Harriss Elisha Collard and John
Corner be appointed to survey said rout and report to this Court at the
next regular term.
On July 3, 1837, the Washington County Commissioners Court
met again in Washington, Texas and discussed the laying out of roads within the County.
Many of these proposed roads led to and from the Lake Creek Settlement.

Page 5
Resolved, that till the next meeting
of this Court time be extended to the Commrs on the laying out the course
of roads to make their reports in, and that several persons hereafter named,
be added to those already named on different Routes Viz...from Lake Creek
to Houston, W. Keys, Jno. Thomas & J. Landrum...from Lake Creek settlement
to New Cincinatti, Lewis Cox ? --Mr. Daniel added:...
In October of 1837, the Washington County Commissioners Court
met again and road reviewers reports for roads in the Lake Creek Settlement were received
and approved.

Page 8
The following road reviewers Reports were
received & approved. viz:
Willm C. Clark John Caruthers H. M. Crobb [Crabb]
R. Allphin J. S. Pollard || From Cincinatti to Lake Creek Settlement
W. M. Rankin Ben Rigby Hiram Rosson Raligh [Raleigh] Rogers Chas
Garrett || District of Lake Creek to City of Houston
Asa Hoxey, Horatio, Chriesman, C. Raney, W. C Wilson,
Elijah Colland [Collard], Jos Lindley, R. McGee || from Washington to west boundary line
Baptiste village to Lake Creek Settlement

Page 9
W. W. Sheppard appointed overseer (1st section) (2nd and 3rd)
Pleasant Gray [appointed overseer for] second [precint] of road from
Cincinatti to Lake Creek--
In December of 1837, the western portion of Washington County will become
Montgomery County. Following the creation of Montgomery County, the Washington County Commissioners
Court Minutes will make no more references to roads in the Lake Creek Settlement.

Washington County Texas Court of Commissioners of Roads & Revenue 1836-1846 Indexed by Pat Gordan
Another Great Source for This Information
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