Prospective landowners first came to the plains of the
Colorado River in 1822, having been led there by
Stephen F. Austin under contract with the Mexican
Government. The Mexican Imperial Colonization Law
of 1823 granted 177 acres to the heads of families for farming,
4428 acres for raising cattle and 80 extra acres for each
slave owned by the settler.
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During the time of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1846,
the area was divided into three counties: Matagorda,
Jackson, and Colorado, each consisting of isolated
plantation homes and two growing towns, Preston and
Egypt. When Texas entered the United States in 1845,
Wharton County was formed of parts
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of the three existing counties near the intersection of
mail routes from Matagorda to Columbus and from
Houston to Victoria.
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