HISTORY MINUTE

History knows Stephen F. Austin as one of the great heroes of Texas History. So often in life, a twist of fate or one simple decision can push a man in a completely different direction. As it turns out, the “Father of Texas,” as Austin has been called, almost became one of the great fi gures of Arkansas History instead.

Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Austinville, Virginia, in 1793. He was one of fi ve children, two of whom died in childhood. His father, Moses Austin, established the community as he sought to develop a lead mine in the area. However, after a few years, the mine played out and the family moved west. Eventually, they settled in Missouri, where Moses Austin established a new lead mining community west of the Mississippi River. However, it was still Spanish territory for six more years until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

His father sent him to a private boarding school in 1804. A few years later, Austin attended Transylvania University in eastern Kentucky, where he graduated in 1810. He rejoined his family shortly afterward. In 1814, he ran for a seat in the Missouri Territorial Legislature, winning decisively. At the age of 21, he was barely old enough to vote, much less to hold a seat in the legislature.

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