Agricultural Schedule

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Agricultural Schedule: 50 ac improved; 1050 un improved; valued
at $3300; 100 milch cows; 8 oxen; 600 other cattle; 80 sheep; 100
swine; $5000 value of stock; 2000 bushels of corn; no cotton; 200
pounds of wool; 100 bushels of sweet potatoes; 500 pounds of butter; $200 value of animals slaughtered
German surnames in the immediate vicinity; cotton generally not
grown in neighborhood, and very little in county. Sheep were unusual. Neighbor Ransome House had larger operation with 1500
cattle, as did several others in the neighborhood; in the rest of the
county, F. R. Lubbock had 1500 cattle & E. L. Dele [?] had 2470
cattle.
1850 Harris County Tax Rolls
No Abraham/Abram Roberts
George H. Roberts
1476 ac. A. Roberts @$2000; 177 ac. A. Roberts @ $44; 177 ac.
G. Roberts @ $44; 9 slaves @ $2000; 14 [?] horses @$1700; 50
cattle @ $1500
1856 Harris County Tax Rolls
George H. Roberts
1176 ac. A. Roberts league on Spring Creek @ $5000; 177 ac. A.
Roberts labor on Cypress Creek @ $100; 1476 ac Michael McCormick % league on ?? Bayou @$755; 177 ac. G. Roberts labor on
Cypress Creek @$100; 342 ac A. Roberts league on Spring Creek
@ $684; 171 ac. A. Roberts on Spring Creek @ $100; 171 ac. A.
Roberts on Spring Creek @ $100; 2000+ ac A. Roberts league on
Spring Creek @ $200. 27 slaves @ $15,000; 30 horses @ $1000;
1000 cattle @ $5000
1858 Harris County Deed Records
George H. Roberts sworn in as County Commissioner August 16, 1858
(W:354)
1860 Harris County Deed Records
George H. Roberts sworn in as County Commissioner August 24, 1860
(X:381)
1860 Population Census
Harris County
G. H. Roberts
49, farmer, Mississippi, $30,000 personal property, $60,000 real
property
E. Roberts, 49 female, Mississippi
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Geo. Roberts, 14 Texas, in school
S. Roberts, 12, female, in school
M. Roberts, 9, female
Slave Schedule: 19 slaves, 12 slave houses: 1 male, 4; 1 male, 1;
1 female, 50; 1 female, 40, 1 female, 36; 1 female, 33; 1 female,
30; 1 female 30; 1 female 28; 1 female 13; 1 female 7; 3 females, 6;
2 females, 3; 1 female, 2; 1 female, 1; all the women 24 and above
had their own house/domicile; this is many fewer than the 41
slaves claimed by Roberts in the Harris County Tax Rolls: he may
have hired out the remaining slaves and so they were not counted
in the census at this location-this seems even more probable considering that the there were no adult male slaves in his holding
Agricultural Schedule: appears incomplete; did not include any
Roberts
1860 Harris County Tax Rolls
G. H. Roberts
1176 ac. A. Roberts @$7000; 177 A. Roberts @$177; 1476 ac M.
Mccormick @$1476; 177 ac. G. Roberts @ $ 354; add'I 3100 ac.
A. Roberts; 41 slaves @$24,600; 30 horses @$1000; 3000 cattle
@ $15,000; $500 misc. property
1865 Harris County Tax Rolls
G. H. Roberts
2066 ac. A. Roberts @ $12,253; 1476 ac. M. McCormick
@ $1476;
177 G. Roberts @ $350; 40 horses @ $1200; 3500 cattle @
$20,000; misc. $1920
A. Roberts
15 horses; 250 cattle; 70 sheep
1868 Harris County Tax Rolls
G. H. Roberts
1704 ac. A. Roberts @ $12,243; 1476 ac. M. McCormick @ $1007;
177 ac. G. Roberts @ $354; 60 [?j horses @$1200; 3500 cattle @
$20,000; $140 misc. property
1870 Population Schedule
Harris County
George H. Roberts
59, farmer, Mississippi, farmer and stockraiser (no value of
real/personal estate listed
Elizabeth, 58, Mississippi
Mary, 19, Texas
Smith, Alexine, 27 "stays with relatives"
George, 24, stock Raiser, Texas
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Angeline, 16,
Abraham, 38, Stock Raiser, Texas
Anna, 25, Texas
Ellen, 2, Texas
Gray, Mary, 8, Texas
Agricultural Schedule: 100 ac. Improved land; 900 ac. Woodland;
2000 ac. Unimproved land; $18,000 cash value of farm; Paid $150
in wages last year, 20 horses; 10 mules/asses; 40 milch cows; 12
working oxen; 5000 other cattle; 100 sheep; 50 swine; $26,500 total
value of livestock; 800 bushels of corn produced; 8 bales of cotton
produced; 150 bushels of sweet potatoes produced; 100 pounds of
butter produced; $8000 value of animals slaughtered; $2000 value
of farm product
1870 Agricultural Census (neighbors were mostly Germansurnamed & owned much less property and had many fewer livestock holdings, although a few did grow a little more cotton; in looking at the rest of the agricultural census for 1870, it appears that the
Roberts enterprise was the largest cattle ranch in Harris County
that year. Roberts probably ranged his cattle on the nearby open
range that was to become HTCRR sections.
Hiram Roberts, in household of M. M. Howard, farmer who had a wife,
Mary, 44 and sons Abraham, 20, and John, 18
34, Stock Raiser, Texas
Roberts, Mary L., 22, Texas
Ella, 3/12, Texas
Roberts, Saidie, 15, black, domestic servant, Texas
Handy, William, 21, black, farm laborer, Alabama
Moses Roberts, 19, black, Stock Driver, and Daniel Roberts, 18,
black, lived in Sam Joss (black) household next door to Howards.
George Hiram Roberts died sometime between 1870 and 1875: the following are for his sons. The early 1870 Harris County tax rolls are in some
disarray.
1875 Tax Rolls
Hiram Roberts
150 ac. S. A. Brown; 170 ac. A. Roberts; 1 horse; 800 cattle @
$4000; $230 implements
George Roberts
2 horses; 800 cattle @ $4000
Hiram & George Roberts
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177 ac. A. Roberts; 375 ac. A. Roberts; 22 horses; 45 sheep/goats
H. Roberts & Bros.
100 horses @ $2125; 6000 cattle @ $30,000
Mrs. E. Roberts
$12,000 money on hand
Abraham Roberts
244 ac. Brewster; 165 ac A. Roberts; 22 horses; 800 cattle; $75
worth of implements
1880 Population Census
Harris County
Mrs. Elizabeth Roberts, widow, 69, in household of Leonidas M. and
Courtney Montgomery, mother-in-law, boarder, Mississippi [parents
born in SC (father) and GA ( mother)] also in household were a niece
from Miss and 2 black cooks. Not far from Roberts sons
Abram Roberts
47, stockraiser and farmer, Texas
Elen, 36, Texas
Elen E, 10, Texas
Lilie B, 8, Texas
Abram, 7, Texas
Mary Gray, sister-in-law, 17, Texas
Julie Jones, 26, black, cook, Texas
James. Mason, 20, "works on farm", black, Texas
Agricultural Schedule: 35 tilled acres; 200 unimproved acres;
farm value $2500; livestock value $12,000; $100 in fencing; 15
rnilch cows; 800 other cattle; 25 swine; 300 bushels of corn grown
on 35 acres
Hiram Roberts
44, stockraiser and farmer, Texas
Mary, 34, Texas
Hiram (jr.], 8, Texas
Mary, 5, Texas
Edward, 4, Texas
Kennard [?], 3, Texas
E. Hunt, 14, black, male, "works on farm" Texas
Bettie Montgomery, 20, "visitor" Texas
Agricultural Schedule: 35 tilled acres; 475 unimproved acres;
farm valued at $3000; livestock valued at $12,000; 12 milch cows;
1200 other cattle; dropped 500 calves; 400 bushels of corn grown
on 35 acres
Geo. Roberts
35, stockraiser and farmer, Texas
Augie [?), 21, Texas
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Susie, 8, Texas
Nira [?], 5, Texas
Cora, 3, Texas
John Wise, 32, drives cattle, Texas
Mac Schulke, 28, drives cattle, Texas
Gus White, 22, black, drives cattle, Texas
Walter Jordan, 20, black, drives cattle, Texas
Alex Sims, 19, black, drives cattle, Texas
Sarah Whitaker, 20, black, cook, Texas
Alfred Whitaker, 14, black, drives cattle, Texas
Horace Whitaker, 2, black
Agricultural Schedule: 30 tilled acres; 450 unimproved acres;
farm valued at $2000; livestock valued at $12,000; 12 milch cows;
1200 other cattle; dropped 500 calves; grew 400 bushels of corn on
30 acres
1880 Harris County Tax Rolls
Hiram Roberts
150 ac. S. A. Brown; 170 ac. A. Roberts; I horse; 800 cattle @
$4000; $230 implements
George Roberts
2 horses @ $100; 1 carriage @ $75; 100 cattle @$500; $60 misc
Hiram & George Roberts
177 ac. A. Roberts @ $1200; 275 ac. A. Roberts @ $750; 640 ac.
G. Ayres @ $330; 50 horses @$500; 20 hogs
H. Roberts & Bros.
540 ac. Isaac Steele @ $250; 150 ac. S. Brown @ $500; 171 ac. A.
Roberts @ $500; 3 horses @ $150; 100 cattle @ $500; 1
wagon/carriage @ $75
Mrs. E. Roberts
$12,000 money on hand; 1 horse @ $50; 1 carriage/wagon @ $40
Abraham Roberts
244 ac. Brewster @ $110; 165 ac A. Roberts @ $1000; 3 wagons/carriages; 50 horses @ $450; 100 cattle @ $500; 20 hogs @
$20; $40 misc.
F. Roberts
1 wagon @ $20; 2 horses @$50; 2 cattle @ $10
Sometime between 1880 and 1890, according to The Heritage of North Harris County, "Infamy came to the saloon in Cypress when two descendants of
famous North Harris County pioneers settled a family dispute there. Nick Pillot,
grandson of Claude Nicholas [Pillot], shot and killed his in-law, the saloon owner
Abe Roberts, grandson of Abram."
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1890 Harris County Tax Rolls, Unrendered
Property
Estate of A. Roberts
324 ac Brewster @ $300; 165 ac. A. Roberts @ $1000; 120
horses/mules @ $1200; 1000 cattle @ $4800; $250 misc.
George Roberts
180 ac. J. D. Steele @ $280; 184 ac. A. Roberts @ $290
Estate of H. Roberts
177 ac. A. Roberts $2500; 640 ac. G. Ayres @ $700; 150 ac.
Solomon Brown @ $200; 120 horses/mules @ $1770; 2500 cattle
@ $12,500. $190 misc.
1900 Harris County Tax Rolls
Estate of A. Roberts
191 ac. Brewster @$400; 73 ac. Howeth @$150; 7 ac, Howeth @
$300; blocks 1& 2 in Woodland @ $200; no livestock; no other rural Roberts in Harris County
Mrs. M. L. Roberts, Nonresident Roll widow of Hiram Roberts,
mother of Hiram Roberts [Jr.]
150 ac. S. Brown; 640 ac. G. Ayres; 6 ac. HTCRR; 88 % ac. A.
Roberts
U. S. Census 1910, Harris County, Hockley P. O.
Hiram Roberts, stockman, Texas, 28 [son of Hiram Roberts]
Henrietta, 28, Texas
Lester C., 5
M. L., 2
C. H., I
Kinsord, brother, 20
U. S. Census 1910
Population Schedule
Only Mary Roberts in all states, born in Texas about 1845, was Mary L.
Roberts, widowed, age 63 in the State Lunatic Asylum in Austin.
U. S. Census 1910, Harris County, Houston, 3rd Ward
Hiram Roberts, deputy tax collector, 38, Texas (son of Hiram Roberts,
grandson of George H. Roberts, great grandson of Abraham Roberts)
Henrietta, 37, Texas
Lester C., 15, Texas
Marguerite L., 12, Texas
Clarence H., 10, Texas
Montgomery, William, uncle, 66, Tennessee, no occupation
Pressler, Annie, aunt, 63, Texas, no occupation
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U. S. Census, 1920, Harris County, Houston, 3'd Ward
Hiram Roberts, deputy tax collector, 48, Texas
Henrietta, 47, Texas
Lester C., 25, Texas, clerk
Marguerite L., 22, Texas, clerk
Clarence H., 20, Texas, bookkeeper
Hiram, 17, Texas, bookkeeper
U. S. Census, 1930, Harris County, Houston
Henrietta Roberts, widow, 57, no occupation
Clarence, 30, collector for rental agency
1945 Harris County Deed Records.
Henrietta Roberts, widow of Hiram Roberts, et at., sold 644.98 acres of the
George Ayres survey and the west one-half of the Abraham Roberts labor
(81.21 acres) to H. J. Longenbaugh, Dec. 31, 1945 (1423:60).
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Appendix 3
Chronology of Longenbaugh Family History
1910
1920
Pickaway Township, Shelby County, Illinois (U.S. census)
Edward B. Longenbach 38 Illinois
Mary L. Longenbach (wife) 36 Illinois married 10 years
Alberta E. 8 Illinois
Rosita M. 6 Illinois
Harold J. 4 Illinois
John H. 2 Illinois
Nearby is Isaac Longenbach 88 years
old, widowed living as father
in law in Andrew and Emma Abride [?j household
Ward 8, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana farmer (evidently arrived in
Louisiana after 1918
Edward B. Longenbach 45 Illinois died Mar. 1, 1948
Lillian Longenbach (wife) 46 Illinois died Jan. 7, 1947
Eleana 18 Illinois
Margaret 16 Illinois
Harold 14 Illinois
Haiden 12 Illinois
George 8 Illinois
Gregory 2 Illinois
Ray Longenbach 36 Illinois (family without the two younger boys
appears in 1910 census in same location
Winnie Longenbach 29 Iowa
Clarence 11 Louisiana
Erwin 6 Louisiana
Gordon 4 Louisiana
1936
no Longenbaughs listed in HCTRoIIs
South Texas Grain Co., Box 236, Houston owned property in Jno.
Austin & Shearn tracts
1939
In 1939 EBL conveyed the north '/ of the north '/Z of the SE '/4 of
75/2 HTCRR to MLL as separate property; this was part of the land
from Paramount Realty Co. conveyed to E. B. Longenbaugh on
Nov. 30, 1931; 892:24
1940
no Longenbaughs listed (HCTRoIis)
No South Texas Grain Co. listed
1944
on July 5, 1944 EBL conveyed lots 27, 28, & 29 of 44/2, the Katy
townsite to MLL.
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1945
1950
no Longenbaughs listed (HCTRolls)
No South Texas Grain Co. listed
E. B. Longenbaugh-314.66 ac (HCTRoIIs)
77.58 ac. Blk 2 HTCRR (no tract given)
50 ac. Thomas Kernshaw
28 ac. Pt. 8 Thomas Kernshaw
159.08 ac. Lela Pitt SW'/ 86[/2? HTCRR?[
G. E. Longenbaugh-159.08 ac (HCTRolls)
159.08 ac J. P. & F. Wilson
H. J. Longenbaugh, c/o South Texas Grain Co.-3776.43 ac
(HCTRolls)
322 ac Jas. Askins
u/d int. in 1000 ac. (391ac.) Jas. Askins
640 ac. G. Ayres
105 ac. Thos. Gary
4.53 ac. S. G. Roberts
10 ac. E'/ of E% 5& 6 HTCRR
200 ac. Lots 11-14, 17-20, and W'/ of W% 15-16 & W 3/< 5
&6
55.55 ac. Q. N. Kinman
55.55 ac. Q. N. Kinman
21.8 ac J. W. Moody
87.5 ac. A. Roberts
200 ac. Stoddard
300 ac. Stoddard lots 1-14, 25-26, 36-46
236.5 ac. J. H. Ruby
827 ac. HTRCC [no description]
320 ac. Sec. 52 HTCRR
H. J. and J. H. Longenbaugh-1002.9 ac (HCTRolls)
1002.9 ac W. Baker
J. H. Longengbaugh-316.02 ac (HCTRoIIs)
305.09 ac. Sec 87 HTCRR
10.93 ac. A. M. Williams 64/2 [HTCRR)
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Appendix 4
Chronology of Josey Family History
1850
T. J. & Mary Josey household in Macon, Alabama; son Ezra
Josey, born in South Carolina about 1844; T. J. Josey ad 2 slaves:
1 male 30 and 1 female 13 (US Census)
1860
T. J. & Mary Josey household in Walker County, Texas, P. Q. was
Huntsville; son Ezra Josey, 15; Mary E., 11, born in South Carolina; Robert P. 5 born in Texas So family arrived in Texas about
1854-55. T. J. Josey was a farmer with 3 slaves: 1 female 28, and
2 males. 8 and 8 mos. (US Census)
1870
E. T. Josey (28) family included wife and 4 children including J. E.
Josey; E. T. Josey was a merchant in Huntsville with $1000 worth
of real property and $200 worth of personal property (US Census)
1900
Jackson Josey and wife Kate lived in Huntsville, Texas, and had
two children; he was probably a merchant, although the census occupation is unreadable; children were Moody L. (6 years old) and
Jack L. Josey (US Census)
1910
Jackson Josey family lived in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas
with sons, Lenoir (16) and Jack (10). The elder Josey was president of a bank in Beaumont (US Census)
1920
Lenoir M. and Mildred Josey lived in Beaumont with son Jack
Smith Josey, 3 years old. Josey owed an ice company (US Census)
1930
Lenoir M. and Mildred Smyth Josey lived on Del Monte Street in
a home worth $45,000 in Houston, Harris County with son Jack
Smyth Josey, 13 years old. The elder Josey was director of a
bank. (US Census)
1936
L. M. Josey home property at 3250 Del Monte Drive (HCTRolls)
1939
June, Jack Smyth Josey wed Elva Johnson [divorced July 6,
1982; 3 children: Le Noir Moody Josey (1941), Carolyn Josey
(1943), Robert Anthony Josey 11 (1950)
1940
L. M. Josey home place (HCTRoIIs)
L. M, Josey, Inc. (HCTRoIIs)
Royalty interests worth $95,000 including some at Satsuma
Orange Farms and G. Ayres
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1945
L. M. Josey, inc.--5,526.3 acres (HCTRoIIs)
25 ac. J. Brewster
629.6 ac Sec. 18 HTCRR
647.7 ac. E. T. Shafer, Sec. 4
649.50 ac. W. C. Davis, Sec. 24
660.50 ac. HTCRR 3/2
640 ac. HTCRR Sec. 1 [out of block 2?]
79.40 ac. W. Howth
747.5 ac. W% of J. Brewster
642.4 ac. HTCRR 15
640 ac HTCRR 17
164.7 ac. G. W. Roberts [sic]
R. A. Josey (HCTRoIIs)
Many acres of "Poutra Farms"
1950
L. M. Josey, Inc. (same as 1945)-5,526.3 acres
(HCTRoIIs)
25 ac. J. Brewster
629.6 ac Sec. 18 HTCRR
647.7 ac. E. T. Shafer, Sec. 4
649.50 ac. W. C. Davis, Sec. 24
660.50 ac. HTCRR 3/2
640 ac. HTCRR Sec. 1[out of block 2?]
79.40 ac. W. Howth
747.5 ac. WY2of J. Brewster
642.4 ac. HTCRR 15
640 ac HTCRR 17
164.7 ac. G. W. Roberts [sic]
R. A. Josey (HCTRoIIs)
Many acres of "Poutra Farms"
1965
1972
1974
2003
Jack S. Josey appointed to UT System Board of Regents by Gov.
John Connally; became vice-chairman in 1966 & reelected in 1967.
appointed to six-year term, but resigned Sept. 12, 1970
Jack S. Josey, BS in Pet.Engr. 1939; Chairman of the Board,
Josey Oil Company; Houston, named Distinguished Alumnus in
1972 by University of Texas
Jack Josey became major stockholder in Central Bank of Houston
Obituary, Jack S. Josey (Houston Chronicle, Feb. 28) died Feb.
27 at home in California of "heart complications." Owned Josey Oil
Company; developed Lakeway community, former UT regent, former Rice trustee, longtime trustee of Herman Hospital, longtime
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chairman of Welch Foundation; great-grandfather [George Washington Smyth] was signer of Texas Declaration of Independence.
Father, Lenoir Josey "sold an ice company in Beaumont during
Spindletop days to invest in oil drilling.... After succeeding in oil,
Lenior Josey moved the family into one of the first mansions in
River Oaks.... [LJ was] flamboyant nightfly and gambler" a wildcatter. Jack Josey graduated from San Jacinto High School in the
same class as Walter Cronkite and they "remained lifelong friends."
Josey worked for his father after graduation and volunteered for the
US Navy after Pearl Harbor. He served as a gunnery officer on a
destroyer escort in the South Pacific and was awarded the bronze
star.
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Appendix 5
Summary of Rice Farming in Bridgeland Area
Although small amounts of rice had been grown in Texas before the Civil War, its
culture was primarily in the counties along the Texas border with Louisiana. Harris County Historical Society's monograph on Harris County during Republic of
Texas times noted that "Some rice was grown in the county in 1843. The Simmons farm on Cypress Creek harvested about Thirty bushels to the acre of the
upland variety."22
Jefferson, Newton, and San Augustine counties accounted for over 54,000 of the
total 88,000 pounds of rice grown in Texas in 1850. Harris County did not report
any rice production to the census taker that year. With only 4500 acres in cultivation that year, Harris County's major agricultural produce was Indian corn and
sweet potatoes, in addition to more than 23,000 cattle and 6600 swine. 23 The
year 1860 saw rice production in the state drop drastically to just over 26,000
pounds; again Harris County did not R roduce any rice, but sustained it corn
sweet potato, cattle, and swine raising.
In 1870 the state's rice production had
risen to more than 58,000 pounds, and Harris County produced only 3000
pounds of that.25 While these statistics show some rice production in Texas, it
was certainly a marginal crop with little local market.
Modern rice culture in Texas developed just behind that in Louisiana during the
last 20 years of the nineteenth century. Grain farmers from the Midwest flocked
to the southwest coastal prairies of Louisiana in the 1880s as cheap land became available along the route of the newly completed Southern Pacific railroad.
Drought and severe winter weather in the Midwest during the mid-1880s sent the
area's grain farmers south into Louisiana with their knowledge of grains and their
farm equipment-steam tractors, harrows, plows, and threshers. Mechanization
of the rice industry transformed the agricultural economy of southwestern Louisiana. Spilling over the Sabine River in the last decade of nineteenth century, rice
farming in Texas got its earliest foothold in Jefferson County near Beaumont.
Here, the state saw its first rice mill and first irrigation and canal system, Joe E.
Broussard of Jefferson County was Texas's largest rice grower in the mid 1890s.
He instituted the first steam-powered water pump irrigation system in Texas. His
success converted other large landowners in the area to rice. And in the next
decade rice culture spread west into Harris County.26
22 Harris County Historical Society, Harris County, Republic of Texas, 1839-1845
(Houston,
Texas: Anson Jones Press, 1960), p. 21.
24 U. S. Department of Interior, Bureau of the Census, Census of 1850, pp. 515-516.
Joseph C. G. Kennedy, Population of the United States in 1860,
(Washington D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1864), pp. 140-149.
25 Francis A. Walker, the Statistics of the Wealth and Industry of the United
Census (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1872), pp. 252-263.States.. .the Ninth
26 Henry C. Dethloff, A History of the American Rice Industry, 1685-1985
(College Station, Texas:
Texas A&M Press, 1988), pp. 66-80; Ralph S. Newman, "The American Rice Industry," in South-
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The first rice planted in the Katy-Hockley area was probably that of Wilham Eule
in 1900. In 1903 the Stockdick brothers and Ed Cabiness planted about 35 acres
each. They dug the first irrigation wells, about 100 feet deep and producing
about 500 gallons of water per minute.27
In 1903 Texas planted 234,000 acres of rice (about two-thirds of that of Louisiana). By 1903, Texas and Louisiana accounted for 99 percent of all the rice
grown in the United States. Between 1903 and 1919, rice culture had spread
throughout the 18 counties that became the Texas Rice Belt; Austin, Brazoria,
Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jackson,
Lavaca, Liberty, Matagorda, Orange, Polk, Victoria, Waller and Wharton counties.
Production grew in the Katy-Hockley area as more and more of the Houston and
Texas Central Railway lands in Harris County were bought up and planted in rice.
Soils in the area were ideal for rice, and numerous artesian wells provided abundant water.28
America's farm economy experienced a severe depression at the end of 1920
when prices fell to 45 percent of their April 1920 levels. Rice acreage declined in
response to the failing prices, falling from 1.2 million acres in 1920 to 838,000
acres in 1924 and the farm value fell from $39 million $17 million. When the
Great Depression hit in 1929, rice fell even more, declining to about one-half of
the 1929 prices by 1933. This economic disaster caused significant dislocation
among all areas of agricultural enterprise. Smaller rice farmers and those with
heavier debt were not able to weather the Great Depression, and many sold out
or were foreclosed. The resulting shakeout of the rice industry encouraged large
producers, and many sought additional or different land to expand their enterprises.29
World War II provided subsidies for rice production since it and other foodstuffs
were considered important to the war effort. In addition, national and international shortages due to the War in the Pacific increased the market for Texas
rice. The new "converted rice" technology heavily marketed in Houston during
the war quickly found favor with the U. S. Military. The first converted rice plant
was constructed in Houston by Gordon Harwell and F. K. James on Nance
Street. Its total output in 1943-44 was given over to the U. S. Army Quartermaster Corps. The U. S. Army and private rice growers combined forces in 1944 to
construct an additional $750,000, five-story rice mill for the Converted Rice Company.
western Agriculture: Pre-Columbian to Modern. Henry C. Dethloff and Irvin M. May, Jr., editors
^Coliege Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 1982), p. 187-188.
'"Students' [sic] Essay Tells History," Houston Post, June 25, 1967.
28 Francis A. Scanlon, "The Rice Industry of Texas," M. A. thesis, University of Texas (Austin),
1954, pp. 28-52.
29 Dethloff, pp 129-133.
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By 1946 acreage had risen above the 1920 levels, and 1.5 million acres were in
rice production. After World War Il, food was still in short supply throughout the
world. Postwar subsidies rivaled those of wartime, and rice farmers increased
production to meet demand. By 1954, 2.5 million Texas acres were planted in
rice, and production had doubled to more than 64 million hundredweight. In the
mid-1950s, however, rice acreage fell as production outstripped available markets. In 1955, acreage had been reduced to about 468,000 acres. In spite of the
reduced acreage, the state's share of production climbed; from the 1950s
through 1974, Texas was the nation's leading rice producer. The declining water
table and irrigation water shortages in the mid-1970s accounted for the state's
lagging behind Arkansas in production thereafter.30
In 1963 the Katy-Hockley area produced 1,306,000 barrels of rough rice which
sold for over $11 million. In 1967, with improved crop culture practices, the KatyHockley area produced about nine percent of all the rice grown in Texas on
about 48,000 acres. Most of the areas rice farmers were also cattle raisers; most
ranchers emphasized calf production, but there were also breeding herds of registered Angus, Hereford, Brahman, Charlais, Santa Gertrudis, and Charbray.
Commodity surpluses in the early 1980s and the federal government's Payment
in Kind farm subsidy program slashed rice planting throughout the nation. Harris
County's rice acreage plummeted from more than 20,000 acres in 1981 to about
10,000 acres in 1983.3
Rice Culture32
In the Katy-Hockley-Cypress area, the rice industry took off in the late 1940s and
1950s. Large farmers like Harry Longenbaugh bought additional land, leased
even more, and invested in farmer's coops. While other Texas rice areas used
river water ( Neches, Sabine, Trinity, Brazos and Colorado rivers), the Harris
county farmers in the Bridgeland area drilled deep artesian wells and could count
on that during droughts. Unlike Jefferson and other far southeast counties, the
Hockley and Katy areas had a fine sandy loam that required less tillage than the
heavy clay soils seen in Louisiana and the Beaumont area. Much of the Texas
acreage was seeded by airplane on both dry and wet fields, although on the
loamy soils of the Bridgeland area, regular grain drills were used on dry fields
which were flooded when the seedlings reached 4 to 6 inches.
30 Dethloff, pp. 163-164; "Vitaminized Rice Gains Renown: Houston Product Becoming International Popular," Houston Magazine, April, 1944; "$750,000 rice Mill Underway,"
Houston Magazine, October, 1944; "Rice Industry, 1955" Houston Chronicle,
December 30, 1955; Newman, pp.
188-189.
31 "Rice and Cattle Are Significant to Katy's Agriculture," Houston Chronicle, June 25, 1967; Nelson Antosh, "Program to slash Houston area rice planting almost 50 percent," Houston Chronicle,
March 13, 1983.
32
Much of the following discussion is from R. J. Hodges, Jr., Rice ...A Big Business n the Gulf
Coast Prairie (College Station, Texas: Texas Agricultural Extension Service, 1957).
000064
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland^
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 42 of 50
Texas farmers seeded rice from March 1 to June, although most planting was
done in April and May. Rice requires a growing period of 109 to 180 days (depending on variety) with an average temperature of 70 degrees or above. The
warm humid climate of the Harris County rice bowl was ideal for the crop. On the
sandy soil of the Bridgeland area, seed was placed 1 to 3 inches deep and covered with a light harrowing. Crop rotation was essential to continuing good harvests. By the 1950s the preferred rotation was with improved pasture rather than
just a fallow field. Rotations varied from 4 years improved pasture with 2 years of
rice and 5 years of improved pasture and 3 years of rice. Clearly cattle raising
was an important adjunct to rice culture.
Rice was submerged in 4 to 6 inches of water during the growing to control
weeds and to provide for the high moisture needs of the plant. Levees were
constructed to handle at least 6 inches of water and broad enough to prevent
washouts. For dry seeding, fields were leveled and, immediately after planting,
levees were constructed. Approximately 40 to 50 inches of water was required
for rice; with a rainfall of 20 to 30 inches in the Harris County area, irrigation provided the remaining 20 inches. In the fine sandy soils of the Katy/Hockley area,
more water was necessary because of increased percolation and seepage. Water is first applied to the fields when the crop is 4 to 6 inches high. At that time 2
inches of water are applied and is gradually increased to 4 to 6 inches as the rice
grows. Submersion usually lasted 60 to 90 days of the growing season. The
major rice pests were the rice stink bug, grasshoppers, rice water weevil, the
sugar cane borer, and the armyworm. Rice is at its highest quality when harvested with a moisture content of 18 to 22 percent.
The rice-pasture rotation system was the most common crop rotation in the
Texas rice bowl. Two years of rice followed by 2 or more years of cattle grazing
was thought to be the best method of keeping the rice fields productive. Farmers
usually improved the pasturage by sowing grass and clover seed in the rice
stubble after harvest. Beef benefited from the extra grass, gaining as much as
200 pounds or more per acre, as opposed to about 50 pounds on the fallow rice.
Harvesting rice was a tricky business before about 1940. Binder/thresher machines shocked the rice and stacked it to dry in the fields. If the season was
rainy, much of the rice was lost in the field. In 1940, however, a pioneer Katy rice
grower, T. B. Tucker, developed a "combine" that would cut and thresh rice at the
same time, and it could be sent straight to a dryer. Tucker built and operated the
first successful rice dryer in the area. 3
In 1944, as World War II was raging and foodstuffs in increasingly short supply,
two Houstonians, Gordon Harwell and F. K. James promoted "converted rice."
Previous milling and bleaching had robbed rice of much of its nutrient value, but
the new method developed by Eric Huzenlaub sealed the nutrients into the grain.
33 "Students' [sic] Essay Tells History," Houston Post, June 25, 1967,
000065
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeiand
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 43 of 50
The use of a vacuum and intense pressure on unmilled rice in the new method
allowed the grain to be permeated with water carrying water-soluble B-complex
vitamins and other nutrients in the rice hull, bran, and germ. These nutrients,
sealed into the grain by alternate periods of steaming and drying, withstood subsequent milling, washing, and to some extent, cooking.
000066
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 r page 44 of 50
Appendix 6
Glossary of Land Titles Terms, Texas General Land Office (Selected)
Headrights ( Republic of Texas, 1836-1845)
Headright grants were issued to individuals by Boards of Land Commissioners in
each county.
First Class Headright
Issued to those who arrived before March 2, 1836. Heads of families received
one league (4,428 acres) and one labor (177.1 acres), while single men received
1/3 league (1,476.1 acres).
Second Class Headright
Issued to those who arrived between March 2, 1836 and October 1, 1837.
Heads of families received 1,280 acres, while single men received 640 acres.
Third Class Headright
Issued to those who arrived between October 1, 1837 and January 1, 1840,
Heads of families received 640 acres, while single men received 320 acres.
Fourth Class Headright
Issued to those who arrived between January 1, 1840 and January 1, 1842. The
amounts issued were the same as for third class headrights, plus the requirement of cultivation of 10 acres.
Pre-emption Grant
Similar to the headright grants, pre-emption grants were made after statehood.
From 1845 to 1854 homesteaders could claim 320 acres. From 1854 to 1856,
and 1866 to 1898, up to 160 acres could be claimed. Homesteaders were required to live on the land for three years and make improvements (such as building a barn) in order to qualify for a pre-emption grant of 160 acres.
Military Land Grants
Bounty Grant
Grants for military service during the Texas Revolution were provided by the Republic of Texas. Each three months of service provided 320 acres up to a maximum of 1,280 acres. Bounty grants for guarding the frontier (1838-1842) were
issued by the Republic of Texas. Soldiers were issued certificates for 240 acres.
7,469 bounty grants were issued for 5,354,250 acres.
Donation Grant
Grants were issued by the Republic of Texas for participation in specific battles
000067
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgela nd
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : pag^ 45 of 50
of the revolution. Soldiers who fought in the Siege of Bexar and the battle of San
Jacinto (including the baggage detail at Harrisburg), and the heirs of those who
fell at the Alamo and Goliad were eligible for 640 acres. 1,816 donation warrants
were issued for 1,162,240 acres.
Military Headright Grant
Special headrights of one league were provided by the Republic of Texas to:
1. soldiers who arrived in Texas between March 2 and August 1, 1836
2. the heirs of soldiers who fell with Fannin, Travis, Grant and Johnson
3. soldiers who were permanently disabled
Republic Veterans Donation Grant
A grant was provided by the state of Texas to veterans of the Texas Revolution
and signers of the Declaration of Independence. The veteran was required to
have received a bounty grant or to be eligible for one. A donation law in 1879
provided 640 acres and required proof of indigence. A donation law passed in
1881 provided 1,280 acres and dropped the indigency requirement. This grant
was repealed in 1887 with 1,278 certificates issued for 1,377,920 acres.
Confederate Scrip
Certificates for 1280 acres were provided to confederate soldiers who were permanently disabled or to the widows of confederate soldiers. Passed in 1881, it
was repealed in 1883 with 2,068 certificates issued.
Internal Improvement Scrip
Central National Road
Under a law passed in 1844, various amounts were issued to road commissioners, surveyors and contractors for building a road from the Red River to the Trinity River in what is now Dallas. Certificates were issued for 27,716 acres.
Scrip for Building Steamboats, Steamships and Other Vessels
Certificates for 320 acres were issued for building a vessel of at least 50 tons,
with 320 acres for each additional 25 tons. Sixteen ships were built taking advantage of this 1854 law.
Railroad Scrip
Several laws were passed beginning in 1854. The exact provisions varied, but
generally an amount of land was offered for each mile of rail constructed. The
Constitution of 1876 provided 16 sections per mile. Railroads were required to
survey an equal amount of land to be set aside for the public school fund. Certificates were issued for 35,777,038 acres.
000068
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 46 of 50 j
School Land
Sale of the school lands began in 1874. Until 1905, the price, amount of land
available, method of purchase, and eligibility requirements varied greatly. Legislation passed in 1905 required that the school lands be sold through competitive
bidding. Purchasers could buy a maximum of 4 sections with residence required
in most counties, or 8 sections with no residence required in other designated
(western) counties.
The End of the Unappropriated Public Domain
In Hogue v. Baker, 1898, the Texas Supreme Court declared that there was no
more vacant and unappropriated land in Texas. As a result of the decision, a
complete audit was ordered by the Legislature. The audit determined that the
public school fund was short of the amount of land it should have had by
5,009,478 acres.
In 1900 an act was passed "to define the permanent school fund of the State of
Texas, to partition the public lands between said fund and the State, and to adjust the account between said fund and said state; to set apart and appropriate to
said school fund, the residue of the public domain..." Thus, all of the remaining
unappropriated land was set aside by the legislature for the school fund.
000069
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 47 of 50
References Consulted
"$750,000 Rice Mill Underway," Houston Magazine, October 1944. Rice Mill,
Vertical files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas.
"A Brief History of Katy, Texas." Anonymous, undated typescript. Katy, Vertical
files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas.
Antosh, Nelson. "Program to slash Houston area rice planting almost 50 percent," Houston Chronicle, March 13, 1983.. Agriculture, Vertical files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas.
Beverly, Trevia Wooster. At Rest: A Historical Directory of Harris County, Texas
Cemeteries. Houston, Texas: Tejas Publications & Research, 1993.
Dethloff, Henry C. A History of the American Rice Industry, 9685-1985. College
Station, Texas: Texas A&M Press, 1988.
Ensor, H. Blaine. Archeological Survey of Cypress Creek from Spring Branch to
Kuykendahl Road, Harris County, Texas. Archeological Research Laboratory,
Texas A&M University, 1990.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Atakapa Indians",
htt p://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/AA/bma48.html.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Hockley, Texas",
httg:/lwww.tsha.utexas edu/handbook/online/articles/HH/hlh49 html.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Houston and Texas Central Railway",
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/o line/articles/HH/eah9.html.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Katy, Texas",
http://www.tsha.utexas edu/handbook/online/articles/KK/hfi1 html.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Ranching",
http://www.tsha.utexas edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/azr2.html.
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Rice Culture",
http://www.tsha.utexas edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/afr html.
Harris Central Appraisal District. Tax Records. Accessed online, www.hcad.org.
Harris County Clerk. Deed and Map Records. Harris County Archives, Houston,
Texas.
000070
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 48 of 50I
Harris County Historical Society. Harris County, Republic of Texas,
1839-1845.
Houston, Texas: Anson Jones Press, 1960.
Hodges, R. J., Jr. Rice... A Big Business on the Gulf Coast Prairie.
Texas Agricultural Extension Service, College Station Texas, 1957.
Houston Chronicle, December 9, 1959. Obituary for H. J. Longenbaugh.
November 14, 1994. Obituary for Alta Gillson Longenbaugh
Josey>
February 28, 2003, March 2, 2003.
Obituaries for Jack Smyth
Katy Prairie Conservancy at www.katyprairie.org,
Kemp, Louis Wiltz. The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence,
Salado, Texas: Anson Jones, 1944; rpt. 1959.
Krupala, Kristi. "From a One Room School...to Medical Research. Baylor College of Medicine, Solutions Magazine, Spring 2006.
Lands originally granted to the Houston & Texas Central[;],
Galveston, Harrisburg
& San Antonio[] Texas and New Orleans(,•] and Gulf
Western
Texas & Pacific
Railway Co's [sic] in Texas.
Chicago and New York: Rand, McNally & Company,
Publishers, 1892.
La Vere, David. The Texas Indians.
Press, 2004.
College Station: Texas A & M University
Louis, Thomas. The Katy Oil and Gas Field.
M. A. Thesis, University of Texas
(Austin), 1963.
Maps, available at Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, unless otherwise
noted
1879: Map of Harris County [shows land grants], on file, Texas General
Land Office, Austin, Texas.
1892: Immigration and Land Development Company, Map of Harris
County, 1892.
1917: Harris County Engineer, Harris County Highway Map.
1924: Hatcher Drafting Company, Houston, Map of Harris County, Texas.
1934: J. Foster Ashburn, Ashburn's Official Road Map of Texas.
1936, rev. 1939: Texas State Highway Department, Harris County Highway Map.
1938: Haile & McClendon, Map of Harris County, Texas.
1957: Texas State Highway Department, Harris County Highway Map.
000071
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 49 of 50
Miller, Thomas L. Bounty and Donation Land Grants of Texas, 1835-1888. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1967.
Newcomb, Jr., W. W. The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times.
Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961, 1973.
Newman, Ralph S. "The American Rice Industry," in Southwestern Agriculture:
Pre-Columbian to Modern. Henry C. Dethloff and Irvin M. May, Jr,, editors. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 1982.
North Harris County Branch of the American Association of University Women.
The Heritage of North Harris County. Sesquicentennial Edition. Houston, 1986.
Porter, Nancy and Roger G. Moore, A Cultural Resource Survey of a Proposed
Floodplain Preservation Area on Cypress Creek, Harris County, Texas. Moore
Archeological Consulting. Prepared for Harris County Flood Control District,
Houston, Texas, April 2003.
Reed, S. G. A History of the Texas Railroads; and of the Transportation Conditions under Spain and Mexico, and the Republic and the State. St. Clair Publishing, 1948.
"Rice and Cattle Are Significant to Katy's Agriculture, Houston Post, June 25,
1967. Katy, Vertical files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston,
Texas.
Scanlon, Francis Assisi. "The Rice Industry of Texas." M. A. thesis, University of
Texas (Austin), 1954.
Sizemoore, Deborah Lightfoot. The LH7 Ranch in Houston's Shadow: The E. H.
Mark's Legacy from Longhorns to the Salt Grass Trail. Denton, Texas: University
of North Texas Press, 1991.
"Students' [sic] Essay Tells History [of Katy, Texas]. Houston Post. Katy, Vertical files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas.
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Ad Valorem Tax Records. 1836-1960.
Microfilm on file, Texas State Library and Archives.
Texas General Land Office, History of Texas Public Lands,
http://www.gio.state.tx.us/archives/history/texas mexico.html.
Texas Historical Commission. Atlas, online at http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us
000072
Historical Research and Interpretive Planning Report for Bridgeland
Sue Winton Moss
October 23, 2007 : page 50 of 50!
U. S. Census Records. Population and Special Schedules. 1830, 1840, 1850,
1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930. Accessed through Ancestry.com.
Vertical Files, Texas Room, Houston Public Library.
Agriculture, Rice
Industries, Rice
Josey, Jack S.
Katy
Rice Mills
"Vitaminized Rice Gains Renown, Houston Product Becoming Internationally
Popular," Houston Magazine, April, 1944.
Rice Mills, Vertical files, Texas Collection, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas.
White, Gifford. Board of Land Commissioners, Harris County: Land Grants,
1838. Anahuac, Texas: Chambers County Historical Commission, 1980.
The 1840 Census of the Republic of Texas.
Pemberton Press, 1966,
Austin, Texas:
1840 Citizens of Texas. Austin, Texas, 1983-1988.
First Settlers of Harris County. Austin, Texas, c1984,
The Lost Book of Harris County/Copied from the Original in the
General Land Office by Gifford White. Austin, Texas, 1968.
They Also Served : Texas Service Records from Headright Certificates. Austin, Texas: Ericson Books, c1991.
Williams, Villamae. Stephen F. Austin's Register of Families: From the Originals
in the General Land Office, Austin, Texas. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical
Publishing Company, 1989, c1984.
000073
Attachment 2
Press Release - Bridgeland Differences Define Premier Development
(January 31, 2009)
000074
INSIDE PR - PRIORITY #2
Bridgeland differences define premier development
(Cypress, TX - January 31, 2009)
northwest community of Bridgeland.
There's something different about the
',I VI^`^ ,be you notice right
y -- no obti^u5ivc: po^^er lines, terraced elevations
an homes buffered from rnajor thoroughfares. Or maybe
you only sense the
distinctions, leaving with a feeling of tranquility and "lhe
search
is over" after
touring the community.
Different is good.
It's no accident Bridgeland
stands out. Planners developed a careful road map
for the community, one that embraced common sense and character. The
community offers a host of differences, including:
•
Plenty of open space - 3,000 acres in all
- promising room to play and
roain. Bridgeland's master
plan also calls for more than 900 acres of lakes
and waterways and 60 miles of interconnected trails and pathways,
putting neighborhoods and amenities in easy reach.
• A comprehensive recreation center with resort-style pools, tennis courts,
playgrounds and a 6,O00-square-foot community center that is home to
BridgEland's on-site activities director, who manages a fu]1, calendar of
events, classes, parties and more,
• Free
use of various recreation equipment to enjoy Bridgeland's many
amenities. Non-motorized boats - paddleboats, kay,il<-s, canoes and
sailboats - allow residents to enjoy the sport without incurring the
expense. Bikes, fishing equipment and disc golf supplies also can be
checked out at no charge.
•
Those opting for more indoor fun will
appreciate the fiber optic
technology available in Bridgeland. All homes receive
AT&T's landmark
fiber-to-the-premises U-Verse suite of services. Fiber-to-the-prcnzises
means services go directly to the home through fiber optic technology
rather ti-lan a fiber-to-the-node delivery system that runs fiber optic cables
to a sin gle point in the community
and then uses copper phone cable,
rather than fiber optics, to carry services to the home"".
•.Education is a priority in Bridgeland, with a com prehc^nsive
plan that not only includes sites for public schools, but atso ^ education
^resche^ols,
private schools, schools for special needs students, and satellite college
cam IL
^uses and. contanrzing adult education classes, all within con^ M^F^^ity^
borc'!et 5.
•
One of the earliest differences most residents notice is the Bridgeland
community's convenient model home park, a showcase of 17 model
homes that exemplify the many available home styles and
prices.
Named "Community of the Year" by the
Bridgeland is a devc;l<> >rnent of General Greater Houston Builders Association,
Growth Properties, Inc.,
Izirgcst U.S.-based publicly traded
real estate investment trust (RE T) in the
nation. As owner of Bridgeland and majority owner of The
Woodlands, General
Growth Properties is one of the largest
master-planned community developers in
000075
Bridgeland
Page 2
One of the earliest differences most residents notice is the Bridgeland
community's convenient model home park, a showcase of 17 model
homes that exemplify the many available home styles and prices.
Named "Community of the Year" by the Greater Houston Builders Association,
Bridgeland is a development of General Growth Properties, Inc., the secondlargest U.S.-based publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) in the
nation. As owner of Bridgeland and majority owner of The Woodlands, General
Growth Properties is one of the largest master-planned community developers in
the Houston area.
For more information, visit www.brici^r^
Directions
To visit Bridgeland, from U.S. 290, travel northwest and take the SpringCypress/ Cypress-Rosehill/ Fry Road exit. Turn left on Fry Road (second traffic
light) and continue 2.5 miles to North Bridgeland Lake Parkway, the
community's main entrance. From Interstate 10, travel west and take the Fry
Road exit. Turn right on Fry Road and continue approximately 11 miles to North
Bridgeland Lake Parkway.
Photo Information
The northwest community of Bridgeland boasts many differences that
distinguish it as a masterfully planned development with thought given to
homes, amenities, education, technology and so much more.
News Contact
Tania Oshman
713.523.6630
[email protected]
000076
Attachment 3
Press Release - Bridgeland Differences Define Premier Development
(May 30, 2009)
000077
INSIDE PR - PRIORITY #1
Bridgeland differences define premier development
(Cypress, TX - May 30, 2009)
It is the very nature of northwest
Houston's Bridgeland community that is different, not just the guiding
philosophy of developing a desirable place to live, but also the actual landscape
of the area and the many ways the community is working to preserve its natural
beauty.
As part of "The
Bridgeland Differences," developers have taken unprecedented
steps to preserve and promote the community's natural landscape, incorporating
the great outdoors into everyday life for Bridgeland residents. In all, 3,000 acres
are devoted to open space, the result of an extensive environmental study to
determine how to best protect, preserve and restore much of the natural
environment within community boundaries.
More than 900 acres of lakes and waterways also are planned, providing ample
opportunities for outdoor fun as well as quiet respite. Already, more than 200
acres of lakes are well-stocked for catch-and-release fishing. Also in place are
miles of trails, including the first 1.5 miles of the planned six-mile Cypress Creek
Nature Trail. The trail is set along the historic Cypress Creek Corridor, a 1,000acre nature area and creek system bordering the northern edge of Bridgeland.
Along the trail, hikers can enjoy wildlife observation areas amid the trees and on
Cypress Lake, as well as points of interest with benches and educational signage
pertaining to the history of the area and indigenous plants and animals.
Appealing to bird watchers, approximately 140 species of birds have been
identified in the area. Bridgeland has plans for more than 60 miles of
interconnecting nature, exercise and pedestrian trails, stretching border to
border, providing access to various villages, village centers and multiple resortstyle activity centers.
Bridgeland residents can easily enjoy community lakes and parks with the use of
complimentary recreation equipment, including kayaks, canoes and sailboats, as
well as bicycles, fishing equipment and disc golf supplies for Bridgeland's 18hole disc golf course, a first in northwest Houston.
In addition, obtrusive utility poles won't mar the area's natural beauty because
all utilities are underground. Most new communities in Houston bury power
lines inside a neighborhood, but very few also install underground power lines
along the community's perimeter.
000078
Bririgelanrl,
Page 2
Bridgeland, named "Master-Planned Community of the Year" by the National
Association of Home Builders, is planned for 65,000 residents and offers a wide
range of housing prices, styles and densities, from conventional neighborhoods
priced from the $180,000s to custom homes exceeding $1 million. For more
information, visit www.brid:( 7nd.com,
Directions
To visit Bridgeland, from U.S. 290, travel northwest and take the SpringCypress/ Cypress-Rosehill/ Fry Road exit. Turn left on Fry Road (second traffic
light) and continue 2.5 miles to North Bridgeland Lake Parkway, the
community's main entrance. From Interstate 10, travel west and take the Fry
Road exit. Turn right on Fry Road and continue approximately 11 miles to North
Bridgeland Lake Parkway.
Photo Information
Entrance
The northwest community of Bridgeland has a host of carefully planned
differences that distinguish the development from other master-planned
communities. Particular care has been given to preserving the community's
natural landscape, integrating the outdoors into everyday life. Residents enjoy
3,000 acres of open space, complimentary use of non-motorized boats and other
recreational equipment, underground power lines and much more.
News Contact
Tania Oshman
713.523.6630
[email protected]
000079
Attachment 4
Press Release - The Woodlands, Bridgeland Collaborate for Continued Success
(February 11, 2012)
000080
INSIDE PR - PRIORITY #1
The Woodlands, Bridgeland Collaborate for Continued Success
(Cypress, TX - Feb. 11, 2012)
The Woodlands, nationally lauded for its
environmental preservation efforts, has assumed a leadership role in the development of
Bridgeland, another master-planned community committed to preserving its natural
landscape.
"Both The Woodlands and Bridgeland are partners in nature," said Tim Welbes, president of
The Woodlands Development Company. "They each practice sustainability and have made
the protection of their natural landscapes a focus of development efforts, with abundant
parks, lakes and trails, natural drainage and preservation of native vegetation that serves as
wildlife habitats."
"With nearly 40 years of experience, The Woodlands team will be able to offer critical insight
into the continued successful development of Bridgeland," said Peter Houghton, vice
president of Bridgeland.
The Woodlands, a 28,000-acre master-planned community, was founded in 1974.
Approximately 4,300 acres have yet to be developed. Nearly 100,000 people live in The
Woodlands and about 47,000 people work there.
Last year, Bridgeland celebrated its fifth year of development. More than 4,000 people live in
Bridgeland, an 11,400-acre community, and more than 1,300 homes are occupied.
Both The Woodlands and Bridgeland are projects of The Howard Hughes Corporation and
feature a diverse slate of housing options, extensive outdoor recreation and an emphasis on
lifelong learning. The Woodlands has 26.5 million square feet of commercial space, most of
which is concentrated in the 1,000-acre Town Center. Bridgeland's master plan includes an
800-acre Town Center, as well as retail areas within the residential villages.
"Our two developments share so many similarities," Houghton said. "Bridgeland is primed
to become the type of live-work-play community The Woodlands has championed."
Both Bridgeland and The Woodlands have won an impressive number of accolades.
Considered one of the nation's first master-planned communities, The Woodlands is one of
only 26 planned developments worldwide to be highlighted in the Urban Land Institute's
book, "Great Planned Communities."
Bridgeland will learn this month if it has earned a Community of the Year Gold Award from
the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for a second time, having won the title in
2009. Bridgeland was a Community of the Year Silver Award winner in NAHB's 2011 The
Nationals competition and was named Developer of the Year in 2011 by the Texas Association
of Builders.
For more information on Bridgeland, visit www.bridgeland com.
000081
Fritfgcl,rtrrl
Pale ?
Photo Information
BridgelandJNature
The Woodlands/Nature
The Woodlands has assumed a leadership role in the development of 11,400-acre Bridgeland,
located in Cypress. Both communities go to great lengths to preserve their natural landscape,
boasting numerous park spaces, lakes, trails, native vegetation and abundant green space.
000082
Attachment 5
Press Release -- Sustainability Ranks High in Bridgeland (March 31, 2012)
000083
INSIDE PR
Sustainability Ranks High in Bridgeland
(Cypress, TX - March 31, 2012)
In Bridgeland, people and nature co-exist as
developers build a community that will be home to generations.
Sustainability has been aguiciing principle durin r the clevL lc^prrterzt of l'>rici^;eland. Planners
started with an extensive environmental study c^#'^thi c^rru^^unity'S 11,^00oh
area rich in ecological history" although ^n^..rch of, the acreage had lon^; ag cre4 and fc^uend d ^n
ae e^i c^., nvert
to
agricultural purl.ac>ses. Brid >eland's developers l^ave. worked to
incorporate
significantof
environmental gerxis, incluir^- the historic Cypress Creek region,
home to 14tspecies
birds and other wildlife, as well as Longenbau 1-t, IVlallarcl and Ramey l^akes, into the broad
r^iastcr plan for the cc^^nmz.^nity. They will do the same with the I.^an^^^am Creek and Central,
Creek corridors as community development continues.
In addition to its preservation efforts, Bridgeland developers embarked on careful restoration
of native vegetation and habitats, cultivating much of the natural beauty that is indigenous to
these resources.
"The effort is driven in part by environmental concerns, since native vegetation requires less
water and maintenance to thrive," said Peter Houghton, vice president of Bridgeland.
Reforestation efforts have been ongoing since the community's inception, with more than
1,000 trees planted during the reforestation of Brid ^^eland's House-Hahl Trail alone and more
than 300,000 tree seedlings already growing on 1,860(-
,$0 acres of undeveloped land. Another
350,000
trees will be planted on an additional 1,300 acres next year. The trees are transplanted
to more developed
areas of Bridgeland when large enough,
Bridgeland also
is retaining and restoring creeks and tributaries that comprise the Cy
Creek Watershed,
press
which drains a 54-mile area from Waller County to its j
Creek.
uncture with Spring
"We
. want, to build a cclnlrrinnity where people and the landsca p
min i mal linpact
e grow harmoniously, with
on the env i ronment," f n1zghton
said. "And while we are doing that, we are
creating an enviable lifestyle for our residc.ynts.,,
AlaFroxiznateh; 3,000 acres will be dcdieatccl to recreation and open space , with resident.,;
already enjoying 1.5-nnilcs of the Cypress Creek Nature Trail, 300 acres of Lakes open for nc^nTnc^t^anacct boating and stocked for catch-and-release fishing and 600 additional acres
planned, frequent outdoor concerts and events and dozens of parks and pla^^grounds.
Bridgeland has won many awards for its thoughtful development, includin
g Communit y of
the
Year Silver Award from the National Association of Home Builders in TheaNationals'
2011
competition
and Developer of the Year in the Texas Association
for a second consecutive win. This year, it was named Developerof Builders' 2011 Star Awards
of the Year by the Greater
Houston Builders Association and won aGolcl
Award in. The Nationals for its
environmentally sensitive landscape design. For more information on Bridgeland's other
amenities and sustainability practices, visit www.bridgeland .com.
Photo Information
Bf`id^e°Irarrd 1 rrails
Br' clgr.lancl developers h`'ve worked not on Iv to
but to have minimal impact on the environment. conserve and enhance its natural landscape,
The result is an area where residents can
enjoy abundant Outdoor recreation i
n a community designed to thrive for many years to
come.
News Contact (Not for Publication)
000084
.1i ri;14; lr:n; I
Page 7
environmentally sensitive landscape design. For more information on Bridgeland's other
amenities and sustainability practices, visit www.bridgeland.com.
Photo infQrznatircrrt
Brit'^geblnd trails
Bridgeland det-elopers have worked not wily to conserve ai1d enhance its natural Ialldscai.?e,
but to have minimal impact on the OTlVirOnrnent. Thc result is an area where residents can
enjoy abundant outdoor recreation in a community designed to thrive for n1<iny years to
Cf)I11t'.
News Contact ( Not for Publication)
Tatzia Oshman
713.523.6630 or 713.824.2282
o5jl[11 l Il:(^'tC)^t>IT1
000085
Attachment 6
History of Bridgeland
000086
History of Bridgeland
May 2003 - Rouse purchases the Bridgeland acreage from lMeciistar
August 2004 - Development begins
November 2004 - General Growth Properties, Inc. buys The RoLise Company
ja€ltrary 2006 -- First lot Sales
October 2006 -Bridgelaxid Grand Opening
November 2010 -The Howard Hughes Company emerges
June 2012 - The Woodlands Development Company assumes rilanag,exrten.t role
000087
Attachment 7
The Woodlands Backgrounder
000088
T
H E H O W A R D H U G H E 5^
O R A TtO^N
Ile Woodlands
DEVELOPMENT CONIPANV
The Woodlands®
Backgrounder
The Woodlands community(A)
Opened in 1974, The Woodlands is a 28,000-acre, forested community where people live, work,
play and learn as families and companies. Located 27 miles north of downtown Houston on 1-45,
it encompasses nine residential villages, commercial centers, a resort and conference center, a
luxury hotel and convention center, additional upscale hotels, hospitals and health care facilities,
and exceptional shopping, dining, entertainment and recreational amenities.
The Woodlands Waterway®, a 1.4 mile-long water amenity, transportation corridor, and linear
park, is a major destination that links the shopping, dining, residential, office, and entertainment
venues in The Woodlands Town Center, the `downtown' of The Woodlands.
Throughout its 41-year history, The
Woodlands has led the way among master-planned
communities that practice environmental preservation.
Of the 28,000 acres in The Woodlands,
7,235 acres are now devoted to green space in parks, golf courses and greenbelts. Nearly 8,000
acres (28%) will remain undeveloped green space at build-out.
The Woodlands has been one of the best-selling master-planned communities in Texas since
1990, and is currently #3 in Texas and #11 in the nation (source: RCLCO.com). There are more
than 32,935 single-family homes and more than 11,830 apartments, condominiums and town
homes in The Woodlands. The community has more than 110,000 residents and reported home
sales of 468 in 2014, 749 in 2013, 1,007 in 2012, 945 in 2011 and 786 in 2010. More than 20
homebuilders are building new homes in The Woodlands. The community features a large
selection of new homes and multifamily residences.
A total of 1,973 businesses and corporations have found a home in The Woodlands, among them
Anadarko Petroleum, Aon Hewitt, CB&I, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Fox Networks
Group, Huntsman Corporation, McKesson, Strike and Waste Connections, Inc. A total of 32.5
million square feet of commercial, retail, industrial, and institutional development are here,
providing jobs for more than 58,400 people.
Originally a project of Houston-based Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., owned by The
Woodlands' founder, the late George P. Mitchell, The Woodlands was acquired by Crescent Real
Estate Equities and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund 11 in 1997.
Page I
000089
,yJ
In 2003, The Rouse Company acquired Crescent's interest in The Woodlands, and in 2004,
Rouse's interest was acquired by General Growth Properties, Inc. In January, 2011, General
Growth Properties' share in The Woodlands was acquired by The Howard Hughes Corporation®,
and in July, 2011, The Howard Hughes Corporation acquired Morgan Stanley Real Estate's
interest in The Woodlands.
The Woodlands Development Company is now a wholly-owned
subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corporation.
The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and
mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Our properties include master planned communities,
operating properties, development opportunities and other unique assets spanning 16 states from
New York to Hawai`i. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange as HHC and is headquartered in Dallas, TX. For additional information about The
Howard Hughes Corporation, visit www.howardhus;hes.com.
Working, Shopping, Dining & Entertainment
Business and industry flourish in separate commercial districts forming a 5,000-acre crescent
along 1-45, near the Hardy Toll Road and a no-stoplight, 20-minute drive to George Bush
Intercontinental Airport Houston from Town Center. Bush Intercontinental Airport is a major
international hub.
The 1,000-acre Town Center
is the destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment, with
attractions including The
Woodlands Mall, a regional shopping center with over 1.3 million
square feet of indoor and outdoor venues, and performing arts at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell
Pavilion.
Market Street, a 34-acre, Main-Street-styled shopping and special event destination,
provides an outdoor shopping and dining experience. The Woodlands Waterway®, a 1.4-milelong landscaped water feature and transportation corridor, links urban residential living to
shopping, business, dining and entertainment venues in Town Center.
Construction is well underway for Hughes Landing on Lake Woodlands,
a 66-acre mixed-use
development on 200-acre Lake Woodlands. Hughes Landing features multiple Class A office
buildings; Restaurant Row including Local Pour gastropub, Escalante's Fine Tex-Mex & Tequila
restaurant, Del Frisco's Grille, California Pizza Kitchen and more; retail and entertainment; an
Embassy Suites The Woodlands/Hughes Landing Hotel (opening late 2015); Whole Foods
Market®; and One Lakes Edge, highlighting 390 upscale apartments.
Public institutions and private companies are also at work in
The Research Forest, including
biomedical, pharmaceutical, energy and administrative companies.
Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, a 294-bed acute care hospital, is located at 1-45 and
Medical Plaza Drive in The Woodlands. CHI St. Luke's Health - The Woodlands Hospital and
CHI St. Luke's Health - Lakeside Hospital are faith-based, not-for-profit facilities with a total of
272 beds. The St. Luke's campus is located at the intersection of 1-45 and College Park Drive (SH
242). Emergency care centers, clinics and doctors' offices of nearly every specialty are located
within The Woodlands. The Woodlands will be home to a future Texas Children's Hospital and
Houston Methodist Hospital.
Eight neighborhood village centers and other retail outlets provide conveniently located
supermarkets, restaurants, and services near residential neighborhoods in The Woodlands.
Page 2
000090
Llfilong Learning and Worship
The Woodlands offers a lifetime of education, from preschool through primary, secondary,
college, and graduate study.
The Woodlands is served by three public school districts. Students living in the Villages of
Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, Alden Bridge, Carlton Woods, Cochran's Crossing, most of
Sterling Ridge, Indian Springs and College Park attend schools that are part of the Conroe
Independent School District (CISD), which has 19 campuses in The Woodlands for students
grades K-12.
Children living in the Villages of Creekside Park and the gated community of Carlton Woods
Creekside attend schools located in the Tomball Independent School District (TISD). Creekside
Forest K-6 Elementary School has been open since 2009, and Timber Creek K-6 Elementary
opened for the 2012-2013 school year. TISD has plans to build a third elementary school,
Creekview Elementary, opening for the 2015-16 school year and Creekside Park Junior High
School, opening for the 2016-17 school year. A 400-acre neighborhood called May Valley in the
Village of Sterling Ridge is located within the Magnolia ISD.
Ranked highly by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), schools in the Conroe, Tomball and
Magnolia School Districts have low student-teacher ratios, plus programs for gifted and talented
students as well as special needs students, vocational and advanced science programs. For more
information, visit www.conroeisd.net, www.tomballisd.net and www.magnotiaisd.org.
Private education is available at eight acclaimed private schools in The Woodlands, including The
John Cooper School, The Woodlands Christian Academy, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,
Esprit International, Cunae International and The Woodlands Preparatory School. There are 36
pre-schools and daycare centers available for younger children.
Higher education expands the horizons of students at Lone Star College-Montgomery, part of the
Lone Star College System. At LSC-Montgomery, students can earn an associate degree in a
variety of disciplines, improve and update workplace skills, and pursue continuing education
opportunities. Degree plans from various universities are offered at Lone Star College (LSC)University Center at Montgomery, located on the 100-acre campus of Lone Star CollegeMontgomery. LSC-University Center at Montgomery is an innovative concept approved by Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board that allows students to enroll at a partner university and
complete a bachelors, masters, or doctorate degree without traveling to the university campus.
Courses are offered by Our Lady of the Lake University, University of Houston-Victoria and
University of St. Thomas (currently graduate courses only).
For more information, visit
www.lonestar.edu.
Sam Houston State University also offers upper level and graduate programs at a separate facility
called The Woodlands Center, located near the Lone Star campus.
A total of 43 religious congregations also make their homes in The Woodlands.
Leisure and Recreation
More than 205 miles of hike and bike paths provide wooded trails between The Woodlands' 131
Page 3
000091
parks, lakes, ponds, and seven championship golf courses. Neighborhood parks offer such
diversions as swimming pools, spraygrounds, playgrounds, skateboard facilities, jogging and
BMX tracks, dog parks, basketball and tennis courts. Lake Woodlands, a 200-acre lake flanked
by two parks, is a wonderful place for sailing, rowing, and fishing.
Art and culture find a home at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater
which seats up to 16,015 people for major touring shows from pop to opera. The Pavilion is also
the "Summer Home" of The Houston Symphony. The venue is consistently ranked among the top
Outdoor Amphitheaters in the World by Pollstar
magazine, based on ticket sales.
Golfers can choose from seven championship golf courses, with 1,690 acres dedicated to 135
holes of golf.
Members of The Club at Carlton Woods can enjoy an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus
Signature
course, the centerpiece of the private, gated community of Carlton Woods. Members of
The Club at Carlton Woods also have access to an 18-hole Championship course, designed by the
renowned Tom Fazio in Carlton Woods Creekside, making it one of only two golf venues in the
U.S. to feature the private Nicklaus/Fazio combination, The Club at Carlton Woods was ranked
the Best Country Club and Golf Course in Houston by Avid Golfer
in 2012, and among the Top
10 private courses in Texas by Golf Digest in 2013.
Other athletic and recreational facilities include The Woodlands Township Recreation Center and
three regional YMCAs. Several private fitness centers are also conveniently located throughout
the community.
There are 13 hotels in The Woodlands, including The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center.
The Resort is one of the top conference centers in the nation and provides 406 guest rooms and
suites, 60,000 square feet of meeting space and services and amenities for business meetings or
conferences as well as leisure travel.
Guest attractions at The Resort include a major water
amenity called "The Forest Oasis Waterscape"TM and an addition of a new guest room wing, lazy
river and steak house restaurant, Robard's along with recent updates to the property's 60,000square-foot conference center,
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott
Hotel, an AAA Four-Diamond Hotel, features 341
guestrooms and suites overlooking The Woodlands Waterway®. Adjacent to the hotel is a
70,000-square-foot convention center. The hotel is located near Waterway Square, a public plaza
with multiple
water features including a 120-foot long cascading water wall with dancing
columns of water, boomer jets that shoot water 75 feet into the air, and fountains choreographed
to music with colored lights at night. A children's interactive fountain is also located in Waterway
Square,
which overlooks The Waterway. A new 302-room upscale hotel, The Westin, The
Woodlands, overlooking the Fountains at Waterway Square is now under construction, with a late
2015 opening planned. The boutique Hyatt Market Street hotel, featuring 70 luxury guestrooms
and suites, is located at Market Street.
Also a new 205-key Embassy Suites The
Woodlands/Hughes Landing is coming to the 66-acre mixed-use development of Hughes Landing
on Lake Woodlands.
Special community events are an integral part of The Woodlands' experience. Annual events
include the Arbor Day Celebration in January, The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival in April,
the July 3`d "Star-Spangled Salute" free concert and 4`t' of July Celebration, Trick or Treat Trail
and The Woodlands Wildflower Festival in the fall, and iWow (International Winter on The
Page 4
000092
^1':atcai^<i^') and
The lighting of the Doves heralding the holiday season, One of the largest
e
is
Wq Center at c#t?^au^inter.'I'I^ca°^; are also
^i^an^ita^^use ath
free t^
and t 1 ^aa^il^^^^rica^ Ye^ti el^entsca
orthshc^re Park, Market
Sta'eet and 'Waterway Square throughout the y=eac. ^
'I hrolt0cut he
WdlWs, an impressive collection of over j 1 pieces of outdoor se.ultutr>e add
a cultural counterpoint to the wooded landscape.
For
more information about The 1NoAdWi7d%
Wit
tvt^^w.tl^c^4^x^t1(a€itls_e^^aa3
and
6M5
Page 5
000093
Attachment 8
Bridgeland Org. Chart
000094
000095 F I LED UNDE R SEAL
PROTECTIVE MATERIALS PURSUANT
TO PROPOSED PROTECTIVE ORDER
IN DOCKET NO. 44547
Attachment 9
Bridgeland History and Status - June 2015
000096
Bridgeland History and Status -June 2015
Bridgeland, an 11,400 acre master planned community in northwest Houston, was originally conceived
by the Rouse Corporation who purchased 10,000 acres along Cypress Creek in 2004. Rouse was
subsequently acquired by General Growth Properties who added an additional 1,400 acres to the
project and began residential lot sales in 2006. The Howard Hughes Corporation was spun out of
General Growth in 2010 and has become one of the leading master planned community developers in
the country.
From the beginning of the project, the big idea was to create a world class master planned community
featuring a unique balance between nature, homes, and commerce with an expansive 900 acre Town
Center planned for the heart of the project along the Grand Parkway. An extensive analysis of the
existing environmental features of the property resulted in a plan that preserved or enhanced those
features and made them integral to the plan. Master planned studies were also completed for the 1,000
acre Cypress Creek Nature Area and the 5 mile Cypress Creek Nature Trail, community open space and
park placement, educational needs and schools, and the creation of natural lakes to detain and filter
storm water and provide non potable water for landscape irrigation.
Bridgeland was named the Master Planned Community of the Year in 2009 by the National Home
Builders Assoc. and was one of the 20 top selling master planned communities in the country. There are
currently over 2.700 occupied homes in the community with an additional 17,500 homes slated to be
constructed over the next 25 years.
Bridgeland currently has 11 home builders constructing homes in 14 different price points ranging from
$250,000-$1,000,000 and is currently developing the first retail center, Lakeland Village Center, which is
an 84,000 sq. ft. mixed use small downtown. The pending completion in December 2015 of the Grand
Parkway from US 290 to US 59 North will provide the impetus for the initial development of the Town
Center which will eventually provide up to 20,000 jobs within the community and an expansive retail,
entertainment, and restaurant venue.
000097
Attachment 10
A Plan for All Seasons
000098
A plan for all seasons
Bridgeland does not take the label "master-planned community" lightly, and in
fact, developers created a road map for the evolution of Bridgeland very early in
the community's history. This blueprint is a multi-layered approach not only for
the placement of residential neighborhoods, but also for a hierarchy of parks and
amenities, public and private schools and a detailed preservation action plan for
the expanse of natural resources the 11,400-acre Bridgeland encompasses.
Following is a look at three of those community elements.
Parks
Given its size, Bridgeland could have as many as 100 parks upon completion, so
developers have put in place a guide for the development of generously sized,
compatible parks that maximize the use of available land space. A hierarchy of
parks has emerged, with numerous neighborhood parks placed no more than a
quarter mile from each homesite, ensuring that recreation space is easily
accessible to all residents. Community parks, such as the existing Oak Meadow
Park, are larger and offer a multitude of activities for residents. Village parks are
even more expansive, serving as community focal points for Bridgeland's four
residential villages. Linking the sites are greenway parks, trails and linear
greenspaces connecting neighborhoods and amenities.
Portions of the parklands lie in regional nature corridors, such as the historic
Cypress Creek Corridor, and sensitive development of these areas has already
started, preserving much of the area in its natural state and ensuring its
accessibility to residents. An example of such development, the Cypress Creek
Nature Trail, is not only enjoyed by residents, but also remains a haven for the
area's many indigenous animals and the 140 species of birds identified in the
area.
The amount of park acreage planned in Bridgeland well exceeds guidelines
outlined by the National Parks and Recreation Association, which recommends a
half acre of neighborhood park space and 2.5 acres of community parks per 1,000
residents. Bridgeland's standard is nearly double, with a full acre of
neighborhood park space per 1,000 residents and up to 4.6 acres of community
parks for 1,000 residents.
The Environment
Bridgeland is located within and along the eastern boundaries of the Katy
Prairie, an environmental gem that has long provided refuge and foraging areas
for resident and migratory birds, as well as various mammals, reptiles and
amphibians. However, settlers to the area heavily managed the land, converting
it for agricultural purposes, including cattle grazing and rice farming. The area
000099