In 1842 French banker Henri Castro secured a colonization grant 
and recruited more than two thousand Europeans—from France, 
Germany, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, and England—to 
immigrate to Texas and populate his colony. Bobby D. Weaver 
describes the empresario system under which this community, 
now known as Castroville, was formed and considers the life of its 
founder. He also examines the pioneers' struggles with frontier 
life—drought, disease, and Indian attacks. 

_________________________________________________________

BOBBY D. WEAVER, who received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech 
University, is the author or editor of several books and other 
contributions to Texas history.



What people are saying about this book

"Weaver breaks fresh ground in Castro's Colony. Spicing his 
work with tidbits from selected Belgian and German newspapers, 
he makes excellent use of available primary sources in numerous 
Texas collections as he describes the founding and early 
development of Henri Castro's colony on the frontier west of San 
Antonio."—Western Historical Quarterly