Texas History
Fort Burrows
16.5 - Life in Rural and Urban Texas
A typical day in the life of a 13 year old son on his family farm in the early 1900s…..
“ I did my chores every morning before school. I had to milk the cows and
chop wood to last all day. After I washed my face and hands, I ate breakfast, which
was usually bacon, eggs, biscuit, and gravy. I walked to school carrying my lunch in
an old syrup bucket. Two biscuits, eggs on one, and bacon on the other biscuit. I
walked to school with one brother and two sisters. There were eight children.”
Life in Texas changed in the early 1900s. Silent
Movies, & Radio became important parts of culture.
We now had leisure time. The economy grew during
the 1920s. Many people enjoyed better lives.
Farmers had problems, though. There were more
farms, but most farmers did not own their own land.
During the 1920s, farmers began to use machines to
carry out more and more of their work. These
machines were costly. To buy them, the farmers had
to borrow money. Then the food prices fell. As a
result, farmers could not pay off their debts.
The number of people in the state continued to
grow. Many new settlers came from other lands.
At the same time, the state had large numbers of
African Americans and Mexican American.
Scene from the 1921 Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, one
of the highest-grossing silent
films.
In the 1920s, cities were growing quickly. Four Texas cities – Houston, Dallas,
Fort Worth, & San Antonio – grew to have more than 150,000 people. Houston was
the state’s leading port. Dallas became a manufacturing center. Many of the
factories there made Textiles. Fort Worth was the Meat Packing capital of Texas.
Also most all railroads came thru Fort Worth. San Antonio was a center for the
Wool Industry. The city had a mix of Hispanic, German, and Anglo cultures. The
growth of cities led to a greater need for Roads, Utilities, & Other Services.
The 1920s saw social changes. Women had more job opportunities than ever
before. People had more leisure time. Due to the innovations and inventions, that
reduced work-time.
Main Idea:
1 of 16.5 Printer Copy
Texas History
Fort Burrows
Life changed quickly in both rural and urban Texas. Farms experienced both
prosperity and hardship. Cities faced both opportunity and challenges.
Vocabulary:
surplus - more food, fuel, lumber, etc, than people need
Multicultural - mix of many races Hispanic, German, Anglo, etc. of people in
one city, town, or region
Changes in Life in Rural and Urban Texas
Area of
Change
Lifestyle
Population
Rural Texas
Urban Texas
Change
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
⌂
More leisure time for radio, movies, and sports
More women work outside the home
Almost Doubles
1900, 3 million…..1930, 6 million
1900, 71,000 Mexicans……1930, 680,000
1930 , 1 out-of-every 5 Texans are African Americans
1,200,000
More Farms and Farmland
Tenant farmers ran 60% of the Farms
Irrigation and Machinery, especially tractors
Increase Debt
Reduced Crop Prices
Drought kills crops and creates ‘Dust Bowl’
Population Boom
By 1920, 30 Texas Cities had over 10,000 people living in them
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, & San Antonio had over 150,000
Growth in demand for services
San Antonio becomes a multicultural city
A Changing Population

Population goes from 3 million to about 6 million
TEXAS IN THE 1920s

Population Changes

Troubles on
the Farm

Changing Lifestyles
♫ Population of Texas grew
♫ Cities grew larger
♫ Many immigrants came
♫ Falling food
prices made
♫ More people have
Electricity and Cars
♫ People have more Leisure
2 of 16.5 Printer Copy
Texas History
Fort Burrows
from South & Central
Europe and Mexico
♫ Many of the African
Americans left Texas for
other States
it hard for
time
Farmers to ♫ Movies, Radio, & Sports
pay off their
grow more popular
growing
♫ Women have more Job
debt
Opportunities
Changes in Rural Texas





Several factors changed farming
3 out of 5 Farms are being worked by Tenant Farmers
Railroads and highways enabled farmers to bring their crops to market
Irrigation allowed farmers to grow crops on once-dry lands and improved the
work-life of Farmers
Machinery, especially Tractors  made farm work faster and easier
Farmers in Crisis






The growing population led to an increased demand for food
Farmers grew a surplus, or more food than the population needed
Surplus of crops + Crop prices dropped ( low prices ) = many out-of-business
Many farmers went into debt buying new Tractors & Machinery
Long Droughts destroyed crops
Dust Bowl caused many Family-Farms to Go Out Of Business
Changes in the Cities
Houston
Members of different ethnic groups helped build the railroads. Many
of them stayed in Texas. Houston the Railway of the South.
Dallas
Dallas became a center for banking, medicine, publishing, jewelry, &
machinery manufacturing. Nearby cotton fields helped Dallas
become a Textile Center
San
Antonio
San Antonio’s location near sheep ranches helped it become an
important Wool center. Also known as - the mixing-pot for Texas
ethnic cultures, Multicultural City
El Paso
The ‘gateway’ to Mexico. El Paso’s location near major mining areas
and plentiful natural resources allowed it to become a center for
Industry and Transportation
3 of 16.5 Printer Copy
Texas History
Fort Burrows
4 of 16.5 Printer Copy
Texas History
Fort Burrows
Lifestyle Changes
Leisure Time



1922, Texans own more than ½ million trucks and cars
Radio, ( WBAP in Fort Worth ), Silent Movies, and the newly organized,
Southwest Conference ( 1914 ) provided collegiate Sporting Events
The Southwest conference organized football, basketball and track
competitions among colleges and universities
The Role of Women
 The growing number of schools and the rapid growth of industry created more
job opportunities for women
 Women became teachers, dressmakers, telephone operators, office workers,
and sales representatives
1.
2.
What does surplus mean ?
A. shortage
C. extra
B. custom-made
D. spoiled
In 1914, the Southwest Conference organized what types of competition
between colleges and universities ?
A. soccer and rugby
B. volleyball
C. hockey, swimming, and track
D. football, basketball, and track
3.
What two factors changed farming ?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
4.
What major lifestyle changes did Texans undergo in the early 1900s ?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
5 of 16.5 Printer Copy