By Myra Lee Adams Goff

The name Johann Jacob Rahm is not a very familiar one in New Braunfels – nothing is named after him, no street or school like after Solms, Seele, or Lindheimer. But Rahm is perhaps the one person who actually was the most influential in the selection of this site to become New Braunfels.

Here’s the story: Rahm was in Texas about 10 years before the first settlers arrived here in 1844. Hailing from Schaffhausen in Switzerland, little is known of his background. After arriving in Texas we know he was a private in Captain Thomas J. Morgan’s Company G of the Republic of Texas Army in 1836. Everett Fey’s book, “New Braunfels, The First Founders” has Rahm serving in the Santa Fe Expedition of 1841 organized by Republic of Texas President Lamar to open trade with Mexico. Rahm was captured and marched to Mexico. Later, returning to Texas, Rahm enlisted in Col. Jack Coffee Hays’ Texas Rangers on June 1, 1843.

According to Fey, while he was on a surveying expedition with Hays, Rahm was captured by Indians on the Comal River. He thereby became familiar with the area that the Indians called “Los Fontanas” or “the springs”.

Supposedly Rahm helped out the abandoned colonists of Henry Castro. He fed them with his own resources, provided for the sick, and helped them in other ways. As a result of this help, he attracted the attention of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels who persuaded the Adelsverein to present Rahm and his superior Col. Hays with rifles as tokens of their admiration.

In March, 1845, Prince Carl came to San Antonio hoping to find a way-station for the settlers before they arrived at their final destination which originally was to be the San Saba and Llano Rivers. Prince Carl met up with Rahm once again in San Antonio and

Rahm told him of the beautiful spot between two rivers, the Comal and Guadalupe. With his respect for Rahm, Prince Carl entered into a contract to buy the 1,265 acre Comal Tract from the Juan Veramendi heirs, sight unseen. This he did on March 15, 1845, just six days before the settlers crossed the Guadalupe into the land that would become New Braunfels.

Johann Rahm then joined the prince and three days before the first settlers crossed the Guadalupe, Prince Carl, Rahm, and 25 men made an inspection of the area. They camped on the Comal at the foot of Bridge St. and during the night a light dusting of snow covered the tents. The prince thought this was a good omen.

From Prince Carl’s report: “March 19: I went with Rahm, Wrede, Lüntzel, and Zink into the woods; with hunting knives and axes we cut a four mile trail to the springs. The next day I went on a long ride with Coll, Lindheimer, and five men”. On March 21, the first 15 wagons crossed the Guadalupe.

Prince Carl presented Rahm with 4 ½ acres generally between San Antonio St. and Coll St. Here Rahm set up a butchery and became the official butcher of the German Emigration Company.

All was well until October of that same year, 1845. John Meusebach in his report to the Adelsverein states that Rahm died as a result of two pistol shots by settler Maertz. Meusebach reports that Rahm in a state of drunkenness was very argumentative and he whipped out his pistol and shot twice in the air, missing Meartz, but Maertz felt threatened, and in self-defense, shot Rahm who “lay dead on the floor”.

Prince Carl called Rahm “savior of the unfortunate”. Oscar Haas called him “the forgotten man”. I’m at a loss for words as to what to call him.

Prince Carl, Rahm, Wrede, Lüntzel and Zink cut a trail to the springs. Artwork by Patricia S. Arnold

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

On March 2, 1847, about 30 miles from the mouth of the San Saba River and north of Fredericksburg, John O. Meusebach, second commissioner-general to the Adelsverein, negotiated a peace treaty with the Comanche Indians. A treaty with the Comanches was essential to settling the Llano and San Saba valleys. Meusebach, whom the Indians called “El Sol Colorado” (the red sun) because of his red hair, had the ideal personality to bring this treaty to fruition.

Dr. Ferdinand Roemer who was traveling in Texas at the time was there when the treaty was signed. He gives a thorough description of the incident in his book Texas. In early February of 1847, Dr. Roemer along with Jim Shaw, and Government Indian agent Major Neighbours would travel to the valley of the San Saba and join Meusebach. Jim Shaw was a six foot Delaware Chief, wearing a black oilcloth coat he bought in Austin. Roemer says that from the back, Jim Shaw looked like a European, but not from the front, as he lacked trousers and wore only deerskin leggings. Major Neighbours would help with translation.

At the end of February after meeting up with Meusebach, the party was greeted outside the Comanche camp by three of the most important Comanche Chiefs. First was Mope-tshoko-pe, meaning “Old Owl”. He was a small undistinguished looking old man, but his crafty face marked him as the diplomatic political chief. Then there was Santa Ana, the powerfully built man who was the war chief. Last, the “unadulterated picture of a North American Indian” (source: Roemer). It was Buffalo Hump. The upper part of his body was naked and only a buffalo hide wound around his hips. His powerful arms were decorated with copper rings and a string of beads was around his neck. He had distinguished himself as a warrior against the Texans.

A camp of about 150 tents made up the camp, some decorated with emblems of individual warriors – shields, headdresses made of buffalo skins with horns attached. About 1,000 horses were grazing nearby and the women and children were busy making horsehair ropes, braiding leather lassos and scraping and cleaning buffalo hides with white clay.

In the morning the chiefs were already squatting before their fire. And by noon, buffalo hides were spread out in a circle in front of the tents. The chiefs and their best warriors sat on one side of the circle and on the other side sat Meusebach, Roemer, Jim Shaw, Major Neighbors, and several others. In the center of the circle lay a pile of tobacco and a pipe. One Indian took two puffs and in complete silence passed it around twice.

Herr Meusebach made the proposals that the Germans should be allowed to settle on the Llano and to survey the land of the San Saba. For this, the Comanches would receive $1,000 in two months in Fredericksburg, where the final meeting would be held. Meuseback assured the Comanches that they would be treated as friends when they visited German settlements.

Abruptly the meeting was over when the chiefs said they would consider it a bit longer.

The next day the proposals were accepted. The two parties mutually embraced with the Comanche trying to show the degree of their friendship by the strength of their embrace. Then they ate venison and rice together.

During the night there was a peculiar serenade made up of Indian men and women. It was a wild, monotonous song along with the beating of sticks over stretched buffalo skins. This was perhaps a response to the folk songs sung by the Germans earlier. They departed on March 3 and headed back to Fredericksburg. Mission accomplished!

A sculpture by Jay Hester in Fredericksburg depicts Meusebach passing the peace pipe to the Comanche Indians.