A Texas historian friend of mine, Stephen L. Hardin, told me a story the other day about a dog and a plot of land. During the American migration into Mexican Texas, an immigrant came to Texas with his dog and ran into a Tejano from the Nacogdoches area. The dog was apparently such a wonderful specimen that the Tejano inquired if he could buy it. The immigrant said he would sell it for $100 (about $3,000 today), proving his affinity for his pet. The Tejano stated he didn’t have that kind of money, but would be willing to part with a large tract of land in exchange. The exchange commenced immediately. The immigrant was provided the deed for about 17,000 acres, and the Tejano had procured a new best friend. This story proves two things: There was plenty of land to go around in Texas in the early 1800s, and …