The location of what would be La Reunion was scouted in 1852/3 by Victor Prosper Considerant. He returned to Brussels and ultimately procured 2500 acres just west of Dallas. Considerant began to advertise the good news that a large plot of land was ready west of Dallas. His next move was to send word to his followers that they should head to Houston, at which point they could sail up the Trinity River to La Reunion.
Unfortunately, a drought prevented sailing on the Trinity in 1855 (when the majority of followers arrived). This left more than 150 people to walk from Houston to Dallas in the sweltering heat, carrying their belongings, in August. After this rough trek, they would arrive to no provisions or arrangements as Considerant had pulled the trigger on advertising before any plans were in place. People began arriving to completely barren land. Considerant would make the trek a few months after this first wave of settlers with his wife and mother-in-law in tow. La Reunion never caught its breath from this rough start.
Citations:
Barton, Julia. “The failed socialist utopian dream that helped Dallas become a major city.” The World in Words. March 24, 2016. Accessed July 25, 2017. https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-24/failed-socialist-utopian-dream-helped-dallas-become-major-city.
La Reunion Historic Display. Reunion Tower Lobby, Dallas, Texas.
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