In April 1871, the Texas state legislature established the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, the first higher-education institute in the state. The legislature provided the funds for the construction of the college buildings, and invested money made available by the sale of federal lands to create a permanent endowment. Over the next few months the campus was built on land donated by Brazos County, through which wild animals continued to roam.
On 4th October 1871, the college officially opened and the six professors started teaching their first forty students. By the end of the first academic year over one-hundred students were in attendance. The college did not admit female students, and required those attending to join the Corps of Cadets to receive military training.
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