Brook Forest is built on History

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In the 18th century, the Spanish and French explored the area and traded with the Orcoquiza (Akokisa) Indians. During the early 19th Century Anglo-Americans settled the region and obtained Mexican land grants. After the Battle of San Jacinto many of the Texans received land from the Republic of Texas. One Land Grant was the Thomas Earle, Jr., Headright of 1176 acres. The stream running through grant was described as: “Rising in Southeast Harris County, Horse Pen Bayou flows east about 6 miles to empty into Armand (Middle Bayou)."  A homestead was built that included improvements. Michael McCormick (a teenage hero of the Battle of San Jacinto was granted 1476 acres on Horsepen Bay and Sarah Deel Wilson and her husband Robert owned adjoining leagues, but they never lived on the property.
 

The first known ranchers having large herds of cattle and horses in the area were the Dobies. Sterling and Robert Dobie and their families made their home and ranch on the William Dobie land-grant on Middle Bayou. In 1857, the Dobie brothers sold their land to Samuel W. Allen for $8,500, to include the cattle as they ran and did not warrant them to numbers.

From 1925 to 1928, James Marion West, Sr. (a wealthy businessman in the lumber industry) purchased parcels of land totaling 30,000 acres in south-east Harris County.  The area became know as The West Ranch.  In December 1938, Humble Oil purchased both the surface and mineral rights to the West property for a total of $8.5 million, plus royalties estimated to be between $30 million to $40 million.

With the arrival of NASA, in January 1962, Humble announced the development of Clear Lake City on approximately 15,000 acres of the old West Ranch in a joint venture with Del Webb Corporation of Phoenix.  Humble provided the land for the venture and Del Webb developed the master plan.  Once the plan was completed, the Friendswood Development Company was formed, with Humble as the majority owner, to develop the property.  In 1965, Humble acquired all of Webb's interest in the project and Friendswood Development became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Humble.

In 1985, the Friendswood Development Company contracted the Archaeologist William L. Fullen to survey Horsepen Bayou. During the survey Fullen discovered significant Native American Cultural Sites along the Bayou. He recommended that Archaeological Sites 41HR532, 41HR533, 41HR534, 41HR535 and 41HR536 be nominated as State Archeological Landmarks in order for them to be managed as publicly owned cultural resources. William L. Fullen states in his report of the survey that both banks of Horsepen Bayou should be preserved due to the likelihood of the existence of additional Native American sites along the waterway.