A true Texas fact

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 23rd

There are some other things to read about -- I guess!!

Marines raise flag on Iwo Jima

On this day in 1945, Cpl. Harlon Block of Weslaco appeared in one of the most indelible images to come out of World War II. For three days the men of Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-eighth Marines, had fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi, a 550-foot-high extinct volcano at the southern end of the island of Iwo Jima. They first raised a small flag to signal their victory to their fellows below, and a larger flag later. In Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's picture of the six men raising this second flag, which won the Pulitzer Prize, the twenty-year-old Block was the stooping figure guiding the base of the flagpole into the volcanic ash. He never saw the famous picture, however, as he was killed in action on March 1 as his unit advanced in the direction of Mishi Ridge. Block was buried in the Fifth Marine Division cemetery at the foot of Mount Suribachi, though his body was taken home to Weslaco in 1949.


Legislature establishes Gillespie County

On this day in 1848, the Texas legislature formally marked off Gillespie County from Bexar and Travis counties. The first known residents of Gillespie County, in west central Texas, were the Tonkawa Indians. By the nineteenth century, Comanches and Kiowas had also moved into the area. The future county was first settled by Europeans in 1846, when John O. Meusebach led a group of 120 Germans sponsored by the Adelsverein to the site of Fredericksburg, which became one in a series of German communities between the Texas coast and the Fisher-Miller Land Grant. Fredericksburg and the surrounding rural areas grew quickly, and in December 1847, 150 settlers petitioned the legislature to establish a new county, which they suggested be named either Pierdenales or Germania. Instead, the legislature named it after Capt. Robert A. Gillespie, a hero of the recent Mexican War, and made Fredericksburg the county seat. Gillespie County originally included areas that today are parts of Blanco, Burnet, Llano, and Mason counties. The people of Gillespie County have always been proud of their German heritage and pioneer history. In 1896 Robert G. Penniger wrote a book in German marking the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Fredericksburg and, with it, Gillespie County. The people of Gillespie County marked this occasion with a gala celebration at which the fifty-five surviving original settlers were honored.


Secession referendum passes by landslide

On this day in 1861, the people of Texas went to the polls to vote on a referendum to secede from the Union. The vote was 46,153 for secession and 14,747 against. Of the 122 counties casting votes, only eighteen cast majorities against secession. Only eleven others cast as much as 40 percent against. The referendum was held pursuant to a decision in favor of secession in the state Secession Convention.

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 24th
You could look back 1 year ago and probably 2 years ago and read about the 13 day siege and fall of the Alamo OR just read on --

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!

Day 2 - Wednesday, 1836

The second day of the siege began early with the Texians facing a newly established battery erected by the Mexicans during the night. The battery consisted of two eight-pounders and a howitzer and was located approximately 400 yards to the west of the fort. It was known as the River Battery.

The defenders were busy that night as well. They had captured at least one Mexican soldier and six pack mules during a nighttime patrol. According to Enrique Esparza, the defenders used the captured soldier to decipher bugle calls for the Texians throughout the siege.

Sometime around eleven that morning, Santa Anna began his survey of the Alamo fortifications and surrounding area to familiarize himself with the area.

The Mexican army pillaged the Texian's stores in Béxar and began the bombardment of the Alamo in earnest. The Texian artillery returned fire with no obvious results.

James Bowie, in command of the garrison, fell ill. The garrion's surgeon described his illness as a "A peculiar disease of a peculiar nature." Jim Bowie relinquished his command of the garrison to Travis.

The Alamo's well proved inadequate in supplying the garrison's water needs. This forced the defenders to obtain water from the acequia and reservoir to east of the compound setting the stage for several skirmishes.

Travis penned his "Victory or Death" letter. Defender Albert Martin carried the letter from the Alamo and added his own comments to the back of the document.

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World

Fellow citizens & compatriots

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country VICTORY OR DEATH.

William Barret Travis,
Lt. Col. comdt.

P.S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 25th

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!

Day 3 - Thursday, 1836

The morning of February 25, 1836 dawned with summer-like temperatures opening one of the most eventful days of the siege.

The Mexicans launched an attack with approximately 400 - 450 soldiers personally led by General Castrillon. The Matamoros Battalion and three companies of cazadores made up the attacking force. They came from the area of the river battery through Pueblo de Valero's jacales and buildings advancing to within 50-100 yards from the Alamo's walls.

After two hours of fighting, The Texians finally forced a Mexican withdrawal using the ditches and outworks. They inflicted only light casualties on their attackers. Sometime during the fighting, Texian sorties burned the jacales closest to the Alamo. At the same time, the Mexicans established new fortifications near the McMullen house.

As the Mexicans advanced through the pueblo, they discovered a young woman and her mother in one of the houses. Although already married, Santa Anna took advantage of the situation, arranged a false marriage, and quickly consummated the relationship.

That night, the temperatures dropped into the 30's. Under the cover of darkness, William B. Travis sent Colonel Juan Seguin to find General Houston and ask for help. The defenders ventured out again burning even more jacales. There is some evidence that at least nine men deserted the garrison and gave information to Santa Anna where the Texians had hidden at least 50 rifles.

The day's fighting was not a victory for the Texians. The Mexicans had established artillery and infantry entrenchments in La Villita and the Alameda, but the Texians proved that as unorganized as they were, they could fight.

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 26th

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!

Day 4- Friday, 1836


The Texians burned more jacales during the night. It soon became obvious that the Alamo's water well would not supply the needs of a 150+ people in the garrison. They would have to obtain water from the nearby acequia.

The overnight arrival of a norther dropped the temperatures to near freezing. As daylight broke, a Texian foray went outside the walls to obtain water and wood. A small skirmish erupted with the Mexican troops under General Sesma. Mexican casualties were slightly heavier than in earlier fights due to the Texian's eastern-facing cannon.

 

[woodman6415]

Traces of Texas

The Texas quote of the day is a good one "God knows what we are to do! I am determined, for one, to go with my countrymen, right or wrong, sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish."

----- William Travis, writing in a letter to Jim Bowie on July 30, 1835. The letter was prophetic, as Travis died in the Alamo a little more than seven months later.

 

[woodman6415]

 

[woodman6415]

Traces of Texas

The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day: Jim Bowie's mother, Elve Bowie, was a remarkable woman in many ways. Once, when Jim's father, Rezin Bowie, was arrested for shooting a squatter, she armed herself with a brace of pistols and broke her husband out of jail. Illiterate when she married Rezin, she taught herself to read and write as an adult and became very proficient in both.

As an aside, Jim Bowie's family tree included the viking warrior Bue the Thick, said to have sprung from Odin himself, and Eocha Bui, or King Eugene IV, who reigned over Scotland from 605 to 621 AD.

 

[woodman6415]

I attended the cook off 8 years running
Always had a large good time
Met good folks from all over the country
Seen a lot of things you wouldn’t see anywhere else where 40000 peeps are camping and partying non stop for days ..
dessert/ foothills of mountain .. not much there ... if you need it you will have to bring it

Traces of Texas
It took me awhile to transcribe the Texas Quote of the Day, so I hope y'all enjoy it. Written by one of the greatest Texans of all time, Hallie Stillwell:

"I was born in 1897, and until 1918, when I married and come to the Stillwell Ranch in the Big Bend country, I had never heard of chili. It was a dish never served by my own family. You can imagine the shock I had when my husband Roy served me a bowl. It was so hot with pepper that I couldn't eat it. Out on the ranch in those early years we did not have many spices. Later, though, I learned to make my own favorite chili, using venison, tomatoes, Gebhart's chili powder, water, salt and pepper. Chili was just one of the many things I encountered as a bride on the Stillwell Ranch.

When I had that first shocking taste from a "bowl of red" in 1918, I never dreamed that chili would bring me so many wonderful friends and bring so many visitors to my corner of the Southwest. For sixteen years I was justice of the peace in Alpine, Texas, and Frank X. Tolbert, a newspaper columnist in Dallas, would call me at my office to verify any rumor that he had heard from the Big Bend country. Tolbert and I became friends via these telephone reports.

When Frank X. Tolbert's book "A Bowl of Red" was published in 1966, it ignited a great chili war. H. Allen Smith, a New York critic, announced that Tolbert's recipe for chili produced a bowl of "slop." Smith, in a "Holiday Magazine" article modestly titled "Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do," presenting his own recipe. Proper chili, he wrote, must have tomato paste and green peppers.

Smith challenged Tolbert to a cook-off in Terlingua, in the great Big Bend country of southwest Texas. Terlingua, he claimed, was the chili capital of the world. Tolbert, whose talents were more literary than culinary, asked Wick Fowler, chief cook of the Chili Appreciation Society (International) of Dallas, to take the challenge. I was asked to be a judge at the confrontation, along with Floyd Schneider, vice-president of a San Antonio Brewery. We were blindfolded to sample the chili. My vote was cast; it went to Smith's chili. Schneider cast his vote for Fowler's chili. Dave Witt, the mayor of Telingua, was the final judge, so he had to break the tie. He sampled one pot and choked. He tried some of the concoction from the other pot and spit it out. "My taste buds are paralyzed," he gasped. He declared the contest a tie and scheduled another confrontation for the next year.

The cook-offs are still taking place each year on the first weekend in November. People come by the thousands, from far and near, to Terlingua for the annual chili cookoff. There are many cooks in the contest and many entertainers present, and most of the spectators are there to have a good time. Frank Tolbert's daughter Kathleen Tolbert Ryan and son Fran Tolbert, Jr. are very active in the association, and I look forward to their visit every year. I hope to attend many more cook-offs in Terlingua. I have made many friends. I cherish each and every one of them, especially, H. Allen Smith, Wick Fowler, and of course Frank Tolbert. He shared with me his knowledge and skills in newspaper reporting and writing, something I've been dabbling in since 1930. Years have passed and days have gone by, but my admiration and love for Frank Tolbert has never diminished. He is the shining star in my memory, and I am blessed that I could call him my friend."

----- Hallie Stillwell's forward to Frank X. Tolbert's book "A Bowl of Red." Hallie wrote this in 1993 from Alpine, Texas

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 27th

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!


Day Five – Saturday, 1836

The fifth day of the siege was again cold with temperatures ranging in the 30s.

Having exhausted their own supplies, the Mexicans pillaged BŽjar of foodstuffs and perishables. When they in turn depleted these, they sent troops to nearby ranchos to forage livestock and corn.

In a decisive move, the Mexicans cut off the eastern acequia's water supply at its source: the San Antonio River. Not only did this end the minor skirmishes that had taken place from the beginning of the siege; it essentially eliminated the defender's major source of water. In the mean time, the Texians finished digging a new water well inside the walls.

The Matamoros battalion began work on trenches to the South of the Alamo compound. These entrenchments did not pass Santa Anna's inspection and so he ordered his men to dig new entrenchments closer to the Alamo under the direct supervision of General Amador.

Throughout the day, the Texians maintained constant fire on the Mexican work party. According to General Filisola, the Texians were seen working frantically on their own ditch inside the parapet of the cattle pen. This effort later proved fruitless and was harmful to the Alamo's defense by undermining the walls, essentially removing any walkway the defenders might have had exposing them to Mexican fire.

General Gaona received Santa Anna's letter of the 25th requesting him to send three battalions as quickly as possible. Gaona immediately complied, yet failed to forward any heavy siege guns because Santa Anna neglected to include this request in his dispatch.

From Gonzales to the Alamo - 32 Men
As news of the Alamo's plight spread, Texans gathered at Gonzales preparing to go to their aid. The nearest garrison of any strength was 90 miles away at Goliad, commanded by Colonel James Fannin. The men gathering at Gonzales waited impatiently for days for Fannin to march and join them in going to Travis' succor. Fannin finally set out on February 26 with 320 men, four cannons, and several wagons filled with much needed supplies. However, only a mile out they returned to Goliad. Why Fannin failed to move is unknown. He blamed his officers, and they his indecision.
Some 32 men from those in Gonzales, tired of waiting for Fannin to act, rode to the Alamo; where after a brief skirmish with a Mexican cavalry patrol, they arrived at the Alamo on the night of the 27th. They were greeted with joy by the beleaguered garrison.

Further South in San Patricio
Shortly after the defeat of Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cos at San Antonio there was a clamor among newly arrived volunteers from the United States to mount a campaign to strike a crippling blow on the Mexican army in their homeland. This tied in with crosscurrents of a revolt against Antonio López de Santa Anna in Mexico. Liberal forces at the Consultation, who were aligned with Mexican liberals, somehow managed to send Stephen F. Austin to the United States as a commissioner and deprive Gen. Sam Houston of power by appointing Col. James W. Fannin, Jr., as the General Council's agent, with similar powers given to Houston. Simplified, the problem facing the new Texas government was one of supply.

Houston proposed to concentrate forces at port El Cópano in order to be able to control supplies to Texas and also to withhold them from any Mexican army. The picture was further clouded by Dr. James Grant and Col. Francis W. Johnson, who set up an independent Matamoros expedition under their private control, with the approval of the Council. After raiding supply warehouses in San Antonio, Grant moved to Goliad and took horses and other supplies from Philip Dimmitt's command.

Houston spoke to assembled troops in Refugio and convinced some of the men under Johnson and Grant that the Matamoros expedition was folly. Johnson and Grant took the remaining men, estimated at from sixty to 100 by historians, to San Patricio. Grant learned that Capt. Nicolás Rodríguez was in the area with a few men. He surprised them and took the prisoners and their horses to San Patricio, where in a few days the prisoners escaped.

In order to get more horses the Texans went all the way to the Santa Rosa Ranch (near the site of present-day Raymondville). Johnson took the horses and returned to San Patricio while Grant sought additional horses. Upon his return Johnson sent horses to the ranch of Julián de la Garza about four miles south of San Patricio. The men divided up, with Captain Pearson and eight men camping on the public square and the rest in three different houses.

Gen. José de Urrea, through a network of spies, had kept track of the Johnson-Grant forces and had left Matamoros with about 400 men. Upon learning that Johnson was camped at San Patricio, he put his men through a forced march during a bitterly cold, wet night and arrived at San Patricio at 3:00 A.M. on February 27. His first action was to send thirty men under Capt. Rafael Pretala to the ranch where the horses had been taken. In the attack four men were killed and eight taken prisoner.

In San Patricio Urrea reported sixteen killed and twenty-four taken prisoner. Johnson and four men quartered with him managed to escape and made their way back to Goliad. Legend tells the story that Urrea sent word ahead to loyalists to leave a light burning in their homes and they would not be molested. It so happened that Johnson was working late-with a light. Of the thirty-four Texans at San Patricio eight were killed, thirteen taken prisoner, and six escaped. At least seven of them were Mexicans. Possibly two other Texans, whose names have not been uncovered, were also killed.

Urrea reported that "the town and the rest of the inhabitants did not suffer the least damage." McGloin reported that those killed were "interred next day by the Rev. T. J. Malloy in the church yard of the same place." Legend also tells that the dead were buried in the Old Cemetery on the Hill.

On March 2 Urrea's men ambushed Grant's men near a creek crossing at Agua Dulce; all except six were killed or captured. Grant was killed. Urrea remained camped somewhere in the vicinity of San Patricio until March 12, when he took some of the cattle, arms, and ammunition that Grant and Johnson had gathered

 

[Clay3063]

I attended the cook off 8 years running
Always had a large good time
Met good folks from all over the country
Seen a lot of things you wouldn’t see anywhere else where 40000 peeps are camping and partying non stop for days ..
dessert/ foothills of mountain .. not much there ... if you need it you will have to bring it

Traces of Texas
It took me awhile to transcribe the Texas Quote of the Day, so I hope y'all enjoy it. Written by one of the greatest Texans of all time, Hallie Stillwell:

"I was born in 1897, and until 1918, when I married and come to the Stillwell Ranch in the Big Bend country, I had never heard of chili. It was a dish never served by my own family. You can imagine the shock I had when my husband Roy served me a bowl. It was so hot with pepper that I couldn't eat it. Out on the ranch in those early years we did not have many spices. Later, though, I learned to make my own favorite chili, using venison, tomatoes, Gebhart's chili powder, water, salt and pepper. Chili was just one of the many things I encountered as a bride on the Stillwell Ranch.

When I had that first shocking taste from a "bowl of red" in 1918, I never dreamed that chili would bring me so many wonderful friends and bring so many visitors to my corner of the Southwest. For sixteen years I was justice of the peace in Alpine, Texas, and Frank X. Tolbert, a newspaper columnist in Dallas, would call me at my office to verify any rumor that he had heard from the Big Bend country. Tolbert and I became friends via these telephone reports.

When Frank X. Tolbert's book "A Bowl of Red" was published in 1966, it ignited a great chili war. H. Allen Smith, a New York critic, announced that Tolbert's recipe for chili produced a bowl of "slop." Smith, in a "Holiday Magazine" article modestly titled "Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do," presenting his own recipe. Proper chili, he wrote, must have tomato paste and green peppers.

Smith challenged Tolbert to a cook-off in Terlingua, in the great Big Bend country of southwest Texas. Terlingua, he claimed, was the chili capital of the world. Tolbert, whose talents were more literary than culinary, asked Wick Fowler, chief cook of the Chili Appreciation Society (International) of Dallas, to take the challenge. I was asked to be a judge at the confrontation, along with Floyd Schneider, vice-president of a San Antonio Brewery. We were blindfolded to sample the chili. My vote was cast; it went to Smith's chili. Schneider cast his vote for Fowler's chili. Dave Witt, the mayor of Telingua, was the final judge, so he had to break the tie. He sampled one pot and choked. He tried some of the concoction from the other pot and spit it out. "My taste buds are paralyzed," he gasped. He declared the contest a tie and scheduled another confrontation for the next year.

The cook-offs are still taking place each year on the first weekend in November. People come by the thousands, from far and near, to Terlingua for the annual chili cookoff. There are many cooks in the contest and many entertainers present, and most of the spectators are there to have a good time. Frank Tolbert's daughter Kathleen Tolbert Ryan and son Fran Tolbert, Jr. are very active in the association, and I look forward to their visit every year. I hope to attend many more cook-offs in Terlingua. I have made many friends. I cherish each and every one of them, especially, H. Allen Smith, Wick Fowler, and of course Frank Tolbert. He shared with me his knowledge and skills in newspaper reporting and writing, something I've been dabbling in since 1930. Years have passed and days have gone by, but my admiration and love for Frank Tolbert has never diminished. He is the shining star in my memory, and I am blessed that I could call him my friend."

----- Hallie Stillwell's forward to Frank X. Tolbert's book "A Bowl of Red." Hallie wrote this in 1993 from Alpine, Texas

We lived in Amarillo when I was a teen. It was 365 miles from our front door to my grandparents home in Burleson, Tx, just south of Ft. Worth. We made the trek from our house to theirs on a pretty regular basis for years. And I knew that more times than not, that a nice hot steaming bowl of Texas Red would be waiting on our arrival; usually late in the evening. My grandfather used to make it fresh from scratch in a large cast iron skillet. It was the bomb! One trip, he had to work late and was unable to prepare a pot of chili for our arrival so my grandmother decided to take it upon herself to prepare the chili so we would have something warm to eat before we went to bed. Instead of making it from scratch she decided to use a package of Wick Fowler's Three Alarm Chili mix. When we got settled and all the luggage unloaded, we sat down to a bowl of her chili. My dad asked her what happened. LOL. She said, and I quote, "I bought a package of that three alarm chili mix that Wick Fowler puts out. It turned out to be a false alarm instead. Sorry. I won't make that mistake twice." And she didn't. Ever. - Clay

 

[Gdurfey]

So, I didn't grow up on "Texas Red," mom was from Iowa and my Dad's taste buds didn't run that direction (he was from Wellington, TX; I grew up in Midland) so it was much later in life when I discovered Texas Red. But i have an incredible fascination with Terlingua from a totally different direction, yet the two intersects.........one of my true heroes (non-military type of hero) is Mr. Carroll Shelby...........there are many stories about him and his friends and that part of the country back in the "early" days.

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- February 28th and the 29th

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!


Day Six – Sunday February 28, 1836

Mexicans receive intelligence that 200 Texian reinforcements from Goliad are en route to the Alamo.

The morale within the compound is high. According to Mrs. Dickinson, Crockett took up a fiddle and challenged John McGregor, a Scot with bagpipes, to a contest of instruments.


Day Seven – Monday February 29, 1836

The Mexican's Jimenez battalion and the cavalry under command of General Ramirez y Sesma are ordered down the Goliad road to intercept any reinforcements that might have been sent by Fannin.

The Mexicans propose a three-day armistice and several Tejanos leave Alamo during the cease-fire.

 

[woodman6415]

 

[Gdurfey]

Re, the bluebonnet: my uncle pasted away and I was unable to attend the service. Was visiting my aunt sometime later, the following year, whenever, and she took by the grave to show me the beautiful headstone and....she had tears in her eyes as she was so happy to have bluebonnets spreading over the grave plot. Wellington Texas; 3o miles north of Childress. Thanks for the above!!!

Re, the story of the Alamo: William Travis was apparently a good family friend of my distant relatives up in the panhandle. The name William has been used for generations with respect/fondness/memory.

 

[woodman6415]

The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day:

Big Bend National Park in west Texas has more species of birds than any other national park. More than 450 different kinds of birds have been spotted.

 

[Wildthings]

Today in Texas History -- March 1st

The Alamo Remembered - 13 Days to Glory!


Day Eight – Tuesday March 1, 1836

Thirty-two reinforcements from Gonzales arrive. The total number of Alamo defenders now stood at between 180 and 190.

General Sesma advances towards Goliad to seek out Texian reinforcements coming to the aid of the Alamo. Finding none, he returns to Bexar.

The Alamo's 12-pound gunnade fires two shots, one of them hitting Santa Anna's headquarters.

Gertrudis Navarro (1816-1895)
The sister of Juana Narvarro Alsbury, Gertudis entered the Alamo at the same time as Juana and James Bowie. She is listed as an Alamo survivor.

Enrique Esparza (1828 – 1917)
The eight-year-old son of Alamo defender Gregorio Esparza, Enrique was one of the youngest eyewitnesses to the battle who later recorded his memories of the fateful day. His oft-quoted testimony was given to a San Antonio paper in 1907.

Another great scene from the movie. DAGGUM wind!!

Started this one at 3:40 mark

 

[Wildthings]

IN OTHER NEWS

Today in Texas History -- March 1st

Texas loses stagecoach mail and passenger service

On this day in 1861, the 2 1/2-year history of the Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas came to an end. The Butterfield line began operations on September 15, 1858. It carried passengers and mail between St. Louis, Memphis, and San Francisco, a distance of 2,795 miles. A government contract called for the company to carry letter mail twice weekly in both directions in four-horse coaches, or spring wagons suitable for carrying passengers. Each trip was to be completed in twenty-five days. The postage rate was ten cents per half ounce. Passenger fare was $200 each way. Stage service in Texas was terminated in March 1861, when an agreement was made to modify the contract and move the route northward out of the state.


Nature Conservancy buys Enchanted Rock

On this day in 1978, the Nature Conservancy, a private concern based in Arlington, Virginia, bought Enchanted Rock for $1.3 million and agreed to act as interim owner until the state could take over, thus guaranteeing that the area would not be opened to private development. Enchanted Rock, a spectacular granite dome near the Gillespie-Llano county line in southern Llano County, rises to 1,825 feet above mean sea level and is the second largest such mountain in the United States. Its name derives from Spanish and Anglo-Texas interpretations of Indian legends and related folklore, which attribute magical properties to the ancient landmark. The first owners of this land were Anavato and María Martínez, to whom a headright certificate was issued in 1838. Over the ensuing 140 years the property changed hands numerous times; eventually Llano rancher Charles H. Moss and his wife Ruth acquired full title to the property but decided to sell it in 1978. Moss first offered it to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; the Nature Conservancy stepped in when the agency could not pay his price and deeded the land to the state six days later. Following eighteen months of renovations, the site reopened as Enchanted Rock State Park in March 1984. Today the 1,643-acre Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is a favorite destination of hikers, campers, rock-climbers, hang-gliders, and other outdoor enthusiasts from around the state.


First president of Rice Institute retires

On this day in 1946, Edgar Odell Lovett retired as president of Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston. Rice Institute was chartered in 1891 by William Marsh Rice with a $200,000 note payable upon his death. The original charter very generally prescribed an institution "dedicated to the advancement of literature, science, and art." The board of trustees in Houston determined that it would be a university and in 1907 appointed Lovett, a mathematician and astronomer at Princeton University, as president. The institute's opening in 1912 was marked by an elaborate international convocation of scholars. From the beginning Lovett intended Rice to be a university "of the highest grade." Under his direction Rice Institute first developed major strength in the sciences and engineering, though distinguished instruction was offered from the beginning in the humanities and architecture. The curriculum broadened and the faculty increased greatly in size under the administration of Lovett's successor, physicist William V. Houston, and the school's name was changed to Rice University in 1960. After his retirement Lovett continued his association with the university as president emeritus, director, and consultant

 

[woodman6415]

 

[Wildthings]

On this date...March 2, 1836...the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico in a meeting held at Washington-on-the-Brazos. However, it wasn't until March 3, 1836 that the delegates signed the Texas Declaration. The delegates read and approved the document on that day, but remember that they did not have a photocopier at their disposal...LOL. Clerks worked through the night and the five hand-written copies were not ready for signatures until the following day...March 3, 1836. Even then, seven delegates had not yet arrived on March 3, 1836. As they dragged in, the latecomers added their names for a total of fifty-nine signatures.

Four days later, the Alamo fell, but it wasn't until six weeks later on April 21, 1836 that General Sam Houston’s army swept the Mexican camp at San Jacinto. On that afternoon, enraged Texans slaughtered 650 Mexican soldiers and took another 700 prisoner. Most important, the following day Texans captured President-General Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator, which made the battle victorious and secured independence.

To my fellow Texans, I'd recommend spending a little time today putting your boots up, opening up a Shiner and raising it in the air to a toast for the Republic of Texas!


Some Texas Independence Day fun facts:

-George C. Childress is widely considered the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence
-59 people, including Sam Houston, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence
-The Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos
-Texas was declaring its independence from Mexico
-Texas Flag Day and Sam Houston Day are also celebrated on March 2. Houston was born on March 2.
-After the declaration was signed, five copies were made and dispatched to Bexar, Goliad, Nacogdoches, Brazoria and San Felipe.
-Of those five copies only one remains. It was found at the U.S. State Department in 1896 and is now at the Texas State Archives in Austin.

 

[Wildthings]

NOBODY SAYS IT BETTER