From time to time, we like to dive into our TexasProud.com email bag and answer a reader question…. “I’d like to learn more about the Civil War incident where Captain Duff and his Partisan Rangers captured four Kerr County residents, Sebird Henderson, Gus Tegener, Frank Scott, and Hiram Nelson, took them to Spring Branch near … Read more
Stamps are presented in the order issued. Republic of Texas CentennialIssued March 2, 19363-cents Coronado Expedition QuadricentennialIssued September 7, 19403-cents Texas Statehood CentennialIssued December 29, 19453-cents Fort Bliss CentennialIssued November 5, 19483-cents Hemisfair ’68 (San Antonio)Issued March 30, 19686-cents American Bicentennial (Texas)Issued February 23, 197613-cents Windmill Booklet (Texas-1890)Issued February 7, 198015-cents Republic of Texas SesquicentennialIssued … Read more
The Texas Rangers are known as the oldest law-enforcement agency in North America with statewide jurisdiction. They’ve been compared to other world-famous agencies such as the FBI, Scotland Yard, Interpol, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As an important part of Old West history and its mythology, scores of books have been written about the … Read more
Note: If a cabinet position was held by more than one person duringany administration, only the first to hold that position is identified. David Burnet (Ad Interim Government)(March 1836-October 1836)Vice-President: Lorenzo de ZavalaSecretary of State: Samuel Price CarsonSecretary of War: Thomas J. RuskSecretary of Treasury: Bailey HardemanAttorney General: David Thomas Sam Houston (1st Administration)(October 1836-December 1838)Vice-President: Mirabeau B. … Read more
A chain of five missions established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century became the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. Built primarily to expand Spanish New World influence northward from Mexico, the missions also served to introduce native inhabitants into Spanish society. Four of the missions (San Jose, San Juan, … Read more
Military Plaza in San Antonio dates back to the eighteenth century as a military and commercial center in San Antonio. Long before the Texas Revolution, Spanish troops marched in the plaza. After statehood, the site became a popular gathering place for medicine shows, entertainment, flea markets, and other town events. In 1876 — about the … Read more
The flags used during the Texas Revolution represented the diverse beliefs of the settlers of the period. In a few designs, the flag signified the desire for reconciliation with Mexico and a return to government based on the Mexican Constitution of 1824. Most of the flags, however, represented the Texan’s desire for total independence from … Read more
As if actual events in early Texas history didn’t provide ample material for thrilling tales, there have been a number of fictional characters from Texas portrayed in dime novels, comic strips, radio, television, and just about every other media imaginable. Among the best known of these fictional (or semi-fictional) characters are The Lone Ranger and … Read more
Corpus Christi in 1852 was a frontier town with its businesses mainly located on the beach, and residences scattered along a high bluff behind. Land in the vicinity was extremely fertile. Regions of timber grew nearby, surrounded by vast stretches of grassy prairie that abounded with wildlife. Despite this seeming paradise, Colonel Henry L. Kinney, … Read more
By 5 p.m. the afternoon of September 15, 1896, nearly 50,000 people had gathered anxiously on a wide stretch of Texas prairie near Waco. Moments later, they watched two 35-ton locomotives, each pulling seven boxcars, collide head-on at a combined speed of 120 miles per hour. The publicity spectacular was staged at Crush, Texas, a … Read more