| Contents |
Claiming San Antonio for Spain, 1718 -- Regulating life at a mission -- The Canary Islanders travel to Texas -- Dispute between the villa and the missions, 1739-1741 -- San Antonio as seen by Governor Winthuysen, ca. 1744 -- 1772 presidial regulations resulting from Rubí's 1776-68 inspection tour -- Royal decree on wild cattle and horses, 1778 -- Change comes to the missions, ca. 1792 -- Description of Texas in 1803 -- Zebulon Pike visits San Antonio de Béxar in 1807 -- Rebels & royalists bring devastation to San Antonio de Béxar, 1813 -- Stephen F. Austin arrives in San Antonio in 1821 -- Mexican border commission views San Antonio, 1828 -- San Antonio de Béxar in 1828 by J. C. Clopper -- City ordinances for San Antonio de Béxar, 1829 -- Benjamin Lundy visits San Antonio, 1833 -- Col. Juan Almonte's report : Department of Bexar in 1834 -- Samuel A. Maverick's account of the siege of Béxar, 1835 -- Importance of San Antonio de Béxar in the Texas revolution -- Eulalia Yorba : an eye witness account of the Battle of the Alamo -- Juan Seguin to the residents of Béxar, 1836 -- Mary A. Maverick moves to San Antonio, 1838 -- Mary A. Maverick's account of the Council House fight, 1840 -- Christmas time in San Antonio, 1840 -- Republic of Texas recognizes Catholic Church's property rights, 1841 -- General Rafael Vázquez captures San Antonio, March 1842 -- General Adrian Woll captures San Antonio, September 1842 -- Frederic Benjamin Page : a "suthron's" view of San Antonio ca. 1845 -- San Antonio in 1846 by Josiah Gregg -- A Kentucky volunteer in San Antonio, 1846 -- A German scientist attends a Fandango, 1847 -- Recommendation to use parts of the Alamo as military depot, 1847 -- San Antonio as reported in The Alamo Star, 1854 -- U.S. Inspector General's inspection report, 1856 -- Frederick Law Olmstead on San Antonio, ca. 1857 -- Inspector General report for San Antonio in 1861 -- General Twiggs surrenders San Antonio to the State of Texas, 1861 -- Federal surrender of San Antonio from a Texan's view, 1861 -- Life in San Antonio during the Civil War -- A U.S. cavalryman's view of San Antonio, 1866 -- Sidney Lanier visits San Antonio, 1873 -- Description of San Antonio in the late nineteenth century by a resident -- President William McKinley visits San Antonio, 1901 -- The San Antonio International Fair, ca. 1901. |
| Abstract |
By 1850, the frontier settlement of San Antonio had seen more than its share of hardships, Indians attacks, rebellions, and repeated military occupations. These events all marked the towns recent past. In 1854, though, the editor of the Alamo Star felt confident enough in the town's progress to announce that the embattled outpost would soon be known as the "Queen of the West." The Star, of course, capitalized on the name of the town's most famous landmark--the Alamo. Although historians have written about the battle and the town, no one has yet adequately explained how they are connected to each other. A deeper look at the development of San Antonio shows that it was not only the site of the Battle of the Alamo, it was the center of much of the history of Spain, Mexico, Texas, and the United States. -- Provided by publisher. |
