Texas is one of the largest states in the Union. Like all of the states, it was first inhabited by indigenous people, in eluding Apache, Comanche, and Caddo. It was part of New Spain, and became part of Mexico when Mexico gained independence from Spain. Texas declared independence from Mexico, and Mexico disagreed. Texas wanted to become a state of the U.S.A., but Congress did not want to become involved in a war with Mexico. Texas therefore declared itself the Republic of Texas instead. It was recognized by the United States, Britain, and France. Once it was securely an independent nation, Texas requested statehood again. Texas became a state in 1845. Austin is the capital of Texas.
Cowboys
It is our experience that Texas never lets you forget their cowboy heritage.
Granted, we were at the Ft. Worth stockyards at the time. (Join us as FreshPlans Visits the Stockyards) From 1865 to 1885, Texas was the starting point for the great cattle drives, where cowboys herded cattle through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, and on to the railroads in Kansas. As the railroads spread across the country, that way of life ended. But Texas had ranching and vaqueros from the 17th century and still has working cowboys today.
This is the Chisholm Trail Mural by artist Richard Haas in Ft. Worth. It honors the cattle drives. You can read more about cattle drives and find more resources for their study in Women of the Wild West.
However, Texas always mixes history with modernity, as this Dallas juxtaposition shows. Texans are proud of their heritage but they’re also oriented toward the future.
It’s important to know that the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro is not just a cow town. Cousin Nikki’s photo of Wat Saginaw reminds us that there is a thriving Lao community as well as Hispanic residents from Mexico and other Central and South American nations, Caribbean, Korean, Pakistani, and many other communities. This diversity is what makes Texas — and the United States — special.
While you’re in Ft. Worth, don’t miss the Water Gardens.
A wealth of interesting features keeps it beautiful year-round.
Oil barons
The Alamo doesn’t make us think of oil barons, but it is San Antonio’s best known historic attraction. The Mission San Antonio de Valero was originally built in 1718 by the Catholic church. Spanish friars came to the New World to spread the new of Christianity to the people already living in what would become Texas. In 1724, it was moved to its current location. In 1803, concerned by the expansion of New France and then the Louisiana Purchase by the United States, Spain decided to repurpose the old mission as a military fort. In 1835, Texan rebels occupied the fort and in December of that year, Mexico surrendered the Alamo.
The battle of the Alamo took place in March of 1836. Texas lost that battle but won independence from Mexico soon after. There’s a movie about that battle — actually, there’s a very famous one with John Wayne, but the first link takes you to a newer and more historically accurate one.
Another favorite feature of the city is the San Antonio riverwalk, and you can also travel by boat there. These beautiful views of San Antonio show something special about this town: while it benefited from the 20th century oil boom, bigger strikes in East Texas and West Texas took the spotlight off of San Antonio and allowed it to maintain its historic character.
San Antonio was an early participant in the oil boom, seeing major oil revenue flow into the city at the beginning of the 20th century. Like Tulsa, Oklahoma, San Antonio was a boom town in the 1920s, and oil barons built beautiful mansions that can still be seen today. San Antonio continued to be a central hub for oil exploration, but did not follow the same path as Houston — the birthplace of the Texas oil titans — and Dallas, which became a financial center and the playground of the oil barons big and small.
Astronauts
Houston is known as “Space City.” The National Aeronautics and Space Administration chose Houston as the hub of its manned spacecraft program (that is, spaceships with people on them) in 1961. The Space Center, home of the Apolla and Gemini missions, is an inspiring place. Today, the Houston Space Center is in charge of the International Space Station and the Artemis project.
NASA has other centers around the country, but the line “Houston, we have a problem” in the film Apollo 13 has enshrined this city in our minds as the home of the space program.
Sports
Texas is a very sporty state, with the Dallas Cowboys, the Houston Astros, the San Antonio Spurs, and plenty of great college teams.
We can never overlook outdoor sports, and Texas offers water sports, hiking, and bouldering.
Hueco Tanks State Park is an area with many huecos, or natural rock water basins, which supported human life as long as 10,000 years ago. Now it offers satisfying challenges to climbers.
Hueco Tanks State Park is also a great place to enjoy the rugged scenery.
Check out the state symbols of Texas:
All our field trip photos are family photos, but we want to give special thanks to our Ft. Worth cousin, professional photographer Nikki Narvaez, who took the most special ones here.
