Category Archives: Today in Texas History

Today in Texas History – December 13

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From the Annals of Higher Education – In 1930, J. Frank Norris, Baptist pastor and editor of The Fundamentalist, denounced Professor Joseph Leo Duflot of West Texas State Teachers College (now West Texas A&M University) at a rally in the courthouse square in Canyon.  Norris attacked  Duflot. the chairman of the sociology department, for teaching evolution and for his “modernist” philosophy. Duflot had already been dismissed by the First Presbyterian Church of Canyon in 1921 for attempting to reconcile evolution with the biblical account of creation and questioning the complete veracity of the Bible. Norris had invited Duflot to a debate on December 12.  Duflot cordially declined and instead played golf that day. At the rally Norris condemned Duflot as “an orangutang, God-denying, Bible-destroying, evolutionist professor” and called for him to be fired by the College.  In reaction, the board of regents conducted a hearing into the issue, but Duflot emerged unscathed and continued to teach until he retired in 1955.  Norris was a notorious scumbag who was charged with arson and murder (escaping conviction each time) and an ardent racist who supported the Ku Klux Klan – but all that is for another day.  The nine-iron is mightier than the demagogue.

Today in Texas History – December 11

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From the Annals of the Indian Conflicts – In 1737, Cabellos Colorados, a Lipan Apache chief, was captured by Spanish forces.  The Spanish established a settlement in San Antonio in 1718 which the Apaches viewed as an easy target for raids against the European invaders.  Not much is known about Cabellos Colorados.  He does appear in Spanish records which comment on his raids.  One known raid on San Antonio occurred in 1731, and in 1734 his band seized two citizens in a raid. He also stole horses from San Francisco de la Espada Mission and killed Indians from the missions of San Juan Capistrano and Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña. After numerous raids in 1736 and 1737, he was captured and imprisoned at Bexar until October of 1738 when he was sent as a prisoner to Mexico.

Today in Texas History – December 10

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From the Annals of the Big Ranches – In 1879, the New York and Texas Land Company was formed.  New Yorkers, John S. Kennedy, Samuel Thorne, and William Walter Phelps purchased all of the land owned by the consolidated International-Great Northern Railroad Company to form the NYTLC.   The company ultimately owned over  5.5 million acres – one of the largest privately financed land companies to operate in post-Civil War Texas. The holdings extended into fifty-one counties in the Panhandle. Under the guidance of T. D. Hobart, the NYTLC began an extensive development program of fencing, well drilling, windmill building, and water impoundment. By 1900 most of the Panhandle lands had been developed and sold.  Many of the largest ranches in Texas were carved out from the NYTLC holdings. The company was dissolved in 1918.

Today in Texas History – December 9

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From the Annals of New Spain –  In 1716 Martín de Alarcón was appointed Spanish governor of Texas.  This was Alarcon’s second stint as Spanish Governor of Coahuila y Tejas having previously served from 1705 to 1708.   He is considered to be the founder of San Antonio in 1718 with the establishment of the San Antonio de Valero Mission (later known as the Alamo) and the municipality of Bejar which  became San Antonio.  His second term was marred by difficulties with the far-flung missions in East Texas which were poorly supplied and failing in their essential mission of converting native peoples such as the Hasanai to Christianity.  The ambitions of the French also troubled his administration as French troops continued unchecked military adventures in Texas.  He was removed from office in 1717.

Image of Alarcon from http://www.hmdb.org

Today in Texas History – December 8

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From the Annals of WWII –  In 1941, Captain John A.E. Bergstrom was killed in the Japanese raid on Clark Field in the Philippines. He was the first casualty from Austin.   He was honored by his home town in renaming Del Valle Army Air Base after him.  DVAAB was constructed in the summer of 1942 on 3,000 acres leased from the city of Austin and activated in September. The base was renamed Bergstrom Field on November 11, 1943, and later Bergstrom Air Force Base.  The base was converted to civilian use in the 1990’s and now serves as Austin’s airport.  It retains the name of  Austin Bergstrom International Airport in honor of his sacrifice. 

Today in Texas History – December 7

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From the Annals of the Colonists – In 1830, Texas pioneer and memoir writer Noah Smithwick was banished from Texas as “a bad citizen.” Smithwick came to Texas in 1827 as a young man settling in San Felipe. He came to the aid of a friend who was accused of murder and chained in leg irons.  Being a blacksmith, Smithwick furnished the prisoner with a file and a gun so he might escape.  Smithwick was tried and declared and banished from the colony. Smithwick returned to Matagorda in the fall of 1835 and reached Gonzales the day after the opening battle of the Revolution.  He served in the Texas Army and after the Revolution, tried cattle ranching before establishing a mill near Marble Falls.

Smithwick was an ardent Unionist and after receive receiving threats from secessionists he left Texas with a number of friends and moved to  southern California in 1861.  He dictated his memoirs to his daughter. After his death in 1899, she had the manuscript published by Karl H. P. N. Gammel as The Evolution of a State, or Recollections of Old Texas Days.

Today in Texas History – December 4

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From the Annals of the Ships of the Line –  In 2010, the USS Fort Worth was launched.  The FW is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship.  She is the first ship to be named after Fort Worth, the 16th-largest city in the United States.   The FW is currently on a 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore in support of the U.S. Navy’s “strategic rebalance” to the Pacific. She is first LCS to use the “3-2-1” manning concept, swapping fully trained crews roughly every four months.  FW also deploys with an aviation detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35 (HSM-35) “Magicians”, the U.S. Navy’s first composite expeditionary helicopter squadron.

Photo from en.Wikipedia.org

Today in Texas History – December 3

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From the Annals of the Cold War – In 1989, Presidents George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev indicated that the Cold War era was closing at a meeting in Malta.  The Malta meeting was the first-ever summit held between the two leaders.  Bush was optimistic about the summit and expressed his desire to continue arms control negotiations begun by the preceding Reagan administration. Gorbachev was more effusive about his desire for better relations with the United States and clearly indicated that the talks marked an important first step toward ending the Cold War.  “The characteristics of the Cold War should be abandoned,” he declared.  Gorbachev went on to suggest that, “The arms race, mistrust, psychological and ideological struggle, all those should be things of the past.” Bush’s statement was less direct. “With reform underway in the Soviet Union, we stand at the threshold of a brand-new era of U.S.-Soviet relations. It is within our grasp to contribute each in our own way to overcoming the division of Europe and ending the military confrontation there.”

Today in Texas History – December 2

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From the Annals of the Boomtowns – In 1907, citizens of Peck renamed their community Tomball in honor of former U.S. Congressman Thomas Henry Ball. Ball was strong supporter of the development of the Houston Ship Channel and a renown prohibition advocate. Tomball later rose to prominence in 1933 when drillers struck oil. The population of Tomball tripled as numerous oil and gas operators moved in and set up worker camps, and built new housing and recreation facilities.   In 1935, Humble Oil and Refining Company granted free water and natural gas to Tomball residents in exchange for drilling rights within the city limits.   Ball’s influence is still seen today as parts of the town remain dry.

Photo of Thomas Ball Statue from tripddvisor.co.uk.

Today in Texas History – December 1

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From the Annals of Broadway – In 1913, Mary Martin, star of stage and screen,  was born in Weatherford, Texas.  Martin was encouraged to perform in local theater as a child and began voice lessons at age twelve. Her first success was on Broadway in Cole Porter’s Leave It To Me . Martin sang the show-stopper “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and was an instant hit with Broadway audiences. Although she appeared in at least 10 films, Martin’s greatest success came in musical theatre – starring in productions of South Pacific , Peter Pan , The Sound of Music, and I Do, I Do among many others.