From the Annals of It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time – In 1836, David Crockett wrote his last surviving letter.  Despite his nationwide fame, he had lost his bid for a fourth term as a Tennessee representative to the U. S. Congress and determined to make a new start in Texas. In the letter, called Texas “the garden spot of the world,” with the “best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw.”  Crockett had come to Texas to revive his political career and noted that he fully expected to take part in writing a constitution for Texas. “I am in hopes of making a fortune yet for my self and my family, bad as my prospect has been.” All indications are that Crockett, who probably was among the most famous Americans of his day, was surprised to be trapped in the Alamo facing almost certain death.  There has been tremendous controversy over whether Crockett died during the battle or surrendered with a handful of others only to be executed by order of Santa Anna.  It is clear that Santa Anna knew that Crockett was in the Alamo and was pleased at the prospect of capturing such a famous person.

From the Annals of the Confederacy – Late in the Civil War in 1865, the Kickapoo Tribe defeated a force of about 160 Confederates and 325 state militiamen at the Battle of Dove Creek.  The site of the skirmish is about twenty miles southwest of present San Angelo.   Leading up to the battle, a reconnaissance party located an abandoned Indian campsite and decided to pursue the band. The pursuit was comprised of a militia force under Captain S. S. Totten and a separate Confederate regular army contingent led by Captain Henry Fossett.  Despite clear indications that they were pursuing a main band of the Kickapoos and not a warring party, the  pursuit continued in difficult winter conditions.  The troops even killed a Kickapoo man and woman that approached them waving a white flag after the soldiers and militiamen had rendezvoused near the Kickapoo camp on Dove Creek.  The combined forces, however, lacked a unified command and much in the way of tactical planning.  The quickly formed plan had the militia wading Dove Creek to  launch a direct attack from the north, while the Confederates would attempt to capture the Kickapoo horses to prevent a retreat.   The well-armed Kickapoos had a superior heavily-wooded position and easily dealt with the militiamen as they entered the dense thicket where the Indians were camped. The Confederate movement to seize the horses met with initial success but then fell apart during a counterattack, was splintered into three groups, and caught in a heavy crossfire. The defeated Texans lost as many as 50 men including many during a brutal retreat in a winter blizzard that finished off most of the wounded.  The Kickapoos who had been aligned with the Confederacy but were moving to Mexico as the war wound down were outraged over the attack and probably lost about 15 men.  They continued to move on to the Mexican border for refuge.

From the Annals of Engineering Feats –  In 1870, the Waco Suspension Bridge was first opened to traffic.  The bridge crosses the Brazos River in downtown Waco.  At 475 feet, it was one of the longest suspension bridges in the world when it opened. Before 1869, crossing the Brazos River was a difficult and frequently dangerous proposition.   The only river crossing was by ferry.  Due its location on the Chisholm Trail, Waco businessmen determined that a bridge was needed to secure the City’s continued prosperity.

Col. John T. Flint, an Austin lawyer and banker, who had moved to Waco after the war and established the firm of Flint & Chamberlain,  travelled to New York to handle the contract for building the bridge. Flint engaged Thomas Griffin who teamed with John A. Roebling and Son of New York (famed for building the Brooklyn Bridge) to construct the impressive bridge at a cost of approximately $140,000. The twin double-towers anchoring the span were considered to be an engineering marvel.  They contain nearly 3 million bricks, which were produced locally.  The bridge was initially operated as a toll bridge, but McClennan County purchased it in 1889 and sold it to Waco for $1. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic in 1971, but remains a centerpiece of downtown Waco today.

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