The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 70, July 1966 - April, 1967 Page: 39
728 p. : maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Tenoxtitlan, Dream Capital of Texas
uated and . two Leagues of Land lying on the west side
of the Brazos River at the mouth of Cow Bayou." As an added
inducement, he pointed out that there were six leagues of land
adjoining the survey on the north, and three on the south, all of
which already belonged to, the Republic of Texas.51
Unfortunately for Tenoxtitlan, though, the commissioners
finally chose a site near Waterloo (which developed into Austin),
a still more exposed and isolated village on the Colorado, and
once again the citizens of Tenoxtitlan saw their dream fade
and die.
That blow, together with repeated raids by savage Indians,
soon relegated to oblivion the little frontier village of Tenoxtitlan.
Troubles with Indians had been steadily increasing ever since
the departure of the Mexican garrison in the summer of 1832.
At that time the settlers were so disheartened that they talked
of abandoning the entire country above the Yegua, but they
finally reconsidered, resolved to stick to their hard-earned homes
on the Texas frontier, and organized an informal civil militia
for protection.52
Things moved along peacefully until one dark, foggy morning
about daylight in the latter part of April, 1834. Suddenly the
residents of Tenoxtitlan were awakened by the cry of "Indians!
Indians! Indiansl" Rushing out in their night clothes, they found
an excited crowd gathered around James G. Swisher's horse lot
near the center of town. There a sickening sight awaited them:
all the horses were gone except two, and one of these stood
trembling in a corner with an arrow sticking in his side. The
other, Mrs. Swisher's favorite, lay weltering in his blood, and
large pieces of flesh had been cut from his carcass.
Swisher and one of the Boren brothers immediately set out
in pursuit. They followed the Indians at a brisk pace on foot
for two days, although the Indians were mounted and Swisher
was a big man weighing over two hundred pounds. Swisher and
51R. Barr to Horatio Chriesman and other commissioners appointed to locate the
seat of government, about November 15, 1837 (MS., State Department: Seat of Gov-
ernment Papers, 1836-1842, Archives, Texas State Library).
"John P. Coles to Stephen F. Austin, August 18, 1832, in Barker (ed.), Austin
Papers, II, 845-846.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 70, July 1966 - April, 1967, periodical, 1967; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101199/m1/57/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.