Texas Almanac, 1964-1965 Page: 38
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38 TEXAS ALMANAC--1964-1965
Tiguas was established nearby, later known as Nues-
tra Senora del Carmen, and a little later still Mission
San Miguel del Socorro was established near Socorro.
These missions preceded by eight or ten years the
establishment of the first missions in East Texas.
Founding of San Antonio
In 1718 the viceroy wanted a halfway post be-
tween the East Texas missions and the Spanish pre-
sidios in northern Mexico. A mission and presidio
were started at San Pedro Springs, laying the founda-
tion for the present city of San Antonio. This mission
was called San Antonio de Valero and the accom-
panying presidio was called San Antonio de Bexar.
San Antonio de Valero is usually accepted as the
predecessor of the Alamo; however, the present
structure of the Alamo was not erected until about
1754, nor was the original De Valero on the present
site of the Alamo. In fact, the present Alamo was
not a mission building itself, but a chapel attached to
San Antonio de Valero and possibly to other missions.
The word, "alamo," means poplar, or cottonwood.
There is one legend that the name of the Alamo
came from a grove of cottonwoods nearby. However,
during Mexico's war for independence from Spain a
company of soldiers from Alamo del Parras was
quartered in the Alamo. This may be the origin of
its name.
In 1720 Mission San Jose de Aguayo was estab-
lished at San Antonio. In succession came the found-
ing of the missions La Purisima Concepcion de Acu-
na, San Juan Capistrano and San Francisco de la
Espada. Three of these missions at San Antonio were
really re-establishments of the older East Texas mis-
sions which had been abandoned. They were San
Francisco, Concepcion and San Juan Capistrano, the
latter succeeding San Jose de los Nazonis, the name
being changed because of the prior founding at San
Antonio of San Jose de Aguayo.
This era of mission building marks also the be-
ginning of Texas statehood. It had been officially de-
clared a Spanish dominion and Domingo Teran de los
Rios had been named Governor in 1691. However,
after an expedition across Texas by De Los Rios,
political authority was relaxed and little attention
was given Texas until the administration of Martin
de Alarcon, Governor of Coahuila-Texas, who found-
ed the mission of San Antonio de Valero and the pre-
sidio of San Antonio de Bexar in 1718.
Los Adaes, Early Texas Capital
In 1721-22 the dominion of Spain was definitely es-
tablished between the Rio Grande and the Red River
by the expedition of Marquis de Aguayo. At the site
of the Mission San Miguel de Linares, established a
few years earlier, he established the presidio of Los
Adaes as his headquarters. This place, where the
present-day town of Robeline, La., stands, was the
Spanish capital of Texas until the seat of govern-
ment was removed to San Antonio in 1772.
To further strengthen Spanish authority, coloniz-
ing Texas with Spaniards was started. One result
was the establishment of fifteen families from the
Canary Islands at San Antonio, 1731. Results were
limited but Canary Island families and their descend-
ants played a large part in Texas history.
Escandon
While the missionary effort was progressing in
East and South Central Texas, several settlements
were made along the Rio Grande between the San
Juan Bautista (near present-day Eagle Pass) and the
mouth of the river. Reynosa and Camargo were es-
tablished on the south bank in 1749 by Jose de Es-
candon, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo San-
tander. In 1750, Dolores was established on the north
bank in present Webb County where the Arroyo Do-
lores empties into the Rio Grande. In 1755 Laredo
was established. Reynosa, Camargo and Laredo be-
came permanent settlements. Dolores was destroyed
by Indians about 1850.
Later Missions
Three missions-San Francisco Xavier, San Ilde-
fonso and Candelaria-were established about 1746 in
Williamson and-or Milam Counties on the San Xavier
River (now called San Gabriel River). Later these
were relocated in Hays County and still later in
Menard County.
Mission La Bahia del Espiritu Santo was estab-
lished at the present site of its ruins at Goliad in
1749. It had earlier been near the site of old Fort
Saint Louis on Espiritu Santo Bay and was moved
once or twice before being permanently located at
Goliad.
At the request of Lipan Apaches, harassed by Co-
manches, a mission and a presidio were established
on the San Saba River in 1757, near the site of the
present town of Menard. The San Saba Mission was
destroyed by the Comanches. Missions were estab-
lished also on the Nueces, but failed.The last mission. Our Lady of Refuge, was estab-
lished on Mission Bay in Calhoun County in 1793 but,
with one intermediate relocation, moved to the site
of the present-day Refugio in 1795.
Nacogdoches Founded
When the East Texas missions were abandoned
the second time, in 1776, the white population was
removed to San Antonio. In 1779, however, a number
of these settlers returned under the leadership of
Antonio Gil Y'Barbo and settled around old Mission
Guadalupe, permanently establishing what is today
Nacogdoches, which also has some claim to having
been rounded in 1716, year of the building of the old
Guadalupe Mission.
Some of these missions have disappeared com-
pletely; others are no more than ruins. Some still
stand much as they were originally constructed-
notably those at San Antonio.
Results of Mission Effort
The purposes of the missions were: (1) To Chris-
tianize the Indian, and (2) to extend the frontier ol
Spanish dominion and aid in establishing civil law.
The missionaries in Texas were faced with a pecu-
liarly difficult problem because the Indians, except
the Caddoes, were nomadic.
Nevertheless, progress was made. A report on
Queretaran missions of San Antonio in 1745, accord.
ing to Dr. Carlos E. Castaneda, showed 2,282 Indians
had been baptized. There were living at the four
missions 885 Indians. There were 5,115 cattle, 2,662
sheep, 664 goats and 257 horses. There was produced
annually about 8,000 bushels of corn, 2,000 pounds of
cotton and beans, melons, pumpkins and other crops.
The missions were well supplied with agricultural
implements, and Indian women had been taught to
spin and weave. This report did not include the mis-
sion of San Jose, which belonged to the Zacatecan
group, but a report of a little later date showed that
it had over 200 neophytes. There were over 2,000
cattle and 1,000 sheep.
The indirect effect of the missions on the subse-
quent history of Texas was incalculable. They plant-
ed the first seeds of cultural progress. The faithful
padre stayed behind to maintain outposts established
by military expeditions. More than a hundred years
of missionary effort succeeded in establishing prob-
ably not more than 7,000 white inhabitants. Never-
theless, had there been no missionary effort in Texas,
there probably would have been no nucleus of civili-
zation to attract Moses Austin and cause the intro-
duction of Anglo-American civilization.
Waning of Spanish Influence
All except two of the Texas missions were, in
1793, transferred from ecclesiastical to civil author-
ity. The two exceptions were the missions at Refugio
and Goliad which were secularized in 1830.
Spanish influence waned. Spain was in difficulties
in Europe and was losing her grip on Mexico. Senti-
ment for revolt in Mexico permitted little considera-
tion of Texas. Spanish influence reached a low ebb in
Texas aftbr 1811, when the revolt in Mexico led by
Hidalgo broke out. Though it was suppressed tempo-
rarily, there was smoldering rebellion until 1821
when Mexico gained independence.
FILIBUSTERING EXPEDITIONS
The sale of Louisiana by France to the United
States in 1803 increased Spanish worry about her
Texas eastern border. The Aaron Burr conspiracy,
1805-07, contributed to Spanish fear of American de-
signs. In 1736, the Arroyo Hondo, east of the Sabine,
had been temporarily fixed as the eastern boundary
of Texas. However, boundary disputes continued and
the territory between the Sabine and the Arroyo Hon-
do became the "Neutral Ground," a lawless no-man's
land.
American and Mexican adventurers led explora-
tions into Texas. The first two decades of the cen-
tury were a period of freebooters, privateers and
filibustering expeditions.
One adventurer, Philip Nolan, led an expedition
into Texas in 1800-01. The capture of wild horses was
his stated purpose, but he fell under Spanish sus-
picion because of alleged connection with the Aaron
Burr conspiracy. Nolan was killed and his little force
of about 20 men was defeated in a fight with the
Spanish near present Waco. Nine survivors were tak-
en to Mexico. One of them, Ephraim Blackburn, was
hanged in 1807. Only one. Peter Ellis Bean, is known
to have regained freedom.
Republic of the North
Augustus Magee, an officer of the United States
Army in Louisiana, became intrigued by the plans of
Bernardo Gutierrez, a Mexican who had been an ad-
herent of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in his un-
successful attempt to free Mexico in 1810-11. Magee
resigned from the United States Army and, with
Gutierrez. collected a force of venturesome men.
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Texas Almanac, 1964-1965, book, 1963; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113807/m1/40/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.