A Bit of Texas History

 

The APACHE, COMANCHE, and other tribes inhabited the area when the Spanish established (1682) their first settlement on the site of the present-day El Paso.

 

Settlers from the U.S. began arriving in large numbers after Moses AUSTIN (1821) obtained a colonization grant.  His son, Stephen F. AUSTIN, colonized the first American settlement.

 

The Texas Revolution erupted (1835) when American settlers routed Mexican troops and declared (1836) their independence, which they were forced to defend in battles such as that at the ALAMO.

 

The annexation of Texas by the U.S. in 1845 precipitated the MEXICAN WAR. Texas fought on the side of the CONFEDERACY during the Civil War.

 

The discovery (1901) of the spectacular Spindletop oil field, near Beaumont, and of the East Texas oil field in 1930 revolutionized the state’s economy and resulted in prosperity.  In the 1980s troubles in the oil industry, banking, and real estate ended economic growth, bringing widespread business failure and unemployment.  The early 1990s, however, saw economic diversification and the beginning of recovery.

 

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