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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
some texas history fact
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Oct 12, 1492
columbus reaches the americas
Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. Little is known of his early life, but he worked as a seaman and then a maritime entrepreneur. He became obsessed with the possibility of pioneering a western sea route to China, India, and the gold and spice islands of Asia. At the time, Europeans knew no direct sea route to southern Asia, and the route via Egypt and the Red Sea was closed to Europeans by the Ottoman Empire, as were many land routes. -
Jan 1, 1519
Alvarez de Pineda explores Gulf Coast of Texas.
ÁLVAREZ DE PINEDA, ALONSO (?–1520). Alonso Álvarez de Pineda commanded a Spanish expedition that sailed along the Gulf of Mexico coastline from Florida to Cabo Rojo, Mexico, in 1519. He and his men were the first Europeans to explore and map the Gulf littoral between the areas previously explored by Juan Ponce De León and Diego Velázquez. -
Jan 1, 1537
Cabez de Vaca reports on Texas
the Spanish conquistador Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked in 1528 on what is now Galveston Island. He lived among America's native peoples for the next eight years, transcending enslavement to become recognized as a great spiritual leader. Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to explore what is now Texas and the Southwest. -
Jan 1, 1541
coronado leads expedition into texas
Coronado was born in to a noble family in Salamanca, Spain, in 1510 , the younger brother of Diego Vásquez and second son of Juan Vásquez de Coronado y Sosa de Ulloa -
Apr 13, 1542
de soto moscoso expidition reaches east texas
Luis de Moscoso Alvarado was a member of Hernando De Soto's expedition to explore La Florida-today's southeastern United States-and to obtain gold and other riches from the native peoples of the North American continent. The army of an estimated 600 men sighted land on May 25, 1539, on the western coast of Florida near what is now Tampa Bay, and landed on May 30. -
juan de onate establishes santa fe
Oñate was born in the New Spain city of Zacatecas to Spanish-Basque colonists and silver mine owners. His father was the conquistador/silver baron Cristóbal de Oñate, and his mother Doña Catalina Salazar y de la Cadena -
spaniards establish the first texas mission corpus christi de la ysleta
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la salle establishes fort st. louis
He was the first European to sail down the Mississippi River from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico Born: 1643 Died: 1687 -
for st. louis is abandoned
Location of La Salle's settlement now known as Fort St. Louis. Established roughly 40 miles inland from where the French expedition landed on the Texas coast, the site was intended only as a temporary outpost for the colonists while La Salle continued searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. -
mission san francisco de los tejas is established
Mission San Francisco de los Tejas was the first Catholic mission established in East Texas in 1690, but 41 years later -- after a series of ups and downs -- the mission was moved to San Antonio when Spain withdrew its military support from the mission. If the original mission were still standing today, few buildings could challenge it as Texas' oldest landmark. Even the Alamo wasn't built until 1718. -
mission san francisco de los tejas is established
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the ramon expedition arrives in east texas
One of the first Spanish entradas into Texas was led by Domingo Terán de los Ríos in 1691. He was accompanied by Father Damián Massanet who was in charge of missionary activities, and a young boy named Jose de Urrutia who would later become part of the history of San Antonio. -
san antonio de valero (alamo) mission is founded in san antonio
the Mission San Antonio de Valero, established in San Antonio in 1718, was but one of many Catholic missions organized as part of the official Spanish plan to Christianize native Americans and colonize northern New Spain. -
los adaes becomes first capital of texas
Although Spain claimed much of the Gulf Coast of North America as part of their colonial territory, they largely ignored the east of the Rio Grande throughout the 17th century. -
first group of canary islanders arrives in san antonio
CANARY ISLANDERS. On February 14, 1719, the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo made a report to the king of Spain proposing that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. -
san antonio becomes the capital of texas.
During the Texas Revolution, San Antonio was the site of several battles, including the siege of Bexar December 1835 and the battle of the Alamo March 6, 1836, which made it one of the most fought-over cities in North America. -
nacogdoches is founded
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana -
mission san jose is completed
Mission San José was founded on June 11, 1797 on a site located in the "Mission San Jose District" of Fremont, California (formerly an independent town, a spot that the natives called in the "Valley of San José." The settlement was the site of the first Ceasarian section childbirth in Alta California. -
most missions in texas are closed
most missions in texas closed in 1793 -
phillip dolan and his men fight spanish soldiers near waco
In December of that year, Nolan returned with a small force of 20 men and built a fort near Nacogdoches. He was killed fighting the Spanish on march 4th 1801. Nolan is remembered for having drafted the first Anglo-American map of Texas. -
The neutral ground agreement is established
The Neutral Ground Agreement was an accord between Spanish General Simon Herrera and American General James Wilkinson regarding the undefined and highly disputed border between their nations and more importantly their overlapping fields of operation. -
father miguel hidalgo issues the grito de dolores
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla had the unique distinction of being a father in three senses of the word: a priestly father in the Roman Catholic Church, a biological father who produced illegitimate children in defiance of his clerical vows, and the father of his country. Though Guadalupe Victoria was, like Washington, his country's first president, Hidalgo was, like Washington. -
1811 independent from spain
father hidalgo is executed, las casas captured and executed, jaun bautista de las casas declares texas independent from spain. -
the gutierrez magee expedition is defeated
In 1811, Juan Bautista de las Casas led a revolt against Spain at San Antonio, capturing the Spanish governor. The Spanish struck back, however, crushing the revolt and executing de las Casas. The rebels then turned to the United States for help. Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara traveled to Washington, D.C., but received little more than the knowledge that the U.S. government would not interfere with his efforts. -
james long leads group of anglo americans to nacogdoches
Long was a former US Army surgeon in the War of 1812 who served at the Battle of New Orleans. He married Jane Herbert Dent Wilkinson in 1815 [1] and owned a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi. -
mexico gains independence from spain.
In September 1810, Father Hidalgo was forced to prematurely distribute the Grito de Dolores to his parishoners and nearby residents which was an appeal for social and economic reform. With little organization and no training, essentially a mob of thousands of primarily Indians and mestizos overwhelmed royal forces in Guanajuato, and proceeded to murder and loot both Peninsulares, Criollos and other "whites" in their path. -
mexico gains independence from spain
The Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The Mexican War of Independence movement was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought independence from Spain. It started as an idealistic peasants' rebellion against their colonial masters, but finally ended as an unlikely alliance between liberals and conservatives. -
civil war begins
The American Civil War (1861–1865), also known as the War Between the States as well as several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America, also known as "the Confederacy". Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the United States (the Union), which was supported by all the free states and the five border slave states.
