About Us: Who we are and our inspiration
1st Republic of Texas, 1813 ~ Cradle of Texas Road
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Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Understanding the Trans-Brazos Region Through Stories
Section 3: The 1st Republic of Texas, Antidote to the Creedal Nation
Section 1: Introduction
Our Central Focus is the Trans-Brazos Region
In our region in 1835, when Texas was yet under the rule of Mexico, a political entity called Washington municipality was formed. With its capital at the town of Washington, just off the Brazos River, the reach of the municipality covered all or parts of nine present counties. East of the Brazos these are Montgomery, Grimes, Walker, San Jacinto and Madison Counties. West of that great river the counties encompassed by Washington Municipality include present Washington, Brazos, Burleson and Lee. Washington Municipality, then, had a Trans-Brazos focus.
Why a Regional Focus?
Addressing the historical context and patterns of a particular region can not only enhance one’s personal sense of place.” Such a study can also provide information and methodology to be applied to the study of other regions and the greater world scene. A special component of the study of the history and culture of our region will focus on finding reflections of the ideals of togetherness of the 1st Republic. We further hope to serve as a vehicle to carry the message of those ideals to studies of the national and international levels.
Section 2: Understanding the Trans-Brazos Region
Through Short Stories
We are developing a methodology around the following framework:
Genealogy--Who are we? (Lineage)
History--How did we get this way? What events determined our time and place? (Events)
Culture-Why do we think and behave this way? (Attitudes, Values)
Our introductory working definition of culture is simple: “what do the people hold as sacred”.
Our general focus is multifaceted, exploring numerous variables common to a study of any given region. Our special purpose, however, lies in monitoring the trends impacted by immigration, the emerging border crisis just below and southwest of our area, and how this might affect the fragmentation of our culture. This is where we believe the Green Flag Republic example of a successful multicultural venture, in Texas History, could have the most impact. The ultimate goal is to explore ideas and methods to anticipate and temper an impending social crisis portending a fragmented culture.
We begin our venture with an introduction to our area through a sprinkling of articles reflecting various aspects of our history and culture. We welcome input and critique, including the submission of articles or other data, as the venture unfolds. Enjoy!
We begin our presentation of articles with a survey of the impending Hispanic impact on the Trans-Brazos Region, then revert to a general historical chronological survey:
A. Hispanic impact in the Trans-Brazos-
~Hispanics: Wave of the future in Trans-Brazos Region
~Cinco de Mayo
B. Folklore-
~Wild Man of the Woods; Imposter of the Alamo
~Rattlesnakes, Indians, and a Texas Preacher
~“Wildcat” Baptist Preacher
C. The first peoples-
~Prehistoric Montgomery County
~ The Bidai, Tribe of Intrigue. Who were they, Really?
~Bellisle & the Orcoquisac
D. Era of Exploration-
~La Salle and the Fickle Gulf Currents
~Pedro Vial, Trailblazer Extraordinary
~The Bidai and the Blue Nun
E. Settlers-
~Caleb Wallace: The last of Stephen Austin’s “Old Three Hundred”
~Birth of Brazos County
~Burleson County
~Twice Named Walker County
~Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker
~The Fort Parker Massacre and Montgomery County
~Harvey Mitchell- Father of Brazos County and Texas A&M
F. War and Politics-
~Jesse Grimes: A Patriarch of Two Counties
~J.G.W. Pierson: Unsung Hero of Early Texas
~Dr. David Dickson: Lt. Governor, from Anderson
~Fate and a Flag (Sarah Dodson)
~Dr. Charles B. Stewart & the Texas Lone Star Flag~Charles Bellinger Stewart's notable progeny
~The Continuing Saga of the Lone Star Flag
G. Legacy of the Civil War-
~Dance Brothers' Pistols
~Confederate Brigadier General General James Barnes
~Millican’s Civil War Legacy
~Shootout in Anderson, 1900
~Walker County and Reconstruction
H. Stories of Entrepreneurship-
~The Mysterious Engine that Began Navasota Industry
~George W Strake Miracle Worker
~Delta Land and Timber Company
~The Railroad that a Spirit made
I. Distinctive sub-cultures-
~Roots of Conroe Normal and Industrial College
~The Implacable Wends of Lee County
~Frank Hamer: Navasota’s answer to Wild Bill Hickok
~Frank Hamer, Border Wars and the Sacredness of the Law
~Farms, Hogs and the Conroe Oil Boom
~A True Tale of Old Cut’n Shoot
~Naming of Cut’n Shoot
J. Rise and Fall of Key Towns: Impact of the Railroads-
~Stories from Washington, Lee, and Montgomery Counties
K. Noted Contemporaries-
~Roy Harris, World Class Boxing Legend
~Joe Corley: Hall of Fame Sheriff
~Harley Gandy’s Timeless Legacy
~Albert Mattern: From School Days of Yore to a living Legend
~Scott and White Clinic System: The Conroe Connection (Dr. Johnny Montgomery)
L. Oral History and Reminiscence-
~Retreat, Texas Stage Coach Stop
H. Historical Sites-
~Naming the River San Jacinto
Genealogy--Who are we? (Lineage)
History--How did we get this way? What events determined our time and place? (Events)
Culture-Why do we think and behave this way? (Attitudes, Values)
Our introductory working definition of culture is simple: “what do the people hold as sacred”.
Our general focus is multifaceted, exploring numerous variables common to a study of any given region. Our special purpose, however, lies in monitoring the trends impacted by immigration, the emerging border crisis just below and southwest of our area, and how this might affect the fragmentation of our culture. This is where we believe the Green Flag Republic example of a successful multicultural venture, in Texas History, could have the most impact. The ultimate goal is to explore ideas and methods to anticipate and temper an impending social crisis portending a fragmented culture.
We begin our venture with an introduction to our area through a sprinkling of articles reflecting various aspects of our history and culture. We welcome input and critique, including the submission of articles or other data, as the venture unfolds. Enjoy!
We begin our presentation of articles with a survey of the impending Hispanic impact on the Trans-Brazos Region, then revert to a general historical chronological survey:
A. Hispanic impact in the Trans-Brazos-
~Hispanics: Wave of the future in Trans-Brazos Region
~Cinco de Mayo
B. Folklore-
~Wild Man of the Woods; Imposter of the Alamo
~Rattlesnakes, Indians, and a Texas Preacher
~“Wildcat” Baptist Preacher
C. The first peoples-
~Prehistoric Montgomery County
~ The Bidai, Tribe of Intrigue. Who were they, Really?
~Bellisle & the Orcoquisac
D. Era of Exploration-
~La Salle and the Fickle Gulf Currents
~Pedro Vial, Trailblazer Extraordinary
~The Bidai and the Blue Nun
E. Settlers-
~Caleb Wallace: The last of Stephen Austin’s “Old Three Hundred”
~Birth of Brazos County
~Burleson County
~Twice Named Walker County
~Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker
~The Fort Parker Massacre and Montgomery County
~Harvey Mitchell- Father of Brazos County and Texas A&M
F. War and Politics-
~Jesse Grimes: A Patriarch of Two Counties
~J.G.W. Pierson: Unsung Hero of Early Texas
~Dr. David Dickson: Lt. Governor, from Anderson
~Fate and a Flag (Sarah Dodson)
~Dr. Charles B. Stewart & the Texas Lone Star Flag~Charles Bellinger Stewart's notable progeny
~The Continuing Saga of the Lone Star Flag
G. Legacy of the Civil War-
~Dance Brothers' Pistols
~Confederate Brigadier General General James Barnes
~Millican’s Civil War Legacy
~Shootout in Anderson, 1900
~Walker County and Reconstruction
H. Stories of Entrepreneurship-
~The Mysterious Engine that Began Navasota Industry
~George W Strake Miracle Worker
~Delta Land and Timber Company
~The Railroad that a Spirit made
I. Distinctive sub-cultures-
~Roots of Conroe Normal and Industrial College
~The Implacable Wends of Lee County
~Frank Hamer: Navasota’s answer to Wild Bill Hickok
~Frank Hamer, Border Wars and the Sacredness of the Law
~Farms, Hogs and the Conroe Oil Boom
~A True Tale of Old Cut’n Shoot
~Naming of Cut’n Shoot
J. Rise and Fall of Key Towns: Impact of the Railroads-
~Stories from Washington, Lee, and Montgomery Counties
K. Noted Contemporaries-
~Roy Harris, World Class Boxing Legend
~Joe Corley: Hall of Fame Sheriff
~Harley Gandy’s Timeless Legacy
~Albert Mattern: From School Days of Yore to a living Legend
~Scott and White Clinic System: The Conroe Connection (Dr. Johnny Montgomery)
L. Oral History and Reminiscence-
~Retreat, Texas Stage Coach Stop
H. Historical Sites-
~Naming the River San Jacinto
Section 3: The 1st Republic of Texas Story,
Antidote to the Creedal Nation
We live in what some call a “creedal nation”. This means that our society revolves around a creed, an idea. It is the idea that all races can live together in a harmonious national union. However, this idea is now held in a vacuum. There is nothing concrete to anchor the idea of viable national unity. This is because we have lost the sense of a common religion, history and culture to underpin the idea, lending it substance. The idea or creed is therefore an abstraction; it is based on nothing real with which all can identify and cling to, on an emotional level.
In developing this site, therefore, we searched for something concrete, something on which all our peoples could build in common, to fill the vacuum. This was an historic event in real time, something with real blood and guts” concreteness.
We found this event in a happening with its roots in a little village in Mexico, named Dolores. Here, on September 16, 1810, a forward-looking priest named Miguel Hidalgo, called his flock of mainly Indian followers together. He told them the time had come to fight for freedom from their overlords within Mexico(then called New Spain) and from their masters residing in Spain.
Hidalgo’s cry is known to history as “The Grito de Dolores,” a cry for freedom under the banner of the Patroness of the Americas, “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” “Long live Religion, long live America”, he cried. Hidalgo’s message spread across the length and breadth of his country, giving birth to a movement which by 1821 resulted, finally, in freedom for Mexico from its Spanish overlords. Though he early became a martyr to his cause, this same Miguel Hidalgo is now known as the “Father of Mexico.”
In the early stages of the Hidalgo struggle, in 1811, that priest commissioned Bernardo Gutiérrez as a Lt. Colonel in his Army and sent him to the United States seeking aid. In 1813, Gutiérrez returned with an Army of Anglos and Native Americans featuring a green Irish-based flag. As the Army approached the Capital of Texas, San Antonio, its final target, Gutiérrez issued a flyer with the words below:
“Rise in mass, soldiers and citizens: unite in the holy cause of our country! I am now marching to your succor with a respectable force of American volunteers who left their homes and families to take up our cause, to fight for our liberty. They are the free descendants of the United States: and as brothers and inhabitants of the same continent they have drawn their swords with a hearty good will in the defense of
the cause of humanity: and in order to drive the tyrannous European beyond the Atlantic.”
Though the republic they established in April 1813 lasted only some five months, it left indelible proof that multiple races could work together on our soil, thus expressing togetherness in building a state. This is something concrete on which to build a sense of a common heritage, thus giving legs to the term “Creedal Nation"
In developing this site, therefore, we searched for something concrete, something on which all our peoples could build in common, to fill the vacuum. This was an historic event in real time, something with real blood and guts” concreteness.
We found this event in a happening with its roots in a little village in Mexico, named Dolores. Here, on September 16, 1810, a forward-looking priest named Miguel Hidalgo, called his flock of mainly Indian followers together. He told them the time had come to fight for freedom from their overlords within Mexico(then called New Spain) and from their masters residing in Spain.
Hidalgo’s cry is known to history as “The Grito de Dolores,” a cry for freedom under the banner of the Patroness of the Americas, “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” “Long live Religion, long live America”, he cried. Hidalgo’s message spread across the length and breadth of his country, giving birth to a movement which by 1821 resulted, finally, in freedom for Mexico from its Spanish overlords. Though he early became a martyr to his cause, this same Miguel Hidalgo is now known as the “Father of Mexico.”
In the early stages of the Hidalgo struggle, in 1811, that priest commissioned Bernardo Gutiérrez as a Lt. Colonel in his Army and sent him to the United States seeking aid. In 1813, Gutiérrez returned with an Army of Anglos and Native Americans featuring a green Irish-based flag. As the Army approached the Capital of Texas, San Antonio, its final target, Gutiérrez issued a flyer with the words below:
“Rise in mass, soldiers and citizens: unite in the holy cause of our country! I am now marching to your succor with a respectable force of American volunteers who left their homes and families to take up our cause, to fight for our liberty. They are the free descendants of the United States: and as brothers and inhabitants of the same continent they have drawn their swords with a hearty good will in the defense of
the cause of humanity: and in order to drive the tyrannous European beyond the Atlantic.”
Though the republic they established in April 1813 lasted only some five months, it left indelible proof that multiple races could work together on our soil, thus expressing togetherness in building a state. This is something concrete on which to build a sense of a common heritage, thus giving legs to the term “Creedal Nation"
So it is...
We will be interjecting further commentary and analysis of these matters, while inviting input and critique.
Contact Us...
Our heaquarters is in Richards, Texas, conveniently located at the crossroads of Grimes, Montgomery and Walker Counties. We are looking for those interested in our common goals. Please leave a comment or for
more information please contact us.
Robin Navarro Montgomery, PhD and Joy Renee Montgomery, MA
in association with journalist/rancher, Betty Dunn
Texas Center for Regional Studies
PO Box 444
Richards, TX 77873
(936)851-2839
TexasCenterforRegionalStudies@gmail.com
more information please contact us.
Robin Navarro Montgomery, PhD and Joy Renee Montgomery, MA
in association with journalist/rancher, Betty Dunn
Texas Center for Regional Studies
PO Box 444
Richards, TX 77873
(936)851-2839
TexasCenterforRegionalStudies@gmail.com
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