This Day In Texas History - July 31

[joe817]

1817 - Pirate Louis Michel Aury resigned his Mexican commission to rule Galveston Island. Aury, born in Paris about 1788, served in the French navy and on French privateers from 1802 or 1803 until 1810, when he became master of his own vessels, which cruised the Caribbean in search of prizes. He joined a group of New Orleans associates who were planning a Mexican revolt against Spain in 1816. Rebel envoy José Manuel de Herrera proclaimed Galveston a port of the Mexican republic, made Aury resident commissioner, and raised the rebel flag on September 13 of that year. Henry Perry, who commanded troops sent by the New Orleans associates for the invasion of Texas, refused obedience to Aury, who also initially refused to cooperate with Francisco Xavier Mina, leader of a filibustering expedition that reached Galveston in November. In the spring of 1817, while Aury was convoying Mina's forces to the Santander River, Jean Laffite seized the opportunity to undermine the skeleton "government" left behind.
[ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fau04 ]


1835 - On July 31, 1835, William B. Travis wrote James Bowie that Texans were divided and that the Peace Party appeared the stronger. Travis was a leader of the War Party. Bowie had hired Travis as early as 1833 in San Felipe to prepare land papers, and in June 1834 Travis represented Bowie and Isaac Donoho in a case filed by Francis W. Johnson. Travis also did legal work for Bowie's friend Jesse Clifft, a blacksmith who is often credited with making the first Bowie knife.

1843 - Tariff policies of the Republic of Texas varied from an approximation of free trade to the imposition of high duties for revenue purposes. In general, East Texasqv wanted low tariffs or none at all, West Texas and President Sam Houston advocated high customs for revenue, and president Mirabeau B. Lamar favored abolition of all tariffs. An ordinance of the Consultation on November 13, 1835, granted power to the General Council to impose impost and tonnage duties and provide for their collection. Between 1835 and 1842, seven tariff bills were passed and signed into law and several were passed by Congress but vetoed by Houston. On December 8, 1835, the General Council formed six revenue districts and fixed duties of 20 percent ad valorem on goods entitled to debenture or certificate of drawback in the ports from which they were exported and 10 percent on all other goods except household goods, guns, and ammunition, which were to be admitted free. The United States recognized Texas on March 1, 1837. Commercial expansion, as well as the danger that Texas might form treaties with European nations, played a large part in the recognition. Texas made a most-favored-nation agreement with France on November 7, 1838; in 1839 France recognized Texas and the two countries signed a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation. As a result President Lamar, by proclamation, canceled all duties on French wines, a move that was revoked by Houston in 1842 after the failure of negotiations for a French loan. Texas also signed most-favored-nation treaties with Great Britain and Holland. Imports for the year ending July 31, 1843, were worth $471,205, of which $412,983 came from the United States. Exports were $415,768, of which $281,342 went to the United States. The following year import ratios remained the same, but exports fell more than 50 percent because the United States needed no cotton. [ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mpt01 ]

1845 – The present-day community of Corpus Christi was started when US General Zachary Taylor landed troops on Corpus Christi to form a base camp during the Mexican War.

1859 - In the summer of 1854 Gen. Randolph B. Marcy, under orders of the United States Department of War and Interior and in accordance with an act of the Texas legislature of February 6, located two Indian reservations in West Texas. The Brazos Reservation originally comprised four leagues, or 18,576 acres, twelve miles south of Fort Belknap, where the Brazos River makes three big bends. The size was doubled when an adjacent tract of equal size, intended for the western Indians, was added to it. The main building was three miles east of the site of Graham, where a few scattered stones mark the remains of the agency. About 2,000 Indians took up life on the Brazos Reservation; Caddo, Anadarko, Waco, and Tonkawa Indians had their own villages, and these shrinking groups were glad to have protection from the Comanches. Supplies for the Indians cost the government $80,000 annually. Contracts were made with ranchers for beef, and on an average thirty-four cattle were delivered each week. The federal government had control of the reservation and a ten-mile surrounding area, to prevent the sale of liquor to the Indians.

Texas, however, reserved the right of jurisdiction over persons other than Indians for offenses committed upon the person or property of anyone in the state. About 600 acres was put in cultivation, mostly in corn, wheat, vegetables, and melons. The Indians were good farmers, and many white settlers recognized and respected the reservation dwellers, did not interfere with them, and were not molested by them. Rangers and military officers enlisted the Indians as scouts against the warring tribes. The braves were eager to take part and were so helpful that between fifty and 100 were on regular duty. However, this pleased neither the anti-Indian white men nor the hostile Indians. It also incited a spirit of envy among the friendly Penateka Comanches on the Upper Reserve, who were not permitted to fight against other Comanche groups. The Brazos reservation was abandoned on July 31, 1859, and two weeks of traveling brought the caravan of Indians to the valley of the Washita, where on September 1 they were delivered by Neighbors to the Wichita agency officials. Captain Ross(The Brazos Reservation agent) resigned his position after seeing his charges safely located, and expressed regret in parting. (note: there's much more to this story) [ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bpb03 ]

1867 - Fort Griffin was established on the Brazos River in Shackelford County when four companies of the 6th U.S. Cavalry arrived at the site.
[ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/uef04 ]

1891 - The Lubbock Leader began publication. It was the town's first newspaper.

1964 - On this date in 1964, Galloway, Texas born, Gentleman Jim Reeves died when the small plane he was piloting crashed near Nashville. Also deceased in the accident was Reeves' piano player, Dean Manuel. Reeves appear on "The Louisiana Hayride" in 1953, and became a regular on "The Grand Ole Opry" beginning in 1955. His legendary mellow baritone voice produced such hits as "Four Walls", "He'll Have to Go". In 1967, he was admitted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1965 - Tarrant County Junior College was founded. The South Campus opened in 1967, a Northeast Campus at Hurst in 1968, a Northwest Campus on the north edge of Marine Creek Lake in 1975, and a fourth campus in Arlington in 1996.

1974 - The Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company was chartered on August 31, 1905, to provide passenger and freight terminals in Houston for four railroads. Three of the lines, the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway Company, the Beaumont, Sour Lake and Western Railway Company, and the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway Company, were part of the system being constructed by Benjamin F. Yoakum. The fourth participant was the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company. Each railroad owned a 25 percent interest in the Houston Belt and Terminal. Construction began in 1905, and the Houston Belt and Terminal opened for operations on January 1, 1908. Construction of Union Depot began in 1909. Designed by the New York firm of Warren and Wetmore, the three-story station opened on March 1, 1911. The last passenger train left Union Station on July 31, 1974. However, the station building remains in use for railroad offices, and the Houston Belt and Terminal continues to provide freight facilities for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, and the Burlington Northern Railroad Company.
[ https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/eqh11 ]

[Vol Texan]

2016 - Texans with the License to Carry a Handgun celebrated their last day of servitude by NOT carrying inside any campus buildings on public universities. This is because tomorrow, 1 August 2016, is the date that Campus Carry becomes effective!