San Antonio Mayor – Francois Guilbeau Jr.
Francois Guilbeau, Jr. (1813-1879) moved to San Antonio in 1839 during the early years of the Republic of Texas. The French-born...
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David A. Bowles
David A Bowles
- Aug 28, 2023
- 2 min
Austin’s First Cabinet Maker
Lorenzo Van Cleve arrived in the spring of 1839, months before the town of Austin was founded. Newly elected President Mirabeau Lamar had...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 25, 2023
- 1 min
Majestic Mountain – Mount Rushmore
Alamo Height’s resident, Lincoln Borglum finished “Mount Rushmore National Memorial” after his father, Gutzon Borglum, died in 1941. The...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 22, 2023
- 2 min
Granddad’s Sheep
During the great depression, my grandfather John Bowles had accumulated more sheep than his Pedernales ranch could handle. The ewe’s...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 19, 2023
- 1 min
Children of the Revolution
My third award-winning book Children of the Revolution, in the Westward Sagas series is about Peggy Mitchell. She taught the first...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 18, 2023
- 1 min
Spring House
My first book in the Westward Sagas series is named Spring House, because that is where the most important scene in the book takes place....
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David A Bowles
- Aug 16, 2023
- 1 min
John A. Rowland
The owner of the Taos Trading Post, John A. Rowland, paid sixty dollars in silver for the return of nine-year-old Fayette Smith. The boy...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 14, 2023
- 1 min
William Barton
Nearly a million people visit Austin’s Barton Springs swimming pool each year. Most aren’t aware that the cool springs of Zilker Park...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 12, 2023
- 1 min
Battle of Plum Creek
On August 12, 1840, the largest Indian battle ever fought on Texas soil took place on Plum Creek in Caldwell County. The battle between...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 11, 2023
- 1 min
Dr. Joseph W. Robertson
Dr. Robertson, a First Footer of the new town of Austin, arrived in the fall of 1839. He represented Bastrop County in the fourth session...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 9, 2023
- 1 min
William H. Cushney 1819-1852
New York born William H. Cushney 1819-1852 became a “First Footer of the Republic of Texas” in 1840. He served in the Texas Army before...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 7, 2023
- 1 min
Travis County Treasurer Killed in 1841
On August 7, 1841, the mutilated body of Travis County Treasurer, Thomas W. Smith was found outside the town limits of Austin. Sheriff...
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David A Bowles
- Aug 6, 2023
- 1 min
James Burke
James Burke of Natchez, Mississippi caught Texas fever in 1837. Burke sold his thriving business and headed to Texas. First clerking for...
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David A Bowles
- Jul 24, 2023
- 1 min
Samuel Augustus Maverick
On this day in 1803, Samuel Augustus Maverick was born in Pendleton, South Carolina. He came to Texas prior to the Texas Revolution and...
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David A Bowles
- Jul 17, 2023
- 1 min
Death of Clara Driscoll
On July 17, 1945, the Savior of the Alamo, Clara Driscoll, died at the age of 64. Texans knew her for saving the Alamo, philanthropist,...
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