This Day In Texas History - February 14

[joe817]

1729 - The Marqués de Aguayo proposed to the king of Spain that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. Eventually some fifteen families from the Canary Islands came to Texas.The first of the Canary Islanders arrived at Presidio San Antonio de Béxar on March 9, 1731. The immigrants formed the nucleus of the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, the first regularly organized civil government in Texas. Several of the old families of San Antonio trace their descent from the Canary Island colonists.

1836 - The Georgia Battalion of Permanent Volunteers, which became part of James W. Fannin's provisional regiment in the Goliad Campaign of 1836, arrived in Refugio. It occupies a unique position in the Texas Revolution, since Georgia was possibly the only state in the Union to supply arms during the conflict from its state arsenal to a Texas volunteer force.

1840 - A commercial treaty was made between France and the Republic of Texas, and with the making of the treaty French interest in Texas increased. A French chargé or minister was sent to the republic, and plans were made for sending French colonists to Texas. One such plan, the Franco-Texian Bill, proposed sending 8,000 French soldiers to the Texas frontier. The bill was introduced in the Texas Congress in 1841 but failed because of popular opposition.

1852 - The Texas Legislature approved the building of the second state capitol building. It is 1882 before a third one is built, the familiar pink granite dome that dominates the Austin skyline.

1854 - The first telegraph office in Texas is opened at Marshall, with connections to Shreveport, Alexandria and New Orleans. The Texas and Red River Telegraph Company had three lines, one each to Shreveport, Natchez, and Alexandria Louisiana. At that time, telegraph poles were rare. Normally wires were draped from tree limb to tree limb, requiring frequent repairs after storms or heavy winds.

1860 - Thirty-two brigade districts were established by the Texas legislature. After the outbreak of the Civil War, a special law of December 25, 1861, organized the state into thirty-three districts, corresponding generally to the thirty-three senatorial districts. Each district was headed by a brigadier general appointed by the governor. After organization each brigade elected its own commanding officer. A general law of the Tenth Legislature on December 16, 1863, reduced the number of districts to six, and the organization of the districts was suspended with the end of the Civil War.

1882 - The Southern Pacific Railroad (under GH&SA's charter) had reached western Davis County. When the station was erected, the railroad named the station, and the town, for the date on the calendar, which was Valentine's Day. Throughout the next century, romantics from all over the nation would send cards to the post office there to receive that special postmark of "Valentine, 79854".

1895 - A rare Gulf Coast snowstorm dumps up to 20 inches of snow on the Houston-Galveston area.

1913 - The legislature passes a resolution recognizing Johanna Troutman as the Betsy Ross of Texas. She was the designer of an early Texas Lone Star flag. Joanna Troutman designed and made a flag of white silk, bearing a blue, five-pointed star and two inscriptions: "Texas and Liberty" on the obverse and, in Latin, "Where Liberty dwells there is my country" on the reverse. She presented the flag to the Georgia Battalion(as she was born in Crawford County, Georgia), and it was unfurled at Velasco on January 8, 1836, above the American Hotel. It was carried to Goliad, where James W. Fannin, Jr., raised it as the national flag when he heard of the Texas Declaration of Independence.