This Day In Texas History - March 20

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This Day In Texas History - March 20

1721 - An expedition under the Marqués de Aguayo crossed the Rio Grande into Texas. Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, was governor of Coahuila and Texas when the viceroy of New Spain accepted his offer to reestablish Spanish control of East Texas in the wake of the French invasion of 1719. Aguayo organized a force of some 500 men, which he called the Battalion of San Miguel de Aragón, with Juan Rodríguez as guide. Aguayo reached San Antonio on April 4 before proceeding to East Texas. A detachment under Domingo Ramón occupied La Bahía del Espíritu Santo on the same day. The expedition resulted in the increase in the number of missions in Texas from two to ten, the increase in the number of presidios from one to four, and the establishment of so definite a Spanish claim to Texas that it was never again disputed by France or by the French in Louisiana.

1836 - Fannin and his men surrender at The Battle of Coleto, which was the culmination of the Goliad Campaign of 1836. Fannin's men apparently drafted terms of surrender guaranteeing that they would be considered prisoners of war, that their wounded would be treated, and that they sooner or later would be paroled to the United States. But Urrea could not ratify such an agreement; he was bound by Santa Anna's orders and congressional decree to accept no terms other than unconditional surrender. Fannin and his men were marched back to Goliad.

1846 - The first skirmish of the Mexican War and the United States occurred at the Paso Real crossing on the banks of the Arroyo Colorado.

1888 - Gov. Coke Stevenson is born in Mason County.

1935 - Texas Weslyan College (then known as Texas Woman's College), became coed and took on it's current name.

1941 - Morris Sheppard Dam, which holds back the waters of Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County was completed on this date in 1941. Morris Sheppard himself, the "Dean" of the Senate, dies three weeks later

1955 - Harriet Wingfield Smither died. She had been the archivist of the Texas State Library for fifty-four years. Her scholarly editions included the Papers of Mirabeau Lamar, the Journals of the Fourth Congress, the Journals of the Sixth Congress, and the Diary of Adolphus Sterne. She retired in 1953 and was recognized by a resolution by the Texas State Library and the Texas Historical Commission.