This Day In Texas History - July 19

[joe817]

1714 - Louis Juchereau de St. Denis arrived at San Juan Bautista Presidio. The French governor of Louisiana had dispatched St. Denis, and a company of men from Mobile in 1713 to assist Francisco Hidalgo in reestablishing missions in East Texas. The commandant at San Juan Bautista, Diego Ramón, placed St. Denis under house arrest while awaiting instructions on what to do with a foreigner bearing goods banned by Spanish mercantile restrictions. So mild was St. Denis's confinement that he ended up engaged to the commandant's beautiful granddaughter, Manuela Sánchez, whom he married in early 1716. He subsequently participated in the founding of six missions and a presidio in East Texas.

1843 - President Sam Houston relieved Commodore Edwin Moore of command of the Texas Navy. Moore had clashed with Houston over the navy's activities in support of Mexican rebels in the Yucatán. Houston proclaimed the navy to be pirates and requested any friendly country to capture the navy's ships and return them to Galveston. Before this could happen, Moore returned voluntarily to Galveston, whereupon Houston dishonorably discharged him without so much as a court-martial. Moore appealed to the Congress of the Republic of Texas and finally got a fair trial in August 1844, in which he was found not guilty. In November 1843 the entire fleet was put up for auction, though the people of Galveston, incensed at the thought of selling the navy, prevented the submission of bids. Nevertheless, Moore's July cruise marked the end of the operative career of the Texas Navy.

1876 - The Texas and Pacific Railway finally completed its line into Fort Worth. Construction of the line had stalled just sixteen miles to the east, at Eagle Ford. Eager to reach Fort Worth before the Texas legislature could revoke its charter and withhold its land subsidy, the T&P hired Welshman Morgan Jones to complete the line before the legislature adjourned. Work continued day and night, while a little more than a mile a day of track was laid. A holiday spirit filled the town when Jones's line finally reached Fort Worth on time. The success made the Welshman a local hero and marked the beginning of a new era of growth for Fort Worth.

1878 - Sam Bass and his gang were scouting out banks in Round Rock planning a robbery for the following day. Texas Rangers tipped off that Sam Bass was in town, were waiting in town, but were caught off guard by Bass and his men. In the shootout that followed, one of Bass's gang was killed, one escaped, and Bass himself was fatally wounded. He would die of his injuries two days later. . He died at the age of twenty-seven.

1957 - On this date in 1957, construction was completed on the dam creating Lake Arlington.

1981 - "Roy Orbison Day" was celebrated in Odessa, TX.