This Day In Texas History - May 13

[joe817]

1846 - Following American's annexation of Texas in 1845, Mexico sent troops along the Rio Grande River. Last month, 1,600 Mexican troops crossed in to Texas and killed 16 near Brownsville. Mexico had never given up on their claim to Texas, and had warned that if the United States annexed Texas that there would be war. Today in 1846, Mexico got the war they'd been asking for. U.S. president James K. Polk seized upon the incident to secure a declaration of war on May 13 on the basis of the shedding of "American blood upon American soil."

1865 - More than a month after the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee, the last land action of the Civil War took place at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville. The battle lasted four hours. Confederate casualties were a few dozen wounded. The federals lost 111 men and four officers captured, and thirty men wounded or killed. Ironically, at the same time, the Confederate governors of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas were authorizing Confederate commander Kirby Smith to disband his armies and end the war.

1875 - Sheriff Clark sent Deputy Sheriff John Worley to Castell to bring Tim Williamson to Mason to make bond on a charge of cattle stealing as part of the Mason County War. Worley and his prisoner were attacked by twelve men with blackened faces. Though Williamson was not armed, he and his horse were killed. No trial was held for this murder, and a real feud ensued. Scott Cooley, a former Ranger, swore revenge for the death of his friend Williamson. He collected the names of the men he thought responsible for Williamson's death, got together a following of his own-including John and Mose Beard, George Gladden, and John Ringgold-and began a ruthless retaliation that resulted in the killing of at least a dozen men. The Mason County War, commonly known as the Hoodoo War, was one of a number of feuds that developed over the stealing and killing of cattle.

1889 - Deputy sheriff James H. East killed a gambler named Tom Clark in a shoot-out at Tascosa.

1920 - On May 13, the mayor and chief of police asked Governor William P. Hobby to send a detachment of Texas Rangers to protect the nonstriking workers in the Galveston Longshormen's Strike of 1920.

1921 - George Washington Daniels died. Daniels was born into slavery in Watertown, Texas, in 1840. During the Civil War he was forced to serve the Confederate Army but managed to escape and served with the Union Army. Daniels described his life as a slave and his military adventures both North and South in a series of articles published in Youth's Companion.

1949 - On this date in 1949, Whitehouse Dam was completed creating Lake Tyler in Smith County.

1960 - In 1891, a fight broke out between two ranchers in Brewster County over a yearling bull led to the killing of Henry H Powe a one-armed Civil War vet. Rather than keep the bull, the cowboys who witnessed the gunfight branded "Murder" on the steer. For years the "momento mori" or Murder Steer roamed the Big Bend brush country. On this date in 1960, the popular TV series Rawhide, staring young actor Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates, aired "The Incident of the Murder Steer" based on this true story from Texas history.

1972 - Dan Blocker, who played "Hoss Cartwright" in the television series Bonanza passed away. He played in that role for thirteen seasons on national television. He was born on December 10, 1928, in DeKalb, Texas and is buried in Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb.

1975 - Texas swing musician James Robert (Bob) Wills died. He was born in 1905, near Kosse, Limestone County, Texas. In 1913 his family moved to Hall County, where Wills learned to play the fiddle; in 1915 he played at his first dance. He played for ranch dances in West Texas for the next fourteen years, and his life and career were greatly influenced by that environment. During that time he brought together two streams of American folk music to produce western swing. In 1929 Wills moved to Fort Worth, where he performed on several radio stations, organized a band that became the Light Crust Doughboys, and worked for a future governor of Texas and United States senator, W. Lee O'Daniel.

[The Annoyed Man]

1846 - Following American's annexation of Texas in 1945

I could be wrong.....but I'm pretty sure that was in 1845.....

1972 - Dan Blocker, who played "Hoss Cartwright" in the television series Bonanza passed away. He played in that role for thirteen seasons on national television. He was born on December 10, 1928, in DeKalb, Texas and is buried in Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb.

I do believe that the character of Hoss Cartwright was one of the most loved characters ever on popular American TV. He was a decent, kind, sensitive, strong, stubborn, and generous character, and he represented in many ways the things we wanted to see in ourselves. When Blocker died, I mourned his passing. And apparently, so did the cast of Bonanza, in a big way; because you see, apparently Dan Blocker just played himself in Hoss Cartwright's character, and with him, what you saw was what you got.....just a damned decent man in every respect. In an episode of Bonanza that aired soon after his death, Little Joe's wife dies. There is a subsequent scene in which Little Joe and Ben are both crying their hearts out after her death. On set, they really were crying. Those were genuine tears, and they were being shed for the loss of their longtime friend, Dan Blocker.

My wife and I still watch old Bonanza reruns on TV today, and we reminisce about what once was, but is probably no longer possible in this country because those values are no longer cherished by a majority of voters.

[joe817]

1846 - Following American's annexation of Texas in 1945

I could be wrong.....but I'm pretty sure that was in 1845.....

1972 - Dan Blocker, who played "Hoss Cartwright" in the television series Bonanza passed away. He played in that role for thirteen seasons on national television. He was born on December 10, 1928, in DeKalb, Texas and is buried in Woodmen Cemetery in DeKalb.

I do believe that the character of Hoss Cartwright was one of the most loved characters ever on popular American TV. He was a decent, kind, sensitive, strong, stubborn, and generous character, and he represented in many ways the things we wanted to see in ourselves. When Blocker died, I mourned his passing. And apparently, so did the cast of Bonanza, in a big way; because you see, apparently Dan Blocker just played himself in Hoss Cartwright's character, and with him, what you saw was what you got.....just a damned decent man in every respect. In an episode of Bonanza that aired soon after his death, Little Joe's wife dies. There is a subsequent scene in which Little Joe and Ben are both crying their hearts out after her death. On set, they really were crying. Those were genuine tears, and they were being shed for the loss of their longtime friend, Dan Blocker.

My wife and I still watch old Bonanza reruns on TV today, and we reminisce about what once was, but is probably no longer possible in this country because those values are no longer cherished by a majority of voters.

Yikes! Thanks for pointing that out! Has been corrected!

I totally agree with you about Dan 'Hoss Cartwright' Blocker! A good, decent, MORAL man in every aspect. And an interesting story about the episode of Little Joe's wife's passing. I'll have to catch it. And I too watch Bonanza...every day. It's on MeTV(21-2 in DFW)

As in an interesting side note, Mrs.joe817's Father was a spiting image of Hoss Cartwright, looked exactly like him in size & weight, right down to the speech, mannerisms, how he talked, acted, philosophy of life, etc. His daughter was the love of his life, and when she brought me over to their house to get her Mom & Dad's blessing for our engagement, I thought he was going to get his deer rifle off his gun rack in their den and make mince meat out of scrawny lil joe817! But thankfully, his bark was worse than his bite.

He was a Navy Vet of WWII and was one of the largest HVAC contractors in Dallas for 30 years. I miss you Bill Brister.