Texas

A
giant among states, vast Texas was once a sovereign nation. During 300 years of
rule by Spain, it had sprawled like a sleeping giant, its riches undeveloped
and its colonization limited to a few missions, supported by presidios
(military posts). When Mexico became an independent country in 1821, Texas
became a Mexican state and new settlers from the United States were welcomed.
The large influx of Anglo-American colonists and African American slaves led to
skirmishes with Mexican troops.

After
a successful war of independence against Mexico, the Texans raised the Lone
Star flag over their own republic in 1836. This government was officially
recognized by the United States and by several European countries. Then in 1845
Texas accepted annexation by the United States and was admitted to the Union as
the 28th state. Texas is second only to Alaska in area. It covers more
territory than the total area of five Midwestern states--Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. There are 254 counties in Texas. Its largest
county, Brewster, is about as big as Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Its
smallest, Rockwall, is only 147 square miles (381 square kilometers) in area.
For a time Texas had a peak mileage of more than 17,000 miles (27,358
kilometers) of main-track railroad, but the total has been declining ever since
the 1930s. Cotton, first raised on the Blackland Prairies, has long been the
most important crop of Texas. Much of it is now grown on the Great Plains, an
achievement made possible by the discovery of a sandy, water-laden subsoil
beneath the area's dry surface. On the Rio Grande irrigation has given rise to
a great fruit-growing belt, while along the Nueces River vegetable crops are
harvested in an 11-month growing season. Texas leads the nation in beef
production, an industry that began to flourish in 1866, when cowboys first
drove wild longhorns north to market. Today scientifically bred cattle are raised
on the plains. "Black gold," or crude oil, was found in Texas in the
19th century, but it was the discovery of the gigantic east Texas oil field in
1930 that revolutionized the agrarian state. Although much of the wealth of
modern Texas stems from its widespread petroleum-bearing formations, industry
has become increasingly diversified since the end of World War II. The name
Texas comes from a Caddo Indian word meaning "friends" or
"allies." The Spanish explorers pronounced the word tejas and gave
this name to the area. The nickname Lone Star State comes from the single star
in the Texas flag, which was officially adopted by the Republic of Texas in
1839. The Texas and Hawaii flags are the only state emblems that originally
flew over recognized independent countries. Survey of the Lone Star State Texas
lies in the south-central region of the United States. Its southwestern and
southern boundary is formed by the Rio Grande. Across the river are the Mexican
states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leуn, and Tamaulipas. On the southeast
Texas borders on the Gulf of Mexico for 367 miles (591 kilometers). To the east
are Louisiana and Arkansas, with the Sabine River forming the boundary with
Louisiana for 180 miles (290 kilometers). To the north is Oklahoma, with the
Red River providing the boundary line for 480 miles (772 kilometers). New
Mexico is to the west. The Lone Star State is both longer and wider than any
other state except Alaska. Its greatest length, from north to south, is 801
miles (1,289 kilometers)--a figure that includes the Panhandle, which extends
north of the upper Red River for about 133 miles (214 kilometers). The state's
greatest width is 773 miles (1,244 kilometers). Both of the overall distances
are greater than the airline mileage between New York City and Chicago. The
area of the state is 266,807 square miles (691,027 square kilometers),
including 4,790 square miles (12,406 square kilometers) of inland water
surface. Natural Regions Texas has a wide variety in its geology, minerals,
soils, vegetation, and wildlife. Its elevation ranges from sea level along the
coast of the Gulf of Mexico to 8,751 feet (2,667 meters) at Guadalup The Gulf
Coastal Plain covers southern and eastern Texas and includes about 40 percent
of the state's area. Along the coast are many long barrier beaches, such as
Padre Island, separated from the mainland by lagoons. Galveston is the largest
of the bays. The plain extends 150 to 250 miles (240 to 400 kilometers) inland
to a series of hills that sweep across Texas from Denison on the Red River to
Del Rio on the Rio Grande. The western part of this line (between Austin and
Del Rio) is called the Balcones Escarpment. The Gulf Coastal Plain may be
divided into five distinct sections. They are: the Rio Grande plain, in the south;
the coastal prairies, from the San Antonio River to the Sabine River; the Pine
Belt, or Piney Woods, from the Louisiana line westward about 100 miles (160
kilometers); the Post Oak Belt, west of the Pine Belt; and the Blackland
Prairies, along the western edge of the Gulf Coastal Plain from the Red River
to a point near San Antonio. e Peak in Culberson County. Within the state are
four large natural regions. The Central Lowland covers the eastern edge of the
Panhandle and the north-central part of the state. It extends southward to
include Fort Worth, Abilene, and Colorado City. The eastern part of this region
includes the Grand, or Fort Worth, Prairie, sandwiched between the East and
West Cross Timbers belts. The remainder of the Central Lowland consists of
rolling plains. The Great Plains extend over most of the Panhandle and
west-central and central Texas. This vast tableland ranges in elevation from
2,500 to 4,700 feet (760 to 1,430 meters). In the Panhandle are the High
Plains, or Llano Estacado (Staked Plain), a dry, flat, treeless area. To the
east the central Texas section extends almost as far as Waco and Austin. The
southeastern extension of the Great Plains is the Edwards Plateau. Across the
lower Pecos River the plain continues westward as the Stockton Plateau. This
section is sometimes called the Trans-Pecos. The Basin and Range Region covers
the extreme western part of the state. It has a series of rugged mountain
ranges and dry, sandy basins. In Hudspeth County is the Diablo Plateau, or Bolston,
between the Guadalupe and Hueco mountains. In a southward loop of the Rio
Grande is a rugged area that includes Big Bend National Park. The Chisos
Mountains lie within the park. Thousands of acres in the upper Rio Grande
valley near El Paso are irrigated from Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico.
Most of the rivers of Texas flow in a southeasterly direction into the Gulf of
Mexico. From the state's eastern border to its western border, the largest of
these rivers are the Sabine, Neches, Trinity, Brazos, Colorado (of Texas),
Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, and Rio Grande with its chief branch, the
Pecos. The northern edge of the state lies in the Mississippi River basin.
Within this section are the Canadian River, which flows across the Panhandle,
and the Red River, on the Texas-Oklahoma border. Climate Texas has three main
types of climate. A narrow strip along the coast has a marine climate tempered
by winds from the Gulf of Mexico. Here temperatures are fairly uniform, with
pleasant summers and mild winters. The Gulf coast area, from Brownsville
northward, can experience severe ocean-borne storms, including destructive
hurricanes. The mountain climate of western Texas brings dry, clear days with
dramatic dips in temperature at nightfall. The rest of the state has a
continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. Quick temperature
changes are common in this area. The warmest part of the state is the lower Rio
Grande valley, which has an average annual temperature of 74° F (23° C). The
coldest is the northwest Panhandle, with a 54° F (12° C) average. Average
annual precipitation (rain and melted snow) varies from 58 inches (147
centimeters) in the extreme eastern part of the state to less than 10 inches
(25 centimeters) near El Paso. In most parts of the state, the greatest amount
of rainfall occurs between April and July and is especially heavy during May.
Snowfall is generally limited to the northern plains area, where it averages
about 15 inches (38 centimeters) annually. Natural Resources Texas has a rich
supply of natural resources. The eastern part of the state is a productive
farming region with fertile soil and ample rainfall. Where western Texas can be
irrigated, it has huge grazing areas and valuable cropland. Almost 10 percent
of the state is forested. The largest amount of timber is in eastern Texas,
where the forest area extends over 43 counties. The chief commercial trees are
several varieties of pine and oak, elm, hickory, magnolia, sweet gum, black
gum, and tupelo. The mineral resources, led by petroleum, are the most valuable
in the nation. The major commercial advantages of the state are its excellent
ports for trade with Central and South America. The Gulf coast yields valuable
catches of shrimp. The chief conservation problem is the maintenance of an
adequate water supply, particularly in western Texas and in the large urban and
industrial centers. Since 1930 many dams have been built to provide flood
control, power, and irrigation. Today about one fourth of the reservoirs they
formed have a storage capacity of more than 100,000 acre-feet each. The largest
is Toledo Bend, on the Sabine River. Next in size are Amistad, on the Rio
Grande, and Sam Rayburn, on the Angelina. Other large projects include Lake
Texoma, formed by Denison Dam, on the Red River and Falcon Reservoir, on the
Rio Grande. Amistad and Falcon benefit both the United States and Mexico. The
Texas Water Commission administers water rights and control. There are also
many separate river authorities and water districts. Timber conservation is
directed by the Texas Forest Service, a division of Texas A&M University.
Wildlife is protected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The federal
Department of the Interior maintains 11 national wildlife refuges, including
the Aransas refuge, along the coast. People of Texas The early Native American
residents of Texas were the Caddo in the southeast, the Tonkawa in the
southwest, and the Atakapa and Karankawa along the coast. Later the Comanche
moved into central and western Texas from the north. Fierce Plains Indians, the
Comanche were not brought under outside control until about 1875. This action
opened the Panhandle and the western plains to settlement. During the early
days of Spanish rule, Texas attracted few new settlers other than missionaries.
By 1806 the population was no more than 7,000. After the establishment of a
colony of Anglo-Americans by Stephen Fuller Austin in 1821, similar settlers
came in increasing numbers. Many came from the South, bringing slaves with
them. Later, newcomers arrived from the East and Midwest. Today most of the
migration into Texas comes from Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Of the
Texas-born people living in other states, the largest number are in California.
Texas has more than 3 million people of Hispanic origin, most of whom are
concentrated along the Rio Grande and in southern Texas . The state also has
more than 2 million African Americans, chiefly in the south and east. Almost 6
percent of the people are foreign born--mainly emigrants from Mexico. The
population also includes about 50,000 Native Americans and about 39,000 people
of Chinese and Japanese descent. Cities Texas has 16 cities with a population
of more than 100,000. The largest is Houston, a financial and industrial
center. The city is connected to Galveston Bay by the 52-mile (84-kilometer)
Houston Ship Channel, along which is one of the world's greatest concentrations
of industry. With the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) nearby the area is also a focus of
the space industry. Dallas, the second largest city, is a fashion, insurance,
and finance center . Third in size is the historic city of San Antonio, home of
the famous mission turned military post--the Alamo--and the chief trade center
of southern Texas. Nearby are four bases of the United States Air
Force--Brooks, Kelly, Lackland, and Randolph. Located on the Rio Grande, El
Paso serves as a busy gateway to Mexico and is the chief trade center of
western Texas. West of Dallas is Fort Worth, a noted livestock and grain
market. Austin, the sixth largest city, is the state capital; located in the
south-central part of Texas, it grew according to plans laid out in 1839. The
next largest city in the state is Corpus Christi, a year-round resort and
deepwater port located on the Gulf of. Lubbock, the commercial hub of a rich
cotton-growing area in the Great Plains, and Amarillo are the chief cities of
the Panhandle. Beaumont, the chief city of the Sabine-Neches industrial area in
the extreme southeast, is noted for its shipments of petroleum. Waco is an
agricultural and industrial center on the Brazos River about halfway between
Dallas and Austin. Between Dallas and Fort Worth is Arlington, an industrial
and commercial center for the automotive and aerospace industries. Wichita
Falls is a petroleum center in north-central Texas. Galveston, a cotton- and
sulfur-shipping port on the Gulf of Mexico, also boasts a flourishing tourism
industry. Manufacturing In 1900 the two leading manufacturing industries in
Texas were lumbering and the processing of grain. Since that time there has
been a rapid increase in the number and types of manufacturing plants. During
World War II the value of Texas manufacturing multiplied almost four times. Manufacturing
value today exceeds 53 billion dollars. Texas is the chief manufacturing state
in the South, and the value of its manufacturing is surpassed only by that of
California among the states west of the Mississippi River. Most of the increase
in industry has been due to the rise of petroleum refining, which followed the
discovery of the great Spindletop oil field in 1901 and has become the most
important industry in Texas. Texas now refines more petroleum than any other
state. Ranked second is the manufacture of chemicals and allied products, which
includes organic chemicals and plastics. The third most important industry is
the processing of food products. This includes meat-packing and the preparation
of bakery goods, flour and meal, and soft drinks. Fourth in importance is
tourism. Agriculture In farm income, Texas is first among the Southern states
and second or third in the nation. The annual cash income from Texas
agricultural products, estimated at about 9 billion dollars, is usually
surpassed only by the agricultural income of California--and sometimes Iowa.
Texas has about 160,000 farms, more than any other state. Some farms contain
thousands of acres. The average size is about 838 acres (339 hectares). Texas
leads all the states in the production of cotton, cattle, wool, and sorghum
grain. Irrigation is a major factor in crop production. Much of the irrigated
land is in the High Plains. Other large irrigated areas are the lower Rio
Grande valley, the Coastal Prairies, the Pecos Valley, and the Rio Grande
Plain. Livestock and related products usually account for more than half the
yearly farm income. Crops account for the rest. Texas leads nationally in the
number of cattle, horses, sheep, and lambs. Cattle ranks in value as the most
important commodity in almost every Texas county. The state 's chief cash crop
is cotton. Texas leads the nation in cotton lint and cottonseed. The major
producing counties are Gaines, Dawson, Terry, Cameron, and Martin. Sorghum
grain is usually second in value. Wheat for grain is the third most valuable
crop; the Panhandle is noted for its wheat. Corn ranks fourth in value. Other
farm products are milk, eggs, chickens, hay, pigs, peanuts, rice, turkeys,
wool, oats, and mohair. Texas ranks among the first five
states in the production of broomcorn, flaxseed, grapefruit and oranges,
pecans, sweet clover seed, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions. 

Mining.
The mineral resources of Texas yield an annual value of about 45 billion
dollars--more than that of any other state. Most of the income is derived from
petroleum, in which Texas leads the nation. The East Texas field is one of the
most productive in the world. Top producing counties in Texas are Pecos,
Yoakum, Gaines, Ector, and Gregg. Gregg was the first county to produce more
than 2 billion barrels of petroleum ever since records have been kept. The
second and third most valuable minerals are natural gas and coal. Pipelines
carry natural gas, as well as petroleum, from Texas to all sections of the
country. Texas is one of the nation ' s chief sources of helium, with much of
the production centered at Amarillo, Exell, and Dumas. Cement is fourth in
importance. Texas ranks among the leading cement-producing states. The Gulf
Coastal Plain is one of the nation 's richest sources of sulfur. Magnesium is
processed from seawater at Freeport's electrolytic plant. Among other minerals
produced in the state are stone, sand and gravel, lime, salt, and gypsum.
Transportation Because of its huge size, Texas has had to develop a vast network
of transportation routes by road, rail, water, and air. The Texas Department of
Highways and Public Transportation, established in 1917, maintains about 71,000
miles (114,260 kilometers) of state roads. In addition to the state roads and
dozens of federal routes, a number of highways in the Interstate system cross
Texas. Interstates 10, 20, and 40 are major east-west routes. Crossing parts of
Texas from north to south are Interstates 35, 45, and 27. Interstate 30 runs
northeastward from Dallas. The first railroad in Texas was a 20-mile
(32-kilometer) line in the Houston area that was completed in 1853.
Transcontinental service became a reality in 1881, when the Southern Pacific
linked the state with California. Today Texas is served by a statewide network
of railroads and by a number of major airlines. The Dallas-Fort Worth Regional
Airport is the nation's largest in terms of land area and one of the busiest.
Thirteen deepwater ports handle shipments of petroleum products, cotton, and
wheat. Routes of travel are the Intracoastal Waterway (extending eastward from
Brownsville) and the Gulf of Mexico. The Houston Ship Channel, which opened in
1915, has helped make that city one of the great United States ports. The other
major ports are Port Arthur, Beaumont, Texas City, Corpus Christi, Port
Aransas, and Galveston. Recreation In an average year Texas is visited by more
than 40 million tourists. One of the chief attractions is the rugged land of
mountains and canyons in the Trans-Pecos. This region includes Big Bend
National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Palo Duro Canyon cuts a
1,000-foot- (300-meter-) deep slash through the high plains of the Texas
Panhandle. The Gulf coast has many fine beaches and resorts. Near Kingsville in
south Texas is King Ranch, one of the largest in the world. East Texas boasts
more than 11 million acres (4.5 million hectares) of woodlands, including four
national forests. San Antonio is famous for the Alamo and San Antonio Missions
National Historical Park. Dallas hosts the state fair each October and the
Cotton Bowl football game on New Year's Day. In Arlington are Six Flags Over
Texas, an amusement park styled after the American West, and the home stadium
of the Texas Rangers professional baseball team. In professional football, the
Dallas Cowboys play in Texas Stadium, in Irving, and the Houston Oilers play in
the famous Astrodome, also home of baseball's Houston Astros. There are three
Texas basketball teams: the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets, and the San
Antonio Spurs. Education The first schools in the Texas region were informal
classes for Native Americans held at the missions of Spanish priests. There
were only a few private schools in the area at the time of the Texas
declaration of independence in 1836. One of the republic's charges against
Mexico was that it had "failed to establish any public system of
education." In 1839 the Republic of Texas began setting aside public land
for education. An act establishing a state school system was passed in 1854. A permanent
school fund was established with a grant of 2 million dollars, and provision
was made for setting up school districts. In 1949 the Gilmer-Aikin laws
reorganized the public school system to equalize educational opportunities.
Common school districts were consolidated from more than 3,000 to fewer than
1,000. The largest of the state schools is the University of Texas, located in
Austin, with branches at Arlington, Dallas, El Paso, Odessa, San Antonio, and
Tyler; health science centers at Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio; cancer
centers at Houston and Bastrop County; a health center at Tyler; and a medical
branch at Galveston. The divisions of the Texas A&M University System are
located at College Station, Prairie View, Stephenville, and Galveston. Some of
the other state-supported institutions are Lamar University, at Beaumont;
Midwestern State University, at Wichita Falls; Pan American University, at
Edinburg; Texas Southern University, at Houston; the University of Houston,
also at Houston, with branches at Houston (Clear Lake City, Downtown College
branches) and Victoria; Texas Tech University, at Lubbock; and Texas Woman's
University, at Denton. Other large institutions include Southern Methodist
University, at Dallas; Texas Christian University, at Fort Worth; Baylor
University, at Waco; St. Mary's University of San Antonio, at San Antonio;
Abilene Christian University, at Abilene; Trinity University, at San Antonio;
Rice University, at Houston; and Texas Wesleyan College, at Fort Worth. Government
and Politics Under Mexican rule Texas was governed first from Saltillo and then
from Monclova (both in Mexico). In 1835-36 one or more governmental functions
were carried on at San Felipe de Austin, Washington on the Brazos, Harrisburg,
Galveston, Velasco, and Columbia. Houston served as the capital in 1837-39;
Austin, in 1839-42; and Washington on the Brazos, in 1842-45. Austin has
remained the state capital since 1845. Texas is governed under its fifth
constitution, which was adopted in 1876. The chief executive officer of the
state is the governor, who is elected every four years. The legislative branch
consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Heading the state
judiciary is the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals. The Democratic party
dominated Texas politics from the beginning of statehood--with only occasional
exceptions--until the 1970s. Sam Houston was elected governor as an independent
in 1859, and Republicans were elected in 1870 and 1979. Likewise, in
presidential elections Texas voted Democratic in every election after the
American Civil War until 1928 and again until the 1950s. In recent years the
Republican party has been gaining strength. A Dallas oil-drilling contractor,
William Clements, was elected governor in 1978 and reelected in 1986--the first
Republican to head the state since Reconstruction. John N. Garner of Uvalde was
the nation's first vice-president from Texas (1933-41). Dwight D. Eisenhower,
who served from 1953 to 1961, was the first Texas-born president. Vice-President
Lyndon B. Johnson of Johnson City became the second president from Texas on
Nov. 22, 1963, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy while riding in a
Dallas motorcade. The governor of Texas, John B. Connally, who was riding in
the same car as President Kennedy, was wounded. Johnson took the oath of office
as president immediately after Kennedy' s death; he was elected president in
1964. George Bush was a resident of Texas when he was elected vice-president in
1980 and 1984 and when he was elected president in 1988. Sam Rayburn of Bonham
holds the record for length of service as speaker of the United States House of
Representatives--17 years, beginning in 1940. One of the first African American
women to serve in Congress, and the first from the Deep South, was Barbara
Jordan of Houston, first elected in 1972. The wife of a former governor of
Texas, who had been impeached, Miriam A. Ferguson was the second American woman
(by two weeks) to serve as a governor (1925-27 and 1933-35). More than any other
state, Texas has elected women to high political offices in several of its
cities. In the 1980s women were elected to the top post in Houston, Dallas, San
Antonio, Corpus Christi, and El Paso. In 1990 another woman, Ann Richards, was
narrowly elected governor of the state. HISTORY OF TEXAS Six national flags
have flown over Texas during its colorful history. The first was Spain's
banner, from 1519 to 1685. In 1685 the French explorer La Salle raised the
French flag over a short-lived coastal colony. In 1691 Texas again came under
the Spanish flag, which was replaced by the banner of Mexico in 1821. From 1836
to 1845 the Lone Star banner flew over the Republic of Texas. The Stars and
Stripes became the official flag in 1845, but during the American Civil War,
from 1861 to 1865, it was replaced by the Confederate flag. The first European
to visit what is now Texas was Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, who mapped the coast
in 1519. Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish noble, was the first to explore the area.
Shipwrecked near what is now Galveston in 1528, he was captured by the
Karankawa Indians and traveled with them for eight years before escaping. In
1541 Francisco Coronado crossed the Panhandle in search of gold. Later, parties
of Spaniards camped in the wilderness, but they left no settlements. The French
explorer La Salle missed the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1685 and sailed
into Matagorda Bay. He pushed inland and built Fort St. Louis, which two years
later was wiped out by Native Americans already living in the area. Fear of
French influence hurried the Spanish into extending missions into eastern
Texas. By 1800 some 25 missions and a number of presidios had been built in
Texas. The missions had little success in converting the Native Americans to
the alien Spanish culture and failed to attract settlers. A 1795 census found
69 families in San Antonio. The few additional families were mainly at what are
now Goliad and Nacogdoches. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United
States regarded eastern Texas as its territory. Spain refused to recognize the
claim and won control of about 96,000 square miles (248,639 square kilometers)
through the Adams-Onнs Treaty of 1819. After Mexico gained its independence
from Spain, this boundary (the Sabine River and northward) was confirmed by a
treaty with the United States. The way to American settlement was opened when
Moses Austin of Connecticut won Spain's consent to settle 300 Anglo-American
families in Texas. His son, Stephen F. Austin, is called the father of Texas because
he brought the first group of colonists to the lower Brazos River in December
1821. The capital of the settlement was established at San Felipe de Austin, in
present Austin County, in 1823. Mexico made additional land grants to other
settlers. Drawn by an abundance of public lands where corn and cotton grew,
whites from the South and Southwest and their black slaves swelled the
population. As immigration into Texas from the United States increased,
however, Mexico grew more hostile. Resentment flared in 1826 when American
promoters set up the short-lived Fredonian republic at Nacogdoches. By 1830 the
population of Texas had grown to nearly 25,000, and further American
immigration, including the importation of African American slaves, was
forbidden. Disputes with Mexico increased. After Santa Anna became the dictator
of Mexico, the Texans revolted. The first open battle was fought at Gonzales on
Oct. 2, 1835. Republic of Texas The Texans held a convention at Washington on
the Brazos and adopted a declaration of independence on March 2, 1836. A
constitution modeled after that of the United States was adopted by the new
Republic of Texas. The most striking event in the Texas war for independence
was the heroic defense of the Alamo in San Antonio. A rebuilt mission, the
Alamo was used as a fort by about 180 Americans. After a siege of 12 days by
several thousand Mexican soldiers under Santa Anna, the Alamo fell on March 6,
1836, and the garrison was wiped out. Later in the month the Mexicans massacred
James Fannin and more than 300 Texas prisoners at Goliad. "Remember the
Alamo" and "Remember Goliad" became Texas war cries.
Independence was won after Gen. Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna on the banks of
the San Jacinto River near Houston on April 21, 1836. In September Sam Houston
was elected president of the republic. The new nation was hemmed in by the
Indian frontier from the Red River to the hostile Mexican border along the Rio
Grande. These threats led to the development of the famous Texas Rangers,
expert horsemen and marksmen. The Rangers, the oldest state police force in the
United States, are now a branch of the Department of Public Safety. From 1836
to 1845 the public debt grew from 1 million to 8 million dollars. Many believed
that the future development of Texas would be greater under the United States.
In 1844 a convention voted for annexation and a state constitution was adopted.
Admission to the Union The proposed annexation brought a bitter fight in the
United States over the question of slavery. Finally, on Dec. 29, 1845, Texas
was admitted to the Union. The state kept its public lands and reserved the
right to divide into no more than five states. Disputes with Mexico over
boundary lines led to the Mexican War in 1846. The United States victory in the
conflict two years later established the Rio Grande as the international border
as far as El Paso. In 1850 Congress purchased from Texas for 10 million dollars
the claim of that state to some 100,000 square miles (259,000 square
kilometers) of land, now part of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and
Wyoming. Just before the outbreak of the American Civil War, slaveholding Texas
seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Governor Sam Houston tried
to keep the state in the Union but was deposed. Texas was readmitted in 1870 In
the mid-1860s Texas cowboys began driving cattle northward to markets or
ranges. Some of their famous cattle trails were the Chisholm, Western (Dodge
City), Goodnight-Loving, and Sedalia trails. More than 11 million cattle were
herded up these trails before the introduction of railroads into the area.
These cowboys were the inspiration for many dozens of Western novels and films.
Yet in spite of all the Western lore celebrating the cowboy in song, story,
art, and film, the era of the great cattle drives was short. It was virtually
over by 1890, only 20 years after it began. The Modern State Much of the
history of modern Texas is connected with the development of the oil industry.
In 1901 Anthony F. Lucas struck oil in the Spindletop field, near Beaumont.
Other great strikes included those of East Texas, the richest of all, in 1930;
Scurry County, in 1949; and Spraberry Field, near Midland, in 1950. The state
especially benefited from the expansion of the industry, and its associated
petrochemicals, after World War II. In 1960 Texas won a 15-year political and
legal struggle for title to the offshore oil in its Gulf of Mexico tidelands. A
Supreme Court decision gave the state mineral rights in an area extending three
leagues--about 10 1/2 miles (17 kilometers)--offshore. In 1963 the United
States ended a border dispute with Mexico by agreeing to exchange land in the
Laredo area. The dispute began about 100 years earlier, when the channel of the
Rio Grande shifted. HemisFair '68, the first international exposition in a
Southwestern state, was held at San Antonio. Massive oil spills from tankers
have periodically devastated the Texas shoreline. In October 1989 and, nine
months later, in July 1990, there were major fatal accidents at two Texas
petrochemical plants within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of each other, near
Houston.

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