Sam Houston and the Genesis of Texas
The names of the early Lone Star pioneers are written on county courthouses, city parks, public schools, and monuments throughout the state. They are names like Austin, Houston, Bowie, Crockett, De Zavala, Fannin, Travis, Deaf Smith, and many others. These were not saints. Some of these patriots were at times counted as scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells. Some came to Texas to escape failed marriages, to outwit the law, or to flee from debts. Saints and sinners alike came together in this untamed territory. They found new life in an era and in a place where they would be required to prove their honor and courage in a fight for personal and mutual freedom.
One man stood out among them all. At times when others gave up hope, he held the rag-tag assemblage of Texas pioneers together. An imperfect man with a history of promising successes and debilitating failures, he steered the fledgling Texas ship of state from certain disaster into a safe port. His story reflects a life of ingenuity, originality, resourcefulness, courage, and honor that defines what it means to be a true Texan today. In many ways, the image of Texas that is prevalent around the world came about because of the near-legendary life of one man – Sam Houston.
Born in 1793, at a time when many Americans still recalled the Revolution against the British, Sam lost his father when he was thirteen, and moved with his mother and eight siblings from Virginia to a rural area of Tennessee. Not happy with the farming life, he ran away from home at the age of sixteen to live with a nearby tribe of friendly Cherokee. After a year with the Cherokees, this tall handsome boy gained favor and was adopted by Chief Oo-Loo-Te-Ka and given the name “The Raven.”
A photograph of Sam Houston taken by Matthew Brady about 1861. (Courtesy of Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-110029.)
Texas Tidbit: Sam Houston served as governor and U.S. congressman from two states and is the only President of a “foreign” country to also serve in the U.S. Congress.
The story continues in the book Texas Ingenuity... For complete information on this and other Texas stories…