Calhoun County Historical Commission
Most of us, especially the folks who like to read can remember that James Michener once lived in Texas.  Many of us have read his book Texas and even some of his other books.  One that is not so well known is the book The Eagle and the Raven.  It is a parallel semi biography of two very important folks in the birth of Texas.  That story tells part of our mixed heritage.


LaSalle, the French dude, brought us the first Caucasian settlement. That was here.  The French dude stirred up the Spanish who thought they owned the territory but had been ignoring it for other things to exploit.  Of course, they lost that when Mexico became an independent country. Mexico lost it at San Jacinto. That was where Sam Houston and Santa Anna settled the argument in our favor. We know the rest of the republic that became a states story. Michener’s book tells something of those two of the main characters. You get to know the men who were so instrumental. The good, the bad, and maybe even a little of the ugly are in that story.


Michener is also remembered because he stated that every Texan is a historian.  Well, we are going to make you a little bit of a mathematician.  This year is 2011.  If one subtracts 125 from that number you will get 1886. That is a recognizable year. It is the year that the 2nd Hurricane put an end to our Indianola and being the Doorway to the west. Even so, Calhoun County and Texas have continued to grow and prosper.


Your historical commission thinks we should commemorate that epochal event. We want to celebrate the end of one era and commemorate the comeback.   After all, we were knocked down but we got back up and kept right on being our favorite county. You might say that over the last 125 years we have been the “Rocky” of Texas Counties.  That means we have the makings of a sesquicentennial celebration.
Any Coastal area is subject to the anger of Mother Nature. We have had our share of that anger. Look at the historical marker at the courthouse in Port Lavaca. The remains of the courthouse that was in Indianola are out in the Bay.  We haven’t been defeated by Mother Nature; we persevered and kept on coming back. That is the kind of History we should commemorate. It is the kind of history that needs to be preserved.


The details are not any where near the  cast in concrete stage.  Since you are a Texan you should actually join in the fun; there is plenty of room for your ideas. We meet the second Tuesday of each month. You can join the commission, tell a friend who is  a member or send the ideas to the Museum. If you are unable to participate that way, mark your calendar and come on down to the sesquicentennial in August. Let’s make a deal.


bupel@laward.net – 361-893-5920
www.calhouncountymuseum.org