Dac Crossley's Western Blog

Choosing the Border of Texas

Why did the helter-skelter Government of the Republic of Texas select the Rio Grande river as their border with Mexico? That boundary was decided by the First Congress of Texas, in a resolution presented by Thomas Jefferson Green in December, 1836.

The Mexican government, while denying the legitimacy of the Republic of Texas, maintained that the Nueces River was the historic border between Coahuila and Texas.

There wasn’t much between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. Texans knew it as the Wild Horse Desert; Mexicans as the despoblado or El Desierto Muerto. But it wasn’t vacant. Mexicans from the frontera towns along the Rio Grande, had been granted portiones along the river. They gradually extended their ranching operations northward, reaching as far as the Corpus Christi neighborhood, by 1836. When Indian troubles worsened they could always retreat below the Rio Grande frontera.

The Republic of Texas couldn’t defend the Wild Horse Desert. Why did they want it, anyway? They couldn’t defend their western frontier from Indian raids. They couldn’t even defend San Antonio from bandits. Only the Federalist wars within Mexico kept the young Republic safe from re-invasion by Mexican armies.

Representative Green’s Resolution claimed the Rio Grande all the way to its origins, which included a generous slice of New Mexico. Perhaps that’s what they had in mind all along - a much larger Republic of Texas. President Lamar’s doomed expedition to Santa Fé gave it a try. They got lost trying to find Santa Fé.

Texans have seldom bothered to think small...

Dac Crossley
9/26/2010

“All that makes earlier times seem simpler is our ignorance of their complexities.” - Thomas Sowell

Escape from the Alamo

Remember the Alamo! The defenders fought bravely, to the last man, giving their lives for freedom and the Republic of Texas. But suppose one of those warriors survived the battle? What could he do? Where could he go? He’s supposed to be dead. Escape from the Alamo is the story of young George Hanks, an ever-grinning Tennessee lad called “Possum” by Davy Crockett. No longer grinning, Possum finds himself on the battlefield at San Jacinto, wounded, confused and alone. He can’t go back to Tennessee because they believe he died at the Alamo. What’s become of his idol, Davy Crockett? Possum believes that Crockett must have also survived the Alamo battle, and undertakes to find him in South Texas. Possum’s journey to manhood takes him through fights with Indians and bandits, arrest and trial, and enlistment in the Texas Rangers.

Escape from the Alamo is now in the hands of the publisher: CreateSpace, formerly BookSurge, an Amazon company. Look for it to be published this autumn. I'll be sure to let you know.

The decision to self-publish is not taken lightly. It still carries the stigma of the old "vanity press." It's worth noting that Charles Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs paid to have some of their works published. It's not a new idea.

The publishing world is in turmoil. Big presses get bigger, and small presses go under. Graphic novels emerge, and electronic readers become popular. What does the future hold?

What's an author to do?

Dac Crossley
9/18/2010
"There comes a moment, when you realize that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day." - anonymous Web comment