September Timeline
September 1
1865 - Camp Liendo (also known as Camp Groce) was a campsite for Gen. George A. Custer from September 1 to December 1.
September 2
1861 - Waco University was established under the direction of the Baptist church. Sixty students enrolled.
1862 - The age limit was changed to include all males from 18 to 45 as eligible for service in the Confederate Army.
September 3
1838 - Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected as second president of the Republic of Texas. He is often referred to as "The Father of Education in Texas."
September 4
1829 - The "Mexican Advocate" began publication in Nacogdoches. It was a bilingual newspaper.
1878 - In the first part of this month, the first public school opened in Round Rock.
September 5
1836 - Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas. Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected vice-president and Stephen F. Austin was secretary of the state.
September 6
1881 - Austin was chosen as the location for the main campus of the University of Texas. It began operation in 1883 and had an enrollment of 200 students.
September 7
1881 - Fort Worth University opened under the name of Texas Wesleyan College in temporary buildings. William Fielder was president.
September 8
1900 - The Great Galveston Storm happened on September 8-9, 1900. It is called the worst natural disaster in the history of the U.S. In the hurricane that swept through, over 6,000 lives were lost, and property damage was estimated at forty million dollars.
September 9
1834 - Augustin Viesca was elected governor of Texas, but the election was disputed and he didn't take office until April, 1835.
1861 - Terry's Texas Rangers gathered in Houston to join the Civil War and fought in Virginia.
1903 - Southwest Texas Normal School opened. It is now called Southwest Texas State University.
September 10
1685 - Spain learned of La Salle's expedition when a French pirate ship was captured in the Gulf.
1900 - Clara Barton went to Galveston after the Great Storm and took Red Cross volunteers with her. She was seventy-eight at the time, and it was the last time she actively helped in disaster relief.
September 11
1842 - Mexican forces under Gen. Adrian Woll captured San Antonio. Even though the Texas Revolution had long been over, Mexico still did not recognize Texas as being an independent republic.
1906 - Abilene Christian College was opened.
September 12
1874 - The Buffalo Wallow Fight happened in Wheeler County. Scout Billy Dixon and five companions were surrounded by Kiowas and Comanches. They got in a buffalo wallow for protection, piling up dirt around the edges. The men later received medals of honor for their bravery.
September 13
1866 - L.T. Barrett drilled Texas' first oil well. It produced ten barrels of oil a day.
September 14
1914 - The Houston Ship Channel was completed. The fifty-mile channel helped Houston to become one of the most important seaports in the U.S.
1918 - The Barber's Hill Oil Field in Chambers County opened.
September 15
1858 - The Butterfield Overland Mail Route began operation between San Antonio and San Diego.
1883 - The University of Texas at Austin formally opened on this date.
1896 - Two locomotives were staged to wreck in a head-on, ninety mile an hour crash near Waco. The stunt became a disaster when two people were killed.
September 16
1810 - Mexico began the struggle for independence from Spain with the "Cry from Dolores." Father Hildalgo launched the battle from the village of Dolores.
September 17
1841 - The main force of the Texans engaged in the Santa Fe Expedition was forced to surrender near San Miguel. All members were arrested and made to march over one thousand miles to Mexico City. Many died before the release in April, 1842.
September 18
1832 - Jose Maria Letona's administration as governor of Texas ended when he died in Saltillo.
1842 - The Battle of the Salado began.
1842 - The Dawson Massacre happened when Nicholas Dawson and 53 men on their way to aid Matthew "Old Paint" Caldwell at Salado Creek were attacked by Gen. Woll.
September 19
1845 - The third meeting of the Tehuacana Creek Council happened. The meetings were held between Texas officials and Indian representatives to consider treaties between Texas and the Indians.
September 20
1967 - Hurricane Beulah ravaged the Brownsville area. It was called the third worst hurricane to hit the Texas coast. It created over 100 tornadoes, the most recorded with a hurricane. Eighteen people lost their lives.
September 21
1835 - Stephen F. Austin announced that Gen. Cos had landed at Copano Bay and intended to deal with the "rebellious" Texans by force.
1944 - James "Pa" Ferguson passed away and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
September 22
1865 - The first national bank to be chartered in the state of Texas was begun in Galveston and called the First National Bank of Galveston.
1915 - Southern Methodist University (SMU) opened in Dallas with 706 students enrolled.
September 23
1869 - Trinity University opened at Tehuacana then twenty-three years later moved to Waxahachie then forty years after that, it was moved to San Antonio.
1919 - Abilene Christian College became a four year college.
September 24
1842 - Having retreated to Mexico on September 20 after his attack on San Antonio, Gen. Woll considered an armistice with the Texans if they would accept his terms.
1959 - James V. Allred, the 33rd governor of Texas, died while holding office in Laredo.
September 25
1829 - The "Texas Gazette", the first weekly newspaper in Texas, began publication at San Felipe de Austin. A one year subscription was $6.
1838 - One of the first Protestant missionaries sent to the Republic of Texas was Caleb Semper Ives.
September 26
1842 - Gen. Woll sent two of his men to talk to the Texans about an armistice. An armistice was signed in 1844, but could not be ratified because it called Texas "a part of Mexico".
September 27
1835 - Francisco Castaneda, a lieutenant in the Mexican Army, was sent to retrieve a cannon the citizens of Gonzales had been loaned for protection from the Indians. He returned without it.
1948 - The first television program in Texas broadcast President Truman's arrival in Fort Worth. There were only 400 sets in the area, so more people saw him in person than did on TV.
September 28
1805 - The Port of St. Bernard (Bernardo) was established on the Texas coast by a royal Spanish decree. It was the only "legal" port in Texas for many years.
1858 - Fort Quitman was established in Hudspeth County.
September 29
1785 - Moses Austin married Marie Brown. They had five children, Stephen Fuller Austin their eldest.
1843 - Edward Tarrand and George Terrell met with Indians at Bird's Fort and signed a treaty.
September 30
1869 - Elisha Pease left the office of governor due to interference in the election by Gen. J.J. Reynolds. Pease wanted A.J. Hamilton to become the next governor, but Reynolds was supporting the radical faction led by E. J. Davis.
1899 - The temporary capitol building burned. It had been used for other purposes since 1888.