-
10,000 BCE
10,000 B.C.
Proto-Indians live at the Gault site. -
1500 BCE
1500 B.C.
Coastal American Indians make knives and scrappers form stone. -
Period: 1 BCE to
Texas History Timeline
-
100
100 A.D.
American Indians living near Galveston Bay begin making pottery -
Jan 1, 1000
1000 A.D.
The Caddos grow many kinds of crops in East Texas. -
Jan 1, 1519
1519 A.D.
Alonso Alvarez de Pineda maps the Texas coast -
Jan 1, 1528
1528 A.D.
Europeans arrive Texas and encounter the Karankawas. -
Jan 1, 1541
1541 A.D.
Explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado crosses the Texas panhandle. -
Jan 1, 1554
1554 A.D.
A Spanish treasure fleet shipwrecks off of present day Padre Island -
Jan 1, 1581
1581 A.D.
Spaniard Hernan Gallegos writes about the lives of the Jumano Indians in Texas. -
1601 A.D.
Spaniard Hernan Gallegos writes about the lives of the Jumano Indians in Texas. -
1659
Spaniards first record seeing Apache Indians riding horses. -
1766 A.D.
The Marques de Rubi Expedition begins. -
1779 A.D.
Antonio Gil Yborbo founded the town of Nacodoches i east Texas. -
1783 A.D.
Spanish preist Juan Agustin Morfi, author of :History Of Texas, 1673-1779: Dies -
1791 A.D.
Philip Nolan, a U.S. citizen, receives permission to capture wild horses in Texas. -
1819 A.D.
U.S. citizen James Long and a small force invade Texas, only to be defeated by Spanish forses. -
1821 A.D.
Mexico which includes Texas, wins its independence form Spain. -
1822 A.D.
Settler Jared Groce plants a cotton crop, possibly the first in Stephen F. Austin's colony. -
1823 A.D.
About 3,000 Anglo settlers live in Texas without the permission of the Mexican Government. -
1824 A.D.
Empresario Martin de Leon settles on the lower Guadeloupe River. -
1824 A.D.
Mexican officials adopt the constitution of 1824. Coahuila and Texas are merged into one state. -
1826 A.D.
An American Indian attack on the Green DeWitt colony forces the settlers to flee Gonzales. -
1826 A.D.
The Fredonian Rebellion begins when Haden Edwards declares independence form Mexico. -
1827 A.D.
Stephen F. Austin receives a contract to settle an additional 100 families in Texas. -
1828 A.D.
General Manuel De Mier y Terån begins a tour of Texas for the Mexican government. -
1829 A.D.
The Texas Gazette newspaper begins publication in Austin's colony. -
1829 A.D.
Thomas J. Pilgrim organizes a Sunday school and private boy's school in San Felipe. -
1829 A.D.
President Guerrero issues a decree ending slavery in Mexico, but an exemption is made for Texas. -
1830 A.D.
On April 6 Mexico issues a law that changes rules on immigration and trade in Texas. -
1831 A.D.
The town of Gonzales receives a cannon form the Mexican Government to defend against attacks. -
1833 A.D.
Mary Austin Hollie's letters describing life in early Texas were published. -
1834 A.D.
Texas farmers export some 7,000 ales of cotton, worth some $315,000, to New Orleans. -
1834 A.D.
Stephen F. Austin is arrested in Saltillo -
1835 A.D.
An Estimated 1,000 immigrants enter Texas each month. -
1835 A.D.
Texans become concerned when Mexican government completely abolishes the Constitution of 1824. -
October 2, 1835
texas settlers attack Mexican forces in Gonzales, forcing them to leave. -
December 9, 1835
Texas troops push Mexican troops out of San Antonio, capturing the city. -
1836 A.D.
Sam Houston becomes the first popularity elected president of the Republic of Texas. -
February 23, 1836
The siege of the Alamo begins. -
April 21, 1836
Texans win the battle of San Jacinto, ending the Texas Revolution. -
May 2, 1836
The Texas Declaration of Independence is adopted. -
December 10, 1836
The first official Texas flag is adopted by Texas Congress. -
1837 A.D.
The Texas Government begins work on Houston, the new capital. -
1837 A.D.
The U.S. Congress authorizes a diplomat to go to Texas -
1838 A.D.
Texans elect Mirabeau B. Lamar president. -
1838 A.D.
Velasco citizens hold a horse race on the coast near town. -
1838 A.D.
Willian H. Wharton is elected to the Texas Senate. -
1839 A.D.
Texas passes a homestead law, protected settlers' homes from being seized to pay debts. -
1839 A.D.
Repeated attacks and discrimination force more than 100 Tejano families to flee Nacogdoches. -
1839 A.D.
France becomes the first European nation to recognize Texas as an independent country. -
1840 A.D.
Austin, the new capital, has 850 residents. -
1840 A.D.
The first collage chartered by the Republic, Rutersville Collage, is founded. -
1840 A.D.
Galveston University opens its doors to five students. -
1841 A.D.
Texans again elect Sam Houston president of the Republic. -
1841 A.D.
William Kennedy publishes: Texas, The Rise, Progress, And Prospects of the Republic of Texas. -
1841 A.D.
President Mirabeau B. Lamar sends the Texas Navy to the Yucatan coast. -
1842 A.D.
General Adrian Woll and about 1,00 Mexican soldiers capture San Antonio. -
1842 A.D.
Snider de Pellegrini, directer of a French colonization company, brings 14 settlers -
1843 A.D.
The Tehuacana Creek Councils lead to peace between Texans and several Texas Indian groups. -
1844 A.D.
President Sam Houston sends troops into East Texas to end the Regulatior-Modulatir war. -
1844 A.D.
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels comes to Texas followed by a group of German immigrants. -
1844 A.D.
Texans elect Anson Jones president of the Republic. -
1845 A.D.
At least 30,000 enslaved African Americans live in Texas. -
1845 A.D.
The United States annexes Texas -
1845
On December 29 the U.S. Congress officially admits Texas to the Union approves its first state constiution -
1846 A.D.
Thomas J. Rusk and Sam Houston become the first Texans to serve in the U.S. senate. -
1846
Fighting breaks out between U.S. forces and Mexian troops at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. -
1846
Texas signs a peace treaty with the Penataka Comanches. -
1847 A.D.
George T. Wood is elected governor of Texas. -
1847
Samuel H. Walker dies in combat during a conflict in Mexico. -
1847
A state census reports the state's population at more than 142,000. -
1848
Texans cast their first votes as U.S. Citizens in a presidential election -
1850
The Texas population reaches 200,000 people. -
1850
In her book Texas in 1850, Melinda Rankin describes the state and urges people to move to Texas. -
1852 A.D.
Work began on the Port Isabel Lighthouse. -
1853
U.S. Army troops abandon Fort Worth after settlers move farther west beyond the fort. -
1853
After many false starts, track is finally laid for the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway. -
1854 A.D.
The American, or Know-Nothing, Party becomes active in Texas. -
1855 A.D.
The Governor's Mansion is built in Austin. -
1856
Slaves in Colorado County acquire weapons and plan a rebellion, but the plot is discovered before it can begin. -
1857 A.D.
Texas settlers hold about 3,500 land grants. -
1858
The Butterfield Overland Mail begins taking passengers and mail by stagecoach from Missouri, through Texas, and on to California. -
1859 A.D.
Sam Houston easily defeats Hardin Runnels in the election for Texas governor. -
1859
A series of clashes occurs between Texas Rangers and Mexican Americans near Brownsville. -
1859
Texas produces a record crop of more than 400,000 bales of cotton. -
1821
Spanish Government grants Moses Austin permission to found a colony in Texas. -
February 1861
Texans vote, by more than three to one, to secede from the United States. -
October 1861
Troops leave San Antonio for New Mexico, planning to capture the Southwest for the Confederacy. -
1861
The Texas Frontier Regiment is established. -
October 1862
Union forces capture Galveston. -
January 1863
President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. -
September 1863
A Union attempt to invade Texas is turned back at Sabine Pass. -
1863
The Texas cattle population increases rapidly during the Civil War. -
November 1863
Union troops capture Brownsville. -
April 1864
In a battle near Mansfield, Louisiana, Confederate forces stop a Union invasion of northeastern Texas. -
1864
Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson leads an attack against Plains Indians in the Panhandle. -
May 1865
The last land battle of the war is fought at Palmetto Ranch, Texas. -
1865
The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect in Texas, freeing the state's slaves. -
1868
African American George T. Ruby is elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. -
1868
Fort Richardson is established near Jacksboro. -
1869
Republican Edmund J. Davis is elected governor. -
1869
Texas cowboys move a herd of 15,000 cattle to market. It is the largest single herd of the era. -
1869
Edmund J. Davis is elected governor, the last Republican to hold the office until Bill Clements was elected in 1978 -
1870
Texas has 583 miles of rail lines. -
1871
A public school system is created in Texas. -
1873
Ranchers begin to ship thousands of cattle from Denison after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad extends a line there. -
1874
The Democratic Party regains full control of the state government. -
1874
Plains Indians attack a group of buffalo hunters in the Battle of Adobe Walls. -
1875
Comanche leader Quanah Parker surrenders, ending the Red River War. -
1876
Texas adopts a new constitution. -
1876
About 2,700 animals die during a cattle stampede near the Brazos River. -
1876
The Texas legislature pass law that allows the state to fund railroads with land grants. -
1876
Texas A&M University opens as an all-male military institution. -
1876
Texans adopt the constitution that governs the state today -
1879
Apache leader Victorio launches raids along the Texas-Mexico border. -
1881
The Texas and Pacific Railway meets the Southern Pacific line near El Paso, forming the first transcontinental railroad route through Texas. -
1882
A ranch in the Panhandle purchases enough barbed wire to fence 250,000 acres. -
1883
The University of Texas formally opens. -
1886
The Knights of Labor begin a major strike against Jay Gould's Railroad company. -
1889
There are more than 8,000 miles of railroad track in Texas. -
1889
Texas -
1890
Texas Normal College and Teacher's Training Institutes, now called the University of North Texas, opens in Denton. -
1890
James Stephen Hogg– the first native born Texan to become governor– is elected -
1891
The Texas Railroad Commission is established to regulate railroads in Texas. -
1892
A leading association of farmers endorses the Populist Party. -
1894
Drillers strike oil in Corsicana. -
1894
the first football game is played between the University of Texas and Texas A&M. -
1898
Teddy Roosevelt organizes and trains the Rough Riders in San Antonio. -
Coldest Spot
The lowest recorded temperature in Texas was a cilly -23*F, occurring in 1899 at Tulia and in 1933 in Seminole. -
1900
Texas has more than 350,0000 farms, and almost half of all farmers are tenant farmers. -
1900
A hurricane hits Galveston, killing some 6,000 to 8,000 people. -
1901
The Spindletop well strikes oil, producing more than 17 million barrels of oil the next year. -
1901
The Spindletop oil strike spurs the growth of the Texas oil industry -
1902
The Corsican Oilers set a baseball record by defeating the Texarkana team 51 to 3. -
1905
A large oil strike is made in the humble oil field in Harris County. -
1907
The first Neiman Marcus department store opens in Dallas. -
1908
Oil is discovered at Goose Creek along Galveston Bay. -
1911
Jovita Idar becomes the first president of the League of Mexican Women. -
1914
The Houston Ship Channel opens, and Houston soon becomes an important oil-refining center. -
1914
The Houston Ship Channel is completed, leading to the growth of industry in the Houston area. -
1915
The Texas legislature passes the first state law requiring children to attend school -
1918
Texas ratifies the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which bans the sale or manufacture of alcohol. -
1918
Texas troops are sent to france to fight in World War I. -
1918
After decades of fighting for the right to vote, women are allowed to vote in Texas primary elections. -
1919
An application is file fro drill for oil on state-owned land in West Texas. Several years later the Santa Rita No. 1 strikes oil. -
1920
Governor William Hobby breaks a dockworks' strike in Galveston -
1924
Texans elect Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson as the state's first female governor -
1926
Automobile registrations reach 1 Million -
1928
For the first time in the state's history, the majority of Texans vote for a Republican presidential – Herbert Hoover -
1932
-
1934
James V Allred is elected governor of Texas -
Hottest Spot
The highest recorded temperature in Texas was a blistering 102*F, occurring in 1936 at Seymour and in 1994 at Monahans. -
1938
Texans elect W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel as governor -
1939
The Southern Aircraft Corporation, the first airplane manufacturer in Texas, is formed -
1941
Large numbers of Texans volunteer for military service in World War II -
Wettest Place
in 1873 Clarksville received 109.4 inches of rain. -
1944
The U.S. Supreme Court declares the Texas white primary unconstitutional -
1944
A Texas law establishing white primaries is struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith v. Allwright -
1945
Texan Audie Murphy receives the Medal of Honor for stopping a Germ tank attack in France -
1951
More than 3 million automobiles are registered in Texas -
1954
Allan Shiver successfully runs for a third term as governor -
1955
Women are allowed to serve on Texas juries for the first time -
Driest Place
Wink received just 1.76 inches of rain in 1956. -
1957
Texas women call for an equal rights amendment to the state constitution -
1959
Texas musician Buddy Holly is killed in a plane crash -
1960
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Texas own Gulf coastal tidelands up to a 10.35 mile limit -
1961
Henry B. Gonzalez is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and John Tower is elected to the U.S. Senate -
1961
The Manned Space Center, now the Johnson Space Center, is built in Houston -
1963
Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President of the United States after President John F. Kennedy is assasinated -
1967
Texas singer Janis Joplin's career takes off after a performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival -
1967
Texas Instruments releases the first handheld calculator -
1969
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration sends the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon -
1970
Members of the Chicano movement and the Mexican American Youth Organization form the La Raza Unida Party -
1972
Barbara Jordan is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -
1972
Texan Barbara Jordan is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first black woman from the South to serve in Congress -
1974
Austin City Limits goes on the air with Willie Nelson as its first guest musician -
1974
A major attempt to adopt a new Texas constitution fails -
1980
The Texas population reaches 14 million -
1986
Raul Gonzalez is elected to the Texas Supreme Court. He is the first Mexican American elected to statewide office -
1986
Texas writer Larry McMurtry receives the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Lonesome Dove -
1990
Texas musician Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash -
1994
The North American Free Trade Agreement is passed, easing trade among the United States, Mexico, and Canada -
1995
George W. Bush takes office as governor -
2000
Rick Perry becomes the 47th governor of Texas -
2000
The Texas state government employs more than 230,000 people in more than 200 agencies, wit a two-year budget totaling more than $98 billion -
2002
Republicans gain control of the Texas House of Representatives -
2006
Texas becomes the national leader in wind power generation -
Texas Timber
The Texas Timber industry earned more than $1.9 billion in 2007 -
Livestock
Sales of Texas livestock totaled more than $10.8 billion in 2007. -
2008
Rick Perry becomes the longest-serving governor in Texas history. He was elected governor again -
2009
Cowboys Stadium, later renames AT&T Stadium, opens in Arlington -
Cotton
In 2011 the value of Texas cotton reached over $1.5 billion. -
2011
Texas receives its lowest ever recorded rainfall -
Oil
In 2012 Texas produced about 730 million barrels of crude oil worth some $55 Billion. -
Farms
In 2012 there were more than 244,700 farms in Texas. -
Agriculture
Agriculture added some $36 billion to the Texas economy in 2012. -
Electronic Sales
Texas exports of computers and electronics were worth more than $45 billion in 2012. -
2012
Based on the 2010 Census, Texas gains four new seats in Congress -
2012
Texas exports more than $124 billion worth of goods -
Highest Point
Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in the state, at 8,749 feet above sea level. -
Lignite, (Coal)
Texas has an estimated 23 billion tons of lignite, a type of coal. -
Longest River
The Rio Grande, which begins in Colorado and flows along the Texas-Mexico border, runs 1,896 miles. -
Irragation
More than 6 million acres of Texas land are irragated -
Aquifers
The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest underground water source in Texas -
Reserviors
Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River holds more than 5.5 billion cubic meters of water. -
Lakes
Caddo Lake is the largest natural lake in Texas, covering more than 36 square miles, (Half of which are in Louisiana). -
Wooded Area
Texas contains more than 60 million acres of forrest and woodlands. -
National Parks
With 800,000 acres of land, Big Bend is the largest national park in Texas.
