Copano Bay Press

03/13/2024

We all know the basics of the Alamo story - large army under Santa Anna lays siege to a mission-turned-fort defended by fewer than 200 men in San Antonio. Th...

02/19/2024

Thomas G. Western, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Republic of Texas, wrote to President Anson Jones on Christmas eve, 1844.

His letter briefed the president on relations between Texas and the various tribes.

SOURCE: Texas History Trust - The Taproot Project
The Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest - Vol. 2. - page 154

Click the link to read the entire letter:
https://archive.texashistorytrust.org/view/49753277/160/

02/19/2024

Toasting 188 years of independence in Seguin- all are invited for March 2nd celebrations!

02/18/2024

This is for the super fans. You know who you are. Or maybe you know who THEY are.

Is there someone you know (perhaps yourself) who is always quoting John Wayne's icon film, The Alamo?

Well, you get to be the casting director and make them the special guest star on this classic movie poster reproduction.

Who will it be?

Click the link below to get this personalized movie poster:

The Duke's Alamo - Starring YOU! You could've been in pictures! You could have been a star! No doubt about it. If only the Duke could've seen your screen test! This is pure fun. John Wayne's iconic film, The Alamo, holds a special place in a lot of Texan hearts. If you are among them, you need this....

02/17/2024

José de las Piedras, commander of Mexican forces in Nacogdoches, demonstrates his misunderstanding of how revolutions occur.

He was writing to the Ayuntamiento (council) of San Felipe directing them to use every means available to help quash the first of the Anahuac Disturbances.

You can read the entire letter here:
https://archive.texashistorytrust.org/view/183476762/100/
The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar - volume I, page 94

02/16/2024

A few lines from a letter written by Sam Houston to the chief of the Wacos in 1843, encouraging him to return horses taken from the Lipan and Tonkawas.

From The Writings of Sam Houston. Edited by Amelia W. Williams and Eugene C. Barker. Vol. 3. page 364. You can read the entire letter at the link below.
https://archive.texashistorytrust.org/view/728600718/390/

02/15/2024

02/15/2024

Alexander Sweet, along with his partner, Armoy Knox, published Texas Siftings, one of the most popular magazines in the world during the 1880s and 90s.

12/24/2023

I feel a little sad when I hear someone call a bitter or miserly person a Scrooge.

But it doesn't surprise me.

If we forget the meaning of Christmas itself, why wouldn't we forget the meaning of Dickens' Christmas ghost story?

Scrooge does not end his days as we find him in the beginning. The whole point of A Christmas Carol is the man's redemption.

His last words on Christmas are not, "Bah! Humbug!"

On the contrary, he makes a solemn vow:

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

Ebenezer Scrooge would keep alive in his heart the good news that, "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." Emmanuel!

That's another story that ends in redemption. Let's try to keep it in our hearts all the year.

We wish you and yours a joyous Christmas, and all blessings in the new year.

Michelle and Mark
Copano Bay Press

11/12/2023

SKI TEXAS!

Every time we post a map showing the Republic of Texas with its original borders, someone (sometimes several someones) will respond with, "Ski Texas!"

We surely gave up more than we knew in the Compromise of 1850. Who would have guessed that Santa Fe County and the old "stovepipe" panhandle encompassed lands that would become some of the finest ski resorts in the world?

We decided to indulge our imaginations and play the "what if" game.

What if Texas had remained a republic? What if she stayed independent and found the capital to build ports and railroads? What if she prospered and grew?

What would you say to that?

Ski Texas!

ABOUT THIS PRINT

This one, titled (what else?) Ski Texas is what we imagine would be seen in railroad stations back east during the 1920s. The Republic of Texas Tourism Bureau was doing a fine job, don't you think?

Ski Texas!

PHYSICAL DETAILS:

High quality fine-art print.18 by 24 inches
Handsome vintage graphics
Vivid colors
Fits in a standard sized frame

CLICK THE LINK BELOW for a better look:

https://copanobaypress-gallery.com/products/ski-texas-fantasy-texas-ski-poster

Copano Bay Press specializes in Texana - the books, images and maps of the Republic of Texas era and

11/10/2023

THE DUKE'S ALAMO

There's something special about this print you might not notice straight off. I'll tell you what that is in a minute.

First, let's talk a bit about the movie.

John Wayne had wanted to make The Alamo since 1945, but the studios wouldn't let him do it his way.

So he formed his own production company and raised the millions needed to do the job. Which meant building an accurate replica of the Alamo at Brackettville. It took two years and well over a million adobe bricks.

To say this movie means a lot to many, many Texans is an understatement. For quite a few it sparked a lifelong love for learning about the Alamo.

A lot of them can still quote from it, and do.

My personal favorite is spoken by Davy Crockett (played by John Wayne himself.)

"Republic. I like the sound of the word. It means people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat; the same tightness a man gets when his baby takes his first step or his first baby shaves and makes his first sound like a man. Some words can give you a feeling that makes your heart warm. Republic is one of those words."

COMPLAINTS OF SOME

Some people bad-mouth the film for the historical accuracy of its costuming and other such things. I think this is like complaining that Macbeth is not completely faithful to Scottish history.

It's a story about how events and beliefs collide. About how such collisions cause men to make history. Maybe John Wayne's movie isn't Shakespearian in its language, but it is at its heart.

AN ADDITION TO THIS EDITION

So, what's special about this particular print?

Remember the "Republic" quote above? It's special to a lot of people. That's why we added the first line to the top of the the print. That will only be on the 254 copies of this limited edition. Makes it extra special.

This special edition is 24 by 18 inches and is limited to 254 copies, one for each county in Texas. Each one is hand-numbered.

CLICK THE LINK TO GET ONE

The Duke's Alamo There's something special about this print you might not notice straight off. I'll tell you what that is in a minute. First, let's talk a bit about the movie. John Wayne had wanted to make The Alamo since 1945, but the studios wouldn't let him do it his way. So he formed his own pro...

08/20/2023

I looked at this 1849 map probably a hundred times before I noticed something about about it.

Then I went to all the map references looking for an explanation, but found nothing. I couldn't be the first person to notice it, could I?

I'll tell you about that long unnoticed detail in a minute.

First, let me give you some background on the map.

When a copy of Jacob De Cordova's 1849 map of Texas was put on the auction block in 2015, bidding closed at $149,000.

There are a number of reasons for the giant price.

First and foremost is its rarity. The number of known copies can be counted on a single hand with no need for the thumb. And only one had been offered for sale in the previous fifty years.

Then there is its importance.

It was the first official map of Texas, having received the blessings of the governor and land commissioner.

Not only that, it had the endorsement of Senators Thomas Rusk and Sam Houston, plus it came with a testimonial from Texas Ranger Captain Jack Hays (who was also a surveyor and knew a thing of two about making maps.)

WHO WAS JACOB?

The man responsible for the map is as interesting as the map itself.

It could even be said that Jacob De Cordova was the best cheerleader Texas ever had.

He was Jewish, born in Jamaica, and schooled in England.

In 1834 he returned to Jamaica and founded the Kingston Daily Gleaner, which is still published today. By 1836 he was in New Orleans shipping much needed supplies to Texas during the struggle for independence.

In 1839 he settled in Galveston, and later moved to Houston. Within a few years he had acquired title to over a million acres and set out to attract settlers to Texas.

He lectured about Texas in all the major cities back east and even crossed the Atlantic in an effort to get industrialists to invest in the Lone Star State.

In 1849, he and George Erath laid out the city of Waco, where they sold one-acre town lots for five dollars.

BACK TO THE MAP...

De Cordova knew an accurate map would be a valuable tool for encouraging settlement, so he commissioned surveyor Robert Creuzbaur to compile a map from the records of the General Land Office.

The result, which you see here, would be the basis of most Texas maps for the next thirty years.

Sam Houston praised it on the floor of the senate and Jack Hays called it, "...the only one extant that is truly correct."

THE ODD OVERLOOKED DETAIL

So, what was the weird thing I noticed after being familiar with this map for so long?

That De Cordova had set the word "map" in the title in Hebrew characters. Apparently I'm not the only one who didn't notice it. I can't find mention of this interesting detail in any of the references.

You can click that link below to have a close look at it.

The First Official Map of Texas When a copy of Jacob De Cordova's 1849 map of Texas was put on the auction block in 2015, bidding closed at $149,000.There are a number of reasons for the giant price. First and foremost is its rarity. The number of known copies can be counted on a single hand with no...

08/11/2023

Do you know about the Travis bible?

In 1836, William Barret Travis died defending the Alamo. He had with him a family Bible, in which he recorded his marriage and the births of his two children...

05/11/2023

This will get you mostly caught up on what the fight is about.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-state-historical-association-drama/

Inside the arguments, lawsuit, and angry outbursts that are dividing a key authority on historical matters.

05/04/2023

Texans like a good fight.

At stake is what version of Texas history will be told by an organization created in 1897 and known for publishing, among other things, the authoritative “Handbook of Texas,” and

04/21/2023

The Battle of San Jacinto in 900 Words

https://texasreader.com/2022/04/the-battle-of-san-jacinto-in-900-words-2/

4:00 PM, April 21, 1836 – General Houston, atop a dappled gray, gives the order, “Trail arms! Forward!” Some 900 men, unwashed, underfed, caked with mud and dressed in rags, begin a long walk through knee-high grass. They have been pushed to the edge, run from their homes, their crops an...