Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library

The Alamo was great experience. Jenn and I visited it back on our cross country road trip in '96. The area is more built up than it was back then. No surprise.

This time, there was an audio tour. I thought they did a very good job with it and I recommend the audio experience.

Growing up I didn't care much for westerns, but I was always captivated by the story of the Alamo. I loved Davy Crocket. So, visiting the Alamo was a dream come true. Sharing it with my kids was even sweeter. 😊

There is more to the phrase "Remember the Alamo." After the defeat at the Alamo at the hands of Santa Ana, there was another setback in the battle for Texas independence. The rebel Texans had seized Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía, which they renamed Fort Defiance. Three weeks after the massacre at the Alamo, Santa Ana marched of Ft. Defiance. General Sam Houston had given the order to evacuate weeks earlier, but his orders were not obeyed. By the time the 400 soldiers and civilians evacuated, it was too late. They were captured, marched back to Goliad and executed. Known as The Goliad Massacre, it was the biggest in the battle for Texan independence. Around 180 to 200 people died at the Alamo. The cries of, "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad" gave strength to the rebels. Now, Goliad is forgotten to most.

There was a special Jim Bowie exhibit. Pronounced Boo-ee not like David Bowie. I had not realized that he was a jerk. He made a fortune smuggling slaves into the US after it had been banned and selling hem. He also sold people land he didn't own. By the time he got caught and the US Supreme Court ruled against him, he had left Louisiana and gone to Texas where he became a Mexican citizen. Some history books call him a land speculator, but he cheated people out of their money, plain and simple. Not a good guy. Although, he sure could fight with a knife.

We did see one of his Bowie knives on display. The display case was awesome. It had an overlay touch screen. So, you could see the actual knife on display but touch parts of the screen to bring up more information. Of course the tech part of me geeked out. In the picture gallery for this post I have a video of Quinn using one of the touch display cases.

While in the Bowie exhibit, we got caught up with Robert, one of the docents. I say "got caught up" because it turned into one of those awkward conversations that would not end! The conversation turned into how much he wanted Atlanta to beat the Patriots. It then took a strange turn and he told us how he couldn't bring his backpack into his favorite restaurant any more. What the heck???

Back to the Alamo... We also saw, among other relics and artifacts, one of Davy Crockett's rifles and Lt. Col. William Travis' sword.

While we were headed to the gift shop, the heavens opened and it poured for 15-20 minutes. Then it cleared up just as quickly as it started.Read more