The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-10-12
STATE OF TEXAS ONCE
AN INDEPENDENT NATION

Colorado is the history of Texas, of
which large section of this state
was once a part. The historical i'm
portance of Texas in the political an
nails of the region west of the Miss
issippi river is not as well understood
as il should be; in fact, it may be
doubted whether half of the people
of Canon City are aware that fof
nine years, from 1886 to 1S45, the
Republic of Texas exercised sover-
eighty over most of what is now New
Mexico and Colorado and a small part
of Wyoming.
The history of Texas as an indepen-
dent nation began with the battle of
San Jacinto, which was fought April
21. 1885 and closed with its annex
alton to the United States in 1S45.
Altho Mexico never formally ac-
knowledged the independence of
Texas, it exercised all the functions
of government over an area much
greater than that enclosed within its
borders at the present time.
Seventy years ago the northern
boundary of Texas was not the 81 de-
gree of north latitude as is the case
now, but the Panhandle part of it
extending northward nearly to the
43rd degree, some distance beyond
the site of Rawlins. Wyoming; its
western limits being marked by the
10th mridian to a point some fifty
miles south of the present city of
Creede where it became the Rio
Grande river, which continued to be
the line of deInarkation between the
Republic of Texas and Mexico until
the gulf was reached, the same as it
is today.
The Eastern line of Texas in the
days of its independence as nation
was formed by the Sabine, Red and
Arkansas rivers and the one hund-
redth meridian from a point near
Dodge City, Kansas, southwark to
what is now Purvis, Oklahoma. AT
that time the Panhandle, which was
only about thirty miles wide, extend
ed northward from Salida to within
twenty miles of Casper, Wyoming; all
of the country to the westward be-
longing to Mexico. Lake City, Del
Norte, Creede and Aspen, or rather.
the sites which they occupy, were
in Texas, while Grand Junction, Mont
rose and Alamosa, being somewhat
farther west, were in Mexico, whose
president was Santa Ana.
Under the administration of Gen.
Sam Houston and his advisers, Texas
was enabled to maintain a somewhat
precarious existence for nine years
when its petition to be taken into the
American Union was granted and its
troubles brought to an end. Altho it
has been less than fifty years since
South Canon was in Texas territory
and only sixty-seven years since the
site it occupies was in Mexico, it is
doubtful whether there is anybody
living in Fremont county that can re-
member when the country on the
south side of the river was anything
else than American property.
During the brief period of the inde-
pendence of Texas it made a brave
showing from territorial standpoint,
SURPRISING in area several of the Cen
trail American states and any one OF a
half a score of German duchies, II
never cut much of figure in interna-
tional affairs and it is extremely
doubtful whether it would have been
capable of maintaining its integrity
had there been any considerable ef-
fort made to subvert it; certain it is
that it's citizens knew but little of that
narrow strip belonging to the republic
which ran northwards from Salida to
the 43rd degree of north latitude, nor