On August 20th, 1835, Texan history recorded an initial major spark of tension between the settlers of Texas and the Mexican Government. The Council House Fight, also known as the Snively Expedition, marked the outbreak of violence, which later led to the consequential Texas Revolution. A group of American adventurers who intended to intercept Mexican silver shipments came face to face with a U.S. dragoon detachment, leading to a severe conflict. This confrontation significantly escalated the tension between Texas and Mexico, setting the stage for the revolution that would eventually help shape Texas’s iconic identity of being resolute and resilient.
Switching gears to a completely different historical milestone, another significant occurrence took place on August 20th, 1886. On this day, one of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history, referred to as the Indianola Hurricane of 1886, made a devastating landfall in Texas. The city of Indianola, a major port on Matagorda Bay, was completely destroyed and never fully rebuilt.