February 23rd in 1836, the siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, TX, a pivotal moment in the Texas Revolution. This event, along with others, eventually led to Texas gaining independence from Mexico.
In 1848, the Texas legislature formally created Gillespie County out of Bexar and Travis counties, a move that would have lasting implications for the state’s local government.
Perhaps one of the most notable events in Texas history occurred on this day in 1861, when voters ratified an ordinance that would withdraw Texas from the Union. Texas was the seventh state to secede from the Union, and this decision had far-reaching consequences for the nation as a whole.
On a more somber note, in 1911, Quanah Parker, the last fighting chief of the Comanche in Texas, died from an undiagnosed illness in Oklahoma. Parker’s legacy is an important part of Texas history and the history of Native American tribes in the state.
Finally, in 1999, white supremacist John William King was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering James Byrd Jr. in a shocking and tragic crime that horrified the nation.