The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898 Page: 279
334 p. : ill., ports., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Real Saint-Denis. 279
accessible to Texas writers before this period can be satisfactorily
understood and explained. Other states have spent large sums
in procuring historical data from the archives of the European
countries. The State of Texas,the University of Texas,and the His-
'torical Association of Texas can not with impunity long shirk this
duty, which the world demands and expects of them. If one ques-
tions the importance of such matters he has but to look into our his-
tories and read the story of Saint-Denis. Even the children in our
schools are taught the pretty tale of love and adventure and leave
the subject without knowing that they have been studying an event
which materially influenced the ultimate destiny of the State in
which they hve,-which, in a great measure, decided that Texas
should be Spanish and not French, that the boundary between the
United States and Mexico should be the Sabine and not the Rio
Grande. Fictions of adventure and of heroic and manly deeds are
good things for children, and even for mature men, to read and en-
joy; but they should not be read in text-books of history. The story
of Saint-Denis is but one of a large number of such fictions that
have embedded themselves in our serious histories where one ex-
pects to find scholarly investigation and accurate statement. They
can be weeded out only by bringing together and making accessi-
ble the books and documents from which we must derive our in-
formation of the Spanish period of our history.
The documentary sources relative to the subject of Saint-Denis
seem to be especially abundant. I have already mentioned at some
length Dumont's memoirs, P6nicaut's Relation, Le Page du Pratz's
Histoire de la Louisiane, the Historical Journal of the Establish-
ment of the French in Louisiana, and some others; these are con-
temporary French accounts; they are by no means all the French
sources on this subject, but, so far as I know, they are the most
important. The Spanish accounts relative to this period are also
particularly abundant. The Testimonio de un Parecer has been
mentioned. The sworn statement which Saint-Denis made on his
arrival at San Juan as to the object of his journey now probably
reposes in the archives of the Mexican Republic. The minutes of
the junta de guerra of Dec. 2, 1716, held to discuss questions as to
the defence of Texas which Saint-Denis' appearance had aroused,
rests in the repository; this document covers several manuscript
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898, periodical, 1897/1898; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101009/m1/305/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.