The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901 Page: 54
366 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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54 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
A RETROSPECT OF SAN ANT'ONIO.1
MRS. EMILY B. COOLEY.
To the student of Texas history San Antonio is Rome. All roads
lead hither; all roads hence.
'The first grant or deed of land in the city to an individual was
in the year 1727. 'These grants or deeds were often verbal, depend-
ing for their proof ion witnesses and occupation of the land. In 1Vay,
1749, it was decreed by 'Gov. Pedro de Barrio Junca Espilla that
"from this time forward all titles, grants, etc., of any nature be put
in writing to avoid discord," or, as. the quaint ,old record puts it,
"una Guerra." IThe first recorded grant of land was on Soledad
Street in .1744, the same year in which the street received its title
of Solitary.
It is said that the mortar used in the construction of the various
missions in and around San Antonio, especially that for the domes,
abutments and altars, was mixed with milk furnished largely from
the corrals of private families, who in their holy zeal made daily
sacrifices in order that the good friars might not be disappointed in
the necessary supply; and the children, inspired with hope of' what
was to be a veritable St. Peter's, are said to have toiled at piling
the small stones .and pebbles in smooth heaps for ready use, often
handing them to the workers, who labored slowly but faithfully on.
So grew old iSan Fernando.
Three sides of the stone wall which enclosed its, church square,
the first "Campo S.antoP of the city, within which slept the dead of
the parish, were torn .away in the early seventies. The piece facing
west is part of the original wall.
Just across Galan street, on the corner of Military Plaza, stood
the building2 that tradition says was honored by the presence of
Santa Anna -on the night previous to the occupation 'of 'San An-
tonio and siege of the Alamo. In this block was the old Cassiano
Read before the joint meeting of the Texas Veterans' Association and
the Daughters of the Requlbli'c at -San Antonio, April 21, 1900.
2Torn down in 1895.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 4, July 1900 - April, 1901, periodical, 1901; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101018/m1/60/?rotate=270: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.