This Day…

1824-Texas and Coahuila are organized as one of the states of the Mexican Federal Republic, now the single most important rival to U.S. dominance of North America.  Thousands of Americans have already settled in this area.

1805-Aaron Burr and General Wilkinson, commander of forces in the Mississippi Valley, hold a secret conference whose subject was never made public.

1846 – General Taylor heads back to supply base at Point Isabel and ask the governors of Texas and Louisiana to send 5000 volunteers.  The Mexicans cross the Rio Grande in force and lay siege to Fort Texas, under command of Major Jacob Brown.

1859-Fort Mojave is built on the banks of the Colorado River (Arizona) for the purpose or controlling the Mojave and Paiute at Beal’s Crossing.

1881 – Billy the Kid escapes from his cell in Lincoln, New Mexico.

1858 – Chinese are prohibited from landing at any port in California under the terms of a bill passed by Congress.

1856-Western Union Telegraph is established in New York to provide communications west of the Mississippi River.

1875 – Wyatt Earp is hired as a policeman in Wichita, Kansas.

1849 – Captain G. W. Paul leads the first party of 49ers along the Oregon Trail to the California gold rush.

1866-Robert Leroy (Butch Cassidy) Parker is born in Beaver, Utah.