TexasEscapes.com Texas Escapes Online Magazine: Travel and History
Columns: History, Humor, Topical and Opinion
Over 1800 Texas Towns & Ghost Towns
NEW : : TEXAS TOWNS : : GHOST TOWNS : : TEXAS HOTELS : : FEATURES : : COLUMNS : : ARCHITECTURE : : IMAGES : : SITE MAP : : SEARCH SITE
HOME
SEARCH SITE
ARCHIVES
RESERVATIONS
Texas Hotels
Hotels
Cars
Air
Cruises
 
  Texas : Features : Columns : All Things Historical

Indian tribe linked with Texas history

by Bob Bowman
Bob Bowman
Thousands of people drive through East Texas each year without the knowledge that an Indian reservation--one that played a role in the independence of Texas--exists within the pine forests.

The difficulties faced by the Alabama-Coushatta tribes to remain on their land and create economic opportunities for their people reach back to the 1830s.

The tribes saw their lands taken by white settlers and encountered setbacks that have wiped out other Indian reservations in the U.S.

Yet, the tribes remain steadfast and strong, continuing to maintain their humble root on lands between Livingston and Woodville..

The first historical reference to the tribe was in 1541 when Spanish explorer DeSoto noted a reference to the Alabama tribe in the area that would eventually become Alabama.

The tribe moved westward and settled in Mississippi and Louisiana before putting down roots in Mexican East Texas around 1787. The Coushattas soon joined the Alabamas.

Early in 1836, as Sam Houston's army was retreating eastward across Texas, pursued by the Mexican army under Santa Anna, many Texas settlers fled toward the Sabine River in the "Runaway Scrape."

As the revolutionary army marched toward San Jacinto, Houston sent a delegation to ask the Alabamas and Coushattas for assistance.

The delegation dispatched by General Houston to negotiate for the services of about 250 Alabama and Coushatta warriors arrived at Long King's Village several days before the battle of San Jacinto.

While the discussions were proceeding, the battle of San Jacinto was fought, and the services of the Indians were no longer needed.

Although the Alabamas and Coushattas did not participate militarily in the war, they were generous in their efforts to feed and care for settlers who passed through their villages in the Runaway Scrape.

“We helped them with food, shelter and crossing the Trinity River,” said Arnold Battise. who was born on the reservation. “Sam Houston was a friend to the Indians, so when he learned about our assistance, he became instrumental in having a reservation awarded to our tribe.”

The Alabama-Coushattas are the only native American group requiring members to be full-blooded, Battise says. “We want to survive and maintain our culture,” he said. “But we still need revenue to keep our culture alive.”

The Indians have tried several economic enterprises, a tourism program and a gaming center. The tourism program wasn’t a financial success and the gaming center was shut down for legal reasons.

One of the tribe’s efforts is to offer native language classes to tribal members, but of the 1,100 tribal members, only 300 speak the traditional language of their forefathers.

“We’ve changed our perspective because of what’s going on in the modern world,” said Battise, “but we want to maintain our long-standing heritage and culture.”
All Things Historical
June 16, 2008 Column.
Published with permission
A weekly column syndicated in 70 East Texas newspapers

(Distributed by the East Texas Historical Association. Bob Bowman of Lufkin is a former president of the Association and the author of more than 38 books about East Texas. He can be reached at bob-bowman.com..)


See East Texas

Bob Bowman's East Texas
A timely gift for any East Texan. Sample a little of East Texas here, a little there--and come away with a good helping of stories you might not know if you didn’t read this book.
Order Here
 
HOME | TEXAS ESCAPES ONLINE MAGAZINE | TEXAS HOTELS
TEXAS TOWN LIST | TEXAS GHOST TOWNS | TEXAS COUNTIES

Texas Hill Country | East Texas | Central Texas North | Central Texas South | West Texas | Texas Panhandle | South Texas | Texas Gulf Coast
TRIPS | STATES PARKS | RIVERS | LAKES | DRIVES | MAPS

TEXAS FEATURES
Ghosts | People | Historic Trees | Cemeteries | Small Town Sagas | WWII | History | Black History | Rooms with a Past | Music | Animals | Books
COLUMNS : History, Humor, Topical and Opinion

TEXAS ARCHITECTURE | IMAGES
Courthouses | Jails | Churches | Gas Stations | Schoolhouses | Bridges | Theaters | Monuments/Statues | Depots | Water Towers | Post Offices | Grain Elevators | Lodges | Museums | Stores | Banks | Gargoyles | Cornerstones | Pitted Dates | Drive-by Architecture | Old Neon | Murals | Signs | Ghost Signs | Then and Now
Vintage Photos

TRAVEL RESERVATIONS | HOTELS | USA | MEXICO

Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Recommend Us | Contributors | Staff | Contact TE
Website Content Copyright ©1998-2008. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. All Rights Reserved
This page last modified: June 16, 2008