March 2nd: I’d Rather be a Fence Post in Texas

March 2nd is a day dear to the heart of every native born Texan, or at least to those of us who paid attention in fourth grade history class. On this day in 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas, which it remained until 1845 when Texas became the 28th state in the union.

I was born in Lubbock, Texas, well after the Republic became a state; although, some days I feel like I might be old enough to have witnessed Sam Houston being sworn in as the first President of Texas.

Sam really wanted the state’s capital to remain in his namesake city of Houston where it had been established during the Republic’s existence. After much wrangling, though, the Capital was moved to the more central location of Waterloo. Thankfully that name didn’t stick, and the name was changed to Austin, in honor of Stephen F. Austin, Texas’ first Secretary of State, fondly thought of as The Father of Texas.

I didn’t intend this to be a lesson in Texas history, so I’ll stop right here before I make any (more) egregious mistakes that might cause a true Texas history buff to challenge me to a duel. Even at twenty paces, I’m not a very good shot.

I do want to leave you with a saying that evokes the spirit of Texas and Texans, though: “I’d rather be a fence post in Texas than the king of Tennessee.”—unknown.

And this song by Aaron Watson, with that title. https://youtu.be/emACEJzEUDo

Peace, people!