Texas History Timeline Highlights

Alonso Álvarez de Pineda

Explorer who mapped the Texas coastline in 1519.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

Founder of Fort Saint Louis in Texas in 1685.

San Antonio

City founded by Spanish settlers in Texas in 1718.

Mexico gained independence from Spain

Event leading to Texas becoming part of Mexico in 1821.

Stephen F. Austin

Recipient of permission to bring settlers to Texas in 1823.

Battle of Gonzales

Conflict marking the start of the Texas Revolution in 1835.

Texas Declaration of Independence

Document signed on March 2, 1836, declaring Texas' independence.

Battle of the Alamo

Event ending with Texan defenders' defeat on March 6, 1836.

Sam Houston

Leader of Texan forces at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836.

Republic of Texas

Established in September 1836.

Annexation by the United States

Event leading to Texas becoming the 28th state in 1845.

Mexican-American War

Conflict resulting in the United States gaining territories, including Texas.

Cattle ranching

Industry that began to flourish in Texas during the 1850s.

Secession from the Union

Event leading to Texas seceding from the United States in 1861.

Juneteenth

June 1865 event marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas.

Reconstruction

Significant political and social changes in Texas during the 1870s.

Texas state constitution

Document adopted as Texas' current state constitution in 1876.

Railroad expansion

Mode of transportation transforming Texas' economy in the 1880s.

Oil

Valuable resource discovered in Texas during the 1890s.

Texas oil boom

Beginning marked by an event in Beaumont, Texas, in 1901.