Brian Williams, age 13, of Austin, Tex., for his question:
WHEN WAS TEXAS DISCOVERED?
Probably the first white man to see Texas was a Spanish sea captain named Alonso de Pined&, who was sent by the governor of Jamaica in 1519 to look along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico for s possible route to India.
Then two years later, Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico for Spain and the Texas territory was included in the conquest. Texas took its name from a tribe of Indians called the Tejas that lived in the eastern part of the state. Through the early years, a number of Spanish explorers toured the area.
In 1685 a Frenchman named Rene Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed part of the Mississippi River valley and Texas for France and built an outpost called Nacagdoches. The French didn't stay long, however.
After 1690 the Spanish started to settle Texas and began building missions. In 1718 San Antonio was established.
Then Spain started having trouble with the Mexican colonists. In 1821 they declared their independence and Texas came under Mexican control.
The first try to establish an American colony was also made in 1821, when a man named Moses Austin brought in some settlers. His plans were completed by his son, Stephen Austin.
A number of American settlements were established along the Gulf Coast between the present cities of Houston and Corpus Christi by 1835.
United States colonists soon became unhappy with the Mexican government and early in 1836 they drafted a Declaration of Independence. There were battles at the famous Alamo in San Antonio and at Golfad, which the Americans lost. Under the cry of "Remember the Alamo," and under the leadership of Gen. Sam Houston, the Texans defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto in April, 1836.
After the surrender of the Mexican armies, Texas became an independent republic with Gen. Houston as its first president.
About 10 years later, on Dec. 29, 1845, Texas was accepted into the United States and became the nation's 28th state.
During the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, Texas withdrew from the Union and joined the Confederate States. After the war, Texas was readmitted to the Union in 1870.
During the early years, farming and ranching were the most important ways in which people made their livings. Cotton was an important agricultural product and longhorn cattle were raised in large numbers on the grasslands.
As people started to move toward the west, thousands of homesteaders built homes and cultivate the lands. The population of Texas grew.
In 1900 the Powell petroleum field was discovered near Corsicans and a new era dawned in Texas history. In 1901 a great oil gusher named Spindletop was discovered in the Beaumont area. It was the first that had great commercial importance. Since then, many other huge oil fields have been discovered and developed.