The birthplace of Texas independence
Gonzales, Texas, never forgets its explosive history, said Jordan Breal in Texas Monthly. The site of the first battle in the Texas Revolution, this small town at the confluence of the Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers has built a small tourism industry around a single 2-foot-long cannon. The cannon, which some consider authentic, sits proudly inside the Gonzales Memorial Museum, where visitors can read about how 18 local men once held off Mexican army troops who’d marched into town demanding the weapon. The underdogs’ flag debuted a motto—“Come and Take It”—that’s since become an unofficial state motto. The conflict’s first shot was fired on Oct. 2, 1835, seven miles away in today’s Cost, where the site is pinpointed by a humble marker. In downtown Gonzales, the oldest attractions date from the 1840s, because the early Gonzales was burned to the ground, a victim of the war it started.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.