August 23, 2009
WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES
by Virginia Scott
MUSEUM HAPPENINGS
This week was quiet with several of us committed to family matters including me. I want to thank LaVaun Kraft for working for me while I go on museum meetings and accompany husbands to appointments. It truly takes a village to keep the museum open for our visitors.
The museum staff is taking a field trip this week and I will have a full report next week. It has been a long time since the group has ventured to other museums to visit and learn from other groups so it should be full.
Remember to sign up as a representative from your town for our book on Lipscomb County. We need representatives for all areas.
HISTORICAL MUSINGS
Here are four historical tidbits from Texas History that happened in August.
- August 14 - the first newspaper, the Nacogdoches Texas Republican was printed by Eli Harris . He printed the paper for the Hames Long expedition with content on the military ad political operations going on in that quarter. The paper only published four issues.
- August 17 - Black Jack Ketchum is captured in New Mexico. Thomas Edward (Black Jack) Ketchum and his brother Sam were members of a gang of outlaws that terrorized Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. Tom tried singlehandedly to rob a train previously attempted by his brother Sam ( he was wounded )and he ,too, was wounded by the conductor and picked up from beside the tracks the next day. He was sentenced to death and was hung at Clayton, New Mexico on April 26,1901. It is theorized that Black Jack Ketchum may have inherited the nickname and reputation of Will "Black Jack" Christian.
- August 19 - Four Apache chiefs, accompanied by numerous followers, buried a hatchet along with other weapons in a peace ceremony in San Antonio. The ceremony signified the Apaches' acceptance of Christian conversion in exchange for Spanish protection from Comanche rainds, which had decimated the Apache population.
- August 20 - President Andrew Johnson, declaring that "the insurrection in the State of Texas has been completely and everywhere suppressed and ended," officially ended the Civil War by issuing a proclamation of peace between the United States and Texas. Johnson had declared a state of peace between the U.S. and the other ten Confederate states on April 2, 1866. The last land battle of the Civil War took place at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville on May 13, 1865, more than a month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.
Today is Tomorrow's history so make it interesting.
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