Prince uncovers 19th-century plot to make Texas German

The Scotsman ^ | Fri 5 Sep 2003 | ALLAN HALL IN BERLIN

[donmeaker]

In California we have a fence, so "Wire back" would be the correct, but less common term. Of course NY has a large Puerto Rican population. I have heard "salty wetback" to distinguish them.

At one point, the path of the Rio Grande changed, and a town found themselves on the US side, after having been Mexicans all their life. Since then, one course of the Rio Grande has been mapped and surveyed, and that surveyed location is the boundary, no matter what the actual river may do in the future.

[Ranger]

You can bet the US spy was tipped off by Sam Houston. He also used overtures by Britain to prompt the U.S. to annex Texas.

[Ben Ficklin]

All the Texas "Urban Cowboys" down at the honky tonks know how to do the "Schottish"(sp). Recall the O.D.H.S. and S.P.J.S.T. Halls and their Saturday night socials. I recall these places, as a west Texas teen-ager in the 50s, as a place where young men were served beer and a great place to party.

Note the heavy influence of the Germans on Mexican music. Most of the Mexican bands have an accordian player and much of that music has a "oom-pah-pah" beat.

[RaceBannon]

You're gonna love this!

[woofer]

Das gut!
I appreciate a good sausage and beer culture!

Ach! der Lieber. Gott in Himmel! As a fourth generation German-American, I can appreciate your sentiments. The area of Illinois where I grew up is heavily Germen and Swiss-German stock. Ensconced between the Mississippi Bluffs and the Bounty Lands of the old Northwest Ordinance, controlling the prairie-land west of the Kaskaskia and its major contributary Shoal Creek it's a lively place to be during the spring, summer and fall. The county adjacent to my birthplace is of "Anglander" munchen. Wildly pilloried during my youth because of their status as a dry county.

BTW, My father (3rd Gen) was roused from his berth on a troopship loading for North Africa and sent to New Guinea due to his thick German accent, English was always a second language to him. Sadly (he never forgave the army for their treatment of him) we kids were never taught the German language. The old hometown didn't print an English language newspaper until 1935.

[dfwgator]

A lot of that part of Texas is German. And Czech and Polish.

Yep, the Texas State Flag is just a Polish flag with the blue field and lone star added to it. The first Polish settlement in the US was in Panna Maria, which is just south of San Antonio.

[Charliehorse]

The story in central texas is that a peice of land on which an englishman would go broke on, a german could make a living on, and a czech could get rich on.

[Charliehorse]

The first settlere os San Antonio were from the Canary Islands. They were brought here by the Sapaniards.

[TC Rider]

Wasn't this an episode of the "Wild Wild West"?

[mtbopfuyn]

Thus, it was easier to reach East and Central Texas via New Orleans than via the lesser port of Galveston.

Um, no. Nassau (now Nassau Bay) and Carlshafen (correct spelling was Karlshafen now Indianola) are both on the coast. Nassau Bay is an inlet near Galveston and Indianola is between Galveston and Corpus Chrisi.

not always documented at the US end

Well, if the author can claim the above cities are still named Nassau and Carlshafen I suppose he can claim they were US cities...

But the group soon discovered it was unsuitable for farming

Oh, reallllly???

[Prodigal Son]

I was referring to why the weapons weren't registered or noted by US Customs.

[Ditter]

It is only about 300 miles from Galveston to New Brunsfel not 1500. but it was still a rough trip back then I'm sure.

[stand watie]

interesting.

[stand watie]

in TX, when i grew up 40-odd years ago, these folks were called Adelsteins,i.e.- Precious Stones.

this is NOT a new theory, but rather a re-cycled one.

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

true.

remind me sometime to tell you of the FRENCH COMMUNISTS, who plotted to take over what is today northern TX & all of OK!

that's quite a story. the Comanches had OTHER ideas!

they were called the La Reunionistas.

free dixie,sw

[BlazingArizona]

This lays out an interesting scenario. What if....the mass part of what we consider Texas today...had turned into a German Republic in the 1840s? With strong German immigration...it would have been fairly populated by the 1860s. This German Republic would have had a significant impact on the civil war...possibly delaying this entire war by 10 years or so because of American worries about the German Republic. Its also likely that the US government would have eventually taken on the Germans and started a Texas war....to ensure that the region stayed American. Lots of scenarios here.

Schnell - Someone call Harry Turtledove!

[Paleo Conservative]

It is only about 300 miles from Galveston to New Brunsfel not 1500. but it was still a rough trip back then I'm sure.

But easily observed. It's quite possible the Republic of Texas would have confiscated the cargo or the US would have become alarmed.

[DeaconBenjamin]

Heard a great story on NPR discussing how the German accordion became an influence on Mexican music. I must have a tin ear; a Mexican virtuoso played the same tune in German and Mexican style, and I couldn't hear much difference.

[DallasMike]

So this ancestor of mine who immigrated from Germany to Texas in 1838 was an invader? The story always has been that he wasn't the dirt-poor immigrant that was portrayed.

 

Very interesting article, by the way, even if you aren't part of the family. He and I actually resemble one another a little bit, except that I don't quite have the Charles Manson look in my eyes.

 

[Tired of Taxes]

My vote goes to you for the funniest post of the day.