San Jacinto Monument - Texas

Before Texas was part of the Estatos Unidos it was part of Mexico. I often joke that Mexico is steadily taking back Texas with so many of them immigrating. Considering Mexico's crime, corruption, and economy I don't blame Mexicans for wanting to move to the states. I like the Mexican people and with so much Spanish spoken in Houston I seem to be picking up on the language little by little just by listening to them talk. Not to mention their style of Tex Mex cooking is loved by all...

Everyone has heard of the Alamo and how Santa Ana defeated approximately 300 Texans with his large force of 5,000 soldiers. What people may be less familiar with is how Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. To make a long story short Sam Houston devised a plan to sneak up on Santa Anna and his troops (approximately 1,400 at the time) while they were taking an afternoon siesta next to the San Jacinto River just east of what is now the City of Houston. Sure enough they were caught off guard and very surprised. Santa Anna, also known as Napoleon of the West, ditched his flamboyant uniform and escaped. After about 2o min of fighting the battle was over and the Texans had won. Santa Anna's army saw approximately 600 casualties with a couple of hundred wounded. The rest were taken as prisoners. Santa Anna didn't get far before being captured. Shortly thereafter he signed a treaty to withdraw his troops form Texas in exchange for safe passed back to Mexico. By that time the Mexican Government was pretty disgusted with Santa Anna's defeat which rendered him powerless. Texas then became an independent republic until 1845 when it joined the United States...

The actual battle ground is located near the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. Now a part of the Houston Ship Channel. As a bird flies it's located about 20 miles or so directly east of downtown Houston. The area is preserved as an historical park and a very impressive 570 foot obelisk monument, with reflection pool, is built upon the grounds. It's surrounded by open space and protected grasslands. I haven't visited the monument is years so last week I decided to check it out...

There are a couple of different ways to access the San Jacinto Monument. I chose to take the path relative to the times of the San Jacinto Battle. This involved driving about 20 miles east on interstate 10 before exiting for a short drive south to catch the Lynchburg Ferry. The ferry first started running in 1822 and has been operating steadily since 1888. It's a small boat that offers a quick 5 minute trip across the San Jacinto River. From there you can seen the great monument. After the crossing it's a short drive to the actual grounds. Once there I gazed upon the reflection pond, rode the elevator to the top to observe the view, then took a short stroll amidst the grassland reserve upon a boardwalk. I found it to be a very pleasant and interesting place to visit. The sunny 70 degree weather made it especially nice. I've included a few photos of my visit..