The Cove

I attended a jazz performance at a restaurant/bar called The Cove. The Cove is located downtown San Antonio off Cypress Street. Several companies that are around this restaurant are San Antonio College, the VIA bus station, and Exxon. When walking into the Cove, a bar is located on the right side and the stage is located in the front. On the left side of the restaurant, there is an entrance to the outside patio. In this patio there is a playground for the children to play and an outdoor fire place. Costumers have the option of sitting in an opened area or underneath a cover. The majority of the audience were people who are acquainted to someone in the band one way or another. Not only were they acquainted to the band member but, they were also acquainted with the people working at The Cove. The types of people that attended the night I did varied. There were the families with children outside by the playground while the real conservative older couples were inside. The overall age group of the audience was around fifty. Throughout the restaurant, beautiful art pieces that relate to music were displayed against the walls. The Cove has a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The night I attended the band that was playing was called Big Band Jazz. This band is composed of about fifteen band members. The night we went, the youngest band member of the group happened to be celebrating his 21st birthday. The instruments that were used were drums, trombones, a piano, a guitar, saxophones, tenor saxophones, trumpets, and a base. Overall, the band put on a great performance. At the beginning of the show the band had a rough start. On the very first song of the night, a band member started playing the wrong song. But, as they performed a few more songs they made up for this mess up. The band performed a variety of music using all types of tempos. Some of the songs that they performed were “Lighthearted”, “Route 66”, and “Amazing Love.” These music pieces ranged from pieces that had a slow sexy tempo to a really up beat dance song. The band did a great job with getting the audience involved. They pulled people out of the audience to sing along with the song they were playing. The band members looked like this was something that they enjoyed doing for a hobby. They were all on beat with each other and well acquainted with one another. I enjoyed everything from the band to the place it was at. I highly recommend that if you have never been to The Cove, the next time you are looking for something to do you come here. The Cove has an event taking place every night whether it is a band or not. I would definitely come back to The Cove to see the band again. I do plan on attending another band performance or an event that may be taking place.

Gruene, Texas

Gruene, Texas is a historical land mark town that is visited by people from all of the United States. Individuals such as actor John Travolta, singer Vanilla Ice, Texas Governor Rick Perry, singer Cody Canada from Cross Canadian Ragweed, and country singers George Straight and Robert Earl Keen, Jr. are just a few who have visited this town (The Gristmill, 2007). Gruene is located north of San Antonio, west of Houston, and south of Austin. According to The Handbook of Texas Online, “Gruene was originally three miles north of New Braunfels at a crossing on the Guadalupe River in Comal County.” Today, Gruene resides in New Braunfels city limits (Gruene, 2008). To get to Gruene from San Antonio you need to get onto Interstate Highway 35. While on Interstate Highway 35 go north towards Austin. Get off on exit 191 and go underneath the bridge which will take you west. Drive one and a half miles till you hit Hunter Road and take a left. At this point you should be able to see the Gruene water tower. If you do not see the water tower it is possible that you are going to the wrong way. Once you take a left, go down half a mile and you should come up to what I consider the back side of Gruene. If you drive all the way down Hunter Road the road will eventually T into Gruene Road. Right at the T of the intersection, Gruene Hall is located. If you take a right at the intersection, Gruene Road will lead you down to the Guadalupe River. Located on both sides of Hunter Road are antique shops. A winery is also located on the left side of Hunter Road right next to the Gruene General Store.

The town was established by German immigrants, Ernst and Antoinette Gruene and their two sons. Ernst and Antoinette Gruene decided to settle along the Guadalupe River outside of the city limits of New Braunfels because there was a shortage of land within the city limits. Their younger son of the two boys, Henry D. Gruene, constructed most of the buildings that are still used today. These buildings are now used for the Gruene Mansion Inn, Lone Star accessory store, Gruene Haus food store, Gruene General Store, and Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. Henry D. Gruene planted most of the vast land with cotton. This cotton industry sky rocketed and brought around thirty more families to settle in what is now known as Gruene. The families eventually over time, with the help of the cotton industry, begin to make this land into a town. The town began thriving with buildings like the cotton gin, mercantile store, and dance hall being built. In 1920, Gruene started taking a turn for the worse beginning with the lost of Henry. The town eventually disappeared once boll weevil and the depression hit. Today, Pat Molak and Mary Jane Nalley have restored the town into the town that it once was (History, 2004). I had the privilege of meeting a local, Calvin Fresne, who works in what is now known as the Gruene Antique Company. The Gruene Antique Company is located at the T where Gruene Road and Hunter Road meet. Fresne told me that Gruene Antique Company was at one point in time the Mercantile store. He gave me a tour of the building to show me what it was once used for and what it is not used for today. Fresne explained to me that the building was a one point of time a three story building that contained three different businesses. As soon as you walk in the entrance, you are entering the main floor which was once the Gruene bank. The only thing that still is used today from this bank is the vault. The vault is located in the first room to the right. Fresne showed me to the back of the store where a hand made elevator once stood. He explained that the elevator was used to get upstairs to where a car store and the offices were located. He then showed me to the middle of the room where a wooden stairway once stood. Today, all that I could see was a wooden floor that covered the entrance. This stairway leads down stairs to what was once a wine seller. Calvin Fresne was able to give me some back ground information about the history of the town as well. He explained that if you took a left at the T and go down Gruene Road the little towns of Hortonville and Saduna once stood. Today, the only thing that remains of Hortonville is a church and cemetery while nothing remains of Saduna. While concluding the interview, he explained that today Larry Lehr owns more property in Gruene than any one else.

One of the most popular attractions in Gruene is the old cotton gin. The cotton gin was established in 1878 along the Guadalupe River. It is located right behind Gruene Hall off Gruene Road. The river was used for the power source for the cotton gin. Many people living in the area relied on this cotton gin for a way of living. The cotton gin was used by the local farmers to process their cotton crops. In 1922, shortly after the lost of Henry, the cotton gin was destroyed by a fire. Today, the only thing that remains is the three story broiler room. This three story broiler room has been transformed into the Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. Still sitting along the Guadalupe River, tourists come to eat and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river. Anita Lafferty moved to New Braunfels about four years ago. She is currently employed as a waitress at Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. In an interview with Anita Lafferty she stated, “Most of the people who come to this town are tourists. We treat everyone like a tourist whether they are or not. Most of the locals tend to take a defense to this because they don’t want to be treated like one.” The Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar opened in 1977. It has a great laid back family oriented atmosphere. While walking up to the Gristmill, the thing that immediately caught my attention was the unique look of the building. It looks like an old rustic brick building with a wooden roof that has a big round glass window in the middle. Located outside to the left of the restaurant, a beautiful garden is found. This natural landscaped garden contains tables and restrooms which is used as a waiting area for people who are waiting to be seated at a table. The costumers also have outside and inside access to the restaurant’s bar to grab a drink while waiting. While inside the restaurant I was able to see that the entire multi-level broiler room is made out of wood. Going farther into the restaurant, several separate rooms contain native stone fireplaces. The restaurant offers indoor as well as outdoor dining. They serve a variety of food anywhere from steaks to fresh fish and chicken to sandwiches.


Gruene is a great place to visit whether it’s for a day or a weekend. I highly recommend that you come and visit this once historical ghost town. Randy Ramon, a tourist from California, stated, “Coming to Gruene I have had a really great experience. It reminds me of the old black and white tv shows because it is a small town where everyone is really friendly.” Gruene host several events to get tourist to come visit the town. One of the most common events that takes place is the Gruene Market Days. It is over 100 vendors with handmade crafts and food. The Market Days are held every their weekend from February through November. I have attended the Market Days twice and they have things from jewelry to house decorations to anything that deals with wine. Some other events that are held are the Christmas Market which is the first weekend in December, American Music Jam in May, Texas Metal Arts Festival in September, Gruene Music and Wine Fest in October, and Tour de Gruene which is a bicycle tour for local charities in November.

Local Art

Over the past few weeks we have studied various different types of art works. I attended Guillan 35 located in Lytle, Texas, which is a privately owned art gallery. The gallery along with the art pieces belongs to Anthony Guillan. I was very privileged to meet the artist because he gave me his inside feelings about the art pieces. Guillan displays around two hundred art pieces that are composed from anything he can get his hands onto. Most of his art pieces are oil and water color medium. Other art pieces are made with chairs, eye glasses, sheets of metal, wood, water hoses, and so forth. The two pieces that I chose to write on have not been giving names. Guillan informed me that neither pieces are done but, until he gets the material to finish them he put them on display.


The piece of art that impressed me the most is composed of metal from a Volkswagen. It is a painting as well as a sculpture. This art piece is very colorful and immediately catches ones eye. I was drawn to this piece of art because of its overall look. The art piece is an illustration of an opened mouth. Within the mouth, he painted teeth which included cavities and all the thousands of germs. Guillan stated that this piece of art is his interpretation of the Rolling Stones. The first thing that caught my eye was the bright red lips and tongue. Within the red lips the value is both light and dark. Once focusing on the piece, I noticed that it is asymmetrical. The bottom lip is thicker than the top lip and the painting is not equally divided in the middle. I would consider this piece of art three-dimensional because the tongue protrudes out away from the painting.
The whole art piece is flat except for the tongue. I would also consider the art pieces a little rough and a little shiny. It is a type of art piece that the contrast between the colors is obvious. My overall impress of the piece of art is that it is absolutely beautiful. I don’t care for art that much but, I would buy this piece. The way he put the pieces together shows us that it has the sense of making it visionary. While making this piece the artist used a lot of imagination. The message I got from this piece was that the mouth contains lots of germs.


The second piece of art is made with blue jean pants and jackets. It is a painting that has a free formed frame. It does not catch the audience’s attention right away. After taking several minutes to view the piece, I realized that it is an illustration of the United States reversed. Guillan explain that the reason he put the United States backwards was because of a comment he heard on television. It was an interview of a foreigner and he stated that “You American will never understand us can you don’t see yourselves from the inside out.” I found it really striking that the art piece was made out of clothes. Guillan placed the clothing in a certain form and combined them together with glue. He used cement ties not to hold it together but, to represent the binding of keeping the United States together. The colors used in this piece are all naturally light colors except for the outlining border. This piece of art is asymmetrical because the right side of the painting is bigger than the left side. I consider this piece three-dimensional because the pants are full pants with the pockets and zippers and because he also uses wire. The texture of the art piece is rough and dull. Using natural colors gives the dull look to the painting. The contrast is subtle between the colors. My overall impression of the piece is that it is amazing how he uses the pants and jackets to make this. I feel it is a peacefully piece of art because it ties all the states in the United States together.

I didn’t see any disadvantages of viewing the art pieces in person. The advantage of seeing the art pieces in real person is that I was able to meet the artist. By doing this he gave me all the background information behind each piece. Another advantage is that I was able to see every little detail in the art pieces. While viewing them online you can’t enlarge the picture so I missed some of the elements in the paintings. Another disadvantage of viewing them online is I have dial up so it takes about an hour for one page to display. But on the other side, the advantage of doing it online is that it saves me time and gas to go to a gallery.

AGUA

Elyzabeth Earnley did a fantastic performance on behalf of AGUA. AGUA, Aquifer Guardians in Urban Areas, is a non-profit organization that relies on grants and donations to keep the organization striving. The organizations main focus is on protecting the Edwards Aquifer. For the beginning of her presentation we recapped what we have already talked about in previous class periods. She discussed where the Edwards Aquifer is located and the people who rely on it. The Edwards Aquifer lies within the counties Edwards, Kerr, Real, Bandera, Kendall, Comal, Hays, Travis, Bexar, Medina, Uvalde, and Kinney. San Antonio along with millions of other people in Central Texas benefit from this aquifer. The aquifer is broken down into four different zones. These zones are the contributing zone, the recharge zone, transition/artesian zone, and the artesian zone. The contributing zone is an area where rainfall is collected. This water passes through the limestone formation to the recharge zone. The water is then held within the artesian zone until it is dispersed. After Earnley explained the Edwards Aquifer, we looked into environmental issues that affected it. These issues lead to contamination of the aquifer which would be impossible to clean once it is highly contaminated. The issue that is affecting the aquifer the most would be contractors using the “grandfathering clause.” The “grandfathering clause” allows contractors to use someone else’s property plan or documents which go back into the properties history to build over the recharge zone. The contract could have nothing to do with this land at the time of the document but, are still allowed to use it as their own document. Earnley has stood in front of numerous city meetings using documents from SAWS, the Edwards Aquifer, and the actual case trying to prevent the construction to take place. While rapping her speech up we were put into groups to view actual cases that have taken place. Our objective was to see if the contractors were allowed to build what they wanted on that location with no restrictions.

Historical Hotel

Originally built in 1893, Alice Lytle built a hotel as a way to support her five children as well as her mother-in-law. After the death of her first husband Alice was remarried to B.B. Rose. Locals eventually renamed the building to the Rose Hotel, which is now known as the Gidley house. Today, the Gidley house is the oldest intact building in the little town of Lytle. In the future, the Gidley house will be transformed into the Lytle city Museum.

The way the house is faced, the front side of the house is located on Oak Street. The house is located on the upper left side corner of the property. It is a two story white house with a light green tin roof. The overall structure of the house is overwhelming. The first floor of the house has an open decked porch that wraps around to the left side. The second level of the house has a netted in porch. Along the second level there is a walkway with doors leading into the various rooms.

The right side of the house was renovated in the early 20th century to include a kitchen, bedroom sleeping porch, and bathrooms. On the right side of the property, a closed in two car garage sits between the Gidley house and Alice’s personal house. This garage could have been the parking garage for the people staying in the hotel or it could have been used for storage. Sitting a little towards the back right side of this garage is an open sided shed.
The shed seems to have been used as another garage. To the right of this shed is Alice’s personal house. This house is located on the lower right corner of the property. This little one story house is medium in size and extends out onto the back right side of the property towards Main Street. If the big two story house was a hotel, she needed somewhere to live with her family. Like the Gidley house, the front of the little house is facing towards Oak Street. It is also made with the same material that the hotel was made of. On the right side of the house the property ends. There is a road directly next to the house, South Bank Street, with the Lytle Volunteer Fire station across it.

Along the left side of the house is a lower and upper walkway connected by a case of stairs. Just below the staircase is a green wooden two person swing. Behind the staircase is a door leading into a guest room. On the upper level deck, there is nothing but a room and the entrance into the netted porch. The back side of the house is located on Main Street. If you were to walk straight out the back door, you would walk right into the middle of the street. The back side of the house is plain with the exception of windows.

In an artistic view, the property is asymmetrically balanced. While glancing at the property, the main focus goes straight to the Gidley house. The bright white color of the house draws the attention away from the dull colored businesses located around it. Being that the houses are made out of wood, the textures of the houses are rough.

Mitchell Lake

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center is located on the South side of Bexar County. “The land consists of the 600 acres of Mitchell Lake, 215 acres of wetland and ponds, and 385 acres of upland habitat.” (1) Mitchell Lake was discovered by Spanish settlers who gave it the name “Laguna de los Patos” which means “Lake of the Ducks.” “By the late 1800’s, the Mitchell family owned and used this area for waterfowl hunting.” Later on it was purchased by the City of San Antonio and turned into a waste dump. “In the late 1930’s the Rilling Toad Wastewater Treatment Plant was built upstream of the lake to handle increased capacity and to improve effluent water quality. The Rilling Road Wastewater Plant continued to discharge into the lake until 1987 when Dos Rios Water Treatment Plant came on-line.” (2)




While visiting Mitchell Lake, I was a little disappointed as to what I saw. I expected to see a well maintained bird resort. To start off with, while walking around I could hear what sounded like gun shots. The shots sounded like they were coming from the other side of the lake of where we were standing. I found it really strange because this is supposed to be a safe habitat for birds. Along the walking trails, I could see scraps of metal and piles of rocks just lying around. I don’t know if this is because they are doing construction but, I feel that it should be stored up safely to where no one can get access to it. Everywhere you look there are these long and thin stick looking things which need to be maintained. I also saw huge trees, trunk and all, lying within the lake and ponds. I feel that this is a really big turn off to the beauty in which the land has. On the good side of the trip, we saw various species living here. We didn’t see too many birds but, were able to see tons of frogs, snakes, flowers, and trees. We also enjoyed just walking around admiring nature.








I feel that Mitchell Lake has come along way within the years. But, I do feel they still need to make several changes to fix some problems. I recommend that the center cleans up the metal and piles of rocks lying around. People are going out to see a clean beautiful piece of land, not a dirty one. I feel that some of these trees need to be pulled out of the lake and ponds. Some of the trees need to stay for the birds to rest on but, too many trees are just an eye soar. I also feel that they need to shred the land. By shredding the land it will decrease the number of snakes. It will also eliminate the thick layer of moss that is on the ground. The workers could plant various plants and tress and it would also give the flowers a chance to grow.





Sources
1. http://www.tx.audubon.org/Mitchell_About.html
2. http://www.saws.org/environmental/mitchelllake/facts.shtml

My Hood

I live South of San Antonio in a very small farm town called Lytle, Texas. Lytle has an estimated population of about five thousand people. It is surrounded by the towns Somerset, Natalia, La Coste, and San Antonio. For being as little as Lytle is, it is made up of three different counties. The majority of Lytle lies in Atascosa County while, about a fourth of Lytle lays within Medina and Bexar County put together. To get to Lytle from Palo Alto College, you get on Loop 410 towards Ingram Mall till you hit Interstate Highway 35. Once you come up to I.H. 35 you will exit I.H. 35 South towards Laredo which takes you into a loop around. Once you are officially on 35 South you will continue to head South on 35 passing a little town called Von Ormy. Continue South on 35 past Von Ormy, 1604, Kinney Road, Shepherd Road, and Lucky Road. You can either take the first or second exit after the Lucky Road exit which will both take you into Lytle.

To get to my house you would take the first exit you come up to after Lucky Road. Once you exit you will start to go up a little hill. Be careful and look to make sure the traffic on the left side is yielding to you. There is a blind spot for the people yielding to you and wrecks occur here all the time. Once you clear this section you will immediately take a turn to the right. If you go down the hill and pass a Valero you have gone way too far. Once you turn right you will continue to follow the road through a curve. On this curve you will pass a Plant Nursery and G’s Liquor store. Shortly passed G’s Liquor store you will see a daycare. Continue to pass the daycare and you will see a road to the left called Maurren Path. Take a left on this road and go down half way till you see another road to the left. This road to the left does not have a name because it is not even a mile long. Go down this little road and it dead ends at my gate.

While you go down that tiny road you will see four houses. Three houses are on the right side of the road and one is on the left side. Because the way my house faces, the house on the left side of the road is directly behind my house. Now I don’t make a big deal about it but, this house raises chickens and rosters. It does get pretty annoying because a lot of the chickens and roosters are not cooped up and roam around my yard. On the left side of my house that daycare you passed on the way is here. I have never had problems with the daycare and I don’t mind living next to it. In front of my house is the back side of the property to the liquor store. The owners are a really nice middle aged couple who I would consider to be the neighborhood watch people. At one point in time, the owners planted about twenty trees here. When looking out the front windows of the house all you can see are these beautiful trees. Now to the right side of me are those three houses. Between my gate and these three houses there is an empty land lot. I have not lived here at this location too long so, I am not sure who these neighbors are. I have not had any problems with them and they are always quiet. I would consider my neighborhood to be middle class. These houses and businesses that surround my house are all in decent shape. The owners take the time to keep them up pretty well.

On the curve where the businesses are located, Lytle city limits end. Because I don’t live within the city limits of Lytle it takes emergency help from the Bexar County Sherriff department about an hour to arrive. To get to downtown Lytle where H.E.B, True Value, Sonic, Bill Millers, and etc. are located it takes about five minutes. From where I live I am able to get to work within a minute or two. I have the privilege of having a job right next to my house. For this reason I don’t have to drive to work. This daycare that I have mentioned a few times would happen to also be where I work. There is an average of one hundred and thirty children that attend. After a long hard day of work, I don’t have to drive any where to get stressed out even more over traffic. Because I work around thirty to forty hours a week and go to school thirteen hours, I don’t have much time to play.

I would never give up living in my small towns for a big town like San Antonio. I enjoy everything about where I live. It’s going to be hard for me to let this place go when I move to the big town of Kingsville next year.

The Battle of the Alamo film

The Battle of the Alamo film that I watched was the film which John Wayne stared in. History that once lived is eventually told later on in years. But, in these following years the story is transformed into events that could or could not have taken place at the time. Some historians or film producers will become overwhelmed by their personal attitudes and tell the audience the way they think the event took place. Another factor that can be the reason for the way the film was produced is the year the film was made. I feel that the movie did a great job with staying on top of the events that really took place. I was a little disappointed with the film due to the fact that it was lacking the San Jacinto battle. If I am correct the San Jacinto battle did have a part to do with the Alamo battle.

When learning about the Alamo, I was taught that there were some Mexicans who fought in the battle on the Anglo side. These individuals are also known as Tejanos. In the film I noticed that not one person on the Anglo side was Mexican or Tejano. Though I didn’t see this, I did see an African American fighting for the Anglos. I feel that this was an important factor in the battle and it should not have been left out in the film. The Tejanos were simply not given the credit they should have received.

I feel that in the movie the Mexican forces did not meet the standards of what they are made to be. I know General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna as a dictator. The film did not do a good job pointing this out. To me, he seems like a normal laid back guy just fight for his country. Another thing that I saw was when not in battle them seemed like nice people. In a few scenes the Anglos and Mexicans talk but at an appropriate level. Being that there was a battle that was going to take place it should have been a little tenser between the two sides. The film did do a good job of showing the numerous soldiers who participated in the battle and the way they dressed.

The Anglos in the film seemed to have been giving the credit for being drunks and always partying. I noticed that most of the time in the film Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and their crew were either drinking or were already drunk. One factor for the men being presented this way may be the fact that in a lot of the western movies this is what it consist of. I found it funny how the main battle took place after the scene where Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie stole the livestock from the Mexicans. I don’t think that was the exact reason for the main battle to occur.

The film may not necessarily be wrong about the way they present the movie to show what happened that particular day. Different versions and attitudes affect the way films are produced. Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William B. Travis will always be known for this great battle no matter what way it may be told.

Mision San Antonio de Valero

My trip to the Alamo was an enjoyable and educational experience. Even though I didn’t get to take the tour with the class, I still gained a lot of information. While walking around the Alamo, I discovered that most of the history is located within the Long Barrack. While strolling in the Long Barrack, I viewed paintings, stories, and artifacts. The problems that I saw was the stories only told the Texas version to the story and there was nothing negative about it.

As history has shown General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the leader for the Mexican army. I have been taught that Santa Anna was a bad leader who was a dictator. They treated the people unfair and due to this Texas wanted its independence. On the other side Santa Anna may have been seen as a great leader. Mexicans may see him as someone who tried to protect the land that was once theirs. To some individuals he may be considered a hero for what he did.

I am not trying to say that the items presented in the Alamo are not correct. As I stated earlier they just tell one side of the story. It would be nice to see both sides of the story told exhibited right next to each other. It would be wrong of me to judge him for whom he is. I don’t know both sides of the story. There is always a second part to every story. In this case the other part was just left out.

The beauty of Espada Dam

As a follow up to the visit of Mission Espada, I decided to make a trip to the Espada Dam. In South Texas where there is little rainfall, Espada Dam played a key role on the lifestyles of the people. Espada Dam is the oldest dam in Texas that is still used today. Espada Dam was built to retain water that could be used by the missionaries and Indians. The dam provides 4500 gallons of water per minute into the acequia system. Mission Espada relied heavily on the acequia system, which consist of Espada damn, for many purposes. The biggest use of the acequia system would be for irrigation purposes. Without the acequia system there would be no water for planting and harvesting crops. The colonist used floodgates to control the quantity of water sent to the various 400 acres of farm fields that needed to be irrigated. This acequia system was also used for washing various items, bathing, and power for mill wheels.


Till this day, Espada Dam still plays a major role in people’s lives. Farmers who live around the system still rely on it for irrigation.
In some cases it may still be used for washing and bathing purposes as well. But, on this trip I noticed that it was used for an entertainment attraction. There were individuals fishing, playing in the water, taking photographs, hiking the nature trails, and just enjoying the overall beauty of the area.


While approaching Espada dam heads on, the river advances far beyond one can see.
But, the first thing that caught my attention was the new Espada dam built right next the old one. This new dam is located on the right side of the old dam. The new dam is double to triple the size of the original dam. But, when comparing the two dams there is a major difference in the way they were built. The old dam was constructed by old rocks put together while, the new one is one big concrete wall. This is a perfect example that shows how today is a lot more advanced then the olden days. Towards the bottom of the old river mouth, the old river flows into the new river created by this new dam. Also on the right side a nature park and road have been established. The road cuts right down the middle of the new river that has been created by the new dam. To the left side of the road, tables and benches are present for individuals to overlook the two dams. To the left side of the old dam there is a cemetery on top of a hill just beyond the tree banks. I cannot prove that this cemetery was established by the colonist who once dominated this land. The brush country that once surrounded this dam has been cleared out to make it safe for tourist to come visit. As we may all speculate, this location looked completely different than it does when it was first established. It is neat to see that today we are influenced by the way people lived before our time.

San Francisco de la Espada

As a person living outside of San Antonio, I never really paid much attention to the missions in San Antonio. I never thought that these little run down buildings had so much history to their past. Getting older I can remember the very few times that I ever attended a mission. Our class trip to Mission San Francisco de la Espada was a very cold but truly an educational experience. Being taken along by a friend, I have recently gone to Mission Espada within this last year. But, we didn’t have the privilege of having a guided tour.


Weches, Texas is the hometown of what is known in that location as San Francisco de los Tejas. This San Francisco de los Tejas would soon be renamed to San Francisco de la Espada. Once located in East Texas, Mission Espada was eventually moved to the southern most point of all the missions located on the San Antonio River. This particular mission was made for about two hundred people to live in. While Mission Espada was located on the San Antonio River, the inhabitants relied heavily on it for irrigation purposes. On our tour throughout the mission we were able to see the acequia that was used for water carriage up to the mission. I find it fascinating that after roads were put in and the years have changed the location that were once fields the acequia is still visible. Due to having the river resource, the mission was considered an agricultural mission.


While walking through Mission Espada, it was easy to see that the bricks that no longer stand were once buildings that sheltered many. Out of all theses building that once stood, the only buildings that are still whole pieces are the church and school. In this church individuals were taught Christianity. Today the church serves as the focal point for tourist. As the years have progressed all the buildings have either fallen or have been restored. Today, all we can see are signs showing and explaining to us the purpose of the building that once stood. To people today we will never be able to see the true life of how this system really worked.