History of the Borders of Texas

Senator Nichols serves in the Texas Senate as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Business and Commerce, Finance, Local Government and Legislative Audit Committee and is a former member of the Sunset Advisory Commission.

Today Senator Nichols came to talk to us about the Texas border. Although border issues have been prominent in the news this past year, he brought a different presentation to us. His interest in history led him to research and prepare a presentation about how the Texas border was established and how it changed dramatically over the past decades.

It all began with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The offer to Napoleon to purchase New Orleans was ten million dollars. Napoleon said no to the offer, but counter offered to sell all the territory (827,000 acres) for fifteen million dollars. That amounted to about three cents per acre. The deal was struck, and the boundary was established. The area had not been explored and there was an area that went from Calcasieu Lake to Nacogdoches. the Neutral Ground that was disputed between the United States and Spain was not included in the Louisiana Purchase. It had no laws and no governance. Truly a dangerous place to live and appeared to be controlled by the Texas Vigilantes.

Fun fact – Texas has an International Boundary Marker (Est 1840) located on the Louisiana/Texas state line on LA HWY 765 and TX FM 31.

Texas was claimed by six countries: France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy during the Civil War and the United States of America. Through all these periods of time, Texas boundaries were changed numerous times. Deals were made, land was purchased, land was sold and there were many wars, invasions, and treaties. (Battle of Gonzales - 1835; Battle of the Alamo - 1836, Battle of San Jacinto – 1836, Treaties of Velasco, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – 1848 to name a few).

On February 28, 1845, the Republic of Texas was granted statehood as the 28th state in the United States of America. Texas was allowed to keep its public lands and tidal lands in exchange for the payment of a ten-million-dollar debt. The Compromise of 1850 allowed for a large portion of Texas-claimed territory to be ceded to the federal government. This included what is now parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Thus, the boundary changed again.

Today the Texas boundary is established and has become an icon. The shape of the state is recognized worldwide. Thank you, Senator Nichols, for a lesson in our state’s struggle to gain independence and statehood.