Who is bowie texas named after

Bowie is an incorporated community on U. Highway 81 fifteen miles southwest of Montague in southwestern Montague County. In , when the tracks of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway were built through the area, local settlers who had been there since the early s moved to the site of the construction camps, and soon businesses appeared in canvas tents. A townsite was laid out on August 15, , and residents applied for a post office to be named for James Bowie.

On July 22, , residents voted to incorporate the new town. Bowie became a market and financial center for farmers and ranchers between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls. In it had a population of 1,, three hotels, a bank, a weekly newspaper, schools, and a number of churches. Bowie later became acquainted with Jean Lafitte, the legendary Gulf Coast pirate who was involved in illegal smuggling of enslaved people. Bowie and his brothers bought enslaved people who had been smuggled, declared that they had "found" them, and kept the money when they were sold at auction.

Later, Bowie came up with a scheme for acquiring free land. He falsified French and Spanish documents that said he had purchased the land in Louisiana. Thomas Harris Maddox—had agreed to fight a duel, and each man had brought along several supporters. Bowie was there on behalf of Wells.

The duel ended after both men shot and missed twice, and they had decided to let the matter drop, but a brawl soon broke out among the other men. Bowie fought viciously in spite of being shot at least three times and stabbed with a sword cane. Like many frontiersmen of the time, Bowie eventually became intrigued by the idea of Texas. He went there and found plenty to keep him busy, including another land speculation scheme and the charms of Ursula Veramendi, the well-connected daughter of the mayor of San Antonio.

By Bowie had moved to Texas, staying one step ahead of his creditors back in Louisiana. After fighting off a vicious Tawakoni attack while searching for a silver mine, Bowie won even more fame as a tough frontiersman. He married Veramendi in and took up residence in San Antonio. She would soon die tragically of cholera, along with her parents.

After disgruntled Texans attacked Nacogdoches in August of they were protesting a Mexican order to give up their arms , Stephen F. Austin asked Bowie to intervene. Bowie arrived in time to capture some fleeing Mexican soldiers. This made Bowie a hero to those Texans who favored independence, although it is not necessarily what Bowie intended, as he had a Mexican wife and a lot of money in land in Mexican Texas. In , war broke out between rebellious Texans and the Mexican army.

Bowie went to Nacogdoches, where he and Sam Houston were elected leaders of the local militia. He acted quickly, arming the men with weapons seized from the local Mexican armory.

Bowie and other volunteers from Nacogdoches caught up with a rag-tag army led by Stephen F. Austin and James Fannin. In late October , they laid siege to San Antonio , where Bowie's contacts among the population proved extremely beneficial. Many residents of San Antonio joined the rebels, bringing valuable intelligence with them. Bowie told his men to keep their heads and stay low.

When the Mexican infantry advanced, the Texans devastated their ranks with fire from their long rifles. The Texan sharpshooters also picked off artillerymen who were shooting the Mexican cannons. Disheartened, the Mexicans fled back to San Antonio. Bowie was once again hailed a hero. He was not there when Texan rebels stormed the city in the early days of December , but he returned shortly after.

General Sam Houston ordered him to demolish the Alamo, a fortress-like old mission in San Antonio, and a retreat from the city. Bowie, once again, disobeyed orders. Cowan, James W. Stallings and J. Cummins which became the downtown site of Bowie. The courageous, hardy and resourceful settlers decided to name the town Bowie after Texas hero James Bowie , a name synonymous with courage, strength and faith. The town incorporated in and became a market and financial center for farmers and ranchers between Fort Worth and Wichita Falls.

Churches, schools and fraternal organizations were established for the citizens and their children. By the mid-twentieth century, Bowie was the largest city in Montague County. From its humble beginnings as a railroad and farming community, Bowie has grown into a diverse city that embraces its strong heritage.

Downtown building painted windows Photo courtesy Mike Price , October Maintaining a strong civic commitment, the bank has provided financial assistance to local charitable organizations and provides a gathering place for local community groups. It has been an important part of county history for over one hundred years.

First Methodist Church Postcard courtesy www. Historical Marker: N. Burroughs and W. Mason, a missionary from the Baptist General Convention, met with fourteen local Baptists to organize the first Baptist Church at Bowie with Burroughs as its first pastor. Purchased from the masons in , that building burned in The congregation rebuilt on the site, only to see the new building burn in The next church building lasted until when the newly renovated structure burned.

The congregation consecrated a new white brick sanctuary on Easter Sunday in April In , the church campus expanded to include an education building. Members worshipped in the church until when a new sanctuary on the corner of Tarrant and Lindsay Streets was dedicated.

At that time the sanctuary became the fellowship hall. The third church pastor, J. Ward, preached at as many as seventeen churches in the north Texas circuit, sometimes being paid in eggs, chickens, and flour. In the early twentieth century, church member and author Fannie C. Potter wrote histories of both Montague County and the church. John C. Schulenberg's North Central Texas Mission itinerary in