Timeline of San Antonio explained

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of San Antonio, Texas, United States.

18th century

• 1718 – San Antonio founded by Martín de Alarcón.^[1]
• 1718 – Mission San Antonio de Valero founded.
• 1720 – Mission San Jose founded.
• 1722 – Presidio San Antonio de Bexar built.
• 1731 – Juan Leal Goraz becomes first mayor.
• 1750 – Church of San Fernando completed.
• 1782 – Mission San Jose building constructed.

19th century

• 1811 – January 22: Juan Baptista de Las Casas, a retired captain from Nuevo Santander, along with several revolutionaries buoyed by the successes of Hidalgo's army in Guanajuato, march into town and arrest the Governors Herrera and Salcedo. Spain stops sending money for troops.
• 1813 – August: Battle of Medina occurs near town.
• 1821 – San Antonio becomes part of the Mexican Empire.
• 1835 - Oct 12 - Dec 11: Siege of Béxar
• 1836 – February 23 – March 6: Battle of the Alamo.
• 1837 – John William Smith becomes mayor.
• 1840 – March 19: Council House Fight.
• 1842 – September 17: Battle of Salado Creek occurs near town.
• 1845 – San Antonio becomes part of the new U.S. state of Texas.
• 1849 – Cholera epidemic.
• 1852 – St. Mary's Institute founded.
• 1853 – Public schools established.
• 1860 – Population: 8,235.
• 1865
  • U.S. Army Fort Sam Houston established.
  • Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas.^[2]
  • San Antonio Express newspaper begins publication.^[3]
• 1868 – Frost Bank established.
• 1871 – Mount Zion Baptist Church founded.
• 1872 – Alamo Literary Society formed.^[4]
• 1874 – Catholic Diocese of San Antonio^[5] and Temple Beth-El congregation^[6] founded.
• 1875 – Sociedad Benevolencia Mexicana founded.
• 1878 – Railroad begins operating.
• 1880 – Population: 20,550.
• 1881 – Evening Light newspaper begins publication.
• 1883 – San Antonio Brewing Company in business.
• 1884
  • March 11: Vaudeville Theater Ambush.
  • Societa Italiana di Mutuo Soccorso founded.
• 1885
  • Scholz's Palm Garden in business.
  • Alamo City Commercial College established.^[7]
• 1890 – Population: 37,673.
• 1891 – Battle of Flowers festival begins.^[8]
• 1891 – The San Antonio Fire Department established.
• 1894 – Peacock Military College established.
• 1896

• • Buckhorn Saloon and Gebhardt's Chili Powder Company^[9] in business.
  • Bexar County Courthouse built.
• 1897 – Ella Austin Orphanage established.
• 1898 – Woman's Club of San Antonio founded.
• 1899 – Brackenridge Park created.
• 1900
  • Incarnate Word Academy for females established.^[10]
  • Population: 53,321.

20th century

1900s–1940s

• 1903 – San Antonio Public Library established.^[11]
• 1910 – Population: 96,614.
• 1912 – Alamo Methodist Church built.
• 1914 – San Antonio Zoo founded.^[12]
• 1914 - River Park (predecessor to the River Walk) is completed.
• 1917 – U.S. Army Kelly Air Force Base established.
• 1918
  • U.S. Army Brooks Air Force Base established.
  • San Antonio Evening News begins publication.
• 1920 – Population: 161,379.
• 1921 – September 1921 San Antonio floods.
• 1922 – WOAI radio begins broadcasting.
• 1924 – San Antonio Conservation Society formed.
• 1925 – San Antonio Junior College founded.
• 1926
  • Aztec Theater opens.^[13]
  • Witte Museum and Texas Cavaliers established.
• 1927 – KONO radio begins broadcasting.
• 1928 – Air conditioning installed in hi-rise Milam Building.
• 1930 – Population: 231,542.
• 1931 – U.S. Army Randolph Air Force Base begins operating.
• 1932 – Frito Company in business.
• 1933 – Earl Abel's restaurant in business.
• 1937
  • San Antonio Housing Authority established.
  • Station Hospital rebuilt.
• 1938
  • Pecan-sheller labor strike.^[14]
  • Ciculo Social Femenino Mexicano founded.
• 1939
  • WPA construction begins on Robert H.H. Hugman's vision to transform River Park to Spanish-Style shops of Aragon and Romula.
• 1940
  • Alamo Stadium built.
  • Hertzberg Circus Museum established.^[15]
  • Population: 253,854.
• 1941
  • U.S. military Lackland Air Force Base, Broadway National Bank,^[16] and San Jose Mission National Historic Site established.
  • Mi Tierra restaurant in business.^[17]
  • The San Antonio River Walk is completed
• 1946
  • Brooke Army Medical Center active.
  • Casa Rio restaurant in business.
• 1947
  • Jim's eatery and Josephine Theatre in business.
  • Southwest Research Institute headquartered in city.^[18]
• 1948 – Sultanas de Bejar (women's group) formed.
• 1949 – WOAI-TV (television) begins broadcasting.

1950s–1990s

• 1950
  • Free port and Stock Show and Rodeo established.
  • KENS-TV (television) begins broadcasting.
  • Population: 408,442.
• 1958 – Fiesta Noche del Rio begins.
• 1960 – Population: 587,718.
• 1961 – Henry B. Gonzalez becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 20th congressional district.^[19]

• 1968
  • Tower of the Americas erected.
  • HemisFair Arena opens.
  • HemisFair '68 held.
  • Institute of Texan Cultures established.
  • Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel in business.
• 1969 – Paseo Del Rio Association formed.
• 1970 – Population: 654,153.
• 1972 – Texas Folklife Festival begins.
• 1973 – San Antonio Spurs basketball team active.
• 1975 – Lila Cockrell elected Mayor, San Antonio's first woman mayor.
• 1978 – City passes ordinance creating VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, the public transport system for San Antonio.
• 1980
  • San Antonio Botanical Garden opens.
  • Annual Tejano Music Awards begin.
  • Area of city: 263.5 square miles.
  • San Antonio Food Bank active (approximate date).^[20]
  • Population: 785,880.
  • In 1980, Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards.^[21]
• 1981
  • San Antonio Museum of Art established.
  • Hyatt Regency San Antonio hotel in business.
  • Henry Cisneros becomes mayor.^[22]
• 1987 – Lamar S. Smith becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 21st congressional district.^[23]
• 1988 – SeaWorld in business.
• 1990 – Population: 935,933.
• 1991 – Nelson W. Wolff becomes mayor.
• 1992 – Fiesta Texas in business.
• 1995
  • City website online (approximate date).^[24]
  • Artpace founded.^[25]
  • New San Antonio Public Library's central library opens.
• 1997 – 55th World Science Fiction Convention held.
• 2000
  • Bahá'í Center of San Antonio founded.^[26]
  • Population: 1,144,646.^[27]

21st century

• 2001 – Gurudwara Sikh Center of San Antonio founded.
• 2005 – Municipal Archives established.^[28]
• 2007 – Port Authority of San Antonio founded.
• 2008 – Spurs Community Garden created.^[29]
• 2009 – San Antonio mayoral election, 2009 held; Julian Castro (2014 head of HUD) becomes mayor.
  • NOWCastSA community news begins publication.^[30]
• 2010
  • Population: city 1,327,407; metro 2,142,508;^[31] megaregion 19,728,244.^[32]
  • Area of city: 460.93 square miles.^[33]
• 2011 – Population: 1,359,758; metro 2,194,927.^[34]
• 2013
  • BiblioTech public library opens.
  • Population: 1,409,019.^[35]
  • Joaquin Castro becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 20th congressional district.^[36]
• 2014 – Ivy Taylor becomes first African-American female mayor of San Antonio.
• 2015 – May: San Antonio mayoral election, 2015, held.
• 2018
  • April: Baboons escape from Texas Biomedical Research Institute.
  • San Antonio celebrates the Tricentennial anniversary of its founding.^[37]
• 2022 – June: At least 46 people are found dead inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio.

See also

• History of San Antonio
• History of African Americans in San Antonio
• List of mayors of San Antonio
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bexar County, Texas
• Timelines of other cities in the South Texas area of Texas: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen

Bibliography

Published in the 19th century

• • San Antonio . 21 . 1.
• Book: Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory. 1890. R.L. Polk & Co.. Detroit. Internet Archive. San Antonio. https://archive.org/stream/texasstategazett32rlpo#page/n545/mode/2up.

Published in the 20th century

• • • • San Antonio . 24 . 126 - 127 . 1910 . . 1.
  • Book: Who's who among the women of San Antonio and Southwest Texas? . Marin B. Fenwick . San Antonio, Tex. . 1917. Marin B. Fenwick .
    • Charles W. Ramsdell, San Antonio: A Historical and Pictorial Guide (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1959).
  • T. R. Fehrenbach, The San Antonio Story (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Continental Heritage Press, 1978)
    • Tejano Religion and Ethnicity, San Antonio, 1821–1860
• Book: Jesús F. de la Teja . . . 1995 .
  • Book: Rodolfo Rosales. Illusion of Inclusion: The Political Story of San Antonio, Texas . 2000. University of Texas Press. 978-0-292-77103-1.

Published in the 21st century

• Book: Char Miller . On the Border: An Environmental History of San Antonio. 2001. University of Pittsburgh Press . 978-0-8229-7060-6. .
• Book: Judith Berg-Sobré . San Antonio on Parade: Six Historic Festivals. 2003 . Texas A&M University Press. 978-1-58544-222-5. .
• Book: David Goldfield. David Goldfield. Encyclopedia of American Urban History. 2007. Sage. 978-1-4522-6553-7. San Antonio, Texas.
• Book: Charles R. Porter. Spanish Water, Anglo Water: Early Development in San Antonio. 2009. Texas A&M University Press. 978-1-60344-468-2. .
• Web site: San Antonio . America's Big Cities in Volatile Times: City Profiles. November 11, 2013 . American Cities Project . Washington, DC . .

External links

• Web site: Local History . City of San Antonio . San Antonio Public Library . Resource Guides .
• Web site: Research Guides . San Antonio Government: Historical . University of Texas at San Antonio, Libraries .
• Web site: San Antonio, TX . T.R. Fehrenbach . Handbook of Texas Online . . T.R. Fehrenbach .
• U.S. Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division. Materials related to San Antonio, Texas, various dates.
• Digital Public Library of America. Items related to San Antonio, various dates
• Web site: Historical Maps of Texas Cities: San Antonio . . University of Texas at Austin .
• Web site: San Antonio . . Austin, TX .
• Web site: Resources for Local History and Genealogy by State: Texas . . Humanities and Social Sciences Division . Bibliographies and Guides . Washington DC .

Notes and References

1. Book: Cordelia Candelaria . Cordelia Candelaria . Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture . 2004 . Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-33210-4 . Chronology . https://books.google.com/books?id=STjcB_f7CVcC&pg=PR63 . lxiii-lxxii .
2. News: A Brief History of Juneteenth. https://web.archive.org/web/20080620034330/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html. dead. June 20, 2008. June 18, 2008 . Gilbert . Cruz. Time magazine. May 30, 2013.
3. Web site: US Newspaper Directory . Washington DC . Chronicling America . Library of Congress . February 27, 2014 .
4. Web site: American Libraries before 1876 . Davies Project . Princeton University . February 27, 2014 .
5. Book: Catholic Encyclopedia . Diocese of San Antonio . William Campbell . https://archive.org/stream/catholicencyclop13herbuoft#page/424/mode/1up . New York . 1913 . Catholic Encyclopedia . The Encyclopedia Press .
6. Encyclopedia: San Antonio, Texas . Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities . . Jackson, Mississippi . February 27, 2014 .
7. Book: Patterson's American Educational Directory . 29 . 1932 . 2027/uc1.b3970358 . Patterson . Homer L. .
8. Web site: (San Antonio) . Texas Archival Resources Online . University of Texas Libraries . University of Texas at Austin . February 27, 2014.
9. Web site: La Cocina Histórica (culinary blog) . University of Texas at San Antonio, Libraries . Wordpress .
10. Book: Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide. 1910. Belo & Company .
11. Book: American Library Annual, 1917–1918 . 1918 . 7 v . New York . R.R. Bowker Co. .
12. Book: Vernon N. Kisling, Jr. . Zoo and Aquarium History. 2001. . USA . 978-1-4200-3924-5 . Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list) . https://books.google.com/books?id=ulbMBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA375 .
13. Web site: Movie Theaters in San Antonio, TX . CinemaTreasures.org . Cinema Treasures LLC . Los Angeles . February 27, 2014 .
14. Book: Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol . Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia . 2006. Indiana University Press. 0-253-11169-2 .
15. Book: Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada . 2002 . 15th . 0759100020 . American Association for State and Local History . Texas: San Antonio . https://books.google.com/books?id=LY0Q5Rv4O3YC&pg=PA790 . 790+ . Rowman Altamira .
16. Web site: Institution Directory . . February 27, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20000510085416/http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main.asp . May 10, 2000 .
17. Book: Jeffrey M. Pilcher. . 2012. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-991158-5. - Read online at Google Books
18. Web site: San Antonio, Texas . . New York . Nonprofit Explorer . 9 May 2013 . Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei . February 27, 2014 .
19. Book: Official Congressional Directory . Washington DC . Government Printing Office . 1963 . Texas . 2027/mdp.39015071164118 . Official Congressional Directory .
20. Web site: Texas Food Banks . Food Bank Locator . . Chicago . February 27, 2014 .
21. Web site: Once a Texas-only holiday marking the end of slavery, Juneteenth is now celebrated nationwide with high spirits and hot barbecue. Anne . Dingus. June 2001 . . October 11, 2013.
22. Web site: Municipal Archives & Records . City of San Antonio . Texas . Mayors and Alcaldes . May 30, 2015 .
23. Book: Official Congressional Directory . Washington DC . Government Printing Office . 1991–1992 . Texas . https://archive.org/stream/19911992official014340mbp#page/n342/mode/1up . Official Congressional Directory .
24. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/19970103072706/http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/ . City of San Antonio Government Home Page . dead . 1997-01-03 . .
25. Web site: United States . Art Spaces Directory . New York . . February 27, 2014 .
26. Web site: San Antonio, Texas . Directory of Religious Centers . Pluralism Project . Harvard University . Cambridge, Massachusetts . February 27, 2014 .
27. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20090328041312/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/4865000.html . March 28, 2009 . dead . San Antonio (city), Texas . State & County QuickFacts . U.S. Census Bureau .
28. Web site: City of San Antonio . Texas . Archives & Records .
29. Web site: San Antonio Food Bank . February 27, 2014.
30. Web site: Texas . CJR's Guide to Online News Startups . . New York . February 27, 2014 .
31. Web site: Largest Urbanized Areas With Selected Cities and Metro Areas (2010) . 2012 . US Census Bureau .
32. Web site: Megaregions: Texas Triangle . September 12, 2016 . . USA . America 2050 .
33. Web site: San Antonio (city), Texas . State & County QuickFacts . U.S. Census Bureau . February 27, 2014 .
34. Web site: 30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot . https://web.archive.org/web/20140301181108/http://www.pewstates.org/research/data-visualizations/30-cities-an-introductory-snapshot-85899380032 . March 1, 2014 . 2013 . American Cities Project . Washington, DC . . February 27, 2014 .
35. Web site: The 15 Cities with the Largest Numeric Increase from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013 . 2014 . US Census Bureau . Vintage 2013 Population Estimates.
36. Web site: Members of Congress . . Civic Impulse, LLC . February 27, 2014 .
37. Web site: San Antonio's 300th Anniversary Celebration.