What a Texas-sized battle over state history means
On their way into the history books, the famous feet of Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and other icons first tramped from the Red River down the historic road of Trammel’s Trace. What began as a smuggler’s route became, in the chaotic decades around Mexican independence, a primary causeway for Anglo immigrants (white, English-speaking immigrants) looking to settle beyond America’s southwest frontier.
The trail passed right through a pasture on Pinkerton land in Rusk County, Gary Pinkerton’s father mentioned one day. Mr. Pinkerton was hooked.
For J.P. Bryan, his love of Texas history was sealed with the first two artifacts he acquired as a boy: a Moore’s Patent Front Loading Revolver and a Sharps Patent Four-Barrel Derringer.
The antique firearms formed the basis of the private collection he displays at the Bryan Museum in Galveston. When visitors begin a tour, a framed painting comes to life with a recorded welcome from Mr. Bryan.
Both Texans – retirees who love their state’s history – found themselves on opposite sides this year. The line was what, exactly, history is for…
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