University of California Berkeley SAN ANTONIO Jil DAW CROCKETT THE MISSION CITY SAN ANTONIO SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES TEXAS AND LOUISIANA HOUSTON, TEXAS NOTE. We are indebted for the historic scenes appearing in this book to the Triangle Film Corporation, taken from their classic production, "Martyrs of the Alamo." FOREWORD To the Texan, proud of his native State, no single thing in all the glory of its accomplishment, but pales before the lustre the heroism, the patri- otic fire which animated those wonderful martyrs of Texas independence who went to their doom within the walls of the Alamo. History tells of the messengers who fled from bloody Thermopylae crying the tidings of defeat, but history tells us also, that when the smoke of contest cleared from the walls of the Mission Ala- mo life had gone with the mists of battle and the heroic defenders gazed towards the blue heavens with eyes that saw not and ears no longer attuned to the melodies of Earth all, all were dead. Time smiled triumphantly that sad March day of 1836. Rapacious Mexico had overwhelmed and buried beneath the solid phalanxes of trained soldiers, the fires which burned in the breasts of these heroes, but history had halted but for the moment, for, on April 21st of the same year, the forces of General Santa Anna which had stormed and conquered the Alamo, went to irre- trievable and lasting defeat before the untrained men led by the Texas general, Sam Houston, amid the oak groves of San Jacinto. Thus were the final chapters in the struggle for Texas independ- ence written, and while the name of Houston will always shine upon the walls of fame, the Alamo, with Travis and his indomitable compan- ions, gloriously sacrificed upon the altar of a never-dying patriotism, is eternally enshrined within the minds of every man, woman and child who has lived, and still lives, with a knowledge of their martyrdom and the cause they so nobly and so unselfishly represented. The records of achievement the world over are strident with the deeds of man. Civilization has builded upon human effort and human sacrifice. Heroes are not alone developed upon the battle- field, nor is accomplishment measured by for- tune's vagaries. Truth and honor live, and will Crockett, "Silent" Smith and Bowie. Planning the Revolt. always light the heavens of thought and of desire with the pure and abiding beam of noble enter- prise. Yet, did civilization build upon the blood shed in the Alamo, and did Texas lift from the heel of the despot to an all-conquering destiny and with open arms welcome the peoples of the earth to erect their rooftrees upon a generous soil, watered with the tears of women and chil- dren, but pregnant with the promise of peace and plenty. Travis and Crockett did not die in vain, for out of the noise of battle, from the bk .dy dust of the arena has risen a manhood that points with pride to the birth of an independence that shall live forever. Today the Alamo looks somberly upon the plaza of the same name, in beautiful and progressive San Antonio. Behind the screen of palms gently swaying to the winds from the Mexican Gulf, this time-scarred Mission tells its own story, but peace, and prosperity, and content smile at the worn carvings of the facade and at the cold stone walls of the ancient abode of the friars. While the ritual of Rome long since ceased to echo within the crumbling edifice, the faithful of the "Mission City" pay devout homage to its memories, and at vespers, the whispering zephyrs linger for the solemn tones that near two cen- turies since awoke the echoes of the spreading prairies, calling the wandering savage to the new prayer and the new God. SAN ANTONIO HAT is now known as San Antonio had its inception with the establishment of the Mission San Francisco de Valero, the "Mission of the Alamo." Originally con- structed or begun in^l718, the edifice which now arouses the interested awe of the observer was built in 1744. Prior, however, to the first date, the Spaniards out of Mexico had visited the location, then the camp of a great Indian tribe which had settled about the beautiful springs now known as San Pedro. Under a kingly charter from Ferdinand of Spain in 1689, the original prospectus of San Fernando was conceived and later established upon the west bank of the now San Antonio river. The Mission San Antonio de Valero was then located on the east bank, and administered by the Fran- ciscan monks, San Fernando being held by the friars of Queretaro. In 1736 the Spanish 'mon- arch authorized a colony sent from the Canary Isles, and upon the arrival of this party, the two locations were merged under the name of San Antonio, and since that day has progressed, notwithstanding the vicissitudes of nearly two hundred years, to a position of prominence and distinctiveness second to no other city in the great Southwest. Originally established to carry the voice of Christianity to the hearts and souls of the won- dering and untutored savage, as well as to more firmly plant the golden lion of Castile in oppo- sition to the advancing prestige of the French marching through the savannahs and lowlands of Louisiana, the Alamo and its sister Missions, which still mark time in the changing years, have served to centralize civilization and estab- lish the homes of a thriving populace where once "Let every man who will stay and die with me, cross the line." Travis. And the Last One Perished.' only the smoke of the tepee and the shrill cry of the desert dog marked occupation. San Antonio has witnessed the winds flaunt the flags of six governments to the heavens the insignia of Spain, the Lily of France, the Serpent of Mexico, the Star of Texas, the bars of the Confederacy, and the Stars and Stripes of a united country. History, tradition, love and ven- eration, have each contributed to the develop- ment of San Antonio, which today while no less inspired by a wonderful record, throws open its doors and invites the world to lift the latch string and partake of its always generous hospitality and welcome, and that within a metropolis which typifies enterprise, energy, progress, and man's attainment. It is a city of sentiment, of material development, of wealth, of industrial accomplish- ment. It possesses every feature and concomi- tant of a strenuous and up-to-date civilization, as manifested by its wonderful natural advant- ages and commercial development. Its parks, roadways, streets, buildings, climate, environ- ments, and above all, its citizenship, conspire to create an entity that is alluring in the extreme, and which offers every advantage to the indi- vidual seeking the pleasures of a handsome resort city or the opportunity of becoming profit- ably identified with its business life and a part of the one hundred and twenty-five thousand souls who now live with reasonable happiness and content within its rapidly extending con- fines. *" I PUBLIC BUILDINGS .AN ANTONIO is nothing if not enterprising and pro- gressive, and much local money has gone into hand- some edifices of varying character. The city has eighteen public buildings and sixty-seven churches and chapels, many of them of fine design, and several of the latter both architec- turally and historically in- teresting. The postoffice and Feder- al building is of remarkably handsome *vpe and generally admired. The Court House, situated on Main Plaza, is also a very imposing structure, and its admirable architectural qualities have been widely com- mented on. The City Hall, on Military Plaza, has also a distinctive beauty as well as useful- ness. In the Market House San Antonio has another public building that furnishes not only a sanitary market, but the second floor is a large convention hall capable of seating three thousand people. The Carnegie Library is a handsome building, erected in 1903 through the generosity of Andrew Carnegie at a cost of $50,000. In 1906 a second gift of $20,000 was made, which has been ex- pended in building an auditorium adjoining the library. The library has now more than 25,000 volumes. Churches, practically of all denominations, are found in San Antonio, many of them handsome structures made doubly attractive by vines, shrubs and flowers. The stranger in San An- tonio will find people of his own faith and a hearty welcome in the place of worship. San Antonio has 129 secret societies, including all of the leading orders known to the United States. A number of these are strong enough to Mexican Rule. Alamo Plaza. own their own homes, and especially may be mentioned the Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World, the Masons, who have erected a hand- some temple at the corner of Losoya and Crockett Streets; the Elks, who have a splendid three- story club house on Avenue E, just in the rear of the Postoffice, erected at a cost of $50,000, and the Hermann Sons, who recently completed a fine building on Garden Street, costing about $60,000, which is the State home of the order. These three buildings are among the handsomest of their kind in the South. During the past five years San Antonio has expended nearly $15,000,000 for buildings of all descriptions, and the progress so indicated is being stimulated by the expenditure during 1915 and 1916 of several millions of dollars raised through bond issues and utilized for streets, sew- ers, sidewalks, bridges, county roads, schools and other public improvements. Added to this is some $3,000,000 being spent by the public service corporations for paving and extension of utilities. Several important business thoroughfares have been widened at heavy cost notably Commerce, in the very heart of the city, all of the business buildings being either moved back some twenty feet or cut off and reconstructed. Other material civic improvements of similar character are now being consummated and in which the value of property taken and destroyed was nearly a quar- ter of a million dollars. The public spirit of the San Antonio people was never more in evidence than in this most commendable work. THE PLAZAS HE originality of the Dons who first established the limits of San Antonio was no better exemplified than in the location of the many breathing places or "plazas'* which dot the present city, many of them of course having been added during the past twenty years. Twenty-three parks afford fine opportunity for a grow- ing population and make out-of-door life a matter of easy accomplishment and of pleasing variety. The most lovely and extensive is Brackenridge Park, formed by improving the natural surround- ings of the San Antonio River, where it flows between wooded banks, its water reinforced by a series of natural springs. Great live oaks, pe- cans and cottonwopds forest the parks, and beau- tiful driveways wind through the full two hun- dred acres comprising the same. Herds of elk, buffalo and other animals, give pleasing variety to the park, which, liberally endowed by Nature, has been further beautified by the park commis- sion. The plazas, or open squares, have been well planted in flowering shrubs, palms and other semi-tropical products. Pomegranates, yucca, cactus, myrtle and pampas grass provide a luxu- riant vegetation of pleasing variety and of never- ending interest to visitors, particularly on winter days when the invigorating sunshine makes the outdoors desirable. The most attractive of these numerous small parks are the Alamo Plaza, Main Plaza, on which fronts the historic Cathedral of San Fernando and the Bexar County Court House; Military Plaza, in the center of which is the beautiful City Hall; Travis Square, where is located the Con- federate monument. San Pedro Park and Springs, in the center of the residence section, includes some forty acres, Main Plaza. The New Commerce Street. splendidly wooded. The giant springs gush from the tree Voots, cold, clear crystal. The lovely grove was first settled by the ancient Indian tribes and later by the early Spanish, who were succeeded by the first Texas settlers. War and rumors of war oft disturbed this sylvan glade, but today peace sings in the twittering of birds and the cries of happy childhood. "In the Spring the young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love," and in the Spring San Antonio blossoms like the rose until every yard is a garden and every garden a bower. Recent developments in the roads leading put of San Antonio into the country have vastly im- proved the situation from the standpoint of the motorist. Many of the roads, including the cele- brated "loop" or Mission pike, are hard sur- faced, making them ideal for motoring or riding. Over 185 miles of these country roadways radi- ate from the city in every direction, touching all suburban points of interest and traversing farm and prairie sections, touching the hot sul- phur wells and baths. To the north these ave- nues ascend by easy grades to the mountains and to the 17,000-acre government reservation near Leon Springs, recently acquired by the Gov- ernment as a target range and schooling place for new troops. The scenery is always interest- ing and attractive, and the environment in every direction pleasing. A new motor road is being developed to Medina Lake, while southwards the way is easy to the gulf coast with its several water resorts and their attending hunting, fishing and boating. FORT SAM HOUSTON N Fort Sam Houston, the sec- ond largest army post in the United States, visitors find a never failing source of in- terest. Here the bugle's shrill clarion, the roll of drums, and the tramp of armed men reproduce the picturesque pageantry of war without any of its dis- agreeable features. Fort Sam Houston, in 1870, embraced a tract of 40 acres. This has been increased from time to time until it is now 944 acres, and the Government has just contracted to buy an additional 310 acres, a portion of a 660-acre tract that has been held by the Government under lease. The buildings and grounds represent an in- vestment of approximately $7,214,500. During the fiscal year 1911 the improvements approxi- mated $414,501, included in the total investment just set out, and improvements approximating $50,000 have been completed during 1912 or are under way. The post was enlarged to a brigade post two years ago and the development of the last two years makes the post the largest in the United States. As a brigade post, the garrison consists of one regiment of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, three field batteries and two squads of the signal corps, comprising altogether between 3,500 and 4,000 men with a monthly payroll of $225,000, but the companies are usually distributed among several smaller posts in Texas so that the ordi- nary garrison here consists of 132 officers and 2,212 enlisted men. Part of Quadrangle, Fort Sam Houston. 1 Drill Ground, Fort Sam Houston. It is the great military center for the Southwest, and its close proximity to the Mexican border has on several occasions been the scene of great activ- ity. The commissary and ordnance branches be- ing especially in demand. The Headquarters of the Department of Texas is maintained here. The fort is splendidly sit- uated on Government Hill, a beautiful rolling plateau which commands the city and surround- ings. All departments of the service are represented infantry, cavalry and artillery including an aerial squad. Many handsome buildings are a feature of the Post, which is considered one of the handsomest and most desirable in the coun- tryC Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays at 4:30 p. m. a dress parade and review is held at the Post, to which the public is always welcomed, and which is always well attended. Practically all of the well known army officers have been locat- ed at Fort Sam Houston during their military /^oToor- Jf ^ ' ^ ' S Post" has always career. As a social adjunct, the played an important part in San Antonio's ex- istence, and the recent Mexican situation has contributed largely to the development of the always interesting location. MEDICINAL AND HOT WELLS AN ANTONIO has gained con- siderable fame in her pos- session of several hot sul- phur wells of remarkable curative and medicinal properties. This water comes from a very deep stratum and was discovered several years ago, the prod- uct apparently varying in constituents there being twelve or thirteen different mineral waters, with properties well established both by analysis and experience. The Hot Wells Hotel and Bath House is located within easy reach of the center of the city both by electric car and auto road. The hotel is situ- ated in the heart of a natural park of two hun- dred acres of oak and pecan. The buildings are well constructed and comfortable, and the man- agement has completed a good nine-hole golf course. Quite near is the "Second" Mission of San Jose, and also the ostrich farm. The Harlandale Hot Sulphur Well is located three miles from the center of the city, and is reached by street car and good roads. The sul- phur water is obtained at a depth of 2100 feet and flows about 500 gallons a minute. A hand- some and thoroughly equipped bath house pro- vides, in addition to the regular tub baths, Turk- ish, Russian, Roman, electric and mud baths. Steam and vapor rooms of varying temperatures, showers, massage, cooling, lounging, and recep- tion rooms furnish complete and luxurious equip- ment. San Antonio River. Terrell Hot Well, located about five miles from the center of San Antonio, at the townsite known as San Jose, has also established a reputation for remarkable curative powers. It is easily reached by street car. The buildings are essen- tially modern as are the bathing appliances and treatment. A fine open air bathing pool is a feature of the location and an attractive Inn is adequate to care for persons wishing to remain in the neighborhood. The baths and mineral waters have proved of great curative value for rheumatism, gout, sciatica and diseases of the stomach, liver and kidneys. They are efficacious for skin and blood diseases; nervous disorders, and have tonic and stimulative power. Also for neuritis, eczema and some forms of blood pressure. Close to San Antonio are also the mineral wells of Sutherland Springs, where seven distinct wa- ters may be found, each of which differs in cura live properties. *t\ llt'h: ><> ';.;;/ : > ' -2S*3 13 CLIMATE HE climate of San Antonio is altogether delightful. The atmosphere is dry and brac- ing, possessing a high per- centage of ozone which makes it invigorating. One may ride and drive in Jan- uary, and furs and heavy outer wraps are rarely need- ed. Vegetables and fruits grow in the winter months. The average of the winter temperature is 54 de- grees; the average of the spring temperature is 69 degrees, and of the fall months 70 degrees. The mean annual rainfall is 28.7 inches, and the pre- vailing direction of the winds is southeast with an average hourly velocity of 7.4 miles. These are the correct official figures as furnished by the United States Weather Bureau at San Antonio. One will not suffer from malaria or fevers at San Antonio, which is, by official statistics, one of the healthiest, if not the healthiest, of cities in the United States. Among the native born one almost never encounters pneumonia, bronchitis or pulmonary troubles. The climate is indeed strongly recommended for moderate sufferers from these diseases who, with reasonable care and open air life, are always benefited, as numer- ous visitors can testify, returning season after sea- son to enjoy the blessing Nature provides. RELIGION AND SCHOOLS San Antonio is also an educational center of im- portance. It has 34 public schools, representing an investment of a million dollars; 45 private schools representing an investment of two million dollars. The scholastic population of the city, Breckenridge Park. 14 Hot Wells Park. based on the public schools, is 22,983. Students come to San Antonio schools from all over the Southwest. Formerly a large contingent came from Mexico, which with the restoration of peace in that country, no doubt, will be resumed. A Car- negie library on Market Street, a model institution of its kind, offers facilities for the fiction reader and the research student. Practically all of the religious denominations are represented in San Antonio and the city is blessed with beautiful houses of worship, and the moral tone of the city is excellent. The peo- ple without being bigo'ted are representative, de- cent, clean-living Americans. Strangers are al- ways welcome in the San Antonio churches. San Antonio does not neglect the opportunity for entertainment and has provided facilities for this chapter of city life that are not excelled by any of its sister communities. An excellent opera house in which the spoken drama is presented, is supplemented by several of the handsomest mov- ing picture houses in the South, and in addition thereto a fine theatre devoted to a circuit of vaude- ville attractions. The San Antonio Music Festival Association, the Symphony Orchestra, present during the cool- er months programs of merit and a high state of histrionical excellence. SAN ANTONIO CLUBS HE citizens of San Antonio are warm hearted and hos- pitable, and this phase is evidenced by the extent of the club life of the lovely city and by the character of the many buildings which have of recent years arisen to care for the development of this community idea. Among these may be men- tioned the Casino, which has an attractive build- ing of its own in the heart of the city. The Country Club, which will compare favorably with any of the clubs the country over, owns a magnifi- cent building on the very edge of the city, beauti- fully situated and supplied with every feature of club life calculated to make its membership and visitors thoroughly satisfied with life. The Travis Club is said to be the largest city club in Texas, and unquestionably has the finest building of any such institution in the Southwest. Its home is a splendid eight-story structure with a roof garden, swimming pools, gymnasium, pub- lic and private dining rooms and cafes, library, living rooms and a club service unexcelled. Vis- itors to the city will have no difficulty in secur- ing cards to the club or non-resident member cards for the winter months. The club has many social entertainments and is largely patronized by the wives of members. Of the clubs maintained by the German-Ameri- cans of San Antonio, the Casino has its own build- ing near the center of the city and is famous for its open handed hospitality and its wonderful New Year's Ball. The Beethoven Society has just San Antonio City Hall. rebuilt its club house on South Alamo Street; it has a very large auditorium and social enter- tainments as well as theatrical engagements are staged there. Turner Hall, the home of the Turn Verein, is a handsome brick structure, also cen- trally located, with an excellent gymnasium, ball room, assembly rooms, etc. The Hermann Sons have built a handsome new house on Garden Street, which is equipped with all modern ap- pliances. Of the secret societies, the Benevolent Order of Elks maintain a club house, the Masons have a Temple, and the Odd Fellows also have their own home, and the Woodmen of the World have a handsome home. One of the most attractive clubs of San An- tonio is that of the San Antonio Automobile Club, which organization has a membership of about eight hundred and maintains a handsome club house on the North Loop about ten or twelve miles from town. Its grounds are beautiful and it is one of the social centers of the city. The Automobile Club also maintains a branch at the Medina Lake and under its auspices from time to time regattas and aquatic sports are held at the Lake. MEDINA LAKE O CITY in America possesses a playground that can sur- pass Medina Lake in attrac- tive features. This magnifi- cent body of water, which is about the same size as Lake George and similar in shape, some seventeen to twenty miles in length by from one-half a mile to four miles in width, is impound- ed by the Medina Dam, a massive concrete struc- ture 168 feet high. The Dam was built by a com- pany capitalized at $8,000,000.00, chiefly English capital, for irrigation purposes. This company and its subsidiary allies own 60,000 acres of land. This is the largest irrigation project, ex- cluding one or two subsidized by the Govern- ment, that exists in America today. Its diver- sion dam and lake, four miles below the main dam, its main ditch and flumes and laterals are monuments of engineering skill and objects of great interest. This lake is large enough for sail boats. On it are maintained a number of house boats, a reg- ular flotilla of motor boats, skiffs and canoes. A line of small excursion steamers is projected and a bathing beach is being developed there. The San Antonio Automobile Club maintains a branch tavern at the lake and plans are under way to build an interurban line to the lake, to put up an attractive rustic hotel of fifty or sixty rooms and develop the resort features for both winter and summer. A fine automobile road from San Antonio to the lake is now under construction. Medina Lake. The great feature of the lake, however, is the fishing. It has been stocked with fish by the United States Government and expert anglers from all over Texas declare unanimously that it is the best fishing place in the State. Big mouth black bass abound and it is no unusual thing for a single fisherman to catch fifteen to twenty pounds of bass in two or three hours' fishing. The place is one of great natural beauty, as the lake is surrounded by a circle of mountains which generally are vivid blue, and the water being blue with purple shadows when the clouds float is rarely beautiful. The elevation being be- tween 1100 and 1200 feet it is generally pleasant in summer and nights are delightfully cool. In season the inlets where creeks flow into the lake furnish places for hundreds of wild duck and the sport of duck shooting, quail hunting, wild deer and turkey hunting, make this a sportsman's paradise. In the mountains west of San Antonio the more hardy sportsman may also indulge in the chase of the bear, wild cat and other predatory animals. \ / OUT-OF-DOOR SPORTS AN ANTONIO is a golfing cen- ter and games can be played almost every day in the year. At the San Antonio Country Club, a twenty-min- ute ride from the center of the city, there is an eigh- teen-hole golf course as good as any in the country. The greens are especially smooth and well kept and the fair way is in excellent condition. While this is the usual Country Club with an exclusive membership, visiting golfers, by showing their membership cards in other clubs, through ar- rangements with the several hotels or the Cham- ber of Commerce, can get the privilege of playing on these links under the usual conditions. At the Hot Wells Hotel, four miles from the center of the city to the South, an excellent nine- hole golf course is being perfected, which is semi-public in character, and visiting golfers can secure privileges here also. This course prom- ises to be very fine, as it crosses and re-crosses the picturesque San Antorilo River and is in sight of the famous Second Mission. The Hui- sache Golf Club on Laurel Heights, also a semi- public course, has a five-hole field, and a magnifi- cent eighteen-hole course is being developed by the city in Brackenridge Park, to be known as the "Municipal Links." At Fort Sam Houston there is maintained a splendid polo field, and these stirring and excit- ing games are a part of the regular training of the officers located at the Post. Visitors who care for this energetic sport are cordially wel- comed by the men of the army, and as many polo ponies are raised and trained in the vicinity of the city, there is usually little difficulty in secur- ing proper mounts. A Day's Sport in the Gulf, South of Antonio. 20 Southern Pacific San Antonio Depot. The Country Club has developed several fine tennis courts and these outdoor facilities are also promised as a feature of the Hot Wells Hotel, while it is expected they will also be provided at one or two of the city parks. FOR ROD AND GUN There is much fine sport to be had within a few hours' ride of San Antonio in quail hunting. The management at the hotels and the Chamber of Commerce can give the visitors complete direc- tions in these matters. In addition to the quail, doves, squirrels and rabbits are to be found in great abundance. From fifty to one hundred miles of the city excellent deer hunting and num- erous wild turkeys can be had. Special arrange- ments can easily be made for hunting privileges on certain ranches and with due notice guides and equipment can be arranged for. In addition to the duck hunting and fishing on the lakes, a night's ride to Rockport, Aransas Pass and Corpus Christi will bring the visitor to the Gulf of Mexico, where he will find ducks of every variety, wild geese, brant, and other water fowls, and the deep sea fishing cannot be surpassed anywhere. In this, too, the hotel management or the Chamber of Commerce will be glad to furnish detailed information showing the names of the resorts, boat owners and guides and any other facts that a sportsman must know in going in new country. FOR THE TOURIST OCATED in one of the health- iest sections of Southwest- ern United States, San An- tonio is particularly well situated from the standpoint of the man or woman who seeks recreation in the open air and a life free from the restrictions imposed by less favored cities. In every direction the breeze-swept plains stretch to the horizon. Gently roll- ing, to the south they find their way to the Gulf of Mexico and its warm green waters. Westward, with gradually increas- ing elevation, they merge into the dry, treeless areas which form the American bank of the Rio Grande. In the north the blue of the mountains marks the boundary line, and east the prairie drifts again to the sands of the Gulf through the great cotton, corn and rice fields of the coastal plains. The mesquite savannahs please the eye with their feathery foliage, and in the spring the scent of the yellow blossomed huisache fills the air with a sweetness that is like no other sweetness, while the stiff leaves of the yucca rattle in the early winds, and the pheasant and bob white run riot among the purple-fruited cac- tus which is in evidence everywhere. The river beds, more often dry than running, are lined with cottonwoods and the precious pe- can of commerce. The spring-fed creeks are luxurious with a dense vegetation and, radiating in all directions, excellent roadways make travel easy and pleasant. San Antonio has been the most important of the gateways to Mexico for many years. The Southern Pacific, operating via Spofford and Eagle Pass, and via El Paso, has brought the sister republic into close touch with San Antonio, and hence the Mexican element injected into the population of the city is just sufficient to give a pleasing variety and distinctiveness that is in Residence Section. 29 Gunter Hotel. harmony with the surroundings and a somewhat picturesque individuality. Opportunity for golf, polo and kindred sports is much in evidence, and these features of San Antonio life are not neglected by the energetic visitor. Deer are still numerous in the mesquite and chapparel while the several coast resorts, tributary to the attractive metropolis, afford splendid fishing, boating and bathing. The finest tarpon fishing location in America is only a half day run from San Antonio, and here also, in proper season, is to be found possibly the best duck shooting grounds on the coast. The Me- dina Dam and Lake is a nearer attraction. This lake has been well stocked with black bass and the intelligent angler is always sure of a good day's sport at this wonderfully beautiful sheet of water which rivals its more pretentious arti- ficial lakes of the great West. A new club house is a projected feature at Medina Lake and motor roads to the resort will soon make the forty-odd- mile trip one of extreme enjoyment. Hot sulphur waters with fine curative proper- ties abound, and several bath houses, attractive and sanitary, provide necessary facilities within the city proper. The proximity of the army post, Fort Sam Houston, with its military features, drills, hops and dress parades, is not the least of San An- tonio's attractions, as the Post is always in evi- dence so far as the visitor is concerned, and much frequented by the San Antonio people. I*' COMMERCIAL SAN ANTONIO HE day was, and not so many years since, when San An- tonio was a frontier city, the half-way house between the effete East and the cow- boy and sombrero-covered hidalgo of Mexico. Today it is one of the prosperous and constantly growing cities of the Southwest, the center of a great trade, and a distributing point of splen- did dimensions. Two fine daily newspa- pers are features of its progress, and over two hundred industrial plants have established a most respectable pay roll. Up-to-date business houses show retail products equally up-to-date, compar- ing favorably with the shops of the biggest cities of the country. The jobbing or wholesale houses are equally alert and progressive in their various lines, they being thoroughly representative and operating in a territory as large as the State of Ohio. The wholesale trade of the city is valued at $100,000,000 annually. San Antonio has seven national banks, three State banks, one of which does a trust company business, three additional trust companies and four private banks. The combined capital of the State and national banks is $4,050,000; their com- bined deposits averaging about $25,000,000. The pay rolls of the manufactories amount to $5,500,- 000 each year with an annual product of over $35,000,000. With less than fifteen per cent, of its territory producing, yet this territory has an assessed val- uation of nearly three hundred million dollars, with farm products, including stock, having a value of approximately $65,000,000. The city proper for 1914 shows an assessment of $96,233,- 000, with an estimated population of 125,000. Menger Hotel, Loggia. 24 lony Hotel. ANTONIO HOTELS Few cities of the South have so splendidly de- veloped their hotel facilities as has San Antonio, for, while it has always possessed accommoda- tions of a really superior character, the past few years have witnessed the establishment of several thoroughly up-to-date, modern hostelries of pro- portions and equipment sufficient to meet all pos- sible demands. The most notable of these are the St. Anthony and the Gunter, erected each at a cost of from $500,000 to $600,000. At the end of the first set- son's operation the capacity of both hotels was increased materially, bringing the investment of each close to one million dollars. The old favor- ite hotel, the "Menger," has also been improved by the expenditure of a large sum, and these three establishments, together with a number of smaller hotels, of which the Travelers', Crockett, Maverick, Hutchins, Bexar, Imperial, Nueces, and Losoya are excellent examples, thoroughly equip the city for all possible contingencies. Numerous restaurants and cafes, whose cuisine is as varied as anyone might wish, provide also for the trai sient visitor. he tran- AS A RAILROAD CENTER OUR trunk lines of railroad enter and pass through San Antonio. Chief of these is the Southern Pacific, Sunset Route, traversing the won- derful territory between New Orleans and Portland, Oregon. This magnificent system is the direct line from the northern Atlantic cities, connecting at New Orleans with carriers operating through cars from all im- portant centers in the East, and also the Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati territory. For years this system has recognized the im- portance of San Antonio from a standpoint of commerce and also because of the splendid re- sort features and attractions of the city, which it has exploited the world over. So located as to meet the schedule demands of the Southern Paci- fic, that line has continued to build up its through service, and sleeping cars now operate to and through San Antonio, between Washington, At- lanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Galveston and El Paso, and points on the Pacific Coast. The elaboration of the service of the Sunset Route includes all steel trains, the best dining car service in America, and oil burning locomo- tives which make travel through and into Texas the perfect travel because of the freedom from cinders and smoke. Ninety-pound steel rails, automatic electric block signals, and splendid ballast, are features of the service, and San An- tonio is one of the chief cities on this system. The Southern Pacific lines also operate trains to the Gulf at Port Lavaca and traverse a fine farming and cattle country between San Antonio, Cuero, Victoria and Houston. San Fernando Cathedral. 26 Mission San Jose. ^CHAMBER OF COMMERCE San Antonio has an active Chamber of Com- merce numbering more than 2,000 members. Al- lied with it are the leading civic organizations in the city: The Publicity League, which has the duty of advertising the resources and oppor- tunities of San Antonio to the world; The Real Estate Exchange, which has on its membership roll every active real estate man in the city; The Jobbers and Manufacturers' League, which looks after credit ratings and other interests of its members; The Fiesta San Jacinto Association, which manages the spring festival held each year in San Antonio; The Bexar County Highway League, which encourages and assists in the con- struction of improved streets and roads; The Civic Improvement League, which encourages sanitation and municipal improvements, and the Young Men's Business League, which is bringing the younger business men of the city into active civic work and introducing them into the larger affairs of the Chamber o/ Commerce. With a public-spirited membership and an ac- tive and efficient official organization, the Cham- ber of Commerce has been one of the funda- mentals in pushing San Antonio and in maintain- ing its advantage before the world. San Antonio Press Club is also an active factor in promoting the interests of the city, and occu- pies commodious quarters near the center of the THE MISSIONS OF SAN ANTONIO HESE interesting, ancientruins speak in their own way of America's early history. They tell a wonderful story of the efforts and faith of the Span- ish monks to push the ritual of the Holy Catholic Church into the new and far lands of a conquered world; to prose- lyte among the savage tribes of an unknown country and make God an abiding per- sonality in the hearts of a strange people. Then, too, in establishing these missions in re- gions remote from those ravaged by Cortez and his successors, the edifices served as posts for Spanish extension and marked additional domain for the Lions of Castile. The missions were chained together, as it were, and built into the wilderness, forming a connecting link with the seat of government in Mexico. The decline of the temporal power of the Empire left the seats of spiritual strength vacant, and now, after centuries of human effort, of human successes and failures and the rise and fall of dynasties, these old walls and carven towers tell mutely the long, long story of a dead past. The story of the Alamo was written in the blood of the bravest of the brave. Fighting for the in- dependence of their country, the immortals fell and their ashes mingled with the dust of their loved homeland. Crockett, Bowie, Dickinson, Travis, Bonham, and a hundred obscure heroes fell beneath the persistent onslaughts of Santa Anna and his six thousand soldiers. The conflict of the "Alamo," meaning "Cottonwood," took place on March 6th, 1836. No messenger of de- feat carried the dire tidings. Death claimed them all. On April 21st the battle of San Jacinto was fought and with the rout of the Mexicans and the capture of Santa Anna the bonds which had bound Texas to Mexico were severed for all time, and Mission San Jose. 28 Mission the dead of the Alamo were avenged in the glori- ous birth of the new Republic. The Alamo was originally the Mission San An- tonio de Valero, named alike for St. Anthony and the Spanish Viceroy, Duke de Valero. The Mis- sion was first established in the Gienagua of the Rio Grande in 1703, later to Illdephonso, and after another temporary location at San Pedro Springs, where it remained for some years, was perman- ently located on its present site in 1744 and secu- larized by royal decree in 1757. It was the center of many conflicts between the Indians and Ameri- cans and later the Mexicans. The architecture of the Mission is severely plain with the exception of the ornate door and win- dow carvings. The main chapel was laid out in the form of a cross, 72x62 feet, with walls four and a half feet thick. ^"V* The Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purissima de Acuna, one of the Spanish Viceroys, is known as the "First Mission," and is one of the most cele- brated of the Texas group historically, being the scene of one of the bloodiest contests of the Texas revolution. On October 28, 1835, one hundred Americans, led by Col. Bowie and Capt. Fannin, camped near the Mission and were attacked in the early dawn by a vastly superior force of Mex- ican soldiery. Hemmed in on every side by their enemies, the Americans fought desperately and I finally overcame their adversaries, who fled, leav- ing nearly a hundred dead and wounded on the field; the Americans losing only one man. -su The Mission Concepcion was established in 1716 on the opposite bank of the San Antonio River, but was moved to its present site in 1731. In general appearance the building is Moorish, possessing two towers, and curious inscriptions on the cement-covered walls. Like most of the Missions, time and vandalism are gradually de- stroying this old edifice. It was in the year 1689 that the first emissary of the Spanish King reached the location after wards known as San Antonio de Bexar. Don Alon- zp de Leon, then governor of Coahuila, on his ar- rival in the year named, at the little Indian village, was greeted by its inhabitants with cries of "Te- jas, Tejas," meaning Paradise. From this did "Texas" originate. During the period 1690 to 1718, six Missions were built, the first being that of San Francisco de Tejas, afterwards renamed. Mission San Juan de Capistrano was one of the six and was probably completed in 1716. It was, however, abandoned and permitted to lapse be- cause of its distance from the settlement. Only the bell tower and crumbling walls now stand. The Mission San Francisco de la Espada, mean- ing "St. Francis of the Sword," was named by the then Viceroy, Domingo de Teran, and its ruins stand on the original site. It was also permitted to lapse, but was re-established in 1716. Time has not dealt gently with Espada, and its walls have been gradually crumbling. The De Zavala chap- ter of the Daughters of the Republic endeavored to raise a fund with which to preserve the curious old tower which has always been the most char- acteristic feature of the Mission. The Mission San Jose de Aguayo, named in hon- or of its patron, Saint Joseph, and of Gov. De Aguayo, is undoubtedly the most imposing and beautiful of the old buildings. Known as the "Second Mission," it gives ample token of the skill and architectural ability of the Franciscan Fathers. The beautiful carvings which ornament the great doors and windows were the work of the Spanish sculptor Huica, who came across the seas for that purpose. San Jose was founded in 1720, and was eight years building. It is today the most favored of all the Missions, and is well maintained. Mission Concepcion. 30 LIST OF AGENTS ALEXANDRIA, LA. J. W. Harrington .... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent ATLANTA, GA. 80 Peachtree Street C. M. Evans ............................ General Agent R. O. Bean ................... Traveling Passenger Agent David L. Griffin .......... City Freight and Passenger Agent AUSTIN, TEXAS Littlefield Building W. R. Smith .......... Division Freight and Passenger Agent D. C. Cheesman ........... City Passenger and Ticket Agent BALTIMORE, MD. 29 Baltimore Street Wm. B. Johnson ...... Division Freight and Passenger Agent A. A. Price ......... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent BEAUMONT, TEXAS Sunset Park F. L. Sheeks ............................ General Agent T. L. Cleveland ...... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent O. B. Puryear ............ City Passenger and Ticket Agent BIRMINGHAM, ALA. 310 Brown Marx Building C. M. Evans ............................ General Agent S. J. Brown ................... Traveling Passenger Agent Geo. W. Ely .................. Traveling Passenger Agent BOSTON, MASS. 12 Milk Street J. H. Glynn ........................ New England Agent J. A. Blaser ....................... City Passenger Agent Wm. C. Harris ................ Traveling Passenger Agent G. B. Brown .................. Traveling Passenger Agent A. H. Boyd ................... Traveling Passenger Agent BUFFALO, N. Y. 11 Swan Street S. C. Chiles .......... District Freight and Passenger Agent H. D. Morse .................. Traveling Passenger Agent G. H. Vogel .................. Traveling Passenger Agent E. U. Sturdevant ......... City Freight and Passenger Agent CHICAGO, ILL. 55 West Jackson Boulevard W. G. Neimyer .......................... General Agent O. P. Bartlett ................... Assistant General Agent W. J. Sack ................... Traveling Passenger Agent J. E. Maynard ................... Traveling Freight Agent R, D. Williams ..................... City Passenger Agent H. M. Kean ................... Traveling Passenger Agent R. Gunderson .................... Traveling Freight Agent C. H. Hawley ................... Traveling Freight Agent CINCINNATI, O. No. 5 East Fourth St., Sinton Hotel Bldg. A. G. Little ............................. General Agent W. T. Holly .................. Traveling Passenger Agent Earl Z. Giblon ................ Traveling Passenger Agent L. Liston ...................... Traveling Freight Agent S. C. Sigler ..................... Traveling Freight Agent Geo. H. Siebert .................... City Passenger Agent CORSICANA, TEXAS J. H. Evetts ......................... Commercial Agent DALLAS, TEXAS Railway Exchange Building S. G. Reed .............. Assistant General Passenger Agent Leon Dismuke .................. Division Passenger Agent J. M. Fariss ..................... Traveling Freight Agent J. C. Loggins ............. City Passenger and Ticket Agent DENVER, COLO. 313 Railway Exchange Building H. F. Kern ............................. General Agent M. Robertson ........ Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent DETROIT, MICH. 221 Majestic Building E. A. Macon ............................ General Agent W. J. Montgomery . . . Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent J. H. Desherow ...... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent EAGLE PASS, TEXAS T. G. George ........................ . . Agent EL PASO, TEXAS 206 Oregon Street Wm. C. McCormick ...................... General Agent J. E. Monroe ............. City Passenger and Ticket Agent Wade Cunningham .... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent FORT WORTH, TEXAS Westbrook Hotel Building H. J. Fitzgerald ....... Division Freight and Passenger Agent A. J. Patton ......... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent E. A. Pennington .......... City Passenger and Ticket Agent FRESNO, CAL. C. H. Jasper ......... Division Freight and Passenger Agent GALVESTON, TEXAS 21st and Market Streets A. J. Morris ...................... Division Freight Af*ent GUAY1.IB HAV?NA, General Agent J. W. Green ....... General Ae'pnt HOUSTON, TEXAS Southern Pacific' Building' ' R. H. Carmichael . . . Division Freight Agent G. H. & S. A Ry T. & N. O. R. R., H. & T. C. R.R. '' T. G. Ratcliff ......... Commercial Agent H. E. & W. T. Ry., H. & S. R. R. ?' ' 1 ,r S ..................... Traveling Freight Agent J - F. s ni *- .: ............. Traveling Passenger Agent Rice Hotel Building Tom Hood ................ City Passenger and Ticket Agent KANSAS CITY, MO. 101 Bryant Building C. T. Collett ............................ General Agent L. F. McFarland ............... Traveling Passenger Agent E. H. Williams .................. Traveling Freight Agent LAKE CHARLES, LA. Majestic Hotel W. H. Stakelum ....... Division Freight and Passenger Agent LITTLE ROCK, ARK. 210 Gazette Building C. L. Bouchard ....................... Commercial Agent LOS ANGELES, CAL., 600 South Spring Street T. F. Fitzgerald ............. D. P. A., Wash. -Sunset Route T ^o ThoS ' ' Bonnev ............. T. P. A., Wash.-Sunset Route LOS ANGELES, CAL. Room 602, Pacific Electric Building C. M. Knox ............................. General Agent Grove Ketchum ...... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent MEXICO CITY Ave. Cinco de Mayo, No. 34 G. R. Hackley ........................... General Agent Or. P. Mena ......... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 733 Metropolitan Life Building C. A. David ........... District Freight and Passenger Agent NEW IBERIA, LA. J. E. Carter ................... Traveling Passenger Agent NEW ORLEANS. LA. 225-227 St. Charles Street Theo. Ensign ............ City Passenger and Ticket Agent * rank J. Bole ......................... Passenger Agent L,. P. Mathru-s. . . . Metropolitan Bank, Trav. Passenger Agent r^TTr \rv, T - erre11 ........ Metropolitan Bank, Trav. Freight Agent NEW YORK, N. Y. 366, 1158 and No. 39 Broadway L. H. Nutting ............ General Eastern Passenger Agent R. S. Stubbs ............... General Eastern Freight Agent (T. L. Snyder .................... Traveling Freight Agent 366 Broadway W. F. Anderson .......................... Ticket Agent Frank Barthels ........................ Passenger Agent 1158 Broadway A. C. Parker ........ J. M. Adler ........ Passenger Agents' -Ticket Agent ^T L - T fr ichar dson ......... District Freight and Passenger Agent OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. 1200 Colcord Building ? ? J > i nter ........................ Commercial Agent T>T,TT , ^,SH\ ......... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1600 Chestnut Street F. T. Brookg ......... Division Freight and Passenger Agrnt T c D Longacre ................ Traveling Passenger Agent J. S ^ Ramspacker ............... Traveling Passenger Agent J. G. Herring ........................... General Agent treorge A. Smith ............... Traveling Passenger Agent J. L. Chapman .................. Traveling Freight Agent I. F. Starke ................. Freight and Passenger Agent SAL? LA K l m TY; UTAH ' ' DiS ' r ' Ct *"'*" ""* *''""*" A. R. Atkinson ........ Division Freight and Passenger Agent R. E. George .................. Traveling Passenger Agent W. H. Frazier ................... Traveling Freight Agent E. McClannahan .......... City Passenger and Ticket Agent SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Rooms 1280-1282, Flood Building P. K. Gordon ............................ General Agent Walter R. Van Sickler. . . .Trav. Freight and Passenger Agent SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Flood Building J. N. Harrison ............ P. C. P. A., Wash.-Sunset Route Jas. H. P. Mason .............. Traveling Passenger Agent SAN JOSE, CAL. E. Shillingsburg ....... District Freight and Passenger Agent ST. LOUIS, MO. 1002 Olive Street Geo. B. Hild ............................ General Agent J. M. Mauden ................. Traveling Passenger Agent W. A. White .................... Traveling Freight Agent L. B. Banks ...................... City Passenger Agent SEATTLE, WASH. 720 Second Avenue C. M. Andrews ........ District Freight and Passenger Agent SHREVEPORT, LA. 523 Market Street M. J. Dooley ......... Division Freight and Passenger Agent F. J. Latter ......... Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent J. Gauntt ................ City Passenger and Ticket Agent TACOMA, WASH. Bankers Trust Building C. M. Andrews ........ District Freight and Passenger Agent TUCSON, ARIZ. H. C. Hallmark. . . Asst. General Freight and Passenger Agent WACO, TEXAS 112 South Fourth Street J. G. Myerhoeffer .................. Division Freight Agent C. M. Reeves, Jr ............... Traveling Passenger Agent T. J. Shields ............. City Passenger and Ticket Agent WASHINGTON, D. C. 911 G Street, N. W. A. J. Poston ........... General Agent, Wash.-Sunset Route 30M-4M6 C li'J * ' IV s. K U I SET, OCDEN A ASTA ROUTES D CONNECTIONS jjl A -" tr Z I Z * fl \ > CO r fl "A CO ^ ? ' \ 1 \ I