44 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES 
About 2 miles west of Crosby the San Jacinto River is crossed, 
flowing in a wide, deep trench in the smooth Coastal Plain. About 
10 miles below this crossing the river is joined by 
Crosby. Buffalo Bayou, which has been deepened into the 
Elevation 49 feet. Houston Ship Canal. It was on a rounded ridge just 
Population 417. Ps Z 
New Orleans 341 miles, SoOUth of the junction of these two streams that the 
Battle of San Jacinto, which gave Texas her inde- 
pendence from Mexico, was fought April 21, 1836. This battlefield 
has been laid out as a handsome park reached by a highway from 
Houston, 20 miles west. In this battle the Texas army of 783 men 
under Gen. Sam Houston routed the Mexican army of about 1,550 
men under Gen. Antonio de Santa Ana six weeks after the fall of the 
Alamo (ah’la-mo) in San Antonio. Houston’s men were inspired by 
the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo.” There was one swift charge 
of 15 minutes in which the stampeding Mexicans lost 630 killed, 208 
wounded, and 522 prisoners, while the Texans, raw farmers with poor 
equipment and only 50 horses, lost only 6 killed and 23 wounded. 
Santa Ana was captured the next day, and after an imprisonment of 
eight months was sent back to Mexico, where, from 1832 to his death 
in 1876, he continued to be alternately revolutionist, President of 
Mexico, and exile. 
From the west bank of the San Jacinto River near Sheldon siding 
the railroad follows a straight course southwestward over the level 
plain of Beaumont clay to Houston. In the interval there are several 
bayous or creeks which cut steep-sided trenches; pine woods are on all 
sides, and in places a few palmettos are growing. South of the 
railroad near Houston is a large creosoting plant for the treatment of 
ties and other timber for railroad use. 
Houston, the largest city in Texas, is built on the wide, level plains 
adjoining Buffalo Bayou. Its population increased slightly more than 
111 per cent from 1920 to 1930. It is named for Sam 
Houston. Houston, renowned soldier, governor, and Member of 
aon Congress, who was elected the first constitutional 
New Orleans 63 miles. President of Texas after it achieved independence 
through his victory over the Mexicans a San Jacinto. 
_ Once the capital of the Republic, long an important railroad center, 
Houston has added greatly to its commerce by a ship channel opened 
in 1920 from Galveston Bay to a great basin excavated on the eastern 
edge of the city, which has berths for 50 ocean liners. This waterway 
cost $20,000,000. According to the Houston Chamber of Commerce, 
nearly 15,000,000 tons of freight was handled on this waterway in 
1930, including nearly 2,000,000 bales of cotton and a large amount of 
rice and lumber. It is visited by vessels from all parts of the world. 
Houston claims to be the greatest spot-cotton market in the world and 
to rank second in cotton export, It exports grain from Iowa, Kansas, 
