Read Full Article Here
In the early 19th century, Texas was frontier and a land of great opportunity and promise. It was also a magnet for folks who wanted (or needed) to leave Europe or the United States behind and start fresh. As the exhibit I co-wrote and produced for the Alamo in 2017 attested, Jim Bowie himself was but one of many who moved into Texas for fortune, glory, and to escape things that may be best left behind.When people left their homes and headed west to the Texas frontier, they’d often leave a simple carving in a prominent tree or other spot on their property that consisted of three letters: GTT.
Gone to Texas.
In Bowie’s case, he was the original Indiana Jones. He pulled up stakes and came to Texas, then a Mexican state, on New Year’s Day 1830 …