San Antonio, the Alamo and the Babe

When I was in seventh grade, I did a report on The Alamo. As part of my project I built a miniature Alamo approximately 12" x 16" using popsicle sticks and miscellaneous materials, possibly clay or plaster. My father was a chemist involved with the development of latex paints so I could create the precise colors one would see in the barren landscapes of South Texas. No photos exist of this remarkable model, only memories.

Santa Claus coming to town, a Texas Ranger riding shotgun.

The Alamo.

General Santa Anna's troops stayed in the hotel next door.

The light from this Christmas tree is what gave away the location
of the Texans who were forced to take refuge at the Alamo.

The slaughter at the Alamo in March 1836 marked one of the starkest moments of the Texas Revolution. After a 13-day siege, Mexican forces under General Santa Anna overran the mission and killed nearly all the Texan defenders, including figures like James Bowie and William Travis. Though a military defeat, the Alamo became a powerful symbol of resistance and sacrifice, rallying Texans with the cry “Remember the Alamo!”  This saga crystalized the mythology of American frontier courage.

Sunset over Mexico. The war that followed culminated in
the Gadsden Purchase.

The Gadsden Purchase (1854) was the United States’ $10 million acquisition of roughly 30,000 square miles of land from Mexico—today’s southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It wasn't really a "purchase" per se.The agreement, negotiated by James Gadsden, went something like this: "You give us this territory and you will have fewer headaches in the future.. Oh, and here's some cash so we tell our people we didn't steal it but bought it fair and square."

Gadsden, a key figure in railroad development, was looking to secure a flat terrain for a southern transcontinental railroad and settle border disputes after the Mexican-American War, This deal finalized the modern continental U.S.-Mexico boundary. Though small compared to earlier expansions, it remains the last major territorial addition to the contiguous United States.

Babe Ruth once played an exhibition game in San Antonio.
While there he stayed at the Menger Hotel.

Ruth and the New York Yankees were on a preseason barnstorming tour and faced the San Antonio Bears at League Park. Contemporary Texas newspapers reported that Ruth thrilled the crowd with a towering home run during the game.

The Yankee's visit to San Antonio took place in 1922, during Prohibition. By this time San Antonio had become known as one of America’s most openly “wet” cities. Speakeasies, back-room saloons, and “soft drink parlors” operated throughout downtown, often with the quiet cooperation of local officials. Smugglers funneled liquor across the nearby Mexican border, soldiers and civilians provided steady demand, and police raids were sporadic. The result was a vibrant but illegal nightlife that flourished despite the letter of the law. The Menger Hotel stood at the heart of the Prohibition-era nightlife zone where many of San Antonio’s back-room saloons quietly operated.

Ruth drank heavily throughout his playing career, often late into the night, even during the season. Teammates and sportswriters of the era documented his frequent binge drinking which was tied to the broader image of Ruth as a larger-than-life figure—big appetites, big personality, and little interest in discipline off the field.

Despite the drinking, Ruth’s natural athletic ability allowed him to perform at an elite level for most of his career. By the mid-1930s, his drinking and partying lifestyle began catching up with him. Sooner or later, all things must pass.

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You probably didn't know where this was going when you began reading here. I didn't either. I was simply trying to create copy to accompany a few interesting photos sent to me by America's Photographer, Gary Firstenberg.

Here's a link to his website. Ye shall be impressed.

www.firstinphoto.smugmug.com