1721 was 7 years after Natchitoches was settled! An interesting romantic story involves St. Denis [Denys]. St. Denys was a French-Canadian from a very prominent family who had come into Louisiana with Iberville and Bienville. Soon after establishing Natchitoches in 1714, he led a trading party into Texas. He was arrested. While awaiting transport to Mexico City, he fell in love with the niece of the Spanish Governor. When he was released, he married the niece and their descendants remain in Louisiana some have become Cajuns! Another interesting historical tidbit! When the Spanish gained control of Louisiana in 1763 [didnt take control until 1766], the role of the Spanish at Los Adaes was clouded. Finally, the Viceroy decided that the Spanish would have to leave Los Adaes and go to San Antonio. The Spanish from Los Adaes were miserable in San Antonio and convinced the authorities to let them go to Nacogdoches, Texas. Since Nacogodoches was close to the Louisiana border, many former Los Adaes families gradually moved back into Louisiana. The SWLR records have numerous references to Los Adaes. Stanley LeBlanc http://www.thecajuns.com <http://www.thecajuns.com/> _____ From: Roger Rozendal [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 8:21 PM To: Stanley LeBlanc Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ACADIAN-CAJUN] Baton Rouge advocate - How Acadians came to Louisiana Jan 29, 2006 According to "The Handbook of Texas Online": The Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayoqv was a veteran soldier and a wealthy man, thanks to his wife, Ignacia Xaviera de Echeverez, who owned vast estates in Coahuila. At his own expense, he accepted the viceroy's request to deal with the troublesome situation in Texas and to undertake the establishment of missions in East Texas for a third time. In the early spring of 1721, Aguayo set out for Texas. He had recruited 500 men and collected 2,800 horses, 4,800 cattle, and 6,400 sheep and goats. Although livestock had accompanied previous entradas, Spanish ranching in Texas began with the arrival of these large herds in 1721. Aguayo reestablished all of the abandoned missions in East Texas; founded a new presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, at Los Adaes;qv and made a lasting peace with St. Denis, who had become commandant of the French settlement at Natchitoches. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/nps1.html Roger A. Rozendal On Jan 30, 2006, at 7:12 PM, Stanley LeBlanc wrote: The Spanish cattle Industry in Texas cannot chronologically predate the Louisiana cattle industry. Natchitoches was founded in 1714 and created large cattle herds. The Spanish moved to Las Adaes [current-day Robeline, LA - 14 miles west of Natchitoches on LA 6] in response to the Natchitoches settlement. Thus, the capitol of Colonial Spanish Texas was in current-day Louisiana and was established after Natchitoches! One can argue about the definition of Texas, but the fact remains that the Cattle industry in current-day Louisiana clearly predated the cattle industry in Spanish Colonial Texas! Stanley LeBlanc http://www.thecajuns.com