The Great State of Texas - 1846

The Great State of Texas - 1846 On February 19, 1846 the last President of the Republic of Texas handed over the reins of power to the first Governor of the State of Texas and the Lone Star took its place in the American constellation. The Republic of Texas was no more. The Great State of Texas was born. And that state was in a far different form than the one we know today. The founding fathers of the Republic of Texas had set their sights far in 1836. The republic they defined encompassed the entire eastern half of what is now New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. The panhandle they described was in the shape of a stovepipe running all the way north to the 42nd parallel. How far north is that? Today the 42nd parallel makes up the borders between California and Oregon in the west, and between Pennsylvania and New York in the east. It runs through Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. In fact, Point Pelee, Ontario lies just south of the 42nd degree north latitude, meaning that s