The Alamo

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Contributed by Jade Evenstadm, Pierre Gutierrez and Christopher King

About the Alamo

The Alamo was first built as a Spanish mission under the name Misión San Antonio de Valero in the year 1718. However, natural disasters caused the mission to be torn down or destroyed and rebuilt multiple times until it was secularized post-independence from Spain. The mission became known as the Alamo at the start of the 19th century, a name derived from a grove of nearby cottonwood trees (cottonwood=álamo in Spanish) and a company of Spanish Lancers known as the Alamo Company. The Alamo was occupied by Texian forces during the Texas Revolution. After the legendary Battle of the Alamo, the mission was left in ruins until the US Army turned it into a supply depot in 1846 and made several major renovations to it. In 1861 the Confederate army gained control of the Alamo after forcing federal troops out of Texas and held it until the end of the Civil War. The US Army regained use of the Alamo post-war until 1876 when Fort Sam Houston was built. After decades of disrepair, historical preservationists mobilized to rescue the Alamo and open it to the public.

The Alamo Throughout the Years (Videos):

1940s: 1940s Alamo Video 2:11 to 2:18

1950s: 1950s Alamo Video 0:12 to 0:26

1980s: 1980s Alamo Video 2:04 to 2:20

Today: The Alamo Today 0:04 to 0:12