Carole Sikes Artist / Writer in Austin, Texas

WHAT DO YOU KNOW about the Pig War in the new nation? The Pig War was a dispute between a hot headed Texan and an arrogant Frenchman in the primitive young town of Austin over a hotel bill in 1841 and beyond. I hope you find it amusing._________ Count Alphonse de Saligny, French Charge d’Affaires, represented France in the new Republic of Texas. He wrote to Paris of his delight and pleasure with the reception he received. This was before his confrontation at the Bullock Hotel. The Texas Congress was in recess so Saligny checked out to visit New Orleans. When receiving his bill he felt over-charged. He offered Bullock a lesser amount that was angrily refused. He left without paying and created an enemy. Upon his return to Austin, he rented a house and an office but his daily walk to the capitol caused him the discomfort of passing in front of the Bullock Hotel on Congress at Pecan (6th street)._________ He purchased 21 acres on a hill east of town to ...

ARMADILLO WORLD HEADAQUARTERS In my day Austin was ethnically divided by East Avenue. In 1960, Interstate 35 replaced this street. Today singles, couples, families, artists and musicians flock to live and operate in the convenient downtown neighborhoods east of US Interstate 35 displacing many of the older and earlier residents. Another coveted place to locate today is south of the river. Hip restaurants, bars, upscale hotels and residences are displacing the cowboy and red neck residents, the quirky retail stores and the souvenir shops that were there previously. In 1960 Austin was awash with hippies. The Armadillo World Headquarters (1970-1981) was Austin's legendary concert hall located on Barton Springs Road across the street from where the Long Center is located today. Eddie Wilson with Jesse Sublet(*) transformed an abandoned National Guard Armory into a music venue that was instrumental (pun intended) for Austin becoming the "The Music Capital of the World". It...

WHAT DO YOU KNOW about Waterloo? In 1838, Texas Vice President Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar arranged for Texas Rangers to take him to the Hornsby’s farm on the Colorado River to meet Jacob Harrell. Also in the party were James Rice, Willis Avery, Edward Fontaine and a slave. The destination was the very small, primitive and dangerous Anglo settlement called Waterloo in the new nation at the edge of Comanche territory. Upon arrival Lamar stayed in the relative safety of Harrell’s cabin. The Vice President was delighted with the beautiful violet foothills and the river valley that was covered with tall grasses. +++++new paragraph+++++ Mirabeau Lamar, poet and dreamer, became the second President of the Republic of Texas and had grand ideas for a new capital city on the Colorado River. The first and third president of Texas favored Harrisburg (Houston) as the capital and opposed almost everything for which Lamar stood, which included extermination of the Indians and Texas expansion to the we...