The People Who Populate Austin
Drinking red wine makes me feel like a “real” writer. Like I’m Anais Nin. Or, let’s be realistic, Bridget Jones.
Do you have this problem too?
Anyway, I committed to this #30DayWritingChallenge after a birthday dinner last night, which included red wine. I am happy for the confidence.
I spent the rest of the evening brainstorming ideas for my thirty days. I thought maybe, now that I’m in my final year of my 30s, I could tell the stories from my richly-lived 20s — put them on e-paper before they disappeared from my memory. But I worry that may border too closely on public therapy. Or narcissism.
Then this morning, a recent local controversy gave me the inspiration I needed.
The controversy concerns a road here in Austin named Manchaca. That’s pronounced Man-Shack, by the way. Yes, it hurts my ears too, and seemingly the ears of many others.
See, Manchaca Road is meant to be named for a person. This person, first name José Antonio, most certainly didn’t pronounce his name Man-Shack. And he may have not spelled it as Manchaca either.
An Austin City Council member has filed an application to rename the road Menchaca, which, many say, is the correct spelling, and will encourage correct pronunciation.
Such things, of course, never go down without a fight, and local businesses have formed a group called — and I’m totally serious — “Leave Manchaca Alone.” They filed a restraining order to halt the renaming. This sounds a little ridiculous on its face, but their argument is fair — these are mainly small businesses and it will cost them a lot of money to replace signage, marketing collateral, etc.
That aside, as I was listening to the piece about the controversy on the news this morning, I realized I didn’t know the story of José Antonio Menchaca. In fact, there are a lot of roads I drive on, buildings I frequent, parks I run in, named for people whose stories I don’t know.
So, this month, in an effort to better know my city, I’ll research those stories and document them here. And, because I’m a traveler at heart, who loves exploring and discovering and eating and drinking, I’ll toss in some thoughts about my favorite Austin places near or related to the roads, buildings, parks, and other places whose stories I will tell. It’ll be like a mostly-sober Drunk History with a tour guide.
Let’s start with José Antonio Menchaca and Manchaca/Menchaca Road.
José Antonio Menchaca
Captain José Antonio Menchaca was born at the dawn of the 19th century, on January 9, 1800, in San Antonio de Bexar, Texas (modern-day San Antonio).
According to the San Jacinto Museum of History, his alternate names were Menchasen and Tony.
Texas at the time of Menchaca’s birth was colonized by Spain, and San Antonio was the first major, non-military settlement by the Spaniards in Texas, established in 1718.
Things changed for Texas pretty rapidly during Menchaca’s lifetime. First, in 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, with Texas as a part of the new country.
Mexico encouraged settlement in Texas by allowing immigration from the United States. (#irony)
In 1835, for a bunch of complex reasons, Texas’ war for independence began. José Antonio Menchaca fought during the Texas Revolution, and is recognized for his participation in the battle of San Jacinto on April 26, 1836. This was a decisive battle, during which the army of Texans defeated the much larger Mexican army led by Mexican leader Santa Anna. Santa Anna took off and was found hiding in a marsh the next day by Texan troops. A treaty was signed shortly after and Texas declared its independence.
In 1838, Menchaca became Mayor pro tem of San Antonio, following the resignation of his predecessor. He was also issued 640 acres of land for having participated in the battle of San Jacinto, after having lost his property due to a siege of San Antonio during the Texas Revolution.
In 1845, Texas became the 28th state. In 1861, Texas seceded from the United States to join the Confederacy. According to the application to change the name of Manchaca Road from City Council Member Pio Rentería, Menchaca never took an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was opposed to slavery.
Menchaca married twice and had four children. He died on November 1, 1889, during the era of Reconstruction.
And that is the story of Captain José Antonio Menchaca.
Manchaca/ Menchaca Road
Manchaca/ Menchaca Road runs through South Austin, branching off of South Lamar and continuing to FM 1626. (By the way, FM stands for “Farm to Market” which I find so quaint.)
Beyond being a good alternative to I35 when it’s, as usual, clogged with traffic, the Manchaca/ Menchaca Road area is home to a couple of my Austin favorites:
Texas Keeper Cidery
European-style, DRY cider, set along a bucolic creek, with plentiful outdoor space full of picnic tables, games and live oaks, as well as a cozy interior reminiscent of a ski lodge. Who could ask for more? Oh — live music, food trucks, and PARKING. Which Texas Keeper also has.
Radio Coffee & Beer
More of the same, really: plentiful, spacious outdoor area with separate sections and feels. Two food trucks (one being the infamous Veracruz tacos), and great coffee, beer, and wine. They also host live music, trivia nights, watch parties (Twin Peaks last year), and the Austin Flea.
Crockett High School
Second-to-last stop on our screening tour for the documentary my work funded and home to one of our amazing Texas OnCourse Leader Fellows, I have to give this Manchaca Road school a shout-out.
Places I Haven’t Been to Yet But Want to Go to
Wanna come with?
Thanks for taking this journey with me! See you tomorrow.
Sources
Also, Wikipedia.
