FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-037

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (March 6, 2026) – This issue of Fun with Maps helps us remeber the end of a legendary battle.  

REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

San Antonio is commemorating the 13-day siege of the Alamo, which ended 190 years ago on March 6, 1836.  Many Texans feel that the Alamo is the heart of the state, a Texas equivalent of Washington, DC for the country.

The fortress was built as part of a Catholic mission, Mission San Antonio de Valero, in the early 1700s.  It became the headquarters for the Alamo Company and military community in 1800 and began to be known simply as the Alamo.

The Battle of the Alamo was part of the Mexican-American War which saw the emergence of Texas as an independent republic.  Legendary heroes Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie fought and died there.  Colonel William Travis is famous for his act of questioning the soldiers about their loyalty – drawing a line in the sand and asking who would cross it.

This map by Gray shows Texas as it was in 1873.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.