Goliad

History

In 1747, the Spanish government sent José de Escandón to inspect the northern frontier of its North American colonies, including Spanish Texas. In his final report, Escandón recommended the Presidio La Bahía be moved from its Guadalupe River location to the banks of the San Antonio River, so it could better assist settlements along the Rio Grande. Both the presidio and the mission that it protected, Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga, moved to their new location sometime around October 1749. Escandón proposed that 25 families from New Spain be relocated near the presidio to form a civilian settlement, but he could not find enough willing settlers. With the conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763, France ceded Louisiana and its Texas claims to Spain. With France no longer a threat to the crown's North American interests, the Spanish monarchy commissioned the Marquis de Rubi to inspect all of the presidios on the northern frontier of New Spain and make recommendations for the future. Rubi recommended that several presidios be closed and that La Bahia be kept and rebuilt in stone. La Bahia was soon "the only Spanish fortress for the entire Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Mississippi River". The presidio was at the crossroads of several major trade and military routes. It quickly became one of Texas's three most important areas, along with Béxar and Nacogdoches. In early August 1812 during the Mexican War of Independence, Mexican revolutionary Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara and his recruits, called the Republican Army of the North, invaded Texas. In November, the invaders captured Presidio La Bahia. Texas Governor Manuel María de Salcedo laid siege to the fort for the next four months. Unable to win a decisive victory, Salcedo lifted…

Geography

Goliad is located near the center of Goliad County at (28.669, –97.392). U.S. Route 59 passes through the center of town as Pearl Street, leading northeast to Victoria and southwest to Beeville. U.S. Route 183 (Jefferson Street) crosses US 59 northeast of the original center of town; US 183 leads north to Cuero and south to Refugio. Goliad is southeast of San Antonio and north of Corpus Christi. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.28%, is covered by water. The San Antonio River flows from west to east along the southern border of the city; it is a tributary of the Guadalupe River, joining it just before their mouth at San Antonio Bay.

Race & ethnicity