The Council House Fight

The Council House Fight was a conflict between Republic of Texas officials and a Comanche peace delegation which took place in San Antonio, Texas, on March 19, 1840. The meeting was conceived as taking place under a negotiated truce with the purpose of (on the Comanche side) obtaining recognition of the boundaries of the Comancheria, and on the Texas side, the release of Texan and Mexican hostages who had been captured by the Comanche in recent years. The event ended in the death of 30Comanche leaders who had come to San Antonio under a flag of truce. This incident hardened Comanche hostility to Texans for years to come.



Texas officials, with the exception of Sam Houston, did not understand that the Comanche were not a unified nation in the sense that Europeans were. The absence of a unified tribe allowed the various independent divisions to hold captives and refuse to honor agreements to return them. They never agreed to return any captives, instead often incorporating them into the Comanche, who made little distinction between birth and adopted members of the tribe.

The Comanche underestimated the Texans. The Comanche had held the Spanish colonies in check by ruthless raiding, and ferocious cruelty. They were unprepared for organized resistance from the Texans as settlements began to steadily encroach onto the Comancheria.



The Comanche arrived in San Antonio on March 19. Expecting only discussion and bargaining at the council, the 12 chiefs brought women and children as well as warriors. The Comanche chiefs at the meeting had brought along one white captive, and several Mexican children who had been captured separately. The white captive was Matilda Lockhart, a 16-year-old girl who had been held prisoner for over a year and a half. According to witnesses, including Mary Maverick, who helped care for the girl, she had been beaten, raped and suffered burns to her body. Her face was severely disfigured, with her nose entirely burned away.



The talks were held at the council house, a one-story stone building adjoining the jail on the corner of Main Plaza and Calabosa (Market) Street. During the council, the Comanche warriors sat on the floor, as was their custom, while the Texans sat on chairs on a platform facing them. Lockhart had informed them that she had seen 15 other prisoners at the Comanche's principal camp several days before. She maintained that the Indians had wanted to see how high a price they could get for her, and that they then planned to bring in the remaining captives one at a time.

The Texans demanded to know where the other captives were. The Penateka spokesman, Chief Muguara, responded that the other prisoners were held by differing bands of Comanche. He assured the Texans that they could be exchanged for a great deal of supplies, including ammunition and blankets. He then finished his speech with the comment "how do you like that answer?"

The Texan militia entered the courtroom and positioned themselves at intervals on the walls. The Texas officials said that chiefs would be held hostage until the white captives were released.

The angry chiefs began shooting arrows and using their knives to fight their way out of the room. Texan soldiers opened fire, killing both Indians and whites. The Comanche women and children waiting outdoors began firing their arrows after hearing the commotion inside. When a small number of warriors managed to leave the council house, all of the Comanche began to flee. The soldiers who followed again opened fire, killing and wounding both Comanche and Texans.



According to the report by Col. Hugh McLeod, written March 20, 1840, of the 65 members of the Comanches' party, 35 were killed (30 adult males, 3 women, and 2 children), 29 were taken prisoner (27 women and children, and 2 old men), and 1 departed unobserved (described as a renegade Mexican). Seven Texans died, including a judge, sheriff, and an army lieutenant, with ten more wounded.

Of the 16 hostages the Texans were determined to recover, 13 were tortured to death as soon as the news of the Council House Fight reached the outraged Comanches. The captives, including Matilda Lockhart's 6 year old sister, suffered slow roasting among other tortures. Only the 3 captives who had been adopted into the tribe, and by Comanche custom were truly part of the tribe, were spared. This was part of the Comanche answer to the breaking of a truce.

Matilda Lockhart herself is remembered at another downtown site. Her return is depicted in Howard Cook's mural of Texas history in the downtown (then main) post office, finished in 1937 and refurbished a few years ago. Cook posed the girl with her back to the viewer, since the condition of her nose — said by Maverick to have been burned partly away — may have helped to spark the massacre. Lockhart reported at least 13 other captives had been left behind when she was brought to the ill-fated peace talks.



I think everyone involved would be happy to know that the Main Plaza is now such a peaceful place with trees and benches. A perfect memorial to all those who died in the battle.

More Info on the Battle

Hugh McLeod's Report on the Fight

Wikipedia's Official Entry for the Battle

Main Plaza Conservancy

Dionicio Rodriguez - Artist\Architect

Dionicio Rodriguez was born in 1891 and was a Mexican-born artist and architect. With little formal education, he began, at the age of fifteen, to work for a foundry in Mexico, and his earliest work can be seen at Chapultepec Castle and the President’s Palace in Mexico City. He later served with an Italian artist, Robles Hill, who produced imitation rocks, caverns, ruins, and ancient buildings.



He was known for his unique style of concrete construction that imitated wood. Gates, benches and artificial rock formations were created by the artist to invite visitors to rest or to explore the landscape.



One of his major works of art, the Crystal Shrine Grotto and sculptures at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Rodriguez’s move to Laredo, Texas, about 1910 was undoubtedly influenced by the general political unrest in Mexico at the time. After Rodriguez moved to San Antonio, in the mid-1920s, Dr. Aureliano Urrutia, a physician to the president of Mexico (who had an house in what is now Brackenridge Park next to the AT&T building on Broadway), introduced him to Alamo Cement Company, and he worked for them through the late 1920s. It was during this time that he used his talent to leave his mark on San Antonio.

He worked in eight different states from 1924 through the early 1950s but spent much of his early career in San Antonio, where several of his creations have become beloved landmarks. More than a dozen of Rodríguez's works have been included on the National Register of Historic Places.



If you have visited Brackenridge Park, you have undoubtedly noticed a strange "wood" bridge right at the Hildebrand entrance to the park. This was one of his creations.



As was the Japanese Tea Garden at which he replicated a Japanese Torii gate at the entrance to the gardens.



Also another place you could have seen his work would be at Broadway and Patterson where there is a bus stop that is commonly called the "three tree stop".

Other works by Dionicio Rodríguez can be seen in San Antonio at the Museum of Art (200 W. Jones Ave.), and at St. Anthony of Padua Shrine (100 Peter Baque Rd.). Other works in Texas include a gazebo now at Haven River Inn in Comfort (105 FM 473), and at Woodlawn Garden of Memories in Houston (1101 Antoine Dr.).



Rodríguez's most famous work outside of Texas is a stone gristmill (that was featured in the opening scene from Gone With the Wind) in T.R. Pugh Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Ark. Other pieces can be found in Clayton, N.M.; Memphis, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; Cambridge and Detroit, Mich.; and Brentwood and Suitland, Md.


Rodriguez worked at various locations throughout the U.S. for more than thirty years. A long-ailing diabetic, Rodriguez spent his last days in San Antonio and died here on December 16, 1955. He is buried in San Antonio’s San Fernando Archdiocesan Cemetery.

So next time you pass one of these structures, take a little extra time to study it and realize how lucky we are to live in a city that has been touched so uniquely by such a prolific artist.

Full Bio of Dionicio Rodriguez

Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriquez

La Fonda On Main

It was a long day at work for both my wife and I. We arrived home and sat down both unwilling to begin the task of making something for supper. I had recently passed this cute restaurant around the corner from our house. I suggested it and my wife was a little hesitant. She wasn't in the mood to get dressed up and go to a nice place. I assured that her cute top and jeans would be perfect for the setting. She finally agreed to try it.

So off we went to "La Fonda on Main". It is important to note the name because there is another La Fonda here in town, but it is different. This one is located on Main Avenue and Woodlawn. To get there you leave the main through ways of McCollough or San Pedro and make your way into the Monte Vista Neighborhood. The traffic disappears and the street lights are replaced by stop signs on quaint little streets that are lined with beautiful homes. This is certainly not the place you would expect to find a restaurant. But sure enough, in the midst of this neighborhood sits a little restaurant.



Upon entering the restaurant we were immediately helped to a table. The lighting was low and warm and the crowd was enthusiastically eating and conversing. My wife felt very out of place due to her state of dress. But after we were seated and started to look around we began to feel better. The crowd consisted of a wide mix of people from large families to couples. All dressed in anything from formal wear to jeans and t-shirts. We ordered drinks and began to dive into the menu. Before long we knew this was going to be "our" restaurant. It just felt too right.

The restaurant is a modest home that was built in 1920's. Berry and Nannie Randall had the opportunity to buy the house and used it to expand their food-to-go shop into a full fledged restaurant. They converted the home into a restaurant and opened for business in 1932. In the early 1930's, San Antonio was a very different place. Houston had just surpassed San Antonio as the largest city in Texas, with Dallas in third place. Laurel Heights and Monte Vista were affluent suburbs at the northern edge of our city. Model-A's and trolley cars were the primary means of transportation to and from the busy downtown area for San Antonio's 235,000 residents.

According to their history they have served many celebrities over the years. Every famous officer in World War II seems to have eaten here, including Generals Eisenhower, MacArthur and Hill. Even American presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson enjoyed La Fonda's fare. Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Yul Brenner, Veronica Lake, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, along with many other stars, visited this historic restaurant.

While eating there there are two essential starters. First you have to get the Cactus Pear Margarita. A delicious pink bodied margarita made with Cactus Pears. Then a bowl of Queso Fundido must be ordered to enjoy with your chips and salsa. Upon glancing at the main dishes one finds that this isn't your typical Mexican food restaurant. The food is more of a Veracruz style with healthy portions of squash and Nopalito's. The Tex-Mex dishes are available, but they aren't what you want to be getting here. You want to stick to the dishes they are famous for like the Fajita Salad made with oak grilled tenderloins drizzled with a ancho chili sauce or the Roasted Poblano Relleno de Queso.



Our favorite place to be seated is in the patio garden out back. The patio features lush vegetation and plenty of fans that keep you cool on the hottest of days. All centered around a giant old Oak that towers above the building. It is the perfect way to unwind after a long day at work.






This place doesn't feel like a restaurant. It is like going to a friends place and be treated for the night. The waiters carry themselves as if they worked in a 5 star establishment. Each week Chef Javier Flores creates a unique Special in the style of old Mexico cuisine. The specials are frequently what I go for because you don't know how long the dish will be around.

La Fonda on Main
2415 Main St.
San Antonio, Texas 78212

The Monte Vista Historical Neighborhood

This neighborhood is just awesome. Monte Vista's approximately one hundred blocks comprise fourteen platted subdivisions. The district takes its name from the largest of these developments, platted in 1920. Distinguished residential architecture, primarily from San Antonio's "Gilded Age," defined as extending from 1890 to 1930, forms the most extensive and intact neighborhood of this era in Texas.



Walking or biking in this neighborhood is like stepping back in time. Suddenly the crazy traffic between San Pedro and McCoullough melts away. Giant old Oak trees spring up in every yard eclisping houses and civilization. I can only imagine what it must be like to live in this storied neighborhood.



The houses range in style from Colonial Revival to Mediterrean. Giant columns frame the front of some houses while quaint red window frames boldly stand out on others. Since I live in a neighborhood adjacent (the other side of the tracks) to this one, I feel like a part of it. It makes me wish I earned a six figure salary so that I could be more of a part of it. But as an outsider I will always look into this neighborhood and feel like it is my own.

Neigborhood website

Loads of pictures of the houses in the neighborhood