Bruce Winders: We’re in San Antonio Texas. It’s famous mainly because there is battle here in 1836 in the Texas revolution in which the Mexican government was trying to subdue a rebellion and it broken out. And of that revolution the most famous battle took place here in San Antonio out of place called the Alamo that’s where we are.
Well, a lot of people come here and one of the things we have to do is talk to them. They remember the Alamo but they don’t necessary know why they were suppose to remain where it what. The reason that it gets to remember is because it becomes one of those classic rallying Christ and much like remember Pearl Harbor, remember the Maine which a lot of people don’t remember anymore that we can talk to people today and we said what it’s like to remember 9/11. And that has an impact on them because they can really see that it means that you have an event that you want to remember, that something horrible took place and in the sense we have to remember it so it those people did not die in vain.
One of the clocks that we place out front was a letter written by William Barrett Travis who was commander of the Alamo. And when the siege began he wrote a series of letters sending it back to the east asking for reinforcement or for help they arrive. They were about 150 to 200 inside and Santa Ana, the Mexican general had about 1500 and later he would get about another thousand so they're greatly outnumbered.
One of the reason they remember the Alamo is through Travis’ letters, his pleas and what he talks about we’re here, we’re outnumbered but the willingness to sacrifice themselves if they needed to be because it was important in the place and the tragedy is that it was the letter form very effective in getting people to move but due to the transportation in just the time on communication at that time period they don’t get there in time so Alamo is on the 13th today of the siege is captured and all the commandants had been put to death.
Male: The modern community of San Antonio attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. This cities famous river walk one creation of the 1968 World’s Fair is San Antonio’s center piece.
Female: Now we are on the San Antonio River. This is the natural river with the mud bottom. It buries between three to five feet deep so if you fall in the river folks please stand up and walk to shore.
This is the Arneson River Theatre. It’s the world only outdoor theater with the river riding through the middle. The city is on the left to the river where you where you sit on the grass.
The stage is on the riding side of the river. Look around you here because this is the way to river walk was when it was first finish. Just a nice quiet city farm, no restaurants, no hotels just a quiet low park. It stayed this way until 1968 when we had the World’s Fair here. It’s called the Hemisfair and we discovered tourism.
Male: The tower of the Americas third tallest in North America is another legacy up there. A ride at the glass face elevator is a thrill not to be missed.
Rodeo began in Texas. The 17-day San Antonio’s talk show in Rodeo is a second largest in the state and event most of the worlds greatest country and western entertainers. The financial impact of the event is like over $100 million close into San Antonio as it comes.
These are without question so the very best rider’s and brokers in the world.
Competitors in the rodeo go through 16 days of elimination to the finals the last day.
Texas is that huge economically diverse state which is still retains the flavor of hospitality and excitement of the old west. That’s all for this addition of Discoveries America. Thanks for watching.
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