In the middle of the eighteenth century, Texas was a long way from the English colonies. New Spain was a
world away for most people, but not for the Cox family. According to the family history, one intrepid member of the
family, Thomas Isaac Cox, used his connections with Berdardo de Galvez to procure mustangs from central Texas for use in the
American Revolution. Sound crazy? Not as crazy as you might think. Spain's support of the American Revolution
is well-documented, and it was Spain who took over patrols in the Gulf of Mexico, to allow the French to lend a crucial hand
At any rate, Cox allegedly utilized an abandoned presidio/mission/ranch complex as a base of operations while
in Texas (present-day Lampasas County). The family history states that Father Alonso Giraldo de Terreros, who administrated
the Mission Santa Cruz near present-day Menard, Texas, also bore responsibility for this undocumented mission and ranching
effort. The mission staff opted to abandon the location in 1756 due to constant threat from the Indians, most likely
Comanche and Tonkawa. Cox was familiar with the structure and used it to his advantage while making the necessary expeditions
to Texas during the American Revolution.
Cox and his family made several subsequent horse-hunting ventures to this region of Texas, which they
called the Long Meadows. Their exploits garnered each man great wealth and the location and horse-hunting remained part
of family lore. A descendant of Thomas Isaac Cox, one Pleasant Cox, would return to the area in the early 1800s and
eventually, would become one of the founding members of Lampasas County.
In the fall of 2000, Brandywine Crucible Inc. and the Gowen Research Foundation, two organizations connected with
Cox family history research, called upon USAV to undertake an intensive project surveying the archaeology, ethnography, and
history of the Long Meadows area. Since January of 2001, working in time between graduate classes and jobs, USAV has
been conducting archaeological survey, test excavations, ethnographic interviews, and genealogical and historical research
in connection with the presence of the Cox family in the Long Meadows. While our efforts have yet to turn up conclusive
Spanish Colonial artifacts, we have found valuable nineteenth century finds dating to the founding of the county and
the late 1800s. Currently, we are looking at an area enclosed by rocks which does conform to the irregular quadrangle
configuration of Spanish presidios. Given the proximity to established finds, such as Presidio San Saba in Menard,
and the San Xavier Missions, the features are certainly thought-provoking. The Long Meadows contains a myriad of interesting
features including the remnants of the original Pleasant Cox homestead, several foundational remains, a possible waterworks,
Archaic presence, and the feature that drew us there: a stone fence encircling the huge acreage of the region (ranging
from two to five feet in height).
Research and fieldwork are ongoing, and we will keep you updated. If you are interested in the project,
please contact Judd Burton.