Austin, TX

From the Statesman archives: Newcomers did not control Indigenous Texas for centuries

Published

12 months ago

January 19, 2025

From the Statesman archives: Newcomers did not control Indigenous Texas for centuries

In this “From the Archives” series — subtitled in jest “20,000 Years of Austin History in 20 Minutes” — we’ve introduced the concept for the series, and devoted one column to the arrival of humans in the Austin area.

This, the third column, looks at the arrival of Europeans and Africans 500 years ago.

As previously noted, Spaniard Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and an Arabic-speaking African named Esteban de Dorantes (Estevanico) were among 80 men shipwrecked on the Texas Gulf Coast. They were among the four survivors of those parties who spent the next years exploring the interior.

Cabeza de Vaca wrote about this initial incursion in his fascinating report, published as “La Relacion.” For their part, the Spanish claimed what is now Texas until Mexican independence in 1821.

Claiming, however, is not controlling.

When you look at a traditional map of North America during the 1600s, for instance, you see wide stretches of the northern and central regions as held by France.

Meanwhile, the English laid claim to much of the Eastern Seaboard; and the Dutch West India Company on the region around New Amsterdam, later renamed New York City, as well as land from Maryland to Connecticut and the Hudson Valley (at least from 1614 to 1664).

The Spanish planted their flags in Florida, Texas and the Southwest, especially the relatively populated area around Santa Fe, N.M.

By 1732, the Russian Empire had joined the imperial scramble, laying claim to the Pacific Coast territories of North America.

Yet as historian Pekka Hämäläinen argues in his magnificent book, “Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America,” the Europeans generally controlled only slivers of land around forts and settlements. Yes, they operated ports, mines, farms and trading posts, but it took hundreds of years to wrest the North America from the Native Americans.

Texas is a particular case in point.

While maps might have indicated that New Spain included much of what is now Texas, the Spanish, in fact, rarely controlled territory beyond a few scattered presidios, missions and villages. The exceptions might be found in the brushy South Texans land around San Antonio and La Bahía, where Tejanos operated productive ranches.

Similar things could be said about the French, who for a long while considered the entire Mississippi River watershed, which includes the Red River and Texas its tributaries, theirs. This claim sometimes included disputed territory as far south as Matagorda Bay.

These insubstantial claims did not improve much after the European powers departed. During the early 19th century, neither the Mexican central government, nor the American immigrants, who began arriving in numbers during the 1820s, controlled more than a few patches on the map.

It was not until the Red River War (1874-1875) that the United States — and its still relatively new state of Texas — controlled all of the state’s territory. That was after more than 50 years of almost constant conflict with Native Americans, who were either removed or nearly exterminated in the process.

What about Austin, you say? In 1730, the Spanish temporarily transplanted three East Texas missions to somewhere along the Colorado River in the Austin area. Those were moved to better fortified positions in San Antonio a few months later. Archeologists have unearthed no physical evidence of those incompletely documented missions.

Which means the Spanish presence in Texas, which lasted intermittently from the 1520s to the 1820s, made little direct impact on the area around Austin.

It was Indigenous land.

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Austin, TX

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

Published

7 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas agency is concerned that the flesh-eating New World screwworm could be getting closer to Texas without commercial livestock movement.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm again for livestock owners to remain vigilant in watching for signs of the parasite in their animals.

Screwworm sighting near Texas

The latest:

Miller said in a Thursday release that a screwworm had been detected in a cow in González, Tamaulipas, a little more than 200 miles from the southern Texas border.

According to the commissioner, the cow had no reported history of movement outside Tamaulipas, and is the third active case reported there.

Officials in Mexico have not reported a known population of the worm in Tamaulipas. They’re working with U.S. authorities to investigate further into the new case.

What they’re saying:

“The screwworm now may be moving closer on its own, with no apparent link to commercial animal movement,” Commissioner Miller said. “Texas producers must act now—stay informed, stay vigilant, and prepare immediately. We cannot drop our guard for even a moment.”

Inspect livestock for screwworm

What you can do:

Miller urged immediate action from ranchers along the Texas border.

“Inspect your animals daily,” Miller said. “Check every open wound. If anything looks suspicious, report it right away. Better a false alarm than a delayed response—early detection and rapid reporting are our strongest defenses against this devastating pest.”

U.S. plan to fight screwworm in Texas

Big picture view:

The threat to cattle has been deemed so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.

Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.

The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.

A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.

In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.

What are New World screwworms?

Dig deeper:

The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.

It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.

The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Sid Miller.

Texas

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Austin, TX

LD Systems expands Texas Footprint with Austin Location and welcomes ILIOS Productions — TPi

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

LD Systems expands Texas Footprint with Austin Location and welcomes ILIOS Productions — TPi

For over two decades, ILIOS Productions has been a key part of the live events community in Austin, TX, transforming spaces and audience experiences with a vast range of lighting and video design, as well as event production services across a diverse client portfolio. Now, with the backing of parent company Clair Global, LD Systems, a Houston-based premier provider of audio, video, and lighting for event production and installed technology solutions, is welcoming ILIOS Productions to the team, marking the group’s fourth location in Texas. ILIOS Productions will now operate under the LD Systems brand.

LD Systems will further resource ILIOS’ existing Austin operation to include additional services such as audio and rigging for live events, as well as integration solutions and services. This addition helps round out LD Systems’ ability to locally serve major metropolitan areas across Texas, including Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin and reflects Clair Global’s continued focus on offering global resources while maintaining strong local-market expertise and responsiveness.

ILIOS Productions’ experience spans the concert and festival sector, corporate and activations, and high-end private, philanthropic and charitable events. The company’s commitment to critical event delivery has established trust with major brands including Lollapalooza, SXSW, Austin City Limits, Google, YouTube, the University of Texas System and many more.

Founder, President & Sr Ops Manager of ILIOS Productions, Bryan Azar, said: “After many years of working alongside LD Systems in Austin and beyond, we are delighted to be joining their world-class organisation. This is an exciting new chapter for a bolder future together.”

Zach Boswell, General Manager, ILIOS Productions, added: “We are passionate about the work we do, and the community and business culture found at LD Systems is the ideal next step for our dedicated employees to progress as a united workforce.“

LD Systems co-founder and President, Rob McKinley commented: “We are delighted to amplify our service offerings in Austin with the addition of Bryan and his exceptional team of technology professionals. They have made a significant difference to many Texans with the work they undertake, and LD Systems is proud to welcome both their talent and ethos to the company.”

Building on this momentum, LD Systems also announced plans to expand its San Antonio facility into a new location in January 2026. Together with the addition of ILIOS Productions in Austin, this investment reinforces the organisation’s long-term investment in Texas and its dedication to meeting growing client demand with enhanced capacity and infrastructure.

www.ldsystems.com

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Austin, TX

Austin airport one step closer to major expansion that will add 32 new gates

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Austin airport one step closer to major expansion that will add 32 new gates

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is one step closer to getting a major makeover after finalizing lease agreements with airlines that will support future renovations, including the addition of 32 new gates.

The airport on Wednesday announced the completion of Airline Use and Lease Agreements and Signatory Cargo Agreements with several major airlines and cargo companies, including Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, FedEx and UPS.

According to a press release from the airport, the use-and-lease agreements allow companies to commit funding to the project through rent and fees “generated under the agreements’ cost-recovery structure, supporting the airport’s ability to deliver projects that expand capacity, strengthen resiliency, and improve the passenger experience.”

The agreements will support the following projects at Austin-Bergstrom over the next 10 years:

The addition of Concourse B, which will add 26 new gates, including 18 for Southwest Airlines and five with United Airlines.
Concourse M, adding six new gates, a bus to transport travelers to and from the Barbara Jordan Terminal, new concessions, restrooms and passenger amenities.
Enhanced seating and amenities, increased space and modernized concessions in Concourse A (home to all international flights). Delta Air Lines will have 15 gates, American Airlines will have nine, Alaska Airlines will have one and there will be eight common-use gates.
Updates to HVAC systems, electrical system, IT and telecommunications, storm drainage, water quality and de-icing infrastructure.

In a statement, District 2 Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes applauded the future job creation that’s to come out of the project.

“This expansion program represents a tremendous economic opportunity for Austin—not only through the trades and construction jobs created during the buildout, but also through long-term jobs in concessions, airport operations, and airline services after the program is complete,” Fuentes said.

“This agreement reflects years of partnership, thoughtful negotiations, and shared vision with our airline partners. Their commitment provides the financial foundation we need to modernize our facilities, transform customer experience, and build the infrastructure needed to support Central Texas’ continued growth for generations to come. AUS would not be where it is today without the collaboration and investment of our airlines, and we are deeply grateful for their trust and partnership as we shape the future of air travel in Central Texas,” said Ghizlane Badawi, CEO of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The final cost of the project is still under development, but is anticipated to grow from an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion. According to the airport, funding sources include airport cash reserves, airport revenues, bond proceeds and grants from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“No local Austin taxpayer dollars are used to fund the airport’s expansion program,” the release said.

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