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Vince's Bridge (Runaway Scrape Box #15) LbNA #33935

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Aug 8, 2007
Location:
City:Pasadena
County:Harris
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Planted by:Tall Texan
Found by: Stepping By Faith
Last found:Apr 26, 2013
Status:FFFFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Aug 8, 2007
Reported alive and well on 1/28/08

Things looked grim by March 11, 1836 for Sam Houston and several hundred volunteers gathered at Gonzales. General Santa Ana, the dictator of Mexico, was sweeping across Texas with thousands of soldiers in several columns destroying all resistance in his path. Hundreds had died fighting at the Alamo and hundreds more had been executed at Goliad. Facing a defeat and certain death at the hands of a superior Mexican Army, General Houston chose to retreat east, deeper into the heart of the American Colony in Mexican Texas. Like General Washington at Brooklyn Heights 50 years before, Houston realized that he needed to use geography to buy time to find a better battlefield. Most of the 30,000 colonists who came to the area were fleeing also, leaving behind years of work to build farms and towns, carrying what they could on wagons. This time in Texas History is known as the “Runaway Scrape”. The letterboxes in this series stretch from Gonzales to San Jacinto Battlefield. The stamps tell the story.

This letterbox commemorates the destruction of Vince’s Bridge by “Deaf” Smith on April 21, 1836. The loss of the bridge would not prevent either army from escaping, but it would prevent Santa Ana from receiving any further reinforcements from any Mexican units nearby.

Directions:
The box is located on North Richey, in Pasadena. Take Loop 610 to Highway 225, known as the La Porte Freeway. Head East and look for the Richey exit. Turn left onto Richey and head north .2 miles. You will see brown historical marker signs and arrows pointing to the Vince’s Bridge marker. Following the signs, veer left onto North Richey across the Railroad tracks to the bridge. This is the new bridge. The marker is just past the bridge on the left. The letterbox is past the bridge on the left at Crown Hill Cemetery.

To the Box:
Look for Historical Marker just inside the second gate to the cemetery. Read the marker and when done look to the left behind the marker is a medium-sized tree. Walk 57 paces to the tree and move to the trunk. The box is hidden about 3 feet off the ground in the center of the tree, covered by smaller branches. Please rehide well. It is interesting - this place, surrounded by refineries is quite beautiful and hints at what it must have looked like in 1836.

When you leave, try taking Richey north to the Washburn Tunnel and drive under the Ship Channel to I-10. This is fun if you have kids with you.