July 15 in San Antonio history…

1895
Workmen began clearing out debris left in the Alamo after its use during the Civil War as a quartermaster storage barn.

1898
A Southern Pacific passenger train coming into this city from Houston made the last 57 miles between Luling and San Antonio at the rate of a mile a minute.  One of the passengers said, “Why,  I couldn’t count the telegraph poles!”

1981
The Jacksons, featuring lead singer Michael Jackson, play a concert in Hemisfair Arena, the fifth stop on a tour that began July 8 in Memphis, Tennessee.

May 17 in San Antonio history…

1906
The skating rink at Electric Park was opened to the public and the sport instantly was established as a favorite among young people.

1946
In an emergency meeting of the Bexar County Medical society last night, the city health board was given a vote of confidence after some members had challenged the polio outbreak as being a “political epidemic.”  Meanwhile, three additional cases of the disease were reported, bringing the total to 19, excluding two suspected cases.

1948
Construction of an 18-foot Highway from Bandera through the Old Indian Pass to Kerrville, a project sought for a decade by Hill Country residents, will become a reality by the end of the summer.

January 6 in San Antonio history…

1906
Boerne State Bank opens for business.  It is purchased by San Antonio’s National Bank of Commerce on February 7, 1986.  It is converted to a national bank under the name NBC Bank – Boerne on April 30, 1988.

1912
The purchase of an automobile delivery car by Washer Bros. marks another step in the elimination of the horsedrawn vehicle as a means of bundle delivery in San Antonio.

1979
The 52-year-old Municipal Auditorium is gutted by fire. The cause of the blaze is attributed to a discarded cigarette.

June 22 in San Antonio history…

1906
The mercury reaches a high temperature of 101 today.  The record is tied in 1953 and 1990 but 101 is still the record high temperature for the date.

1927
Plans are now underway in San Antonio to build a double-decked sidewalk in front of buildings facing Alamo Plaza.  The plan would relieve pedestrian congestion.

1987
The Spurs use their No. 1 draft pick to select Naval Academy Midshipman David Robinson (right).

May 17 in San Antonio history…

1906
The skating rink at Electric Park was opened to the public and the sport instantly was established as a favorite among young people.

1951
Richard Casillas is elected president of the new San Antonio chapter of the American GI Forum, begun in 1949 in Corpus Christi by Dr. Hector P. Garcia.

1953
The City Council receives a telegram from the League of Women Voters drawing attention to the city charter requiring the city council to keep a “hands off” policy with the public library and leave decisions to the library board.

May 12 in San Antonio history…

1906
Miss Clara Driscoll told a newspaper reporter at the Menger Hotel this morning that she expects that the Alamo will be taken from the custody of the Daughters of the Republic and further express a sentiment of regret that it had not “been done long ago in order to have shielded the sacredness of the historic structure from the unfortunate imbroglio which has recently arisen over its custody.”

1924
The Hearst Corporation buys the San Antonio Light newspaper.

1957
The $100,000, 3.2 mile “Brackenridge Eagle” railroad track begins carrying its first passengers around Brackenridge Park.

May 6 in San Antonio history…

1884
The Grenet Alamo property is sold for $40,200 to Hugo & Schmeltzer (right).

1966
An artist’s concept of San Antonio’s proposed new $1,760,826 main library which will be located on the still-to-be-developed Dolorosa Plaza was revealed for the first time today at a special meeting of the Library Board. The board also was shown the artist’s concept of the new $105,000 Southeast Library Branch to be located at 1023 Ada Street.

1989
The $46.5 million library bond issue passes 41,209 to 33,367.  Now the decision will be whether to expand the current library to 200,000 square feet or build a new library at one of six proposed downtown sites.

April 19 in San Antonio history…

1906
Bids will be opened in the mayor’s office tomorrow at noon for putting the new roof on the Alamo.  On one portion of the old roof there is now a young hackberry tree, grape vine and other vegetation growing.

1976
First Lady Betty Ford serves as Grand Marshall of the Fiesta River Parade.

1991
Longtime album-oriented rock station 99.5 KISS changes formats and begins simulcasting the 50’s and 60’s oldies format of 930 KOOL AM.  Eight full-time and part-time disc jockeys are fired as a result.  Reaction from listeners is swift and harsh.

 

March 28 in San Antonio history…

1896
If the bill now pending in the House is passed, a national sanitarium may be established in San Antonio.

1906
The San Antonio River, which has been at low ebb for several months, experienced a rise this morning following a heavy downpour of rain.

1999
Travis Park United Methodist Church begins feeding the homeless with a breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, pancakes and coffee.  It is called “Café Corazon.”

December 30 in San Antonio history…

1906
The Chapel at Incarnate Word College (Brackenridge Villa) is completed.

1976
KONO radio holds “The Annual KONO Radio Drunkathon.”  KONO disc jockey Michael Black drinks than a half dozen one-ounce shots of hard liquor in the presence of a San Antonio police officer to illustrate how easy it is to become legally intoxicated. He undertook the experiment as an example of what can happen to a drunk and why who drink New Year’s Eve shouldn’t drive.  After seven drinks, he is declared legally intoxicated and pulled off the air.  He took his own advice and was chauffeured home.

2010
The Milam Diner (right), a downtown fixture, closes after 79 years.