“Gone To Texas” the Brazos by T.C. Albert

“G.T.T.”, who dreamed that these three little letters would one day represent one of the biggest episodes in American history? Traditionally, “G.T.T.” means “gone to Texas”, and they began being seen painted upon the doors of abandoned houses shortly after the great panic of 1819. Migration to Texas and all the opportunities that such a big land held became the dream of many, especially as the frontier and seemingly opportunity along with it passed to the west leaving many in the mountainous south east sinking into poverty.

The panic of 1819 was the first failure of our fledgling nation’s market economy, but the boom and bust cycle would repeat itself over again in 1837, prompting a new wave of G.T.T. signs to appear over the countryside.

Many of early settlers that migrated to Texas expected to make a good life for themselves and their families as farmers and ranchers, but as a necessity some found themselves celebrated Rangers and Indian fighters as well. As early as 1821 Austin’s colony made up of the “old 300” had settled along the “Rio de los Brazos de Dios”, and were soon on their way to becoming prosperous cotton farmers. Similar stories naturally attracted more waves of American emigrants, which soon drew the scrutiny and attention of political authorities who sent special detachments of the Mexican army to "monitor the situation".

Despite that, by 1835, the inevitable “Texas Revolution” was under way, and in 1837, the “Battle of the Brazos” was fought on the waters of that river between ships of the American and Mexican Navies. Eight years later, in 1843, these two navies would square off again, this time in the famous “Battle of Campeche”. Images of this scene are memorialized on the engraved cylinders of the legendary Colt 1851 Navy revolvers.

It was during these turbulent times that the neighbors of Gary Horne’s Tennessee and Kentucky ancestors saw that his folks had “G.T.T.” and settled along the Brazos River. The "Brazos" set was made for Gary to reflect a pouch of that period, much like something his ancestors may have actually used. It is constructed from heavy oil tanned leather, and is decorated with a single “Lone Star” for Texas applied to its flap. A hand hammered coin silver Concho is mounted in the center of the star. The powder horn is an antique, perhaps made and used during the days when his ancestors were relocating to Texas in the 1840s, and still sports its original brass “drawer pull” strap hanger.

The powder measure is made from the hollowed tine of a prong horn antelope, whose range extended into central Texas, and the traditional accompanying pick is made from forged iron. The hunting knife is of the early pinned handle, partial tang butcher variety, commonly traded and used on the western plains during the middle of the 19th century, and is cased in a sheath sewn with tough rawhide lace and attached to the pouch strap.

The “Brazos” was made to commemorate the settling of the Texas frontier, and will be used by one of the decedents of those early Texans to hunt on the same grounds where his ancestors once hunted, fought, and carved out a big piece of our nation with their own plains and buffalo rifles.

Copy and photos for this “Historic Rivers of the Frontier” pouch series by T.C. Albert.