Site of Trinidad
Midway, Madison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Later known as Spanish Bluff A fort and town as early as 1805 Captured by the Magee-Gutierrez Expedition in October, 1812. Near here the survivors of the Battle of the Medina were executed in 1813. Inhabitants of the town were butchered by order of the Spanish commander and the town desolated. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On this bluff above the Trinity River stood the Spanish fort and town of Trinidad, later called Spanish Bluff, established as early as 1805. In October 1812 the Magee-Gutiérrez Expedition—an early filibuster to wrest Texas from Spain—captured the post, and nearby the survivors of the 1813 Battle of Medina were executed. Spanish forces then butchered the town's inhabitants and left it desolate.
Why it matters
The vanished settlement marks one of the earliest and bloodiest struggles for Texas independence, decades before the Alamo, when Spanish, revolutionary, and frontier forces collided along the Trinity.
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Related events
- · Magee-Gutiérrez Expedition
- · Battle of Medina
Themes & tags
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