Mayor Becky Haas Shares About The Runaway Scrape

As promised, this week’s message is about The Runaway Scrape. The Runaway Scrape happened directly after the fall of the Alamo. Couriers rode from town to town telling the news about the Alamo and sharing that Santa Anna and his troops were destroying everything in their path as they traveled east across Texas, all the while stealing everything they could and when they finished, burning the town. The settlers wasted little time as they gathered the little bit they could carry and left, abandoning their homes and possessions. Adding to the frenzy, not only did the settlers fear the Mexican army, but they also feared the Indians. It was cold and rainy weather with muddy roads and trails. Washington-on-the-Brazos was deserted March 17th and by April 1st all residents of Richmond were evacuated. Most of the men had left to join the army, leaving their families, to join the fight for Texas. Therefore, the roads were full of wagons pulled by oxen, and guided by women and full of children since the women were left to care for their children. Families had many children during that time. Can you imagine having 14 children in a covered wagon, all who are cold, hungry, and crying? And to top it off, covered wagons had no entertainment systems installed in them! There were no screens attached to the back of the wagon bench for them to be entertained watching a movie; no Hostess Twinkies or bags of Goldfish to toss to the children. Seriously though, these strong women knew what they had to do, and they got it done. They knew that it was a life-or-death situation and they had to be tough for their survival.