Open gates / pending items
- R2 Founding-year milestone discrepancy — open evidence card
- R3 Angel of Goliad documentation trail — open evidence card
- R5 Stewardship / mandate wording — open gate card
How to read gates
- Gated means we intentionally restrict or soften public wording until either (a) evidence is captured, or (b) a decision is made (and recorded).
- Each gate includes: why it matters, what is uncertain, and a closure recipe.
- Once a gate closes, we update the Public Pack wording and keep an audit note describing what changed.
Tip: If you see a “Gated” claim card, click through to this page and use the closure recipe to resolve it.
Closure recipe template
- Define what decision/evidence would close the gate.
- Capture the source excerpt (Library) or the executed doc (internal archive).
- Update public wording to match the closed-gate decision.
- Record the delta (what changed + why) in the full_record change log.
Gate R2 — Founding year milestone discrepancy (two-sided evidence)
Why it matters: Public copy often uses a single “founded/established in YEAR” sentence. Here, different sources appear to use different milestones.
Milestone A (1721)
Milestone B (1749)
What is uncertain
Different sources use different milestones. Our wording stays “early 1720s” until we choose a milestone definition.
Closure recipe
- Pick milestone definition (e.g., initial establishment vs later re-establishment/relocation vs current-site construction).
- Cite both excerpts in the internal audit notes so reviewers see the discrepancy and the definition choice.
- Update public wording to match the chosen milestone (or keep “early 1720s” if the simplest phrasing is best for visitors).
Where it impacts wording: Public Pack claim card CC-PP-003.
Gate R3 — Angel of Goliad documentation trail (tradition boundary)
Why it matters: The Francita Alavez/Álvarez “Angel of Goliad” story is widely repeated. Without a clearly documented primary trail, public copy should frame it as commemoration/tradition to avoid overclaiming.
What we have (secondary)
What is uncertain
- Which primary accounts (letters, diaries, official reports, near-contemporary narratives) can be shown to support specific details.
- How/when the story enters the written record, and which versions of the story are earliest.
- Whether specific acts (food/water, loosening bonds, messages, etc.) are consistent across sources or vary by retelling.
Closure recipe
- Identify the earliest written sources cited by reputable secondary references (TSHA, site publications).
- Capture at least one primary-source excerpt (or a high-confidence near-contemporary account) into the Library with stable links.
- Decide final public posture: keep as “tradition” (if primary remains thin) or upgrade to “supported” for specific sub-claims if primary evidence is strong.
Where it impacts wording: Public Pack claim card CC-PP-012.
Gate R5 — Stewardship / mandate wording (owner vs operator vs mandate)
Why it matters: Ownership/operator/mandate language is legal and reputationally sensitive. We keep this wording gated until executed documents are captured.
What is uncertain
- Exact legal owner(s) vs operator(s) and any delegation/mandate language.
- Whether public wording should name stewardship entities, and in what form (e.g., “operated by…” vs “managed by…”).
Closure recipe
- Collect executed documents (deeds, MOUs, contracts, official mandates) and archive stable copies.
- Add a Library entry (or internal archive note) pointing to the executed document(s) and key excerpt(s).
- Update Public Pack/other pages with the exact agreed wording.
Where it impacts wording: Public Pack claim card CC-PP-005 (open gates register).