We found much more than a monument to Sam Houston when we visited the place he was buried. We found a tableau of our history. Dating back over 150 years, we passed by the tombs of men who fought for Texas Independence, men who died during the Civil War, and many of the men, women and babies who died when a yellow fever epidemic swept through Texas in 1867. The sacrifice that made it possible for us to become Texas is all here, on this hallowed ground.