Texas ~ The Way I See It

MILE MARKER 1

YOU ARE INVITED

…to travel with me across some of the 268,820 square miles of TX over the next few months. The contrasting topography with its wide-open spaces, mountains, hills and valleys, river boundaries, and shorelines (longer than either SC or NC) defines the State of Texas.  Its unique “shape” marked by jagged edges, curves and straight lines is internationally recognized.

A BRIEF HISTORY 

Multiple incursions and battles between Native Americans, settlers, frontiersmen, soldiers and conquerors established, refined and changed Texas. Long after half of the United States was settled with stable growth, Texas fought for and won its independence from Mexico in 1836[1].  Known for its “independent” attitude and spirit, Texas cannot help but  be a product of its upbringing.

Texas history doesn’t fit easily into a timeline or narrative because Texas has had many frontiers and a collection of settlers broader than most states. The story of Texas was still in its formation and infancy when missionaries, explorers, ranchers, immigrants, tradesmen and families pushed into the regions of the canyons along the Rio Grande River, the bayous along the Gulf of Mexico, East to the Sabine River and Piney Woods, and North to the Red River ultimately harnessing the vast arid land of the Panhandle Plains.

ONE TEXAS TRAVELER  

Traveling back roads and lesser known towns often provide the untold story or long-forgotten history. These posted segments are NOT intended to be an official Travelogue or History record.  I’m simply a TEXAS TRAVELER who is intrigued by the geography of Texas and compelled to peek in on some of the dusty old corners of Texas courthouses and buildings. Through the Texas Historical Commission’s Courthouse Preservation Program and Main Street Cities[2], travelers have available to the them revitalized downtown areas offering restaurants, businesses, shops, museums, and historic buildings and architecture.

Left: Chisholm Trail sign, Decatur, TX; Middle: Majestic Theatre, Eastland TX; Right: Main Street, Junction TX

Hopefully you’ll discover something new about Texas or find a place you’d like to visit. Come back soon for new information and photos. I will be posting various sources and references for travel to or within the State of Texas. Some travel tips will direct you to a specific historic site, an Interstate road or multiple paths to get you from here to there.  But just as intriguing are the off-road experiences when you leave the bypass and head to the “historic downtown.” You never know who you’ll meet in the city square with a monument to their memory.

~

Maybe you’ll find your own reason to travel~

Perhaps you share the same wandering spirit I possess.

                 Don’t need a map to get there—

                 you  can get there from anywhere

                 when you’re going in your head.[3]

DISCOVERING  THE STORY 

Whose name is on that building? And is the year scripted in stone when it was built?  What exactly is in a name?  Proprietors once had their name proudly displayed on the building’s façade, or in other cases, they had it set in tile at the building’s entrance.  That street has an unusual name.  Why is the street sign in German?  A lot of the names are Hispanic.  Was that an old depot?  There’s always a story.

Here is part of mine.

• I was born in a small town in West Texas called Eastland (see how that works?)
• I even grew up in a small town in South Texas – Clute.
• I recently revisited Abilene (medium-sized town in West Texas where I lived in 60s-70s)
• After years of living in Ft. Worth, I found another small town in which to retire.

Small towns have a uniqueness that can be either loved or loathed. You know there’s no Starbucks™ and the chain restaurants are limited or nonexistent.  The high school sports and activities bring out the entire community limiting when the town’s businesses close down on Friday nights.  You’ll see monuments to veterans of various wars.  You may arrive just as the parade begins (and you don’t even know why there is a parade!) There is probably more than one festival or celebration each year. In the county seats of government, you’ll find the “old courthouse” either serving as current business for the county or maybe standing only as a museum or historic site now.  It’s not uncommon to see US flags staked and waving in the wind or booths set up around the square.

  (Left to Right: Jackson County, Edna; Hood County, Granbury; 3, 4 & 5 Wharton County, Wharton)

Left to Right: Jackson County, Edna; Hood County, Granbury; next 3 Wharton County, Wharton

Don’t be surprised if there are antique cars parked around the courthouse square. If you love small-town living, you’ve found your paradise because those town squares still exist.  If you want to be amid the hustle and bustle of business, trade and entertainment, you’re probably happier in the city.

I enjoy trading the comforts of a city for the local café with its mismatched dishes. I feel comfortable in small towns so that is where I began and continue my story of adventure. More than a year ago, I set out on a mission of traveling old roads as part of my conceptualized blog –

 NEW JOURNEYS ON OLD ROADS

Those words described the revolution within myself. I was moving from some health issues to a more normal and peaceful place. Blessed beyond my expectations, I was able to retire, and found I could return to traveling and discovering.  I became much more confident so I set out to mark my new journeys.  I didn’t know how many miles that idea would include.  If you’ve traveled here with me before, you know Music is my Second Language; therefore many of my travels are woven into and scheduled around concerts, live performances, bands and oprys.

Many of the towns I put on my list to visit were remembered from my Daddy’s stories—he had traveled EVERYWHERE! My mother gave me insight into some of the little farm towns or the oilfield towns of the 30s, 40s, 50s.  My grandparents were travelers, too. They often traveled to CA. How far was that? I wondered.

COUNTY COURTHOUSES

As a second thought – but maybe because I’m a lover of history – I started looking at courthouses.  Those old buildings, with both new and innovative architectural designs, seem to be standing not so much as a beacon of activity and business but more as a starting point to see how the Texas residents, settlers, landowners and government representatives designed the past to shape its future.

Texas was settled with immigrants from Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, South American countries and Baltic States as well as the African-Americans here as slaves and the Native Americans (estimated around 50 tribes in the region.

These original immigrant founders constructed what they had seen in the Classical Revival, the Romanesque or imagined other architectural styles. I find all architecture design intriguing (even if some of these historic sites are a bit ugly). The blending of many cultures is evident in the architecture, town names, or artwork in Texas.

Hood County, Granbury Texas, Second Empire with Romanesque.

Burleson County Courthouse, Caldwell, Classical Revival

THE TRAIL’S END

The State found itself looking for methods to rebuild war-torn Texas after the Civil War. Other than crops (impossible to grow in some regions of Texas), stock trade became the primary means of trade and livelihood bringing about the well-known history of the “cowboy” life style. Brahman cattle were imported from India, and the Longhorn breed was specific to Spanish settlement.  Early cattle drives were initiated by Nelson Story and Charles Goodnight.  Cattle were driven across the Chisholm and other trails to railheads (i.e., Abilene KS/Dodge City KS/Ft. Worth TX).

Life on the open range changed forever with the invention of barbed wire. Fences, combined with the back to back killer winters of 1886 and 1887, changed the cattle industry.

The need for water for stock and way stations for people/goods traveling the stagecoach and pony express routes created stopovers and towns simply for the need of water. I’ll introduce you to some of these towns in later segments. Many of the original routes are preserved today as a testament to the harshness of Texas and the strength of those who shaped it.  Once Texas roads served to provide wealth and distribution of product.  Now some roads lead you through towns in major decline.  These roads have witnessed the new highways and interstates and re-routed railroads all whispering the cycles of boom and bust telling the story through generations of the land and its people.

Not only the geography and climate of TX reflects the differences, but the ways in which towns grew to cities and rural turned to urban.

TEXANS

A traveler to Texas should never make an assumption that all of Texas has oil wells, cattle, gun-toting citizens or cowboy hats. Yes, you will absolutely find those, but you’ll find the folks in business suits handling the business of oil/gas production, real estate and financial services.  You will definitely see the workers in the oil/gas fields wearing flame resistant coveralls and covered in dirt and mud. But you’ll also witness advanced technology utilized by oilfield crews.

You’ll see many Texans devoted to the fine arts with world-class music, art and design displayed in the performance halls and museums, community theatres and town centers across the state. Hundreds of universities and colleges with various concentration (i.e., Technical, Liberal Arts, Science & Health, Agricultural & Energy) are preparing tomorrow’s workers, owners and educators for an ever-growing Texas which should be able to rise & develop future energy systems as well as advancements in science health and product development.

Left: WagnerNoël PAC Midland/Odessa TX; Right: Bass Hall, Ft. Worth TX

Reference notes: 

[1] http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h306.html

[2] Texas Historical Commission www.texastimetravel.com the.state.tx.us (512) 463-6100 c. 2014.

[3] Lyrics to Ozark Mountain Jubilee recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys; Songwriters: SCOTT ANDERS, ROGER MURRAH © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group; Release 1983.

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To begin your Texas travel journey, visit:

www.texastimetravel.com

Texas State Travel Guide is a comprehensive directory for all the elements of your Texas adventure. www.TravelTex.com