wealthy landowner was fatally shot here, his father vowed to kill the town that killed his son, and he success- fully lured the railroad away by off ering free land miles from Hel- ena. There are other ghost towns scat ered across the state with their own interesting tales, from the devas- tation of hurricanes that ravaged Indi- anola to the decline of coal mining in Thurber aſt er oil was discovered. Check the Ghost Towns entry in the index of this guide to start ex- ploring the fascinating history of these nearly forgot en places. Cot on farming became a huge in-
HERITAGE TRAVEL
Exploring Texas by region is a great way to plan trips across the state or organize day trips around a community you’re visiting for several days.
TEXAS BRAZOS TRAIL REGION: Waco, Bryan, College Station
TEXAS FOREST TRAIL REGION: Beaumont, Nacogdoches, Tyler, Huntsville
TEXAS FORTS TRAIL REGION: Abilene, San Angelo
Fort Davis NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION: San Antonio, Austin, Uvalde
Historic courthouses also have long
dustry from the late 1800s through the Great Depression. Texas is still home to the nation’s oldest continuously op- erating cot on gin at the Texas Cot- ton Gin Museum in Burton. As cot on was fading, the oil boom that started with the discovery of an unprece- dented oil reserve at Spindletop (near Beaumont) in 1901 spurred massive growth. Wildcat ers scurried to strike it rich, and boomtowns sprang up from the ground almost as fast as the oil. In East Texas, the town of Kilgore was once home to the greatest concen- tration of oil wells in the world, now marked by the World’s Richest Acre Park and the East Texas Oil Museum. While the wealth brought a more cos- mopolitan air to many cities, Texas culture remained uniquely, refresh- ingly itself.
Still Standing Testaments to the state’s rich his-
tory abound in dozens of national historic landmarks and state historic sites, as well as thousands of state historical markers. The Texas Heri- tage Trails program, which includes 20 historical sites in 10 regions, off ers a fun way to explore the state’s past. From legendary frontier forts to gen- teel Victorian homes, sacred burial sites to pivotal bat legrounds, each trail has unique tales to tell.
PHOTO: KEVIN STILLMAN/TXDOT
been a point of pride for many Texas communities. As the state was set led, a grand courthouse was seen as a sign of prosperity, and becoming a county seat was a highly sought-aſt er status among competitive communities. Today, many of the state’s 254 counties boast historic and distinctive structures, including about 80 that were built before 1900.
Living History If you’d like to truly immerse your-
self in history, many historic sites off er visitors the chance to experience what life was like in eras past. Try out farm chores at Barrington Living History Farm in Washington, and see a family care for their animals and homestead at the Sauer-Beckmann Farmstead in Stonewall. Sit down for an old-fashioned Chautaqua school lesson at Buff alo Gap Historic Village near Abilene, or ride a stagecoach to Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site in Anderson. Today, the state is the largest in the
contiguous United States, with the second-largest population and six of the nation’s 20 most-populous cities. Its status as a melting pot of cultures is evident in its food, entertainment and festivals. A wide array of cultural events year-round off ers a chance to sample local traditions, from German polkas and Czech pastries in Cen- tral Texas to Vietnamese eateries in Houston and Diwali celebrations in
TEXAS INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION: San Antonio, Houston, Victoria
TEXAS LAKES TRAIL REGION: Dallas, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls
TEXAS MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION: El Paso, Van Horn, Alpine
TEXAS PECOS TRAIL REGION: Midland, Odessa, Del Rio
TEXAS PLAINS TRAIL REGION: Amarillo, Lubbock, Big Spring
TEXAS TROPICAL TRAIL REGION: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo
See the State Parks and Historic Sites section on page 238 for more informa- tion, or visit
www.texastimetravel.com.
OTHER RESOURCES:
TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
www.thc.state.tx.us/explore-texas
HANDBOOK OF TEXAS ONLINE
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Sites in Texas:
www.nps.gov/state/tx
San Antonio. All of these and more contribute to the rich fabric of Texas culture, united by the state’s indepen- dent but friendly spirit—you’ll fi nd many places where history and hos- pitality go hand in hand. Whether it says welcome, bienvenidos, willkommen or vitame vas, the message is the same: y’all come on in! ★
15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260