Authentic Texas 2016 Summer

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H E R I T A G E

M A G A Z I N E

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plus BABE’S CHICKEN DINNER HOUSE FORT GRIFFIN FANDANGLE

JUNETEENTH Celebrating More Than 150 Years of Freedom

PALO DURO CANYON PREHISTORIC TEXAS

Dramatic contrasts and scenic grandeur

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK SUPERINTENDENT

Cindy Ott-Jones

Don Henley Revisits CASS COUNTY

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

FROM THE TEXAS HERITAGE TRAILS LLC

History revisited

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WELCOME to Authentic Texas, the magazine that

takes a new look at heritage tourism in our great state. Five Texas Heritage Trail Regions have collaborated to produce this quarterly publication and its online counterpart to present the people, places and products that make traveling the state a unique experience. We’ll explore Texas from border to border through fascinating stories sure to delight our fellow Texans as well as visitors from afar.

We’ve been moved by the tremendous support and resounding praise for our inaugural issue of the magazine. In that first installment, readers were treated to a lively journey through Texas’ rich political heritage, with plenty of interesting sites along the way. We hope our summer features will inspire travelers to venture off the interstate and into the countryside to share the true stories and authentic heritage experiences that can be found only in Texas.

In this, our second issue, we’ll help celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service with Park Superintendent Cindy Ott-Jones in Big Bend, and feature the newest addition to the system in Texas, Waco Mammoth National Monument. We’ll venture Deep in the Arts at the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio and honor the Buffalo Soldier as our Authentic Person. And for those headed to the beach this summer, be sure to check out the lighthouses of the Texas Gulf Coast.

If you’re a heritage traveler and majority rule lands you in the city — take heart: our summer Trail Drives will guide you on a journey back in time to four city parks so rich in cultural history that even bright lights and skyscrapers can’t overshadow them.

It’s a well-known fact that Texans are a proud bunch, and Authentic Texas is proud to offer you a little glimpse into our heritage. We invite you to hit the trails this summer to experience that heritage for yourself.

See you on the Trails,

Patty Bushart Secretary, Texas Heritage Trails LLC

Letters to the Editor I found this magazine at the Waskom Travel Information Center (Spring 2016 issue). It is just wonderful!

Just received a copy of the first issue and love it. Looking forward to more in the future.

Thanks!

Teresa W

Daphne T

ATLANTA, TX

KAUFMANN, TX

I picked up a copy at the Wichita Falls travel info center, and it looks great! I currently live in Arkansas, but I travel to Texas frequently.

Saul B

HOT SPRINGS, AR

Let us know what you think! Also, do you have an idea for a story? Drop us a line at either Director@AuthenticTexas.com or at 3702 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602.

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Contents SUMMER 2016

JESSICA LUTZ

FEATURES

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38

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AUTHENTIC THING

AUTHENTIC PERSON

AUTHENTIC PLACE

At their height, more than a dozen lighthouses serviced the Texas coastline.

Many were destroyed by harsh weather or neglect, but seven Gulf Coast lighthouses remain.

Though they’re no longer official units, the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers — African-American regiments sanctioned following the Civil War by the Army Organization Act — live on in memorials across the nation, some of the best of which are in Texas.

Today Big Bend National Park has more than 801,000 acres of land, and of the 59 national parks established since the National Park Service was created, only Big Bend is as breathtaking at night as it is in the daylight.

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Contents LIFE

65

44

LIVE SHOWS

TRAIL DRIVES

Prehistoric Texas

Fort Griffin Fandangle

Northeast Texas Trail

68 LEGACY

City Parks

76

A survey of intriguing parks located in the state’s largest cities

54 EATS & DRINKS

King’s Inn Babe’s Fried Chicken

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Bandera recognizes an icon

TEXAS ICON

Lightning Whelk

The official seashell of Texas is easily distinguishable from other shells as it spirals out and opens to the left

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YONDER

Hotter’N Hell Hundred

The nation’s largest single-day, 100mile bike ride is in Wichita Falls

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Balmorhea State Park Take a plunge into Texas’ past

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CITY LIGHTS

Community Art

Public art works add color to the landscape of El Paso

USS Lexington

Corpus Christi is home to the world’s oldest aircraft carrier

Juneteenth

Events around the state celebrate Black Independence Day

78 TEXAS ORIGINAL

Donna Albus

Abilene cheerleader and preservationist influences beautification statewide

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Trails in This Issue

Marfa Film Festival

Honoring the movie Giant in 2016

Texas Folklife Festival Celebrating culture and heritage for 45 years

Reinventing Cass County

Brazos 44 Forest 50, 52, 62 Forts 41, 67, 78 Hill Country 18, 44, 52, 77 Independence 41, 43, 58, 61, 77 Lakes 14, 44, 48, 52, 56, 77 Mountain 22, 26, 41, 60 Pecos 11, 20, 41, 50 Plains 16, 65, 66 Tropical 12, 24, 30, 54

Linden native Don Henley’s new album has people curious about Cass VALERIE D. BATES; BARBARA BRANNON

LOCAL

National Day of the Cowboy

HISTORIES

Spoetzl Brewery

DEEP IN THE ART

Awe-inspiring beauty in Canyon

HAPPENINGS

Oil Boom

Three museums tell the story of oil in the Lone Star State

Departments

Texas

From Florence to Fort Worth, explore a primitive era at sites and museums The 130 miles of banked rail from Farmersville to New Boston is now an active transportation trail

Palo Duro Canyon

Pops in the Park

TRAIL MAP THE TEXAS HERITAGE TRAILS program is based on 10 scenic driving trails created in 1968

by Gov. John Connally and the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) as a tool for visitors to explore the Lone Star State. The trails were established in conjunction with HemisFair, an international expo that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio.

In 1997, the State Legislature charged the Texas Historical Commission to create a statewide heritage tourism program. The THC responded with a program based on local, regional, and state partnerships, centered on the 10 scenic driving trails. Today, each trail region is a nonprofit organization governed by a regional board of directors that supports educational and preservation efforts and facilitates community development through heritage tourism.

PUBLISHER

Stewart Ramser EDITOR

Tom Buckley CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Austin DeGroot Miranda Piedra Julie Seaford

ART DIRECTOR

Martha Gazella-Taylor, Gazella Design ADVERTISING DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Lisa Reiley

PLAINS TRAIL REGION

CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Carlisle, Valerie D. Bates LAKES TRAIL REGION FORTS TRAIL REGION MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION

PECOS TRAIL REGION

BRAZOS TRAIL REGION

EDITORIAL BOARD

FOREST TRAIL REGION

Jeff Salmon, Texas Forts Trail Region Patty Bushart, Texas Lakes Trail Region Ron Sanders, Texas Mountain Trail Region Rick Stryker, Texas Tropical Trail Region

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF PARTICIPATING TEXAS HERITAGE TRAIL REGIONS

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION

Margaret Hoogstra, Texas Forts Trail Region Jill Campbell, Texas Lakes Trail Region Wendy Little, Texas Mountain Trail Region Barbara Brannon, Texas Plains Trail Region Nancy Deviney, Texas Tropical Trail Region

TROPICAL TRAIL REGION

Legend

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BRAZOS TRAIL TexasBrazosTrail.com

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL TexasIndependenceTrail.com

FORTS TRAIL TexasFortsTrail.com

MOUNTAIN TRAIL TexasMountainTrail.com

FOREST TRAIL TexasForestTrail.com

PECOS TRAIL TexasPecosTrail.com

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL TxHillCountryTrail.com

PLAINS TRAIL TexasPlainsTrail.com

LAKES TRAIL TexasLakesTrail.com

TROPICAL TRAIL TexasTropicalTrail.com

AU THENTIC TEX AS

Texas Heritage Trails LLC 3702 Loop 322 Abilene, TX 79602 AuthenticTexas.com 325.660-6774 Texas Heritage Trails LLC is owned and operated by five nonprofit heritage trails organizations.

Texas Heritage Trails LLC member organizations are participants of the nationally award-winning Texas Heritage Trails Program of the Texas Historical Commission.

Texas Heritage Trails, LLC dba Authentic Texas is a member of the Texas Travel Industry Association and is a Go Texan partner.

LOCAL

COURTESY WILL VAN OVERBEEK/TxDOT

TEXAS ICON p. 12 H YONDER p. 14 H CITY LIGHTS p. 22 H FEATURES p. 26

DIVE IN! Summer’s here, and the living is easy

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LOCAL TEXAS ICON

LIGHTNING

Whelk Texas’ official seashell

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by MIRANDA PIEDRA photograph by H. ZELL

THE TEXAS SHORELINE off the Gulf of Mexico is 624 miles long, but the plains of Texas — in the form of shallow water and bays with sandy or muddy bottoms and an abundance of clams and oysters — are still visible if you look in the right places. The lightning whelk, the state’s official seashell, has narrow strips of tan-todark brown running from the top of the spiraled shell down to the bottom tip, looking like lightning breaking a dark sky, reaching to touch the plains.

This natural depiction lends itself to the first part of its common name, but also serves as a symbol of the diverse land and inhabitants of Texas.

In April 1987, the State of Texas named the lightning whelk the state’s seashell after Mildred Tate, a malacologist and curator of the Brazosport Museum of Natural Science in Clute,

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Texas, promoted the proposal.The resolution equated the rarity of the shell to that of Texas because the lightning whelk is one of the few shells that spiral out and open to the left, making it easily distinguishable from other species. And this left-handed whelk is found almost exclusively in the Gulf.

The opposite opening of the shell has drawn the attention or people for hundreds of years: Native Americans, who used them for their versatile practicality (food, housewares, weapons), also collected them to use in religious ceremonies.

So if you’re visiting the Texas shoreline and happen upon a lightning whelk, instead of lifting it to your ear, look at it. Experience something in a new way just as Texas’ various lands and people encourage us to.

SUMMER 2016

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LOCAL YONDER DON’T MISS DINING Bar-L 908 13th Street Wichita Falls, TX 76301 (940) 761-3990

Branding Iron 104 East Scott Avenue Wichita Falls, TX 76301 (940) 723-0338 The Gypsy Kit Café 900 8th Street, Suite 103 Wichita Falls, TX 76301 (940) 264-8646

LODGING Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort at Coyote Ranch Resort 14145 US Hwy 287 N Wichita Falls, TX 76310 (940) 767-6700 wichitafallsjellystone.com

“Just registered for the @HotternHell100 * Hotter’N Hell Hundred Endurance Ride. I am now officially insane.”

Hotter’N Hell Hundred

– TWEET BY B. MORGAN ON 3/1/2016

A world-class event in Wichita Falls

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began planning a centennial celebration. A centennial of Wichita Falls’ founding has become marketing firm suggested a variety of events, the largest single-day 100-mile bicycle ride in the including a rocking-chair marathon. The town’s postmaster and a member of the newly formed nation — and one of the largest in the world.

American pioneers and ranchers settled the cycling club, Roby Christie, suggested a different idea: a bicycle ride of 100 miles in Wichita Falls area in the 1860s, 100-degree heat to celebrate 100 and when the Fort Worth & VISIT WICHITA FALLS years.

Denver City Railway arrived wichitafalls.org

Christie’s committee proin September 1882, Wichita Falls became the county seat. HOTTER’N HELL HUNDRED moted the idea as a unique and fithh100.org ting event to honor the spirit and Although the original falls for grit of the people who first settled which the city was named were the area, and the name “Hotter’N destroyed by a flood in 1886, Hell Hundred” was coined for they were recreated in 1987 and the biking event. On Aug. 27, 1982, more than can be visited in Lucy Park.

In the early 1980s, community leaders 1,100 cyclists took up the challenge of riding 100

WHAT STARTED as an idea to celebrate the

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• WICHITA FALLS PHOTOS COURTESY HOTTER’N HELL HUNDRED

LAKES TRAIL REGION

miles in 98-degree weather.

The Hotter’N Hell Hundred (HHH), or “THE RIDE,” as it’s known locally, provides both pleasure rides and a competitive event.

On a separate route, licensed racing teams time their ride to the tenth of a second as they sprint through the 100-mile course while other riders of all ages, sizes and abilities go for their own HHH bragging rights in the endurance ride.

Today’s HHH is a four-day event that challenges and inspires. In addition to the main ride, there are professional criterium races, mountain bike races, trail runs, a medical symposium, a consumer trade show, music and entertainment.

Last year, there were more than 13,000 registered participants, and what began with a committee of seven now involves thousands of volunteers. “I think one reason the HHH has been such a success locally,” says executive director Chip Filer, “is because it belongs to the people of Wichita Falls and Wichita County.”

For one weekend each August, host homes and hotels within a 100-mile radius of Wichita Falls are full. “It’s an amazing event,” says Lindsay Greer, director of the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s part of our heritage and identity and engages the entire community.”

This year, riders and racers from across Texas and all corners of the world will celebrate the 35th annual event on Aug. 27. Ask Filer how

hot it will be, and he’ll reply “Hotter’N Hell – of course!”

ALONG FOR THE RIDE: (opposite page) Cyclists press up “dead man’s hill,” one of the many challenging components of the course; (left) readying for the 100-mile sprint.

I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!

The CamelBak hydration pack has its origins at the 1988 Hotter’N Hell Hundred!

See camelbak.com/ Sports-Recreation/AboutUs/Our-Story

SUMMER 2016

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FIRST LOOK: Visitors to Palo Duro Canyon State Park get their initial view of the canyon’s 70-mile expanse from the CCC-built overlook above the El Coronado Lodge.

YONDER

Palo Duro Canyon State Park points. Amarillo architect Guy A. Carlander con“Palo Duro Canyon State Park has been the tributed building plans that embraced the park’s lifeblood for an abundance of cultures,” says park past and blended with its natural beauty.

Today these distinctive rock structures form superintendent Shannon Blalock. Its rich history tells the stories of people, industry and times long an integral part of the Palo Duro experience. The El Coronado Lodge functions as ago. As stewards of the park, Texas welcome center, gift shop and galParks & Wildlife Department’s State TEXAS Musical Drama lery, and interpretive museum; its Parks Division takes pride in sharing June 3–Aug. 20, 2016 scenic overlook is one of the first the stories and awe-inspiring beauty Tues.–Sun., 8:30 pm vistas guests stop to appreciate along of the canyon with 350,000 visitors with pre-show dinner and backstage tours the canyon rim. each year. available

Below, along the winding texas-show.com path of the Prairie Dog Town Fork Civilian Conservation Corps Palo Duro Canyon of the Red River, CCC contributions to the Rescue State Park The Civilian Conservation Corps tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/ are subtle: stone culverts and arched palo-duro-canyon bridges are fully visible on a leisure(CCC), implemented to get the ly hike. Near the majestic Fortress country back on its feet after the Visit Amarillo Cliffs, a cluster of recently renovated Great Depression, was one of the visitamarillo.com Cow Camp Cabins provides overfirst recovery programs to battle the night guests with an experience like hardships of the Depression. From 1933 to 1937, seven different CCC companies that of the workers who built the shelters.

As Mark Hassell, the park’s trails and labored at Palo Duro, cutting roads, building lodgings and constructing picnic areas and lookout resource manager, explains, “The legacy the

America’s No. 1 State Park

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CABIN FEVER: The Cow Camp Cabins (top), built by the CCC, welcome overnight guests for a rustic stay in the shadow of the Fortress Cliffs; in 2013 Shannon Blalock became the park’s first female superintendent.

• PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK

PLAINS TRAIL REGION

CCC left in Palo Duro is inspiring. The infrastructure the men built — from the park road to numerous facilities — is still in constant use, 80 years after construction.”

From the ridge of the CCC Trail — the corps workers’ original path to their work site — hikers can spot other landmarks in the

BARBARA BRANNON

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Get to the bottom of Texas history

GRAND CANYON OF TEXAS: (right) Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the country, and can be explored by foot, mountain bike, horse or car.

The park has more than 30 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails.

BARBARA BRANNON

CHIEF ACTOR: Benny Tahmahkera, a descendant of Quanah Parker, plays the role of the famous Comanche war chief in the Texas musical drama.

park’s ever-evolving environment. The Pioneer Amphitheater, constructed in the 1960s to house musical performances ranging from the outdoor musical Texas (see p. 66) to special concerts (like the Gatlin Brothers), is situated at the base of a 600-foot cliff that forms a dramatic natural backdrop. The elegant Mack Dick Pavilion, with its unparalleled views of the Spanish Skirts rock formations, was opened in 2012 for group functions. And Juniper Camping Loop will open this summer. “My hope is that we provide a No. 1 state park experience to every person that visits,” Blalock notes, “and that we care for the park in a manner that makes every Texan proud.”

Markers and newly designed signage throughout the canyon help visitors appreciate what they’re seeing. Several Texas state historical markers note sites of particular significance, including the decisive Battle of Palo Duro Canyon (drive to the far end of Park Road 5, near Water Crossing #6 and the Equestrian Camp, to spot this marker) that signaled the end of Comanche domination as “Lords of the Plains.” Just outside the park entrance stands a monument to honor Comanche heritage: a giant steel arrow, part of the Quanah Parker Trail.

Whether you experience Palo Duro Canyon State Park by car or on foot, by bike or on horseback, take your time to appreciate the unique stories of the Lone Star State contained in this vast, rugged gorge — from top to bottom.

SUMMER 2016

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COWBOY UP: (left to right) A new generation of cowboys (and cowgirls) are initiated; a view of Main Street from what seems like another era.

YONDER

Cowboy Capital Bandera’s National Day of the Cowboy

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working people who achieve success in their field.”

Past recipients include J. Frank Dobie and Clay Conoly.

Visitors are offered food and music under the stars in return for a $20 donation, which will help fund an addition to the museum. What better way to pay tribute to the past than by recognizing the cowboys and cowgirls of today?

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION

• BANDERA

COURTESY BANDERA CVB

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Bandera presents Cowboys on Main, a taste of Street lined by hitching posts on either side. cowboy life, from 1–4 p.m. Chuck wagons are Knotted rope and wood have been replaced by set up in front of the courthouse, a trick roper charging stations and parking meters paid for performs, and horse-drawn wagon tours remind via text message. With rapid progress comes visitors of another way of life. Most Saturdays, the threat of not properly appreciating the past, the Bandera Cattle Company Gunfighters perand that’s why on July 23, 2016, Texas will offi- form skits providing history, comedy and gun cially recognize the National Day of the Cowboy safety in the backyard of the Bandera Visitors Center at noon and 2 p.m. If the wagon’s full, you (NDOC).

On May 12, 2015, Texas became the 10th can go on a self-guided historical walking tour state to deem the fourth Saturday of every July as of Bandera, which features 29 locations mostly situated on Main Street. These 29 NDOC, which is “just one way,” sites include the oldest honky-tonk according to Rep. Joe Pickett, supVISIT BANDERA in Texas and the town’s Frontier banderacowboycapital.com porter of the resolution, “to sinTimes Museum, built in 1933, cerely recognize these cowboys and which showcases why Bandera is cowgirls who were self-sufficient and stood their ground when necessary to protect the “Cowboy Capital of the World.”

To set NDOC apart from any other day in the people and animals they were responsible for.”

A short drive out of San Antonio, tucked Bandera, the Frontier Times Museum will host away in the green hills of the Texas Hill Country, an induction ceremony for its Texas Heroes Hall Bandera, Texas, also known as the “Cowboy of Honor the Friday before. Rebecca Norton, Capital of the World,” celebrates the rich cowboy the executive director of the museum, says the museum considers nominees, living and dead, culture of the community year-round.

Every Saturday, March through December, who “embody the ways of Texas life: good, hard-

LONG GONE are days of walking down a Main

SPRING-FED: In 1934, the Texas State Parks Board recruited the Civilian Conservation Corps to transform the area’s natural phenomena into a state park.

YONDER

Plunge deep into Texas’ past

San Solomon Springs, the source of the IF DIVING INTO 3.5 million gallons of crystal- clear, 76-degree water sounds like a welcome park’s pool, was likely visited by Spanish explorrespite from midsummer heat, Texas has just er Antonio de Espejo in 1583. Centuries later, the place to enjoy it. Oh, and it’s 500 miles from settlers arrived in the arid region, built irrigation ditches and began farming. the beach.

In the early 20th century,

Bubbling up from the Nova Scotia–born irrigation engisands of the Chihuahuan VISIT BALMORHEA cityofbalmorhea.com neer E. D. Balcom saw the potenDesert just south of I-10 in tial for development of an area the Trans-Pecos is a blue oasis supplied by “inexhaustible springs full of aquatic life — and hisFOR MORE INFORMATION tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/ that never diminish in flow durtory. Balmorhea State Park has balmorhea ing the long dry season,” to quote welcomed visitors since 1940 a contemporary history volume. (more than 200,000 of them last year alone) to enjoy recreational activities Combining his name with those of investment including swimming and scuba diving in its partners H.R. Morrow, Joe Rhea and John stone-lined, 1.75–acre swimming pool. The Rhea, he founded the town of Balmorhea.

In 1934 the State Parks Board acquired the draw of the area’s flowing artesian springs goes land and springs. The next year, the Civilian back even further.

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PECOS TRAIL REGION

• BALMORHEA

COURTESY J. GRIFFIS SMITH/TxDOT; TxDOT PHOTO LIBRARY

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Balmorhea State Park

COURTESY J. GRIFFIS SMITH/TxDOT

CRYSTAL CLEAR: The springs are an oasis in the West Texas desert. Located in the foothills of the Davis Mountains, Balmorhea offers visitors the opportunity to swim and snorkel in a natural spring-fed pool.

Conservation Corps began construction of a huge double-wing swimming pool at the spring’s headwaters.

Using local limestone and adobe bricks, the enrollees of CCC Company 1856, largely area residents, soon completed roads, buildings, bridges and irrigation conduits throughout the 46-acre park. Among the notable buildings are the caretaker’s residence and the San Solomon Courts, one-story, red tile-roofed, white-plastered adobe brick cabins that had garages in each of the 18 units. (These classic accommodations of the motor court era are slated for renovation starting this fall.)

While the park’s buildings all relied on adobe brick made onsite, pool construction alone used some 30,000 square feet of hand-finished stone.

Today the pool attracts swimmers, scuba divers and skin divers from Texas, New Mexico and beyond. In all seasons, the basin’s open water — as deep as 25 feet above the spring — provides opportunities for bottom time and scuba certification. At the pool’s shallow end you’ll find families splashing, snorkeling and soaking in the desert sun.

Come to camp, picnic, geocache, study nature and bird-watch, too, or stop by on your way to the Davis Mountains or Big Bend. But take some time to explore the long human history behind this jewel among Texas’ public lands.

S PR I N G 2 0 1 6

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LOCAL CITY LIGHTS

CLOUD COVERAGE: Donald Lipski’s “The Cloud,” installed in the roundabout on the campus of the University of Texas-El Paso.

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Public works brighten the desert in El Paso

IN THE VAST desert of West Texas,

El Paso is bringing color to the landscape. Since 2006, the city has reserved two percent of the budget of all capital improvement projects for public artwork. Since then, El Paso’s Public Art Program has completed more than 50 projects located throughout the city. In 2012, El Paso voters turned out to the polls and an additional $13 million of funding was approved by a 74 percent margin. Public Affairs Coordinator Erin Ritter said that the program’s goal is “for art to be brought out into the community and not stuck behind museum walls.”

The public art pieces not only beautify the city but also shape it.

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Michele R. Gutlove’s Helix Nebula was completed Feb. 27 and hangs in the Irving Schwartz Public Library.

“The piece helped drive the mission of that particular library,” Ritter said. “There is a focus on astronomy and science at that library based on what that particular art piece looks like.”

Artist Matthew Geller writes that Chroma Booster, his public El Paso art piece, “celebrates the controlled chaos of the industrial infrastructure that both surrounds the site and dots the Texas landscape.”

Completed in 2015 and located at the new pedestrian plaza between the Convention and Performing Arts Centers and the baseball sta-

dium, the 53-foot tower is formed by a cluster of colored pipes that release clouds of mist throughout the day. Visitors gather to enjoy the cooling water that drifts down into the plaza. With the push of a button, the interactive art piece briefly sprays water, often to the delight of playing children. When the sun goes down, colored LED lights make the mist glow in the night.

El Paso’s cultural heritage in the arts is an integral part of the community’s identity, and the Public Art Program maintains that.

For every commissioned project with a value of $125,000 or above, the program asks the lead artist to

STARS AT NIGHT, BIG AND BRIGHT: “Helix Nebula,” by Michele Gutlove, installed at the Irving Schwartz Library.

mentor a less experienced local artist through the process. With this partnership, El Paso’s art scene will continue to brighten the desert for generations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION mcad.elpasotexas.gov

VISIT EL PASO visitelpaso.com

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COURTESY EL PASO MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

Community Art

CITY LIGHTS

USS Lexington

LANDING SPOT: A-6 Intruder on the flight deck of the USS Lexington.

Living history in Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Bay. Step aboard the USS Lexington, the world’s oldest aircraft carrier and now a museum, and travel into a past full of heroes and danger.

First, some context. Corpus Christi has been a military town since U.S. General Zachary Taylor’s army set up camp in 1845 while preparing for war with Mexico.

Although the army remained in Corpus fewer than two years, there have been several other noteworthy periods when the military was part of the community. Since 1941, Corpus Christi has been home to the Naval Air Station, which houses a number of tenants, the largest of which is the Army Depot, the primary aviation maintenance depot for Department of Defense rotary wing aircraft.

Although military installations are large and visible, they aren’t tourist destinations. Still, there are accessible places that can be visited.

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MIKE CARLISLE

Corpus Christi is one of the busiest commercial ports in the country — with large ships regularly sailing by downtown — but only one ship, a World War II aircraft carrier, remains moored at the entrance to the inner harbor for all to see.

Commissioned in 1943, the USS Lexington served in the Fifth Fleet and engaged in nearly every Pacific operation during World War II. The Japanese nicknamed the ship “The Blue Ghost” when she reappeared after thought to be sunk on four different occasions.

The USS Lexington Museum on the Bay opened in 1992.

Since then, over 5 million people have explored the history aboard the ship. Visitors follow signs to five selfguided tours, from the hangar deck to deep into the lower decks. The tours cover over 250,000 square feet and 11 decks. Exhibits show how the

Lexington and her crew steamed into battle.

Packed on board the Lexington are many exhibits and attractions.

They include modern and vintage aircraft on the flight deck, flight simulators, the three-story-high 3D Mega Theater, virtual battle stations, cutaway engines and an impressive scale model gallery.

Rows of aircraft gleam in the sun on the flight deck. The 20 aircraft on loan from the National Museum of Aviation range from Top Gun’s F-14 Tomcat to the 1934 N3N Yellow Peril.

The Yellow Peril’s name could not have instilled • much confidence in the thousands of pilots who used it as a training plane during the ’30s and ’40s.

Lexington’s scale model gallery, the largest in Texas, has over 370 pieces covering all types of planes, ships and military equipment.

USS Lexington Museum On The Bay HOURS Memorial Day to Labor Day 9 am – 5 pm Labor Day to Memorial Day 9 am – 6 pm Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day The USS Lexington Museum on the Bay is physically located on the bayfront across from other popular attractions, like the Texas State Aquarium.

Don’t forget to visit the ship’s store for a great souvenir, books, media about the history of the Lexington and other educational materials.

The Mess deck is open daily for lunch as well.

VISIT CORPUS CHRISTI visitcorpuschristitx.org MIKE CARLISLE

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A TIME MACHINE floats in

by

DECKED OUT: (from left) The flight deck of the USS Lexington that extends over 900 feet, covered in vintage and modern aircraft; WWII Veteran Merton Bobo donated his medals, memorabilia and flight jacket for an exhibit that includes an Avenger plane bearing his name, all on display in the hangar deck.

WWII veterans of the Lexington. “When I’m on board sharing with people, it’s more meaningful,” says Merton Bobo. “They’ll remember that, not necessarily what they read in a history book.” Bobo donated his medals, memorabilia and flight jacket for an exhibit that includes a plane on the hangar deck bearing his name.

Volunteer Bob Batterson adds, “This ship gives us, the volunteers, an opportunity to express how important this ship has been to the survival of our country. She’s a battled-scarred veteran. We can instill in visitors the feeling that this is their ship also.”

MIKE CARLISLE

Creating the gallery required the work of over 120 volunteer craftsman and thousands of hours.

Visitors to the Lexington get a glimpse of Pearl Harbor without going all the way to Hawaii.

“Pearl Harbor: Course of Valor” is supported by state-of-the-art animation, digital projection and powerful sound systems, while “Pearl Harbor: The

Making of a Movie” includes props, transcripts and other materials used to make the Academy Award-winning 2001 film Pearl Harbor, parts of which were filmed aboard the ship.

Youth groups take part in a unique experience. Over 200,000 participants from around the country have spent a night aboard the Lexington and acted as her crew. Groups band together to withstand kamikaze attacks, eat in the galley, bunk in original crew quarters and join in an unforgettable flag ceremony.

Throughout the museum, volunteers stand ready to answer any questions. Among them are

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nder

DAY OR NIGHT, BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK IS A SIGHT TO BEHOLD.

by WE NDY LI T TLE photograph by JE SSI CA LU TZ

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The National Park Service was established Aug. 25, 1916. There were already several national parks and monuments in existence before the Organic Act of 1916 formally established the service. Forwardthinking individuals saw the need to conserve areas of the United States, because even 100 years ago wild places were disappearing. The act’s stated goal was to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” To carry out the mission, the director of the new park service would be paid a whopping $4,500 a year (keep in mind that the 1916 Model T sold for as little as $345). In the years following the signing of the act

by Pres. Woodrow Wilson, a 1,200-square-mile piece of Far West Texas eventually became Big Bend National Park.

Of the 59 national parks that have been established in the century since the National Park Service was created, only Big Bend is as breathtaking at night as it is in the daylight. The park has the darkest measured night sky in the lower 48 states, recognized by scientists throughout the world. Visitors to the park need only to look up in order to see the Milky Way galaxy stretching above them.

But when the sun is out, the wondrous terrain is a sight to behold. From gazing at the stars to hiking the 200 miles of trails, Big Bend is sure to satisfy at every hour of the day.

This year, the National Park Service is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and throughout the country, the NPS is hosting centennial events and activities. “The National Park Service’s 100th birthday gives Big Bend National

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Park and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River a wonderful opportunity to not only showcase the two parks’ incredible resources but to also reach out to our younger generations, who will be the parks’ next caretakers,” says Cindy Ott-Jones, the first female superintendent in the history of this first national park in Texas.

Big Bend National Park is joining in the festivities with hiking challenges and other activities. Completing the three hiking challenges earns visitors three unique patches. During the Memorial Day weekend, several activities occurred, including star-gazing and guided walks led by park biologists. A May 27 outdoor birthday party will be held to celebrate the centennial and the 20th year of Big Bend Conservancy, a major partner and supporter of Big Bend

National Park. The party will be held at the Chisos Mountains Lodge. Leave room for the free cake.

Also on the calendar is the Sept. 24 groundbreaking of a new outdoor exhibit. The Fossil Bone Exhibit will show off the park’s 120 million years of paleontological history. The project was made possible through fundraising efforts of Big Bend Conservancy. Roughly 120 million years ago, the area was covered by sea, shown by the extensive limestone features found throughout the region. After the sea receded, dinosaurs and other Cretaceous creatures roamed the landscape until 65 million years ago, when a giant meteor caused one of the greatest extinctions that’s occurred in Earth’s history. Erosion and upheaval began to change the flat seabed of limestone. Approximately 29 million years ago, extensive volcanic events changed the Big Bend landscape into the beauty seen today.

Rich History People have lived in and traveled through what is now Far West Texas for thousands of years.

Hunter-gatherer groups, Spanish troops, ranchers, miners and the U.S. Army all made use of the land and left a legacy of artifacts and infrastructure.

Archeological surveys of Big Bend are still ongoing, and the park’s official website even says that any artifacts spotted may have never been seen before and should be reported to park rangers.

Visitors to Big Bend not only get to explore beautiful wilderness but also have the chance to help deepen our understanding of the region’s history.

The first users of the area were Native Americans. They began their stay over 10,000 years ago. The climate was wetter at the time and ideal for the lifestyle of the hunter-gatherer culture.

Evidence of these people is found throughout the region and varies from camp areas to lithic scatters to pictographs and petroglyphs. As the climate dried, the Native Americans adapted to

of the area, and a state college was established in Alpine in 1917. Folks who lived in the area were aware of the unique features and history of Big Bend and had the forethought to want to reserve some of it for the purpose of conservation.

One of those individuals who saw the promise of conservation was Everett Townsend.

Townsend was a rancher and lawman in the area.

Over time, he became enamored with the rugged landscape and was one of the people responsible for the idea of a park in the area. Through his and others’ efforts, the Texas legislature saw the value of a park and, in the 1930s, began a campaign to voice their ideas to federal government. At the same time, the State of Texas began acquiring land in Big Bend and declared Santa Elena, Mariscal and Boquillas Canyons as Texas Canyons State Park. The National Park Service had also begun studies about the viability and acceptability of Big Bend becoming a national park. On June 6, 1944, Texas turned over the deed for the land to the United States, and on June 12, Congress autho-

ries such as the self-reintroduction of the Mexican black bear help set this park out from other places in the area. The geology of the park is an open book to visitors and scientists who wish to study Earth’s processes. Many unique and world-class fossil discoveries have been made here. Among those discoveries are the Pterosaur, the second largest known flying creature of all time with a 36-foot wingspan and the skull of the triceratopslike Chasmosaurus, the largest known skull of any land animal.

A visit to Big Bend can be as complex as a 12-day river trip or one of the many day hikes marked on the maps. These hikes wind through the desert, reach the tops of mountain peaks and follow the rivers. More experienced hikers can obtain backcountry permits (in person only) and spend the night on the trail. Whether searching for birds, photographing a magnificent sunset, watching the heavens go by at night or riding a horse like a frontier explorer, a trip to Big Bend will reward effort with some awe-inspiring results.

“The National Park Service’s 100th birthday gives Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River a wonderful opportunity to not only showcase the two parks’ incredible resources but to also reach out to our younger generations, who will be the parks’ next caretakers.”

PHOTO ON LEFT: JESSICA LUTZ

– BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK SUPERINTENDENT CINDY OTT-JONES

the change, organized into larger groups and continued to live in the area. The late 17th century brought dramatic changes to the region.

The Big Bend of the 1700s held a mixture of Native Americans and Spanish invaders. The Spanish were attempting to settle the area. They built forts along the Rio Grande to protect their interests and create an agricultural economy. The changes they made helped create a new culture of subsistence farming for the indigenous peoples.

When Texas joined the Union in 1845 as the 28th state, more interest was generated in Far West Texas. Settlers began arriving in the 1870s, and in 1882, the Southern Pacific Railroad had crossed the Trans-Pecos. The arrival of the railroad brought more activity. Homesteaders, ranchers and mineral prospectors began to populate Big Bend in greater numbers. By the early 20th century, “civilization” had arrived to parts

rized the creation of Big Bend National Park.

Vast Expanse Today, Big Bend National Park has over 801,000 acres of land, all of which is protected by the National Park Service.

Across the area, flora and fauna unique to this corner of the Chihuahuan desert have been found.

Scientists have discovered more than 1,200 species of plants, 600 vertebrate species and 3,600 different insects. Success stoSUMMER 2016

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Coast Beacons

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to the safety of shore.

posts for mariners lost in troubled waters, the last and the first sight each sailor would see before yielding to the wrath or mercy of prevailing winds and the temporal whims of Mother Nature and Father Sea. With varied shapes and sizes, their brilliant lamps have kept watch upon the seas, the one great hope of mariners who were long upon the open water, guiding man and ship safely through channels and waterways

HEY ARE PILLARS OF HOPES PAST — guide-

By Valerie D. Bates

STOIC, DEPENDABLE , HISTORIC — TEXAS LIGHTHOUSES ARE MORE THAN JUST REMINDERS OF HUMANKIND’S STRUGGLE WITH THE SEA .

PICTURESQUE: The Port Isabel Lighthouse still serves as a beacon as thousands of visitors enjoy the adventure and experience of climbing the lighthouse and taking in a 16-mile view in all directions.

Independence set sail on her maiden voyage and attempted to cross the bar at Cavallo Pass en route to Indianola. Six lives were lost and rescue would take two days because of high seas.

If not shipwrecked, as Melinda Rankin wrote in 1875 on a passage from Brazos Santiago Pass to New Orleans, other difficulties could arise. Having taken a stage from Brownsville

were entertained that our puny bark would go to the bottom of the sea; and for several nights I did not get into my berth, as the violent rocking of the vessel made it impossible to obtain a moment’s rest. Often did my natural timidity get the ascendency, and I would say to myself, ‘If I ever set my foot on land again, I will never more attempt to cross the Gulf of Mexico.’ We finally

to Brazos Island, Rankin found the only way to New Orleans was aboard a schooner she described as very small and inconvenient:

“It being the time of the year for violent ‘Northers,’ we had a most tempestuous and dangerous passage. We were twelve days out, and for some four or five, we lay in to the middle of the Gulf, surging amid the angry waves. Great fears

arrived in New Orleans, and learned that our vessel had been published in the Daily Picayune, ‘Supposed to be lost at sea.’”

Rankin did, in fact, make many trips across the Gulf of Mexico after that. It was most surely a comfort to see a beacon on a moonless and stormy night, or to hear the sound signal and know land was nearby and possible to reach

Indeed, the TOWER OF LIGHT: Photo of the Port Isabel legend and lure of Lighthouse (above) taken lighthouses begins by a national guardsman with the reason for from Iowa — posted to the Brownsville-Port Isabel area them: shipwrecks, during Border Service in perilous waters and 1916–1917; Don Chencho bad weather. And Rosales (right) came to Port with nearly 400 miles Isabel from San Luis Potosi as a young boy to work of Texas coastline on the construction of the from Brownsville to lighthouse as yellow fever Beaumont, the Gulf had severely impacted the local workforce. This photo, of Mexico is littered taken in the 1940s, shows with hundreds of Chencho posing in front of shipwreck sites and the lighthouse. One postboasted that he was a history filled with card the most photographed tales of woe, survival man in the Rio Grande Valley. Before Port Isabel and treasures.

On April 9, had city water, he would use his cart to deliver water 1554, four ships — house to house. He died the San Esteban, San in 1950, his age purported Andres, Espiritu Santo to be between 115 and 128 years. and Santa Maria de Yciar, reportedly among the sturdiest vessels of the Spanish fleet — set out from Veracruz bound for Spain. Laden with passengers and cargo, they found themselves caught in a horrific storm in the Gulf of Mexico during which three of the ships ran aground about 30 miles north of Port Isabel. Nearly 300 souls perished. The survivors, numbering close to 100, were met with harsh terrain and Native Americans. Very few lived through the ensuing hazards.

In 1684, four vessels, including La Belle, set sail with 400 souls aboard and the Mississippi River as their destination. By 1686, a series of misfortunes found La Belle overshooting her destination, getting caught in a storm and sinking to the bottom of Matagorda Bay.

In March 1852, Captain Stoddard’s

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COURTESY VALERIE D. BATES

COURTESY VALERIE D. BATES

MULTIPURPOSE: (from top) This summer, the Lighthouse Establishment Cinema in Port Isabel is celebrating its 12th season. Showings are every Friday at 9:30 p.m. during June and July; inside the lighthouse, a cast iron circular staircase creates the feeling of being inside a nautilus.

without running aground.

As early as 1840, the Congress of the Republic of Texas began to pass laws regarding navigational aides. By 1845, $7,000 was appropriated for a lighthouse at the east end of Galveston Island to serve Galveston Harbor.

Dues of three cents per ton were to be levied from all foreign-flagged vessels.

By 1851, legislators were seeking appro-

priations as “many of the points along the coast of Texas require lights, especially at the entrances to the ports and bays, at an early date.”

U.S. Congressman Sam Houston implored, “They are much needed to protect life and property.” Designed to guide mariners at sea or warn of hazards, lighthouses, buoys and lightships were to play a vital role in the growth of Texas and the rest of the United States by preserving both life and property.

A year later, lighthouses began to twinkle all along the Texas Gulf Coast.

At their height, over a dozen lighthouses and lightships serviced the Texas coastline. Many were destroyed by harsh weather or neglect, but seven lighthouses remain: Aransas Pass (Lydia Ann), Bolivar Point, Galveston Jetty, Half Moon Reef, Matagorda Island, Point (Port) Isabel and the Sabine Bank.

Lighthouses endured their share of perils.

Some were, like the Aransas Pass light tower, damaged by the Confederacy, while others, such as the Bolivar Point Lighthouse, by hurricanes and storms. During a 1915 hurricane, 60 people took refuge in the Bolivar Point Lighthouse. The tower swayed back and forth so violently during the high winds that the lamp had to be rotated by hand until conditions made it impossible to continue.

A keeper’s life was a combination of the occasional assistance in life-saving adventures and menial job-related tasks, including cleaning the lantern, filing reports, maintaining the grounds, filling the lamps with oil, keeping the lantern room free of bees and wasps and other insects, and cleaning catwalks of various fowl that flew into the windows. Some lighthouse sites didn’t offer appropriate family accommodations, and the keeper was faced with long periods of solitude. There were also occasional surprise

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The Lydia Ann Lighthouse in Aransas Pass

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During the 1920s, Point Isabel became Port Isabel, and developers endeavored to “Build A City Where A City Belongs.” Armed with a vision, the area around the lighthouse was planned to reveal the hill the lighthouse sits on.

Streets were paved and curbs added. While the lighthouse was in a state of disrepair, it was nevertheless used as a brand for the coastal community. Port Isabel experienced a period of growth as developers dug canals, planted trees, added street lights and electricity, constructed commercial buildings, and marketed the area to the Midwestern part of the United States.

And with that, the lighthouse officially became a tourist attraction with regular hours and a lighthouse keeper to welcome visitors to the lighthouse experience.

In 1952, the lighthouse celebrated its 100th birthday and became what was then the smallest State Park in Texas.

In 1996 the lighthouse keeper’s cottage was reconstructed using the original 1855 plans and now serves as a visitor’s center for this State Historic Site.

A little over a decade ago, the Lighthouse Establishment Cinema was created as a way to program the lighthouse space and engage both visitors and residents in a unique outdoor, familyfriendly experience. Movies are projected onto the

side of the lighthouse on Friday nights during June and July. There is no admission charge. Tens of thousands have enjoyed this summer tradition over the last 11 years.

The experience of climbing to the top of the Port Isabel Lighthouse starts with ascending 75 winding, cast iron stairs to the Tower Room, then eight steps up a ladder to the Intermediate Room, then seven steps up a ladder to the Supply Room, then nine cast iron stairs to the Lantern Room. The lighthouse keeper would be expected to make this climb at least half a dozen times a day to accomplish the tasks required to keep the light operational. Today, an adventurous traveler can stroll to the top and enjoy a 16-mile view in all directions, the same view lighthouse keepers and Union and Confederate soldiers saw over 150 years ago.

The Port Isabel Lighthouse is open seven days a week, weather permitting. It’s operated by the City of Port Isabel under a contract with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site ADDRESS 421 East Queen Isabella Blvd.

Port Isabel, TX 78578 (956) 943-2262 HOURS 9 am – 5 pm Daily tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/ port-isabel-lighthouse VISIT PORT ISABEL portisabelchamber.com

COURTESY VALERIE D. BATES

inspections, which made keeping a lighthouse a challenge.

As other forms of navigational aids were implemented or maritime traffic diminished, lighthouses were decommissioned, fell into disrepair or ended up on private property. Only the Port Isabel Lighthouse remains on the Texas Gulf Coast, in its original location and still open to the public. Constructed nearly 300 years after the plight of the 1554 shipwreck, the Port Isabel Lighthouse served the Laguna Madre Bay area from 1853 until 1905, when it was finally decommissioned.

Built on the grounds of Zachary Taylor’s Fort Polk, the town site was virtually plotted around it in 1874, making Port Isabel’s town square the only one with a lighthouse in the center of it.

With a height of 50 feet and an elevation of 117 feet, the Port Isabel Lighthouse is a dominant feature on the Laguna Madre Bay coastline. It’s weathered severe storms, hurricanes and a Confederate attempt to blow it up.

After 1905, the lighthouse continued to serve the community of Port Isabel as a sort of ad hoc tourist attraction, and while tourists were welcome to climb the winding stairs, caution was recommended “as slips may occur.”

BUFFALO SOL African-American regiments were sanctioned following the Civil War by the Army Reorganization Act. This year marks the 150th since their formation.

by AUSTI N DEG RO OT

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PHOTOS COURTESY FORT CONCHO NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK

J DIER

OHN RANDALL, a black soldier in the 10th Cavalry, went on a routine mission in 1867 that turned into a disaster.

Despite debate over the veracity of the story, it would forever leave a legacy for African Americans in the United States military. The private was sent out to escort two civilian hunters.

Cheyenne warriors attacked, killing the hunters and Randall’s horse.

Alone, he defended himself bravely. Despite suffering severe wounds, Randall killed 13 of his attackers and survived until another patrol arrived, sending the remaining Cheyenne fighters fleeing. The Cheyenne reportedly described battling Randall as like fighting a cornered buffalo that had suffered wound after wound and still lived. They also pointed to Randall’s thick and curly black hair, comparing it to the mane of a buffalo. From then on, black soldiers in the military were known as “Buffalo Soldiers.”

Though they are no longer official units, the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers lives on in the many memorials across the nation.

Some of the best are here in Texas.

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston is home to artifacts from the Civil War, World War II and other eras of the captivating history of the Buffalo Soldiers.

From July 25-30, the museum and the Greater Houston Chapter of the 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first Buffalo Soldiers.

The week of events includes history lessons, events for kids, and a theatrical production and

will be capped off with a Saturday parade and banquet.

The week commemorates the passage of the Army Reorganization Act on July 28, 1866. This act authorized the formation of regiments “to be composed of colored men.”

Two cavalry and four infantry regiments were added to the U.S. Army, and black men were offered an opportunity for social and economic advancement. Those who enlisted earned $13 per month and were provided food, clothing and shelter. Chaplains taught the men how to read and write. Although recruits came from a variety of backgrounds, and many were Civil War veterans, the black regiments served only west of the Mississippi and were commanded by white officers.

Prior to the Civil War, whether as slaves or freedmen, African Americans served in the military during conflicts, but they couldn’t serve as soldiers in peacetime. There were fears that training and arming blacks would result in uprisings. A 1715 letter written by a group of North Carolinian merchants warned that “there must be a great caution used lest our slaves might become our masters.”

The Civil War and its aftermath erased the peacetime limitations on black troops.

The Union forces recruited black soldiers, especially from the South.

Any southern slave who made his way to the North would be given a uniform and a rifle. Frederick Douglass wrote that if the U.S. would let any black man “get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on Earth that can IN SERVICE: Sancho deny that he has Mazique, (above) served at Fort Concho; (facing page) earned the right Buffalo soldiers of the 10th to citizenship.”

Calvary at rest while on a The United States campaign.

Colored Troops, regiments composed primarily of

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THE GREAT DIVIDE: (left) Buffalo Soldier looking across the Concho River. (below) New generations visit with Buffalo Soliders at living history events.

TPWD Buffalo Soldiers celebrate 20 years Twenty years ago, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department established a Buffalo Soldier program so that volunteers could help share this piece of Texas history. These Buffalo Soldiers are a group of reenactors who represent the original soldiers, performing in Texas state parks and encouraging outdoor skills and recreation. They conduct hands-on interpretive activities that center around the daily lives of soldiers and civilians on the Texas Frontier during the late 1800s. Activities typically include animal tracking lessons, cane pole fishing, a frontier baseball game, Buffalo Soldier and Native American history lessons, a cooking camp and more.

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Williams, a black woman from Missouri. She posed as a man to enlist in the 38th Infantry and served for over two years before being discovered by a surgeon and subsequently discharged. Her bold action made her the first African-American woman to enlist in the United States military.

Buffalo Soldiers played a major role in the taming of the frontier and the development of Texas and the American West. Their job was to maintain law and order by guarding travel routes and escorting cattle herds, surveying parties and railroad crews. They were called upon to deal with cattle rustlers, horse thieves and outlaws. As they explored, the Buffalo Soldiers mapped huge areas of previously unknown territory. Along the way, they built roads and strung telephone lines.

This work was often deadly. The 9th Cavalry were the first black soldiers to experience combat in the West. In December 1867, as Sergeant Jacob Wilks led 12 men on a mail run, they were attacked by over 100 Apaches. “We were on an open plain without any protection,” Wilks recalled. One of the men was killed. When night fell, Wilks led his remaining men away, praying they wouldn’t be ambushed. They encountered a mule train full of army supplies, led by a man named Naile. Wilks warned him that Apaches were still nearby, but before they could leave the area, the Apaches returned. After the attack was successfully repelled, Naile turned to Wilks and said, “Sergeant, you just saved my train.”

Wilks’ battle was just the first of many. Not all had such fortunate outcomes. From 1866 to the early 1890s, Buffalo Soldier units served at a variety of posts in Texas, the Southwest and the Great Plains. Records indicate that approximately 5,000 black soldiers, comprising 10 percent of the U.S. Army, served on America’s frontier from 1866 to 1891. Gaps in the Army’s records make determination of the number of casualties impossible.

Following the Indian War era, Buffalo

PHOTOS COURTESY FORT CONCHO NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK

black soldiers, was created during the Civil War. By the end of the war, 10 percent of the Union Army was African American; 180,000 volunteered. Once the war ended, though, the military downsized and the USCT was disbanded. The Army Reorganization Act established the Buffalo Soldier regiments that replaced it.

Among the Buffalo Soldiers was an infantryman who went by the name William Cathay and was otherwise unremarkable but for one thing: Cathay was actually Cathay

Soldiers served in the Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, Mexican Punitive Expedition, World War I, World War II and the Korean War. In the mid-1950s, the last of the African-American units was finally desegregated.

President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order on July 26, 1948, that declared “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” The last segregated regiment to engage in combat was the 24th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. It was disbanded in October 1951. The 27th and 28th Cavalry Regiments — considered the last Buffalo Soldier units — were disbanded on December 12, 1951.

Buffalo Soldiers at Frontier Living History Events Many of the living history events hosted at frontier fort sites include the Buffalo Soldier story. The public is invited to visit with the reenactors and living historians who now portray those brave men. Living history events happen regularly at these forts: FORT DAVIS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE https://www.nps.gov/foda/index.htm

VISIT FORT LANCASTER VisitFortLancaster.com VISIT FORT MCKAVETT VisitFortMcKavett.com VISIT FORT CONCHO FortConcho.com VISIT FORT GRIFFIN VisitFortGriffin.com VISIT FORT RICHARDSON tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/fort-richardson

Editor’s Note: Margaret Hoogstra contributed to this article.

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum ADDRESS 3816 Caroline Houston, TX 77004 (713) 942-8920 buffalosoldiermuseum.com HOURS Monday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm Saturday 10 am – 4 pm Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day Free Admission on Thursday 1 - 5 pm VISIT HOUSTON visithoustontexas.com

150 Anniversary of the Buffalo Soldiers July 25 – 30, 2016 Join the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum and The Greater Houston Area Chapter of the Ninth and Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Association as they commemorate the sesquicentennial of the creation of the Buffalo Soldiers. Parade on Saturday, June 30 at 9 am, Houston Museum District www. bsr150.com

Texas’ Last Frontier Heritage Celebration June 25, 2016 Cochran County Park Morton, TX 79346 For more information: tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/ programs/buffalo-soldiers/ (512) 389-8569 SUMMER 2016

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TRAIL DRIVES p. 44 H EATS & DRINKS p. 54 H DEEP IN THE ART p. 60 H LIVE SHOWS p. 65 H HAPPENINGS p.68

CAPTION: Caption

DOWNTOWN

HERITAGE Look closely, and you’ll discover heritage sites in metropolitan areas

Texas

LONGHORNS RICK STRYKER

Small teaser subhead about Texas Icon story

St. John Evangelical Lutheran is a church among skyscrapers in Houston’s Sam Houston Park.

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LIFE TRAIL DRIVE

PREHISTORIC TEXAS

Museums and sites explore a primitive era

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AUSTIN

OPEN INVITATION: The 28-foot model of a Pliosaur at the Mayborn Museum.

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Moving north along the trail, you’ll find the Waco Mammoth National Monument, the only paleontological site in the nation with a recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths. Visitors are guided down to the dig shelter to see the mammoth fossils and learn how they were discovered. One thing that makes this site so authentic is that the fossils are in situ (i.e., in their original position), as opposed to being on display.

While in the area, you should also visit the Mayborn Museum Complex. Here the “Waco at the Crossroads of Texas” exhibit leads visitors through dioramas and exploration stations that depict the natural science and cultural history of Central Texas.

Our next stop takes us to Clifton, to the Bosque Memorial Museum and the story of the

VISIT GAULT SITE gaultschool.org VISIT BELL COUNTY MUSEUM bellcountymuseum.org VISIT FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY fortworthmuseum.org VISIT MAYBORN MUSEUM baylor.edu/mayborn/ VISIT BOSQUE MEMORIAL MUSEUM bosquemuseum.org VISIT DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley

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BEFORE there were Native Americans and cowboys, dinosaurs and mammoths inhabited the terrain between Florence and Fort Worth. Travel back in time as you explore these eight museums and prehistoric sites along the Prehistoric Texas Trail.

Starting in Florence, the southernmost part of the trail, is the Gault Site. This Texas State Archeological Landmark is one of the largest excavation sites, with materials dating back 13,500 years. This site is open for private tours only. The tour covers about one mile of terrain.

Thirty miles north is the Bell County Museum in Belton. There you will find a permanent interactive exhibit on the Gault Site that provides further information on the work done there.

DIGGING IN: Research continues at the Gault Site, one of the largest excavation sites with materials dating back 13,500 years.

THE GAULT SITE ADDRESS 3439 FM2843 Florence, TX 76527 (512) 245-8734 WACO MAMMOTH NATIONAL MONUMENT ADDRESS 6220 Steinbeck Bend Drive Waco, TX 76708 (254) 750-7946 HOURS Tuesday – Friday 11 am – 5 pm Saturday 9 am – 5 pm Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY ADDRESS 1600 Gendy St. Fort Worth, TX 76107 (817) 255-9300 Monday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm Sunday Noon – 5 pm Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas

Horn Shelter. Albert Redder, an avocational archaeologist, discovered two skeletons, a child curled around an adult, and an array of burial goods in a rock shelter along the Brazos River.

Radiocarbon tests concluded that the shelter is about 11,200 years old and one of three PaleoAmerican sites that contain burial goods.

As we move farther north, we’re actually traveling 113 million years back in time to the “Dinosaur Capital of Texas,” Glen Rose. This designation was made possible because of the dinosaur prints found in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Spend the day hiking or a weekend camping as you walk in the footprints of dinosaurs.

On a hot day, take a dip in the cool waters of the Paluxy. Just up the road from the state park is Dinosaur Valley State Park, which has 100 life-size dinosaurs spread throughout the 20-acre park.

The last stop on the prehistoric trail is the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.

Here you come face to face with the owner of the Glen Rose footprints, Paluxysaurus Jonesi, the State Dinosaur of Texas. There are a variety of hands-on activities for children like the DinoLabs and the outdoor DinoDig for budding paleontologists.

DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK ADDRESS 1629 Park Rd 59 Glen Rose, TX 76043 (254) 897-4588 HOURS 7 am – 10 pm unless camping overnight HQ is open 8:30 am - 4:30 pm MAYBORN MUSEUM COMPLEX ADDRESS 1300 S. University Parks Waco, TX 76798 (254) 710-1110 HOURS Monday – Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm Thursday 10 am – 8 pm Friday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm BELL COUNTY MUSEUM ADDRESS 201 N. Main Belton, TX 76513 (254) 933-5243 HOURS Tuesday – Friday 12 pm – 5 pm Saturday 10 am – 5 pm

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DON’T MISS DINING The Gin at Nolan Creek 219 South East St. Suite E Belton, TX 76513 theginatnolancreek.com (254) 613-4GIN

Storiebook Cafe 502 NE Barnard St Glen Rose, TX (254) 897-2665 11 am – 3 pm

LODGING Amazing Grace of Texas 324 N. Main Belton, TX 76513 agbbtx.com/home.html

Anderson Creek Cabins 1448 Moody Lane Glen Rose, TX 76043 (254) 396-2540 andersoncreekcabins.com Cottage in Cameron Park 700 Cedar Crest Dr. Waco, TX 76708 (254) 715-5457 The Cell Block 120 Clifton Art Alley Clifton, TX 76634 (254) 227-5656 stayatthecellblock.com

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TREKKING THROUGH 100 MILLION YEARS: (clockwise from top) All ages discover the stories of dinosaurs discovered in North Texas at DinoLab in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; a young visitor enjoys the hands-on experience of DinoDig at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; tracking a dinosaur through the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park; fossilized dinosaur footprints were frequently offered for sale in the early 20th century.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PHOTOS COURTESY FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY; DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK

Captain Billy Whizzbang’s Burgers 901 Lake Air Drive Waco, TX 76710 (254) 776-4155 billywhizzbangs.com Monday – Friday 10:30 am – 8 pm Saturday 10:30 am – 4 pm Sunday Closed

TRAIL DRIVE

Track to the Future The Northeast Texas Trail by

JILL CAMPBELL JORDAN

WINDING TRAIL: The NETT is used by all ages of walkers and hikers, cyclists and horseback riders.

T

THE Northeast Texas Trail (NETT), the stretch

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• PARIS

• LADONIA • WOLFE CITY • CELESTE • MERIT • FARMERSVILLE

DALLAS

• NEW BOSTON COURTES Y NORTHEAST TEXAS TRAIL

of 130 miles of banked rail bed from Farmersville to New Boston, started out as a major shipping route for cattle and bois d’arc posts. Over time, the tracks were put out of service, but they’re still active for anyone who’s feeling a bit active themselves. Originally laid through the Red River Valley around 1870, rail lines such as the Chaparral, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, the Texas and Pacific, the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad made their way through 19 towns and seven counties.

The same way people migrate toward water, settlers moved to be near the transportation

FROM TOP: COURTESY FARMERSVILLE MAIN STREET; LAMAR COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SURFING THE NETT: (from top) The Onion Shed was built by the railroads for shipping Collin Co. Sweets. In 1925, local farmers began planting onion crops, and, by 1935, Farmersville was known as the “Onion Capital of North Texas.” It’s now home to farmers and flea markets; visitors to Paris — Texas, that is — won’t want to miss the famous Eiffel Tower.

provided by the railroad, and some of these towns still dot the length of the trail, which is beneficial to tourists or cyclists. This is now an active transportation trail that can be experienced only on bike, on foot or on horseback.

In 1983, the National Trails Act and Rail Banking System gave railroad companies the

of each month. Chaparral Trail Head/Audie Murphy Trail Head is located downtown, making it easy to take advantage of the local culture before hitting the trail. The Chaparral Trail extends five miles to the east from the trail head.

The NETT continues through Merit, Celeste, Wolfe City and Ladonia. Each of these towns make for great stops to rest and refuel. Cyclists and visitors are sure to receive a Texas-sized welcome in towns along the trail.

When you reach Paris you’ll be treated to a scenic paved route that runs for just over three miles from town, the Trail de Paris. This portion of the trail is lined with shady trees, benches, viewing platforms, mile markers and interpretive signs, and members of the PJC Art League have decorated trash cans that are on display along the trail to add a little artistic flare to Mother Nature’s handiwork. This portion of the trail connects with the Reno Rail Trail and extends another five miles, but before heading out you should take advantage of the history of Paris.

The Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic opportunity to sell, donate or lease rail lines they Site is a high Victorian-Italianate style home no longer need, which the Union Pacific and built in 1868 and was the family residence of Chaparral railroad companies took advantage of Sam Bell Maxey, the Mexican War veteran, in the 1990s. The tracks between Confederate general and two-term Farmersville and New Boston are U.S. Senator. And you can’t leave For more information now in the hands of the Northeast Paris without visiting the Eiffel NortheastTexasTrail.org Texas Trail Coalition, whose Tower. This one is 75-feet tall and ParisTexas.com goal is “to secure Texas Parks & topped with a red Stetson hat.

FarmersvilleTX.com Wildlife Department’s designa Downtown Paris remains NewBostonTX.org tion of the Northeast Texas Trail home to the century-old courtas a linear State Park.” house, which was almost com To reach this goal, Earl pletely destroyed with the rest of Erickson (president of the NETT Coalition), downtown by fire in 1916 but has since been says the NETT should “richly enhance the qual- restored. Learn the story behind the fire while ity of living for everyone — those who actively you’re there, and visit the Culbertson Fountain, use the trail, the communities along the trail, built in 1924 to commemorate the city’s rebirth. and trail visitors.” There are plenty of chances Don’t forget your pocketbook to do a little shopfor this to happen for visitors and residents alike, ping around the square before you leave for the whether through shopping in antique boutiques next town. like those in historic Onion Shed or geocaching When you hit New Boston, you have in the naturally beautiful forests or fields along reached what City Councilman David Turner the trail. calls “the Trail Head.” The Trail Head Park is The terrain of the trail varies and is ideal for full of community events throughout the year, avid cyclists, and the NETT website features an including what Turner calls the “hottest Pioneer interactive map that shows all of the towns along Day Festival,” since it takes place in August. But the way, the condition and distance of the trail that doesn’t keep the hearty Bostonians away. A between towns, lodging, attractions and events new museum is in the works: a replica of the New — everything you might need to plan your trek Boston Depot to be located in the park. It will tell along the trail. the story of the three Bostons and the railroads’

Thirty-five miles northeast of Dallas, the impact on Bowie County. trail begins in Farmersville. This quaint town Take time this summer to get moving out on offers tourists a piece of 1930s living at the the trail.

Onion Shed, which serves as the location for the Farmers & Fleas Market held the first Saturday SUMMER 2016

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TRAIL DRIVE

BLACK GOLD, TEXAS TEA

The story of Texas oil in three museums by

RICK STRYKER

DALLAS 20

• KILGORE

• MIDLAND

GUSHING WITH ENTHUSIASM: Enjoying the Lucas Gusher reenactment at Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum.

45

BEAUMONT • 10

HOUSTON

VISIT MIDLAND visitmidland.com

VISIT KILGORE visitkilgore.com

VISIT BEAUMONT beaumontcvb.com

T

TEXAS HISTORY can’t be separated from the history of the oil industry. Black and white photographs of oil drills, as dark as the stuff its pumping, set in grey-white fields and dotted with other dark drills in the background, can be found in most any exhibit of Texas history. Oil has shaped Texas since 1901, when those black metal arms started dotting the landscape like points on a timeline. With the most recent oil boom, it’s only fitting to compare the early 20th century oil boom to that of today.

One of these black and white photographs is brought to life at the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum in Beaumont. Here,

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ADDRESS 301 S. Henderson Blvd.

Kilgore, TX (903) 983-8295 easttexasoilmuseum.com

Gladys City was reconstructed based on photographic evidence recreating businesses that operated there and in Beaumont in 1901. It was dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Lucas Gusher in 1976. There is even a gusher demonstration that can be part of the visitor experience at the museum.

The Lucas Gusher, named after Anthony F. Lucas, shifted the oil boom into high gear that accelerated growth well beyond the confines of any idealistic dream. This setting is the origin of the recent and abrupt appearance of man camps, food trucks, drilling sites and heavy truck traffic.

Naturally, in Texas big things happen all

SPINDLETOP-GLADYS CITY BOOMTOWN MUSEUM ADDRESS 5550 Jimmy Simmons Blvd.

Beaumont, TX (409) 880-1750 spindletop.org PERMIAN BASIN PETROLEUM MUSEUM ADDRESS 1500 W. Interstate 20 West Midland, TX (432) 683-4403 petroleummuseum.org

SPINDLETOP-GLADYS CITY BOOMTOWN MUSEUM, LAMAR UNIVERSITY

EAST TEXAS OIL MUSEUM

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: FRANK J. TROST, SPINDLETOP-GLADYS CITY BOOMTOWN MUSEUM; PERMIAN BASIN PETROLEUM MUSEUM; TEXAS OIL MUSEUM; PERMIAN BASIN PETROLEUM MUSEUM

CRUDE HISTORY: (clockwise from top left) The Lucas Gusher at Spindletop in 1901; stroll through 250 million years of geologic history in the Permian Sea diorama; Gladys City Boomtown Street Scene; the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum’s Oil Patch, home to a variety of antique field equipment.

across the state. In the 1930s, the oil boom was felt in other parts of East Texas. At the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, a full-scale town of stores, people, animals and machinery depicting the lively activity of a town booming in oil serves as the centerpiece of the museum.

Walking the street of this town and stopping in the various shops and businesses is an experience that draws you into one of the black and white photographs. Seeing cars, trucks and horse-drawn vehicles mired in the mud provides a different lens with which to view our complaints about potholes today. The geology exhibits provide a learning experience, and perhaps the most impressive activity from a scientific perspective is taking an elevator ride to the center of the earth.

As if in direct answer to the question about the current state of the oil industry and technological advances associated with “the boom,” the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland has just completed a re-invention of its exhibits.

The museum’s north and east wings just reopened after a 20-month renovation that involved 15,000 square feet of exhibit space.

One of the new additions is the MythCrackers Theater, which addresses the reality of hydraulic fracturing. The Permian Sea, a diorama that explores the Permian Sea of about 265 million years ago, has been retained and enhanced as part of the renovation as well.

Various aspects of the oil industry story are brought down to an engaging level for the entire family using hands-on games and interactive elements on topics such as locating oil reserves and the way oil impacts the economy.

For a better understanding of past and present oil booms, you can’t go wrong with a visit to these three museums. You might even begin to see that the black arms of the oil rigs are reaching down and pumping up not only oil, but historically rich black gold.

SUMMER 2016

51

TRAIL DRIVE

City Parks, Cultural History A survey of intriguing big-city oases

FORT WORTH

DALLAS

45 35

AUSTIN 10

by

RICK STRYKER

and

HOUSTON

PATTY BUSHART

• • •

THE HERITAGE SOCIETY AT SAM HOUSTON PARK ADDRESS 1100 Bagby Street (713) 655-1912 HeritageSociety.org HOURS Tue –Sat 10 am – 4 pm PIONEER FARMS

Log Cabin Village, Fort Worth

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buildings, strip centers and convenience stores.

The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, once a recreational focal point for residential neighborhoods, is now a cultural oasis in the shadow of high-rises. The last building in the park standing on its original site, the 1847 KellumNoble House, was the cornerstone structure around which the cultural preservation project was created. Self-guided cell phone tours are available, and guided tours begin at the Museum Gallery, which houses both permanent and rotating exhibits. A permanent exhibit is a graphic timeline, which provides a visual chronology of the growth and development of the country’s fourth largest city.

ADDRESS 1515 South Harwood Dallas 75215 (214) 421-5141 DallasHeritageVillage.org HOURS Museum Hours Tue – Sat 10 am – 4 pm Sundays Noon – 4 pm Closed January, August, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve LOG CABIN VILLAGE ADDRESS 2100 Log Cabin Village Lane Fort Worth 76109 (817) 392-5881 LogCabinVillage.org HOURS Museum Hours Tue – Fri 9 am – 4 pm Sat & Sun 1 pm – 5 pm Closed Mondays

RICK STRYKER

Every city has its humble beginning, but not every city fulfills its founders’ dreams — at least, not as well as Houston has. According to the Handbook of Texas, Houston “began on Aug. 30, 1836, when Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen ran an advertisement in the Telegraph and Texas Register for the ‘Town of Houston.’” The duo claimed the town would become the “great interior commercial emporium of Texas.”

While Houston has flourished as the Allens predicted, the city has also retained its cultural origins, reminding future generations that it wasn’t always powered by electricity and gasoline, and its once unpaved streets weren’t lined with high-rise

DALLAS HERITAGE VILLAGE AT OLD CITY PARK

PATTY BUSHART

T

The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, Houston

ADDRESS 10621 Pioneer Farms Drive in northeast Austin (512) 837-1215 PioneerFarms.org HOURS Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 10 am – 5pm

San Felipe House, Houston – After immigrating here from Germany, Justina and William Ruppersburg built this cottage in 1868 along the San Felipe Road.

William began as a carriage driver for a funeral home before establishing a successful undertaking and carriage business, which enabled the family to move to a larger home in 1872.

Pioneer Farms — Austin Austin had a rockier beginning than Houston because of its remoteness from population centers. The city was prone to Mexican and Indian attacks in its early days of serving as the state’s capital. Today’s booming population betrays its rough start, but the Frederick and Harriet Jourdan Homestead is a reminder of the history of Austin and the lives of its early settlers.

The homestead is located on the 100acre living history museum overseen by the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms Foundation.

Located unobtrusively in the middle of residential neighborhoods, Pioneer Farms gives visitors six themed locations to see on self-guided tours, while activities, like a workshop on period blacksmithing, change from day to day.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RICK STRYKER; RICK STRYKER; PATTY BUSHART

Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park The city of Dallas has a long and storied past almost as old as the Republic of Texas.

Founded by John Neely Bryan in 1841, Dallas grew from a trading post along the banks of the East Fork of the Trinity River to become the ninth largest city in the U.S. Situated at the crossroads of interstate highways 20, 30, 35 and 45 in North Texas, Dallas serves as a strategic location for worldwide transportation and international commerce.

The Texas legislature granted Dallas a town charter on Feb. 2, 1856, and by 1860 the population had grown to 678. Many fine examples of early craftsmanship and pioneer industry are on display at Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park. The Village is nestled in one of Dallas’ first neighborhoods, the Cedars, and is built on the grounds of the city’s first park.

In 1966, civic volunteers received permission from the City of Dallas Parks and

Jourdan Cabin, Pioneer Farms – Frederick Jourdan bought his property in 1858 with this cabin being the second residence he and his family lived in on the property.

Recreation Department to move 22 historic structures from locations throughout North Central Texas, including a schoolhouse, train depot, bank and saloon, all dating from between 1840 and 1910. With docent-led educational programs, interactive demonstrations and events throughout the year, Dallas Heritage Village stands as a unique, immersive historical experience unlike any other in Dallas.

Fort Worth’s Log Cabin Village In the winter of 1840, Captain Jonathan Bird, along with a band of Texas Rangers, was sent from Austin by President Sam Houston to set up a frontier fort for the newly formed Republic.

Fort Bird was established on the banks of the Trinity River and was the site of an 1843 peace parley between General Edward H. Tarrant, for whom Tarrant County is named, George W. Terrell and chiefs from nine tribes around the area. The resulting treaty established a line that passed through the future site of Fort Worth, beyond which the Native Americans were to remain. The line marked “Where the West Begins,” hence Fort Worth’s trademark slogan.

That line was drawn to show where the west begins, but not where the east ended. An eastern pioneer practice, building log cabin shelters, had spread throughout West Texas with the migration of German immigrants. The pioneer staple, built by laying logs horizontally and interlocking

Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park – The Dallas skyline is visible over the trees from the porch of the Sullivan House in Dallas Heritage Village.

them on the ends with notches, was quick and easy but made a lasting impression on Texas culture and history.

Log Cabin Village, south of I-30 near Texas Christian University, is a project of the Pioneer Texas Heritage Committee and members of the Tarrant County Historical Society. These groups realized log structures were vanishing at an alarming rate, so they began identifying and moving them to the site in the 1950s and ’60s.

Six log cabins selected from the North Texas region were restored in the beginning, and Log Cabin Village was donated to the City of Fort Worth in 1966. Five more structures including a smokehouse, blacksmith shop and a gristmill have been added since.

Interpretation of the historic structures and lifestyle of the pioneers who lived and settled the area in the mid to late 1800s is provided by volunteers and city staff. Log Cabin Village also manages the Van Zandt Cottage, a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and listed site on the National Register of Historic Places.

SUMMER 2016

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LIFE EATS & DRINKS

FIT FOR A KING: Fried shrimp, seafood and, of course, tartar sauce await you. Just be sure to remove your hat.

King’s Inn

Fried seafood on Baffin Bay

F

FOR MORE THAN 70

years, Texans have made the trek to King’s Inn on Baffin Bay to enjoy the legendary fried shrimp, seafood and tartar sauce.

Food is served family style, and gentlemen (and small boys as well) are asked to remove their hats and caps upon entering.

Located about 20 minutes south of Kingsville via U.S. Highway 77, King’s Inn has been in the Ware family since 1945.

King’s Inn began as a bait stand in the

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NANCY DEVINEY

mid-’30s, built alongside a fishing pier and owned by the Underbrink family.

Fishermen grew hungry, and, before long, the bait stand became known for its grilled fish and burgers. Eventually, the food became the mainstay thanks to cook Cottle Ware. In 1945, Ware and his wife, Faye, bought the place and renamed it King’s Inn.

Every meal begins with a plate of fresh, sliced tomatoes and a dish of the famous King’s Inn

tartar sauce, the recipe of which is a guarded family secret. There’s no printed menu except for the one on the wall at the entrance. The waitstaff recite the menu tableside.

Favorites are fried shrimp, fish and oysters.

Diners most frequently request the east dining room overlooking Baffin Bay. The west dining area was part of the original 1940s building and featured a stage at the north end. Live bands played on this stage and

made King’s Inn a popular spot for dancing in those early days.

By the 1960s, the stage had been removed to make way for more seating, and a jukebox was placed in the center of the west wall. Dancing continued to be enjoyed in that west dining room with “Red Sails in the Sunset,” an oft-played tune on the jukebox.

Partake in this classic Texas tradition by visiting King’s Inn for the seafood and songs.

King’s Inn Seafood SINCE 1945

1116 S. County Road 2270 Riviera, TX 78379 (361) 297-5265 HOURS Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

Owned and operated by Randy Ware

•

NANCY DEVINEY

by

EATS & DRINKS

CREATIVE ADAPTATION: Babe’s brought their own style to Cedar Hill’s historic downtown. Their restaurant used to house city offices, the library and a three-bay fire station.

Babe’s

Chicken fried with Texas pride

IF YOU’RE craving chicken-fried comfort food served family style — with just a little bit of kitsch and a whole lot of fun — then Babe’s Chicken Dinner House is the place for you.

The Vinyard family has been welcoming folks to their restaurants for over 35 years with meals prepared from scratch daily in each restaurant.

The family recipes are straight out of West Texas, refined over the years by Mary Beth ‘Babe’ Vinyard, the restaurant’s namesake, and her husband Paul. Sadly, Mary Beth passed away in 2008, but her memory lives on each time a customer

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PATTY BUSHART

“mmms” over her classic sweet corn or chocolate meringue pie. In fact, most folks will tell you the food served at Babe’s reminds them of their own mother or grandmother.

Chicken is the main attraction at Babe’s, but other menu items include fried catfish with specially canned green tomato relish, a chicken fried steak that’s bigger than your plate and house vegetables served with buttermilk biscuits that are to die for.

Even the kids will eat these green beans.

And did we mention the Hokey Pokey? In another Babe’s tradition, diners and waitstaff alike

dance to the popular folk song that has its roots all the way back in the 17th century. Between bites of chicken, put your right leg in and shake it all about.

There are nine Babe’s locations across the DFW Metroplex, but if you’re thinking off-the-freeway chain restaurant, think again. Each one is unique, owing to the family’s passion for rehabilitating old buildings.

There’s an 1898 hardware and tractor store in Sanger, an old lumber yard in historic downtown Carrollton from the early 1900s and a mid-century building in Arlington that features a nine-foot neon

café sign with a cowboy on a horse, twirling a lariat, that stood above the Corral Café in the panhandle town of Dumas during the ’40s and ’50s.

The individual restaurants are, in fact, so unique that many customers set out to eat at all of them, just to see how different and entertaining they’ve each become.

Visit Babe’s in Cedar Hill or one of their other North Texas locations — in Arlington, Burleson, Carrollton, Frisco, Garland, Granbury, Roanoke or Sanger.

Fair warning: you won’t be able to go just once.

Babe’s 200 S. Main St. Cedar Hill, TX 75104 (469) 272-4500 www.babeschicken.com

HOURS Monday – Friday Lunch – 11 am – 2 pm Dinner – 5 pm – 9 pm Saturday and Sunday All day – 11 am – 9 pm

VISIT CEDAR HILL visitcedarhilltx.com

• PATTY BUSHART

I

by

EATS & DRINKS

The Spoetzl Brewery: Making Shiner Beer for more than 100 years.

Spoetzl Brewery

Spoetzl Brewery ADDRESS 603 E. Brewery St. Shiner, TX 77984 (361) 594-3852 shiner.com/brewery/tours

S

SHINER, TEXAS, doesn’t

have many more inhabitants today than it did in 1909, the year the town’s most famous business was launched. But today its Spoetzl Brewery ships more than six million cases of Shiner beer to nearly every state in the Union.

Sure, you can pick up a cold Shiner in your local convenience store or order one in your favorite restaurant. But why not drop in and see where it’s

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all made?

The brewery gives hour-long tours to visitors 18 and older, though anyone under 21 will be provided lemonade in lieu of beer. Tours run Monday through Friday, with the final tour of each day beginning at 2:30 p.m. The brewery is closed during major holidays.

Knowledgeable guides will help you appreciate the history of the place and its products as well as how

to better enjoy your beerdrinking experience!

Only six brewmasters have served in that illustrious post since the Shiner Brewing Association’s first, Herman Weiss. When the association selected Bavarian-born Kosmos Spoetzl to succeed him, Spoetzl bought the outfit in 1915 but kept the Shiner name on the bottle.

During Prohibition, Spoetzl kept the brewery going by selling ice and

making near-beer.

Even following Prohibition, Spoetzl kept things small and local.

Today, however, the company produces nine different brews year-round (starting with its flagship Shiner Bock) and several seasonal beers.

Pop the top on a cold one — and drink an authentic toast to your health. Prosit!

Tours and refreshments are available year-round except certain holidays. The Hospitality Team welcomes visitors of all ages. There’s an elevator for the convenience of strollers, walkers and wheelchairs. You must be 21 years old to consume alcoholic beverages in Texas—with proper ID. For guests who are under the age of 21, there’s lemonade and water available in the Hospitality Suite. Tours are about one hour, and no reservations are needed. Both the tours and refreshments are complimentary.

VISIT SHINER shinertx.com

•

COURTESY OF SPOETZL BREWERY

Put a little Shine on your vacation trip

LIFE DEEP IN THE ART

CINÉMA VÉRITÉ: Unlike other festivals, MFF doesn’t designate winners, instead fostering a relaxed social space where filmmakers hobnob with cinephiles, industry veterans and living legends in a scenic, culturally rich environment.

Marfa Film Festival A Giant emphasis in 2016

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a 20- by 50-foot screen). The festival creates a relaxed social space where up-and-coming filmmakers and adventurous cinephiles mix with film veterans and legends. The films are shared one at a time so attendees can enjoy the entire program with spare hours to relax and socialize in that unhurried “sun-drenched desert town at the end of the world.” Filmmakers, films and musical talent featured at the festival have gone on to win Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. MFF 2016 will feature works of promising newcomers and celebrated masters, including world premieres and overlooked classics. Past guests have included America Ferrera, Elijah Wood, Lou Reed and Larry McMurtry.

Marfa Film Festival marfafilmfestival.com (432) 295-0291 DATE July 13-17 VISIT MARFA visitmarfa.com

•

COURTESY MARFA FILM FESTIVAL

T

HE MARFA FILM FESTIVAL has attracted talented filmmakers, international press, industry professionals and attendees from around the world to this remote oasis in far West Texas since 2008. This year’s festival, July 13-17, will pay tribute to the movie Giant — filmed in West Texas and starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean — while also sharing a carefully curated, diverse mix of features, shorts, music videos and experimental works, including a full afternoon schedule followed each evening by outdoor screenings of classics under the stars with beautiful 35mm projection by the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow (which includes

DEEP IN THE ART

Texas Folklife Festival The cultural celebration turns 45

COURTESY UTSA, INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES

I

T’S BEEN SAID that travel inspires people. When we get out of our usual surroundings, we often become motivated to try new things, and we can also return from a trip with a new appreciation of home. In 1968 that’s just what happened to a group of Texans who participated in the Smithsonian Institute’s first Folklife Festival in Washington D.C. O.T. Baker, the founder of the Institute of Texan Cultures, attended along with a Texas delegation and came home inspired to create a similar event for Texas. It took a few years to turn big plans into the big event that’s now hosting the 45th annual Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio June 10-12.

Under the guidance of Baker, the first festival in 1972 drew participants from all over the state and represented surprisingly diverse ethnic heritages. One of those participants was Jo Ann Andera, who’d had been serving as a volunteer tour guide at the Institute of Texan Cultures and performed as a belly dancer with the Lebanese Folklife Dancers. She later became a staff member before being named festival director in 1981, a post she’s held since.

“We bring together Texans from every walk of life to celebrate their heritage and culture — their food, music, crafts and dance,” Andera says. “It’s a celebration of us as Texans!”

The festival attracts about 40,000 visitors and showcases storytelling, music, food, art and the traditional skills of about 40 cultures now found in Texas.

GET A (FOLK) LIFE: (clockwise from left) Bagpipers entertain at the 44th annual festival in 2015; overhead scenic view of the festival; the festival in its early days; O.T. Baker in 1977.

Texas Folklife Festival texasfolklifefestival.org DATE June 10-12 VISIT SAN ANTONIO visitsanantonio.com

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SUMMER 2016

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DEEP IN THE ART

Cass County Courthouse

Reinventing Cass County A native son sings its praises by

W

ITH 254 counties in Texas, it can be difficult for one to stand out from the crowd.

Add the fact that Cass County is not named for a hero of the Texas Revolution but instead for a failed 1848 U.S. presidential candidate from Michigan, and the county might never gain much recognition outside of its surrounding area.

In fact, so many residents were disappointed by the name that they renamed it in 1861 to Davis County in

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JEFF SALMON

When I was a young boy Roamin’ on the railroad tracks Put copper pennies on the rails Locomotive come and squash ‘em flat We’d run to fetch ‘em back — “Train In The Distance” from Don Henley’s 2015 album Cass County

Music City Texas Theater honor of Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederate States). They changed their minds after the Civil War and went back to being Cass County.

Jump forward 144 years to when one of the county’s native sons has become an American music icon and decided to name his newest album Cass County. The album was Don Henley’s first in 15 years and debuted at the top of the country music charts in October 2015. Henley grew up in the county seat of Linden, Texas, in the 1950s and ’60s.

108 Legion St. Linden, TX 75563 (903) 756-9934 musiccitytexas.org VISIT LINDEN lindentexas.org

•

Next thing you know, you see T-shirts in Nashville and Dallas with “Cass County” on them. People start asking “Where’s Cass County?”

Aside from on the shelves of record stores, Cass County can be found in Northeast Texas, bordered

by Arkansas and Louisiana on the east and one county removed from Oklahoma to the north.

Linden was founded in 1848 around the lumber industry. The population grew slowly and peaked in the 1980s at about 2,500 before dropping to about 1,900 in recent years.

In 2003, the Linden Economic Development Corporation created a music venue for the city in an effort to promote tourism in Linden, Cass County and the surrounding area. The Music City Texas Theater hosts national, regional and local entertainers from all musical genres. This summer

features JD Souther on June 10 and Hickory Hill Bluegrass on Aug. 20.

Also in Linden you’ll discover a noteworthy structure that has its roots in the 19th century.

“The oldest courthouse in Texas still used as the seat of county government stands with antebellum grace in Linden,” Texas State Historian Bill O’Neal says. “The stately appearance of this venerable building has been enhanced by a 2008 grant from the Texas Historical Commission. The 1861 structure was rededicated in 2012.”

Just as Henley, a founding member of the Eagles, has gone back to his roots and reinvented himself as a successful country performer, his hometown is also reinventing itself and is ready to rise as a destination for visitors seeking a soulful connection to our past.

Music City Texas Theater

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a dv e rt ise m e nt

S U M M E R 20 1 6

Live Show Pops in the Park SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 BIG SPRING, TX visitbigspring.org

AS THE SUN SETS behind the 6,900-seat limestone amphitheater near the his-

310 Nolan St., off U.S. 87 toric spring that lends the city its name, the maestro’s baton pauses in midair. south of Big Spring, TX 79720 On the downbeat, the Big Spring Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Keith Big Spring Convention & Graumann, launches into a stirring performance that has fans and kids on their Visitors Bureau feet, waving flags and applauding throughout the evening of pop and classical (432) 263-8235 numbers. The highlight for families is the eye-popping fireworks display, colorful bursts booming overhead in the night to the stirring “1812 Overture.”

Pops in the Park, now in its 19th year, welcomes visitors to a free event starting at 5 p.m. with food, drink, craft and souvenir vendors. (Bring a blanket or folding chair for comfortable seating in the amphitheater.) Local band Jimmy and the Johnsons are the opening act, at 6 p.m., and a presentation of colors featuring an armed-forces salute precedes the symphony starting at 8:30 p.m. Arrive early for a good seat: folks from across the state and neighboring states come to enjoy the music against the backdrop of one of the biggest firework shows in West Texas.

BARBARA BRANNON/TEXAS PLAINS TRAIL

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Comanche Trail Amphitheather

SUMMER 2016

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LIVE SHOW

Texas Outdoor Musical JUNE 3 – AUG. 20, 20 16 TUESDAY–SUNDAY, 8:30 PM, DINNER AT 6 PM PIONEER AMPHITHE ATRE PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK texas-show.com

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TEXAS, the official outdoor drama of Texas (an honor it

BARBARA BRANNON/TEXAS PLAINS TRAIL

shares with the Fort Griffin Fandangle in Albany), presents a sweeping history of the Texas frontier at a venue that’s ranked among USA Today’s “Top 10 Must-See Theatres in the USA.” In the 1,600-seat Pioneer Amphitheatre, nestled against a spectacular 600-foot canyon wall, Texas remains the best-attended outdoor history drama in the nation.

And while more than four million people from around the globe have witnessed Texas since its opening in the mid-1960s, the play and its inspiring Palo Duro Canyon setting continue to evolve, to the delight of new and returning spectators.

For the show’s golden anniversary season in 2015, for instance, new landscaping and water features in the entry plaza provided visitors a fresh, cooling welcome during the pre-show dinner and entertainment. More cooling down happens alongside the post-show fireworks display with the dancing waters extravaganza that was added during the drought of 2011.

The theme of Paul Green’s long-running “symphonic drama,” how-

ever, remains the same. Young Calvin Armstrong returns to the Texas Panhandle in the late 1880s determined to make a success of his hardscrabble farm — and to see his community thrive with schools and a railroad. But he’s up against some strong opposition from the powerful Colonel Henry (a character bearing strong resemblance to the real-life rancher Charles Goodnight) as well as some strong feelings for Henry and Anna’s attractive niece, Elsie McLean.

Longtime fans will appreciate subtle but important changes to the storyline involving Quanah Parker (played in recent years by Benny Tahmahkera Jr., a great-great-great grandson of Quanah Parker) and the addition of a subplot involving Hispanic characters Diego and Isabella.

Perhaps the most poignant touch is the lyrical “West Texas Rain” that now opens the show’s second act, evoking the very real tragedy and truth that have surrounded this landscape for generations old and new:

“There’s always a cloud in the distance it seems / But behind it the sky is still blue as can be / And tonight the angels are ridin’ in / On the back of a West Texas Rain.”

Tickets for the 2016 season are on sale now. Opening night (in 2016, that’s Friday, June 3), closing night (Aug. 20) and the extended fireworks displays following the July 1, 2, 3 and 4 shows are especially popular dates.

More than 4,000 show alumni return to Palo Duro Canyon each July to share their own memories. And not a performance has occurred since the show’s beginning without at least one visitor from a foreign country.

“Not many shows make it 50 years,” director Dave Yirak told the Amarillo Globe-News. “It’s a testament to the founders who first put the show together. They did it right.”

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LIVE SHOW

Fort Griffin Fandangle FRIDAY AND SATURDAY JUNE 17 & 18 AND 24 & 25 PARADE DAY SATURDAY JUNE 18 ALBANY, TEXAS fortgriffinfandangle.org albanytexas.com

FOR THE LAST 78 years, the residents of Albany, Texas, have

put on the oldest outdoor musical in the state. The show depicts the Texas frontier story and includes everything that makes the state’s history so grand. With something for everyone — music, dancing, drama, pageantry, real longhorns and horses, cowboys and Indians — the Fort Griffin Fandangle isn’t to be missed.

The latest season of the Fandangle is scheduled for June 17-18 and June 24-25. The nationally acclaimed show begins under the Texas sky each evening at 8 p.m. in the Prairie Theater just outside of Albany. The Prairie Star BBQ Brigade will serve barbecue the day of each performance at the First National Bank Park. Every year, the show is directed, lighted, costumed, sung and danced by the people of Albany — a town of just over 2,000. Produced since 1938, it’s grown into a community production, staged in an acre-sized amphitheater with a cast and crew of over 250. For many, it’s become a family tradition with as many as five generations on stage.

The Fandangle Parade, featuring some of the favorite pieces from the show — like the stagecoach and the steam-driven calliope — begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. The calliope is one of the few remaining steam organs in existence. It’s played prior to each of the four performances and is the only musical instrument in Texas that has to be inspected every year. G.P. Crutchfield BIG AS ALL OUTDOORS: of Albany built the Fandangle’s calliope in the (from top) The Fandangle early 1950s using scrap parts from oil fields cast includes the state’s Official Longhorn Herd in and a boiler from a steam laundry in Wichita telling the story of cowboys, Falls. ranchers and long trail drives;

The show portrays the feelings of the riders on horseback swoop Western pioneers as they lived day to day. onto the open prairie stage with a flag parade to kick off It’s entirely original, and careful research is each performance; spirited done to ensure that the look and feel of the performers have been telling production remains as authentic as possible. the Texas frontier story for However, Fandangle’s history is told with a 78 years. light touch, one that speaks to the humor of daily life as well as the fears and calamities. It’s history not as it comes from books but as it is remembered by the old-timers. And it’s history set to music.

The Fort Griffin Fandangle is a gentle satire of life at the famous U.S. Cavalry fort north of Albany and in the lively town of Griffin, often called “The Flat,” which sprang up nearby. The fort was situated on the hilltop for protection from bands of marauding Indians. The town grew up between the bottom of the hill and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River and, during the 1870s and 1880s, was one of the wildest in the West. Doc Holliday lived in Griffin before he went to Tombstone. Big Nose Kate spent a night in jail for trying to burn down a hotel to help Doc escape the law. Wyatt Earp stayed only a few days, remarking to Doc that “Griffin was too wild for me.” Lottie Deno, the gracious lady of the gambling table, saw her lover shot dead there.

While the Fandangle depicts the cavalry soldiers and offers a glimpse into the wilder side of life, it also shows the other sides — the buffalo hunters who spent weeks hunting and skinning; the cowboys who drove the herds up the Western Trail to Abilene, Kansas; the mother who feared Indians, disease and loneliness; the young man “gone to Texas” and the

COURTESY FORT GRIFFIN FANDANGLE

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girl he found there; the children and the old folks; and the Indians and their decline. The four performances are attended by over 10,000 people each year, some of whom return annually to refresh their memories and to enjoy the surprises of a new Fandangle production.

Fandangle scripts were written by playwright and author Robert Nail, who also produced the show from 1938 until his death in 1968. The show has never been out of Albany’s hands. Betsy Parsons, who grew up in the Fandangle, is in her 25th year as director of the production, continuing in the traditions that use the best talents of the people of Shackelford County.

One of those people is Treca Edington, Fandangle board member and sidesaddle rider. She’s participated in the Fandangle for 50 years. “The Fandangle is part of my heart and soul,” she says. “It’s part of my heritage.

The stories are true, and I hope that people who see the Fandangle come to love Texas and our heritage as much as I do.”

With a show like the Fort Griffin Fandangle, falling in love with the past and present of Texas is a guarantee.

SUMMER 2016

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Happenings S U M M E R 20 1 6

DO-NOT-MISS STUFF TO DO AROUND TEXAS

BRAZOS TRAIL

FORTS TRAIL

FOREST TRAIL

HILL COUNTRY INDEPENDENCE TRAIL TRAIL

PLAINS TRAIL REGION

LAKES TRAIL REGION FORTS TRAIL REGION MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION

PECOS TRAIL REGION

BRAZOS TRAIL REGION

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION

FOREST TRAIL REGION

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION

LAKES TRAIL

aransaspass.org/shrimporee (800) 633-3028

A tradition since 1948 salutes local commercial shrimpers.

Carnival, shrimp eating, over 100 arts & crafts vendors, contests, culinary tent, continuous live music on stage

by Casey Donahew, Clarissa Serna (of The Voice), AB Quintanilla & Elektro Kumbia and more.

TROPICAL TRAIL REGION

Texas Blueberry Festival

MOUNTAIN TRAIL

PECOS TRAIL

29th Annual Mex-Tex Family Fiesta MIDLAND

Cimarex Pavilion/ Scharbauer Sports Complex June 10–11 visitmidland.com/ 29th-Annual-MexTexFamily-Fiesta

The Mex-Tex Family Fiesta is the Permian Basin’s largest celebration of culture.

The

NACOGDOCHES

June Texas Musical Drama

5th Annual Children’s Art & Literacy Festival ABILENE

Historic Downtown Abilene June 9–11 abilenecac.org/calf/ (325) 677-1161 Celebrating the work of Mark Teague, illustrator of the “How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?” book series.

The CALF festival includes a parade, dramatic readings of Teague’s books, costumed characters, art activities, animals, magic shows, balloons and more! Teague’s artwork will be on display at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature. Hosted by the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the festival focuses on ages toddler to fifth grade.

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Set against an authentic tapestry of history, the show’s fictional characters bring to life the stories, struggles, and triumphs of the settlers of the Texas Panhandle in the 1800s. Song and dance abound, with spellbinding lighting, special fire and water effects, and nightly fireworks highlighting the Grand Finale (weather permitting).

Join us in the oldest town in Texas for the tastiest festival in the South. The annual event kicks off Friday night with Blueberry Bluegrass concert in the park and continues all day Saturday with live entertainment, blueberry farm tours, arts and crafts, children’s activities, more than 150 vendors, delicious blueberry fare and more!

June 10–11 texasplainstrail.com/events/ borden-county-heritage-day (940) 369-5200

Borden County celebrates its 125th anniversary with a family-friendly array of activities Friday night and all day Saturday in Gail. Come enjoy vintage baseball, the dedication of a Quanah Parker Trail arrow, museum visits, history presentations, dancing to Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys, and more!

BELL COUNTY

June 11 bellcountymuseum.org (254) 933-5243 event showcases art, dance, music, and food that are unique to Hispanics throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Borden County Heritage Day GAIL

US 180 and Willow Valley Rd., Gail TX

Shrimporee Festival ARANSAS PASS

June 10–12

TROPICAL TRAIL

Gault Site Tour

June 11 tbf.nacogdoches.org (888) 653-3788

PALO DURO CANYON

11450 Park Hwy. 5 Canyon TX 79015 June 3–Aug. 20 nightly at 8 pm except Mondays texas-show.com (806) 655-2181

PLAINS TRAIL

Discover the Gault Site, one of the most important archeological sites in America.

Participants will meet at the Bell County Museum and will leave at 8:30 a.m. in your own vehicle. Fee is $10 per person, payable to the Gault School. Pre-registration is required.

Juneteenth Celebration ODESSA

Woodson Community Park June 17 - 19 odessabcc.org (432) 853-1344 A 3-day celebration when families, musicians, comedians and other special guests travel to Odessa for our renowned celebration that honors the Texas slaves who finally learned of their emancipation. Performances by Shout Cheerleading and the Paul Cannon Band of Dallas; the Texas Magic Show; a Gospel Celebration, other musical performances, a parade, delicious food, multicultural events, an annual basketball tournament, and fun activities for children!

134th West of the Pecos Rodeo PECOS

Buck Jackson Arena June 22 - 25 pecosrodeo.com (432) 445-2406

Known as the World’s First Rodeo! It’s been a Pecos tradition since 1883 with four nights of calf roping, bronc riding, barrel racing, bull riding, and more.

See one of the fastest shows on the water as boats line up side by side and run a liquid quarter mile at speeds of up to and sometimes exceeding 250 mph in less than 4 seconds. Walk the pits and see the boats up close. Talk to the drivers and crew and see them working on the boats for the next round.

Texas Cowboy Reunion STAMFORD

Downtown Tyler Wine Swirl TYLER

June 25 tylerwineswirl.com

Texas Cowboy Reunion Grounds June 29–July 2 tcrrodeo.com The Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo was organized in 1930 as a means of gathering together true cowboys and preserving traditions of the once great cattle empires of the Southwest.

Reunion events include a parade, chuck wagon dinners, dances, cowboy poetry performances, the Western Art Show, and Old Timers’ Fiddler Contest.

live music with The Emotions and fireworks July 2. Steak cook-off July 3.

Goodnight-Loving July 4th Celebration CRANE

July 2 – 4 goodnightlovingcelebration. wordpress.com Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail, this community-wide event includes a professional art show and workshop, antique and hot rod car show, kids games, petting zoo, kids’ rodeo, 1 mile, 3K,

with fireworks, giant parade, food booths and arts & craft vendors plus a street dance with some of the best in Western Swing music.

Old Fashioned Fourth Dallas Heritage Village DALLAS

July 4 dallasheritagevillage.org/ event/old-fashioned-fourth-2/

Celebrate 50 years of fun at Dallas Heritage Village! Enjoy activities from favorite past events at the Village such as Dairy Day, Circus in the Park, and Teddy Bear Picnic.

Deck your family out in red,

Watermelon Thump, Luling

Luling Watermelon Thump LULING

Texas Route 66 Festival AMARILLO

COURTESY AMARILLO.COM;

Route 66 Historic District 6th Street Amarillo TX 79106 June 18, 10 am – 6 PM amarillo66.com (877) 398-1211

Car show, swap meet, antique market, Smash-aCar, scavenger hunt, children’s game area, music, and more. Dress in ’50s-’60s costume and be entered to win prizes! Free admission.

The Downtown Tyler Wine Swirl is a celebration of Texas wines and cuisine. As you sip and savor, you’ll also enjoy wine and food related art and live music. We sell only 500 tickets, and they have sold out both previous years.

We have already sold nearly 25% of the ticket supply. So, buying tickets early is a good idea.

Downtown Luling June 23–25 watermelonthump.com (830) 875-3214 Four fun-filled days with a parade, continuous live entertainment, world championship seed spitting contest, carnival, arts and crafts and much more.

and 5K Fun Run, goat roping, baseball tournament and so much more. Celebrate July 4th with a parade, Jake Hooker and the Outsiders Outdoor Concert and street dance, and the grand firework display.

July Coolest 4th FORT DAVIS

Showdown in San Angelo Drag Boat Racing 2016 SAN ANGELO

Lake Nasworthy June 24–26 sanangelo.org/showdown (325) 655-4136

Half-Moon Holidays SHINER

July 1–3 shinertx.com (361) 594-4180 Barbecue cook-off July 1-2, and a parade, washer tournament, arts and crafts, and

July 2–4 Fort Davis fortdavis.com With the coolest average temperatures in all of Texas during the month of July, Fort Davis puts on an oldfashioned Independence Day celebration complete

white and blue, grab your picnic basket and celebrate our nation’s past. Explore the Village and chat with costumed interpreters. Bring a wagon, decorate it at the craft station, and be a part of the patriotic parade! Test your modern skills against a variety of Victorian era games, including the Junior Historian Carnival with game booths of skill and chance as well as the famous stick pony race. Play historic games like horseshoes and graces or join a mini-checkers tournament. Musical performances will keep your toes tapping, and you’ll have a chance to put your own golden touch on some vintage crafts celebrating our nation’s birthday and the Village’s 50th!

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Lake Jackson Fireworks Display on the Lake LAKE JACKSON

July 4 jacksonvilleTexas.com (903) 586-2217 The Fourth of July firework display at Lake Jacksonville is a much-anticipated annual event which draws crowds from all over East Texas.

More than a hundred boats fill the lake area under the spectacular firework display while onlookers line the shores.

Cheers to Craft Beer

Great Texas Balloon Race

BRYAN

LONGVIEW

July 23 visitaggieland.com (979) 822-4920

July 22–July 24 greattexasballoonrace.com

The event will feature beer tastings in several downtown locations. This unique event gives people the opportunity to leisurely stroll around downtown Bryan locations while enjoying a variety of beer selections offered inside participating local shops.

Great Texas Mosquito Festival, Clute

Balloon flights take place daily from Friday July 22nd through Sunday July 24th.

Launch and landing sites change each day. Balloon Glows are on Friday and Saturday nights followed by live concerts. Kids Land is a safe restricted area for children that requires a small separate entry fee. There are vendors for arts, crafts and food.

Viva Big Bend ALPINE, MARFA,

Spring Ho Festival LAMPASAS

July 4–10 springho.com (512) 556-5301 The Spring Ho Festival started back in 1972 and has become a summer institution. There is more to do here than there is space to list it all! Here are a few examples: the Hayloft Party Talent Contest, the Kiddie Fishing Derby, the County Fair, the Keystone Square Museum special exhibits, the Spring Ho Carnival, the Arts & Crafts Fair, and BBQ Cook off, two Spring Ho Dances on the Square in the National Registered Historic District in Downtown Lampasas.

MARATHON, FORT DAVIS

July 28–31 vivabigbend.com

A celebration of music and Texas. Viva Big Bend’s fifth year will showcase more than 50 bands at venues in Alpine, Marfa, Fort Davis and Marathon. VBB also hosts family friendly activities.

Frio Canyon Redneck Games LEAKEY

July 30 friocanyonchamber.com (830) 591-4736

A fun-filled day of silly hillbilly games like hillbilly horseshoes (with toilet lids), honky tonk hubcab frisbee, white-trash piggyback races (couples), hog call’n and

more. All proceeds of gate admission to go toward the Texas Wounded Warrior Project! Come on over and have a great time, and help donate to a great cause!

Great Texas Mosquito Festival CLUTE

July 28–30 Mosquitofestival.com (800) 371-2971

Viva Big Bend

Ysleta Mission Festival EL PASO

Viva Big Bend takes place in Alpine, Marfa, Marathon and Fort Davis

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TANYA SO

July 8–10 Ysleta Mission ysletamission.org/festival/ (915) 859-9848

The annual Ysleta Mission Festival, recognized as one of El Paso’s premier festival events, attracts thousands of music lovers and family funseekers to the grounds of the 331-year-old Ysleta Mission.

This festival has been around for more than 34 years and offers three fun-filled days of special events, games, food, carnival rides, and contests, craft booths, cook-offs and much, much more.

Tour de Paris/Balloon & Music Festival PARIS

July 15–16 parisballoonandmusicfestival. com (903) 272.4639 Make plans to join us July 15 and 16 at the Love Civic Center in Paris, Texas, for a weekend of family fun!

There will be beautiful hot air balloons and spectacular live music that you won’t want to miss! The Paris Area Art Alliance and Paris Blues Society are planning the first ever Paris Balloon and Music Festival in conjunction with Tour de Paris.

Tour de Paris, Paris

Granbury’s Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration GRANBURY

July 2–4 granburychamber.com (817) 573-1622

Come to Granbury for arts & crafts and food vendors presenting their wares for your dining and shopping enjoyment. The D&D Rockin’ Rods Car Show will be in full swing Saturday night with more than 100 classic

and custom cars on display.

There will be a free live concert Sunday night, July 3rd, so bring your lawn chairs, coolers, and the family for a night of music under the stars. The Independence Day parade kicks off at 10:00

am on Monday, July 4, the Ranch Rodeo is schedule for 6:00 pm that evening, and the extreme pyrotechnics fireworks - ranked in the top 10 for north Texas.

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47th Annual Rockport Art Festival ROCKPORT

July 2–3 rockportartcenter.com (361) 729-5519 Over 120 artists from across the nation show their masterpieces in a variety of media and styles at this juried fine-arts event. Live Music & Food. A/C Party Tent, Kid’s activities and more.

81st Annual Deep Sea Roundup PORT ARANSAS

July 7–10 deepsearoundup.com (361) 215-5928

The 81st Annual Deep Sea Roundup is the longest running fishing tournament on the Texas Gulf Coast. The tournament began as the Tarpon Roundup in 1932 and today attracts as many as 800 participants annually.

This popular event is open to novice and experienced anglers and offers a great experience for the entire family. There are five divisions, including offshore, bay surf, fly fishing, junior, and a piggy perch contest for children. Additional fishing tournaments abound in Port Aransas during the summer, with one almost every weekend, ranging from kids to women only and billfish to redfish tournaments.

Parker County Peach Festival

annual Peach Festival, which always takes place on the second Saturday in July.

Navasota Blues Fest NAVASOTA

August

77th Annual Texas International Fishing Tournament

Grimes County Expo Center August 12–13 Navasota is the Blues Capital of Texas, so what better place to have a Blues Fest? This 21st annual festival features known and local musicians.

more species calling it home than any other place in the Lone Star State. This festival features viewing sites throughout the Davis Mountains, banding sessions and lectures from top ornithologists and birding authors.

of the nationalities that originally immigrated through Galveston’s harbor from the late 1800s to the mid-1920s will be on hand throughout the park, sharing their culture through vendor tents, exhibits and more.

Galveston Heritage Festival, Galveston

PORT ISABEL SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

August 3 - 7 tift.org (956) 943-8438 The Texas International Fishing Tournament is one of the oldest and largest saltwater fishing tournaments on the Texas Gulf Coast. Over 1,500 anglers will compete for trophies in a wide variety of species in offshore, bay and fly categories!

Gladewater 9th Annual Main Street Art Stroll GLADEWATER

August 13 gladewatermainstreet.com (903) 845-5733 Held in the historic downtown Antique District, artists will have their works displayed and some will be demonstrating their talents as well. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than strolling the Antique District admiring the works of local and regional artisans and enjoying everything The Antique Capital of East Texas has to offer.

Big Bend Ranch Rodeo ALPINE

Sul Ross Arena August 12–13 bigbendranchrodeo.com (432) 364-2696 Sanctioned by the Working Ranch Cowboy Association, the Big Bend Ranch Rodeo provides an opportunity for working cowboys to show real cowboy skills and at the same time celebrate ranching heritage and create exposure for a unique American lifestyle. Held at the Sul Ross State University S.A.L.E. Arena.

Galveston Heritage Festival

De Leon Peach & Melon Festival & Tractor Pulls

GALVESTON

DE LEON

Kempner Park at 27th and Avenue O August 6 galvestonhistory.org (409) 765-3404

August 2–6 peachandmelonfestival.net (254) 893-6600

One of the state’s oldest festivals, it’s a funfilled week with a pageant, parade, live bands, and a carnival; truck and tractor pulls on Friday & Saturday night; and the Golden Saturday with the 5K Watermelon Crawl, 42 tournaments, car show, Seed Spitting Contest and a Free Watermelon Slicing on main street.

Hummingbird Festival FORT DAVIS

Fort Davis August 18–20 fortdavis.com (800) 524-3015 Fort Davis is the Hummingbird Capital of Texas with

The event will utilize the historic park, as well as the 1880 Garten Verein, and will feature a craft beer garden, live entertainment on the outdoor stage

September

WEATHERFORD

Historic Downtown Weatherford July 9 parkercountypeachfestival.org (817) 596-3801

Take a trip back to yesteryear at the Parker County Peach Festival, held in Historic Downtown Weatherford, Saturday, July 9, 8 am to 5 pm. 2016 marks the 32nd

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2016 World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off BRADY

as well as numerous lectures and hands-on workshops. Additionally, many

September 2–3 bradytx.com/pages/World GoatChampionshipCookoff (325) 597-4391 Founded in 1974, the World

Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off in Brady, Texas, has grown to become the largest competition of its nature in the state. Held every year during Labor Day weekend, the main focus of this unique event is a goat cook-off competition. Additionally, guests can enjoy a diverse range of activities including children’s games, horseshoe tournaments, live music and an arts and crafts fair.

The Texas Word Wrangler Festival started in 2005, so Giddings could recognize and encourage the many talented authors in Texas.

Authors come to meet the community, speak to the schools and sell and autograph their books.

GrapeFest, Grapevine

Driven! Film Festival MOUNT VERNON

Mount Vernon Cultural Arts Center September 9-11 franklincountyarts.com (903) 305-8023

The Franklin County Arts Alliance, Mt. Vernon, TX is hosting the DRIVEN Film Festival on September 9-1011, 2016 helping celebrate the Bankhead Highway’s (Broadway of America) 100th anniversary. Call Jean @ 903-305-8023 or Christian

WestFest WEST

September 2–4 westfest.com Founded in 1976, WestFest is a Czech Festival held every Labor Day weekend in the Czech community of West, TX. Thousands of people across the nation come for the great music, authentic foods and entertainment.

at franklincountyarts@gmail. com for more information.

Texas Word Wrangler Festival

AAQG QuiltFest will feature over 350 quilts to view and special items to buy along with: Quilt Raffle, Silent Auction, Over 60 Vendors,

Boutique of Handmade Items, Special Exhibits, and Demonstrations every day.

grapevinetexasusa.com (800) 457-6338

Discover a world of possibilities at GrapeFest! Guests of

wine producing state in the United States. Named for the wild Mustang grapes that blanketed the land when settlers first arrived to the area in

Capital of Texas QuiltFest, Austin

GIDDINGS

Giddings Public Library & Cultural Center 276 N. Orange September 9 texaswordwrangler.com (979) 542-2716

Capital of Texas QuiltFest

AUSTIN

30th Annual GrapeFest

Palmer Event Center 900 Barton Springs September 16–18 captxquiltfest.org

GRAPEVINE

Historic Downtown Grapevine September 15–18

all ages will find a variety of new wines, new vendors, new bands and more to discover and celebrate throughout the four-day festival.

Texas is the fifth-largest

1844, Grapevine is the headquarters of the Texas Wine Industry.

SUMMER 2016

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LEGACY

PASSION FOR PRESERVATION Donna Albus, Abilene’s welcome ambassador

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COURTESY REBECCA KINNISON/FRONTIER TEXAS!

150+ YEARS OF FREEDOM p. 76 H DONNA ALBUS p. 78

150+ HISTORIES

Years of

FREEDOM Juneteenth celebrations commemorate Black Independence Day AUSTIN DEGROOT

THE CAPITOL of the Confederate States of America was occupied by Union troops, and Jefferson Davis sat in a prison cell. But in the spring of 1865, 250,000 Texans were still slaves. Not until the arrival in Galveston of General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, was every Texan free.

The general stood on a high balcony at the former headquarters of the Texas Confederate Army and read aloud these words: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” The streets of Galveston filled with people who spent the night “singing and shouting,” as former slave Pierce Harper later remembered.

The following year was a trying one. Newly freed slaves were forced to work by local governments and faced daily violence. Slave owners used every trick they could to delay freedom. The U.S. Army came in to enforce the new law. Nevertheless, the now-free black Texans showed their resilience and hope by turning out to celebrate the first Juneteenth in huge numbers. They gathered around the state to read aloud from the Emancipation Proclamation, play games and sing songs such as “Go Down, Moses” and “Many Thousands Gone.”

There were even fireworks jury-rigged by pouring gunpowder into small holes in trees and lighting

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the trees on fire. An 1867 parade in Austin caused the popularity of Juneteenth to soar. These gatherings launched a Texas tradition that has since spread across the country.

During the late 19th century, Juneteenth continued to grow. In the face of state-sponsored segregation, the Houston African-American community, led by Reverend Jack Yates, pooled their money to purchase a downtown park.

Emancipation Park was established as a place of their own for Juneteenth celebrations. Similar acquisitions of land happened in Austin and other cities. Parades became a Juneteenth fixture that continues to this day.

Establishing Juneteenth wasn’t just about getting together to celebrate. The holiday was an important symbol of freedom and self-improvement. Historian Elizabeth Turner Hayes argues that Juneteenth celebrations “took on broader implications for citizenship.” In addition to the revelry, they discussed voting rights and participation in the political process.

But Juneteenth was never free from siege.

In the 20th century, Jim Crow laws took hold in Texas, stifling celebrations. The Great Depression shifted black populations into the cities. Those who found work were often unable to get time off

in order to attend Juneteenth parties. In the cities, finding available space posed another challenge.

The day began to fade from popularity. Many whites and even some blacks saw Juneteenth as an unwelcome focus on a dark period in U.S. history. They labeled it as unpatriotic and disloyal to the country.

The first return to glory for Juneteenth came about in the years leading up to World War II. Texas planned to host the 1936 Centennial Exposition, a world’s fair that would go on to attract 6,353,827 visitors. Antonio Maceo Smith, part of the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce, pushed for the creation of an exhibit of black achievement at the fair. The fair organizers refused to fund the exhibit. Smith turned to the federal government and secured a $100,000 grant. The money was used to build the Hall of Negro Life, dedicated on June 19, 1936. The Juneteenth celebration that day was called “the most important celebration of Black life in the state’s history” by historian Shennette Garrett-

GRACE MURRAY STEPHENSON, AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER

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Juneteenth Events AUSTIN JuneteenthCentralTexas.com June 4, 6 pm: The Greater East Austin Youth Association is hosting the 2016 Miss and Little Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageants. These two pageants raise money for education and teach the contestants and attendees about African history. The event will be held at the AISD Performing Arts Center.

June 11, 7 am to 9 am: Juneteenth Green and Clean neighborhood project at Chicon St. and 13th St. June 18, all day 9:30 am: 2k Emancipation Run/Walk at Comal St. and Martin Luther King Blvd.

10 am: Juneteenth Emancipation Parade at Comal St. and Martin Luther King Blvd.

12 pm: Juneteenth Hair Show “Live Battle” Competition at the Doris Miller Auditorium.

12 pm to 8 pm: Park Celebration at 2300 Rosewood Avenue.

HOUSTON JuneteenthFest.com

HOME FREE: From the Juneteenth celebration in 1900 at Eastwoods Park in Austin.

Scott of the University of Mississippi.

The Civil Rights Era completed the task of bringing Juneteenth back to the forefront of black cultural life. By the 1960s, black Texans had migrated away from the South to places like Los Angeles, Detroit and other cities. When they moved, they brought Juneteenth with them. Civil rights leader Rev. Ralph Abernathy oversaw the Poor People’s March on Washington in 1968.

The marchers established “Resurrection City” on the National Mall. The tent city was a temporary home to over 3,000 people that May and June.

As they camped, fighting for economic justice, a representative from Texas suggested a Juneteenth celebration be held. Many there had never heard the word. The smells of barbecue and the sounds of the blues filled the city. Two days later, a police raid ended the occupation. Dr. William Wiggins Jr., professor of Folklore at Indiana University and author of Jubilation: African-American Celebrations in the Southeast, theorized that the timing of the police raid caused the Juneteenth

party to feel more significant, because the party was the last fond memory of those summer days on the National Mall.

The people of Resurrection City returned to their homes across the country with Juneteenth on their minds. The Chicago Defender, an important weekly newspaper for African Americans, suggested in an editorial that Juneteenth should be a regular celebration.

The 1970s saw Juneteenth continue to flourish. Houston held a blues festival in 1973 at Hermann Park. It was the first large-scale Juneteenth celebration in a Texas city in decades.

State Representative Al Edwards of Houston introduced a 1979 bill that made Juneteenth a state holiday. Texas led the way again, and today almost every state recognizes Juneteenth as an official state holiday.

For 150 years, Juneteenth has played an important role in Texas history. This June, everyone in Texas should make a point of joining one of these remarkable celebrations.

June 18, 10 am to 11 am: Juneteenth Parade from Texas Southern University up Dowling St. to the Music Festival at Emancipation Park.

June 18, 11 am to 7 pm: Juneteenth Freedom Fest at Emancipation Park.

SAN ANTONIO JuneteenthSanAntonio.com June 17, 11 am to 8 pm: Festival Friday Fish Fry at Comanche Park #2 June 18, all day: Saturday Festival featuring the music of the Ohio Players.

DALLAS ci.desoto.tx.us/332/Best-SouthwestJuneteenth-Celebration June 18, 4:30 pm to 10 pm: Best Southwest Juneteenth Celebration at Grimes Park in DeSoto, just 15 miles south of downtown. Food, art, and musical performances.

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LEGACY TEXAS ORIGINAL

PRE SERVATIONIST,

Environmentalist, Local Cheerleader

Donna Albus Meet the woman behind the Keep Texas Beautiful ornament

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AU THENTIC TEX AS

MARGARET HOOGSTRA

delivery route for Tom’s Snack Food.

When the opportunity arose, the Albuses purchased the Tom’s in Abilene and moved there to run the business. Albus agreed to take a route part-time and became the first female in Texas and the second in the nation to run a Tom’s route. Before long, her part-time route was running more than a full-time one. “I was the ‘candy man’ — delivering candy to schools and colleges,” she explains. “And the folks I delivered to became more than just my customers — they were my friends.” The business was sold in 1986, and a new chapter began in Albus’ life.

While serving as president of the local chapter of the Society of Preservation for Quaint Old Homes, Albus was told she needed to serve on the board of directors for the Abilene Preservation League (APL). “When I said I wasn’t even a member,” Albus recalls, “my friend said, ‘Well, become one!’” So Albus joined up, was elected to the board, and hired as assistant director. Eventually she became director.

As APL’s assistant director, she worked with Frank Murray, whose passion was the restoration of the historic Grace Hotel. Built in 1909, the Grace was a large full-service hotel known as the finest on the railroad line between Fort Worth and El Paso. Over time, the hotel

declined and was closed in 1973. By the 1980s, the building was in ruin, and many believed it should be torn down. But a group of citizens had a vision for a downtown museum. With the leadership of Murray, in 1987 the Abilene Preservation League purchased the old hotel and then raised funds, gained community support and renovated the 55,000-square-foot building. The Grace Cultural Center opened on Feb. 15, 1992, as home to not one but three museums: fine arts, children’s and history. Today, it’s known as The Grace Museum.

“What a debt of gratitude the town of Abilene owes Frank,” Albus notes. “Without him, The Grace Museum would never be. A lot of people helped — with the Dodge Jones Foundation being number one — but he kept the dream alive. It was Frank Murray’s dream and passion. I tell everyone he was the pied piper, and we were his mice.”

Bill Minter, the current executive director of the APL, says Murray and Albus were a good team. “Through the years,” he says, “Albus has been a steadfast supporter of preservation.”

Next, Albus was the part-time director of Abilene Clean and Proud, addressing beautification, litter control and solid waste minimization (i.e., recycling) issues.“If you don’t have a clean

COURTESY REBECCA KINNISON/FRONTIER TEXAS!

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IF YOU’VE EVER VENTURED to Abilene, you may have met Donna Albus — in her role as tour guide for the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau. But anyone who’s driven through or around town sees evidence of her beautification efforts in the landscaped railroad right-of-way and the hundreds of crape myrtles at intersections. Albus’ passion for preservation is evident in the built landscape of the town at the Grace Museum or the Swenson House. And Texans by the scores are unknowingly touched

by Albus when they purchase a Keep Texas Beautiful ornament.

The third of seven children, Albus was born in Knox County and grew up on a farm on Wild Horse Creek. A strong work ethic was instilled in her at an early age with farm chores such as chopping cotton and shocking hay. At Knox City High School, she played every sport possible and dreamed of becoming a high school basketball coach.

Upon graduation, she moved to Abilene and eventually married her hometown high school sweetheart. The young couple moved to Munday, and, in just a few short years, Albus was working at Paymaster Gin with two babies in diapers while her husband was working three jobs to make ends meet. One of those jobs was a

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A LEGEND AMONG LEGENDS: Doug Harman holds forth during the gathering of a local historical society.

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city, it shows that you don’t value your town — you don’t have pride,” she says. “And it’s the same for beautification. There’s nothing as economically beneficial to a city than to be clean and pretty.”

Abilene Clean and Proud won the first Community Achievement Award from Keep Texas Beautiful, which was a grant of $120,000 that had to be spent on a highway right-of-way in the city limits. With these funds, beautification efforts began along the railroad that runs right through the middle of Abilene. “Beautifying the railroad right-of-way,” she says, “was the first positive step by the community to change visitors’ and residents’ perception of Abilene.” The project was done in four separate phases and included planting grass, native plants and trees.

“We bragged,” Albus adds, “that it was six-andthree-quarter miles of continuous grass, trees and bushes in West Texas!”

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Albus is probably best known for the 1997 crape myrtle craze in Abilene. It started with the idea of blanketing the city with crape myrtles as part of Make A Difference Day. Abilene Clean and Proud prepared to sell crape myrtles and used the advertising slogan “Myrtle’s coming. Get your bed ready.” The slogan was illustrated with the silhouette of a high-class, shapely Victorian woman. What began as an innocent suggestion to spruce up and get ready for company turned controversial when someone wrote a letter to the local newspaper, concerned that young people would get a different message from the alleged innuendo. The controversy gained momentum, eventually receiving even international attention.

But the beautification project was an overwhelming success. “We sold 8,369 crape myrtles,” Albus says. “Today, crape myrtles decorate downtown’s Everman Park, and they bring such color to so many areas of Abilene.”

FORTS TRAIL REGION

rebecca kinnison/frontIer texas!

OH, THE PLACES SHE GOES: Crape myrtles, one of Albus’ beautification legacies in Abilene, provide cool shade to Horton the elephant and a host of Dr. Seuss characters in Everman Park.

Of her success at Abilene Clean and Proud, Albus says, “It wasn’t me doing all these things — I was just bringing attention to the work of our volunteers.”

Naturally, Albus was elected to the Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) board of directors, served as president and is now an emeritus member of the board. She came up with the idea of an annual ornament program to help fund environmental projects across the state. According to the KTB website, each ornament has been designed exclusively for KTB by artist Nelda Laney and is plated in 24-karat gold. A new ornament is created each year to highlight the unique and stunning beauty, history and pride of Texas. The ornaments have been a hit: since 2004, they have raised close to $1 million while also generating publicity and awareness. The ornaments are available online and at select retail establishments across the state. Albus is especially proud that her own hometown attraction Frontier, Texas, is the No. 2 retailer of the ornaments.

From Abilene Clean and Proud, Albus was recruited to the donor relations staff of the West Texas Rehabilitation Center. Her community involvement grew to include serving on the board of directors for the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Albus has become a frequent step-on guide and welcome ambassador for Abilene. “It’s exciting to have company and to welcome visitors,” she says. “Abilene is a railroad town. Our buildings speak our history. The Grace tells the story along with the Depot, the Alexander Building, the Windsor and so on. Those buildings tell where we come from. We’re not a pretty Victorian town; we’re a railroad town. We’re strong and sturdy. We work together for a common goal. And we’re a place to come back to.”

According to her longtime friend Myra Dean, “Donna is a West Texas treasure and a walking history book.”

To Albus, it’s impossible to talk about just preservation, the environment or travel. “How do you talk about one without talking about all three?” she asks. “What do people see when they get to your community?”

AUTHENTIC TEXAS

HE RI T A G E OF B IG B E ND NATIONAL PARK H LIGHTHOUSES H B UFFAL O S O LDIE R

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