Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Texas Highways Magazine

When our son, Johnny, turned 10 months old on Mother’s Day, he babbled his first words to us: “Mama-mama-mama.” It was the most exquisite Mother’s Day gift ever. But soon after that, silence. No words. His pediatrician had detected fluid in both ears, and we theorized that might be the cause. Because surely—I hoped as I lay awake in the middle of the night, my thoughts boiling like a disturbed ant bed—it was only a speech delay and not an indicator of something more serious. Months later, though, still no speech. And there were other red flags. Not a total lack of eye contact but nothing sustained either. An interest in watching the ceiling fan whir. Not waving when someone waved to him. I remembered once driving from our one-story…

Texas is a relatively young state. In 1836, when the first wave of settlers gained independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas, America’s East Coast colonies had already been populated for more than 200 years. Texas was forced to grow up quickly as it faced countless challenges—from the Civil War of the 1860s, to the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s, to the more recent trials of the COVID-19 pandemic and Winter Storm Uri. But Texans have stood strong, proving both adaptable and innovative. As we reflect on Texas’ resilience, we’re shining a spotlight on locales that have been around for at least 100 years, such as Pig Stand in San Antonio, America’s first drive-in restaurant chain; and the Majestic Theatre in Dallas, which played host…

The 1920s were a time of exuberant reinvention. Jazz pioneers in Harlem revolutionized music. Flappers unleashed new dances and hemlines. And speakeasies vibrated with all-night parties, defying the best efforts by prohibitionists to make everyone behave. Perhaps most notable for us in the 2020s, the world of a century ago was also recovering from a devastating pandemic, the Spanish Flu. An unlikely epicenter of Texas’ vitality during the 1920s was Deep Ellum, the historic Dallas entertainment district that has been mythologized as an enclave of good times. But the true story is far richer and more complex than the myth. If there’s a central figure in the story of Deep Ellum’s rising, it’s enigmatic blues-man Blind Lemon Jefferson, whose success inspired other musicians to flock to the neighborhood. While few…

El Camino Real runs northeast through Texas. In addition to historical and cultural sites like missions, forts, and settler homes, there is a wealth of museums and parks to visit. Keep in mind that some sections are not accessible because they are on private lands, have been destroyed or farmed, or are part of Native tribal reserves. The following sites invite travelers to enjoy the natural beauty along the trail and learn more about its complex history. Alabama-Coushatta Reservation 571 State Park Road 56, Livingston-New Willard. 936-563-1100; alabama-coushatta.com Bullock Texas State History Museum 1800 Congress Ave., Austin. 512-936-8746; thestoryoftexas.com San Antonio Missions National Historical Park 6701 San Jose Drive, San Antonio. 210-534-8875; nps.gov/saan American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missionss 1313 Guadalupe St., San Antonio.aitscm.org Caddo Mounds State Historic…

This recipe by Diane Henderson appears in Lost Restaurants of Galveston’s African American Community. INGREDIENTS: 4 slices bread (day-old is fine)1 small white onion, diced1 stalk of celery, diced1 small bell pepper, diced3 tablespoons margarine1 pound crab meat (mixed or claw meat preferred)1 egg Dash of salt and pepper DIRECTIONS: Set aside two slices of the bread for topping. Place them in the oven at a low temperature until crisp enough to roll into crumbs using a rolling pin. (If you prefer, ready-to-use breadcrumbs can be bought.) Sauté the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the margarine until tender. The onion should be golden or tan in color. Meanwhile, put the remaining bread in a mixing bowl and wet completely. Squeeze out excess water. Mix soggy bread with the crab…

With its grand reopening this fall, the French Legation State Historic Site aims to expand from being a historical artifact to a community gathering place rooted in Austin’s earliest history. The Texas Historical Commission recently completed a restoration of the 1841 house and added the French Legation Café, which serves a menu of coffee and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch foods. Along with guided and self-guided tours, the legation also hosts rotating exhibits inside the historic house and various programs on the grounds. This includes the house’s traditional Bastille Day celebration in July; the long-standing pétanque club that plays a French version of lawn bowling; and a lawn for lectures, author readings, and small concerts. “Our goal is to integrate the legation into the life of the surrounding community, which is…

As the local saying goes, “Kerrville is the new Kerrville”—there isn’t another place like it. For over 165 years, the town one hour northwest of San Antonio has established itself as a true relaxation destination. Whether you’re looking to stick to tradition or try something new, Kerrville is the ideal locale to explore the Texas Hill Country. Downtown Kerrville As you walk the historic streets, you’ll notice a common name on many of the buildings: Schreiner. Charles Armand Schreiner was a Texas Rangerturned-banker/rancher/shopkeeper who brought affluence to Kerrville. Even today, the Schreiner Goods store is so well appointed that it would fit on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. History buffs can tour the castle-like Schreiner Mansion next door. And anyone who needs some extra pep in their step should grab an…

Inside Sacred Heart Church in El Paso’s Segundo Barrio, the Rev. Rafael Garcia, SJ, hands out face masks in preparation for a colleague’s speech on the significance of the historic grounds we’re about to tour. It’s a cloudy morning in July, and there are about 80 people here. They wear yoga pants, sweats, and shorts; comfortable shoes; hats and sunglasses. Some have cameras hanging from their necks. Others smell of sunscreen. All are ready to partake in the Segundo Barrio’s first architectural walking tour, led by Max Grossman, who holds a doctorate in art history from Columbia University and is an assistant professor of art history at the University of Texas at El Paso. “Sacred Heart Church is the most important, historic, and iconic building in the Segundo Barrio,” Grossman…

“If you go down to Deep Ellum, to have a little fun….” As the classic song “Deep Ellum Blues” suggests, there’s plenty of fun in Deep Ellum. Here are options for fun that go a little deeper: The Undermain Theatre: This company features plays that capture the neighborhood’s spirit. In the summer of 2022, it will stage Lonesome Blues, a musical about the life of Blind Lemon Jefferson, written by Akin Babatundé and Alan Govenar. undermain.org Sankofa Deep Ellum Tour: Tours that recount the neighborhood’s African American history. sankofaeducationservices.com Deep Vellum Books: Indie shop and publishing house with books by local authors. deepvellum.com The Deep Ellum Foundation: A group that hosts neighborhood events and tours. deepellum-foundation.org The Kimpton Pittman Hotel: Lodging in a restored 1916 building designed by architect William…

Fossati’s Delicatessen in downtown Victoria still looks like it did 140 years ago. The tall facade, white clapboard siding, and iron rings—once used to tie up horses—protruding from the sidewalk testify to Fossati’s 19th-century origins. Although it’s gone through many evolutions and its share of financial troubles, the business is still in operation thanks to a long line of Fossatis who fought to preserve what is now the oldest deli in Texas. The first iteration of the business was a chili stand, opened in 1882 by Fraschio “Frank” Napoleon Fossati, an Italian immigrant who previously worked as a stone cutter. He took on a partner and transformed the stand into a saloon called the Cosmopolitan Bar, which stayed open 24 hours a day. Frank moved the saloon building across the…

The green glow and herbaceous taste of Chartreuse are more likely to conjure up images of Paris’ Montmartre district than the Texas Gulf Coast. But Corpus Christi distiller Nathan Bitz may change that with his Chartreuse-inspired liqueur. The history of Chartreuse is as intriguing and dramatic as the drink itself. The original recipe has mysterious origins, but some say it was developed by an alchemist in the 16th century. The recipe for the “elixir of long life” was gifted to the strictest order of French Catholic monks—the Carthusians—in 1605 by François-Annibal d´Estrées, marshal of King Henri IV’s artillery. The monks have held this clandestine handwritten document ever since. During the French Revolution, when religious leaders were incarcerated, one monk smuggled it out of prison—just one example of the various near-disasters…

Christ Chavez A native El Pasoan, Chavez has photographed West Texas and the surrounding area for 23 years. He shot photos of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso’s Second Ward, his childhood neighborhood, for “The Heart of the Segundo Barrio” (Page 19). “It’s still my dad’s parish, so we go on Sundays with him for Mass,” Chavez says. “While photographing the church I noticed the baptismal font, and I wondered if it’s the same font my brother and I had been baptized in.” Chavez’s photos have appeared in The Dallas Morning News, The New York Times, The London Times, Nylon, and L’Obs. Joe Wilson An award-winning illustrator based in England, Wilson specializes in detailed illustrations and print, which he showcases on this month’s cover. Working with a combination of pencil,…

When an Army expedition came across Las Moras Spring in 1849, they knew they’d found an ideal spot for a military post. The spring, located about 23 miles northeast of the Rio Grande, had been a strategic water source for the Apaches and Comanches before the U.S. Army built Fort Clark on the site in 1852 to protect the border and the wagon road to El Paso. Fort Clark also drew settlers, and neighboring Brackettville—named for Oscar Brackett, who owned the first general store—thrived as a frontier way station. Factors including the mechanization of the cavalry led the Army to close Fort Clark in 1946, a blow to Brackettville’s economy. Twenty-five years later, in 1971, a developer purchased the 2,700-acre fort and transformed it into a retirement resort. Fort Clark…

Colón Theater Once one of the most important Mexican theaters in the southwestern United States, it is the only art-deco building in the Segundo Barrio. 507 S. El Paso St. Teresa Urrea Residence Folk saint Teresa Urrea lived in the Segundo Barrio while in exile from the Mexican government, which charged her with inspiring rebellion. She survived multiple assassination attempts while living here. 500 S. Oregon St. Pablo Baray Apartments Located across the street from Sacred Heart Church, the site is where exiled writer Mariano Azuelo completed and published The Underdogs. It remains one of the most influential novels about the Mexican Revolution. 609 S. Oregon St. Book walking tours of the Segundo Barrio through The Trost Society, trostsociety.org.…

A dozen or so historical markers are reported missing each year, according to Brinkman. “People steal them sometimes because it’s the same name as their family name, or it’s Luckenbach, which has been stolen several times,” he says. Folks have reported finding historical markers that have been missing for many years, often in a friend or family member’s possession. THC grants amnesty to anyone who brings forward a missing historical marker, so those who have one can leave it at their county courthouse or drop it off with their local historical commission, no questions asked. “[The markers] don’t belong to any individual person; they belong to all of us,” Brinkman says.…

As an adolescent, Andrew “Rube” Foster was singularly focused on baseball and so confident in his talented right arm that he joined the Waco Yellow Jackets semipro team in 1897 after turning 18. Over the next three decades, the Calvert native would have no occupation or interests outside of baseball as he became a dominant pitcher, an innovative manager, a shrewd team owner, and a visionary league president who would be remembered as the “Father of Black Baseball.” “I am partial to baseball, have followed it since a child and have never been identified with any other [pursuit],” Foster said in a 1924 interview with the Chicago Defender. “I have found the one thing that gives me more pleasure than anything else.” Baseball also afforded him historic levels of success.…

It’s best to begin both journeys and stories in places without roads, preferably with at least one knee and one hand touching the earth. Walk away from the car, away from asphalt, away from campsites and picnicking families, away from signs and trails. Go where the air is sweet and smells only of green; where the trees are swaying and you can hear the wind moving through the leaves; where you can see water rushing and falling and pooling; where if you’re still enough, you’ll see small animals wandering around. Oak trees and bald cypress trees abound. The best journeys and stories not only span distances but also time. The difficult thing is some people think the past is done and gone, that history is dead, that it no longer…

As capitals go, Austin was built fast and on the cheap. Republic of Texas President Mirabeau Lamar, upon taking office in December 1838, was eager to undo the work of his predecessor and political enemy, Sam Houston. After changing the republic’s flag and seal from those designed by Houston, Lamar also orchestrated moving the capital out of the city named for Houston. In quick succession, he selected a village called Waterloo on the Colorado River, renamed it Austin, laid out a new city, constructed essential log buildings, and transferred the government—all before the end of his first year in office. The buildings were shoddy; even Lamar’s two-story President’s House was built of green lumber and began to pull apart as the boards dried. Here the frontier was still raw. Citizens who…

As you explore, you’ll find an amazing range of relaxation and adventure, natural beauty and urban culture, fine art, fine dining, small-town charm and big-city amenities… but what you will remember most is the warm, West Texas hospitality. MIDLAND–Drop by Midland’s trendy downtown for a cocktail, luscious pizza, stylish shops or a game of chess in Centennial Park. There is no end to what downtown has to offer. visitmidland.com Dec 4 - Sound of the Seasons: Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale POPS Dec 12 - A Celebration with ZZ TOP ODESSA–Known for breathtaking sunsets, wideopen spaces and warm West Texas hospitality; you’ll enjoy shopping, dining, unique cultural attractions and events. Discover Odessa! discoverodessa.org Dec 2-Jan 2 - Starbright Village (McKinney Park) Dec 3-12 - It’s A Wonderful Life (Permian Playhouse) ALPINE–Natural beauty,…