Once Upon a Time in Texas

#42 - Texas Witness Trees

Have you ever been witness to something historical? My Grandparents all spoke about the great depression, even though they were all born on the back end of it, it certainly effected their life. They also spoke about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. My parents have both spoken about the assassination of President Kennedy, man landing on the moon, the Cuban missile crisis and the Cold War. I get to speak to my children about 9/11. Have you ever heard of Witness Trees though? These are trees that were ”witness” to major historical events that are still around today and there are several in Texas.

#41 - Part 2 Texas Trails Regions

Part 2 - Did you know that Texas was home to the Worlds Fair in 1968. It was held in San Antonio and called the HemisFair ’68! In connection to the Worlds Fair and to boost a little International attention, the Texas Department of Transportation created and designated 10, 650 mile circular driving regions or Trails that encompassed the entire state. The “Trails” saw little attention after their creation and the entire project more or less laid dormant until the 1990’s when the enterprising Texas Historical Commission adopted the trails as their Heritage Trail Program. The Texas Forts Trails was the first to be reinstated.  We are going to talk about these and hit the high points of five of these today.

#40 - Part 1 Texas Trails Regions

Part 1 - Did you know that Texas was home to the Worlds Fair in 1968. It was held in San Antonio and called the HemisFair ’68! In connection to the Worlds Fair and to boost a little International attention, the Texas Department of Transportation created and designated 10, 650 mile circular driving regions or Trails that encompassed the entire state. The “Trails” saw little attention after their creation and the entire project more or less laid dormant until the 1990’s when the enterprising Texas Historical Commission adopted the trails as their Heritage Trail Program. The Texas Forts Trails was the first to be reinstated.  We are going to talk about these and hit the high points of five of these today.

#39-International Flair in Texas

I know a lot of you, like myself, are ready to vacation in far away places. I have a bunch of places on my bucket list and I know there is no way I’ll ever get to all of them. However, I’ve managed to find some unique places in Texas that are truly amazing and remind me of some places abroad. So even if you’re not planning on leaving the country soon, I’ve gathered a list of some of the best Texas destinations to visit with international flair!

#38 - Texas Rangers History

So, when you hear about Texas and the pure awesomeness of the state, lots of people think about Cowboys and Indians, wide open prairies, cattle drives and cowboy boots. BUT, we have what is considered to be one of the most elite law enforcement groups in the country however, they were a bit sketchy at times in the past. I’m talking about the Texas Rangers. Few other Law Enforcement agencies have reached the stratosphere stardom that they have. Lets take a little look at their history.

#37 - Texas Darwin Award Winners

So, let me pose a question here….Is it good to laugh at the dead? I am sure that most of you are thinking “no Mike, that is just downright disrespectful”. Normally I would say “Fair Enough” BUT, I do have a different sense of humor and what if I threw out that the dead had been honored with a Darwin Award? What is that you say, well, the awards Hono Charles Darwin, the father of evolution. Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our global gene pool--by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular and unfortunate ways possible.

#36 - 10 Lost Treasures in Texas-According to Legend

I think we can all agree that Texas is really just a gem of a state. It’s a true treasure to all who live or pass through this great State. From occasional silver foggy mornings to the gold colored sunsets it is a great place to live. I love mining through the history of Texas to find the interesting and out of the norm stories to relay to y’all. Anyone have an idea what we are talking about this week? I have mentioned gems, silver, gold and mining, that’s right, lets go into 10 lost treasures in Texas-according to legend of course.

#35 - A Villain and a Hero

So there are a ton of villains and hero's in history but these two I hard about this last week and they are both pretty fascinating. They both actually served in the Texas Rangers but one was actually a pretty bad guy while the other was in the right place at the right time in history and was recognized for it. Come check out these two historical figures in Texas history.