Once Upon a Time in Texas

#54 - Roadside Attractions....including a grave?

Roadside attractions are something from an almost forgotten era now.  They were huge when the US highway system started and it gave people a place to stop, take a break and get out of the car. Of course, we travel significantly faster now and cars are much safer and more comfortable so we tend to get in them and go without stopping. Lets take a look at some roadside attractions that are still around in Texas…..including a grave!

#53 - Naders, Quakes and Canos Oh My!

So where did this weeks idea come from? Well, last weeks idea took me to Texas Monthly and while scrolling through some of their material, I briefly saw something about the Texas Volcano and I was like “hmmmm, don’t have time for that rabbit hole right now BUT I’ll put it on my list”. Well, I went down the rabbit hole now and here we are. So lets talk about some Naders (Tornados), Quakes (earthquakes) and Texas’ lone volcano.

#52 - Texas Monthly and the 2024 Bum Steer Awards

Have you ever heard of a bum steer? What about the Bum Steer Awards done by Texas Monthly Magazine yearly? Where did this term come from and why does Texas monthly use it? Lets take a look at that and talk about a few of the Bum Steer Awards from Texas Monthly for 2024.

#51 - USS Texas History

Battleships are fascinating. Our Navy is one of the best if not the best in the world. Did you know that there was a battleship names after Texas? Of course you did, most people do BUT did you know that it was a ship of firsts? It was the first ship to receive a lot of things to have tested before installing on other and future battleships. Ya, the USS Texas is one of the most interesting battleships of it’s day and not just because of it’s name. Lets take a look at the USS Texas.

#50 - Outlaw and Lawman, sort of......Judge Roy Bean

So, I’ve been on a kick about lawmen, bandits and judges recently and it occurred to me that I think I’ve only briefly touched on Judge Roy Bean. It kind of hit me when I was telling a story last week so I figured I’d share the story with y”all briefly again and then dive a little deeper into this interesting West Texas Character, Judge Roy Bean. He goes along with the theme lately of being both an outlaw and lawman and frankly, his story is kind of hilarious. I mean, you just can't make this stuff up!

#49 - A few more outlaws...sort of

On episode 48 we did a little digging into two folks that floated onto my radar and learned a little more about them. This week is no different. Here are two more outlaws that were either born or passed through Texas. However, one of them was an outlaw and lawman and at one time, he was both at the same time!

#48 - Two Old West Characters

Have you heard about someone that is legendary and it really piques your interest so you go do a little digging into their story just to see if they are really as interesting as they seem? Well, there are two people we are going to look at today that are even more interesting than previously thought. And both of them are well known BUT kind of always take a backseat to other historical figures.

#47 - West Texas Stories

Have you been around someone that tells stories and you just hang on every word and can’t wait for them to tell the next yarn? I sure have. In my case I was around a bunch of folks like that in my life. I have a few in my family but I met a bunch through my time in the Scouts as a youth, professional and volunteer. And really it is a great thing to be able to share stories, all true of course, with maybe a smidge of exaggeration.