Texas State Parks Historical Insights: The First Female Park Managers and Rock Wall Ranching in Reeves County At the onset of World War II, Texas State Parks needed park managers and hired several women to spearhead operations at parks across the state. Women took the lead at Caddo Lake, Davis Mountains, and Stephen F. Austin State Parks, and at the San Jose Mission, (which was a Texas State Park until it became a part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 1978). Ethel Harris, Esther Webb, Carrie Mae Ferrell, and Douthitt Alcus were the first female managers in our park system that paved the way for future generations of female park superintendents. Learn more about these hard-working women and about the history of a new 643-acre addition to Balmorhea State Park in Texas Talks program: Texas State Parks Historical Insights: The First Female Park Managers and Rock Wall Ranching in Reeves County presented by Texas Parks and Wildlife Historian Toni Nagel Mason. ------------------------------- Toni Nagel Mason has been the Historian for the Cultural Resources/Preservation Services program at Texas State Parks since 2022. A native Texan, Toni has worked with historical projects, the preservation of historic buildings, in museums, and with tourism in Texas, Washington State and Southern California. She has a passion for research on people, photographs, historic structures, artifacts and many facets of our U.S. History. Ms. Mason has a BA in Archaeology and Museum Studies from Baylor University and a MA in History with Historic Preservation emphasis from the University of San Diego, with her Master Thesis on “The History of the Mission San Diego de Alcala.” She has researched various aspects of our Texas History for exhibits, publications and programming as Archivist at the John E. Conner Museum in Kingsville, Director of the King Ranch’s Visitor Program Services, and Manager at Winedale – a National Register/University of Texas historic building complex. She was the Photo Archivist/Curator of History at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington for many years, and has come full circle in her career as her first job was renting paddleboats and canoes at Ft. Parker State Park.

Pioneer Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas is home to ten historic structures, staged to showcase different aspects of life in Gillespie County history. Enjoy hundreds of artifacts, as well as audio and virtual experiences connecting visitors to descendants of our original German settlers. Pioneer Museum is a combination museum and historical site of 3.5 acres located in downtown Fredericksburg. In the mid-1840s, Germans looking for a better life were reading and hearing about Texas as a land of limitless opportunity. They risked everything to get here. They tenaciously faced every obstacle and created a unique German colony in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Come share their story. Glimpse into the daily lives of the German pioneers of the Texas Hill Country. Among the historic homesteads and buildings are a one-room schoolhouse, log cabin, Sunday house, bath house, barn and smokehouse, all of which showcase artifacts and architecture. Also on our grounds, the Fredericksburg Volunteer Fire Department Museum displays pieces of early 20th century firefighting equipment. Visit https://www.pioneermuseum.org/ for more information.

Join us for a spine-chilling edition of Texas Talks, as we dive into the history and mystery of one of Texas’s most iconic—and allegedly haunted—hotels: the Menger Hotel. Our special guest, Garvin O’Neil, brings over 40 years of experience in hotel management, and as the current General Manager of the Menger Hotel, he has plenty of stories to share about this legendary San Antonio landmark. Famous for its rich history and ghostly guests, the Menger Hotel has been a focal point of intrigue for paranormal enthusiasts. Could it be true that spirits from the past still roam its historic halls? Hear from Mr. O'Neil, not only about the hotel’s day-to-day operations, but also the tales that make the Menger Hotel a hotspot for hauntings—just in time for Halloween! Whether you’re a history buff, a fan of the supernatural, or simply curious about the hospitality industry, you won’t want to miss this thrilling Texas Talks webinar.

One of our favorite books is getting fresh update, new format, and hundreds of new entries! From the earliest explorers through the Texas Revolution to present day… almost 500 years of recorded history … a myriad of significant events in Texas history have occurred (political, cultural, sporting, meteorological, criminal, tragic and amusing). These events are arranged by day of the year to allow the reader to see ‘into the past’ on any specific day. Author Gary Vilet will share some of his favorite entries and how the book came about. ------------------------------- Gary Vliet, PhD, was born in Alberta in 1933. One of his fondest childhood memories was living on a ranch at the foot of the Rockies and, for a period, attending a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher and nine students scattered over nine grades. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1955 and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1962. After a ten-year career at Lockheed Research Laboratories in Palo Alto, working mainly in thermal cryogenics for space applications, he joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin in 1971. At UT, he taught and researched in the areas of 'thermal systems' and 'solar energy' until retiring in 2005. He feels fortunate to have spent most of his career in the Mechanical Engineering Department at UT and being associated with the 'Thermofluids' group, comprising congenial faculty colleagues who were serious educators. Working with eager young people and congenial colleagues has been particularly rewarding. Some of his best recollections include working with student groups: the Pi Tau Sigma ME Honor Society, two groups of students involved in Renewable Energy national competitions in the 1970s, and three national Solar Car Races in the 1990s. His favorite classes were Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Solar Energy. He began teaching a graduate/senior level course in Solar Energy in 1975 and offered it annually until retirement. As for research, he feels most rewarded by work in solar energy and developing a several-year 'Solar Radiation Database' for Texas. He is a Fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Solar Energy Society. Vliet has enjoyed retirement, which has permitted him and his wife to do some rewarding travel: several countries in Europe, New Zealand, China, Turkey, St. Petersburg, Ukraine, Croatia, and twice dog-sledding in Alaska. In addition, he has had time to write three books: "Texas on This Day" (history), "Suzanne" (history of his stepmother), and his autobiography, and has served as an editor of the Mechanical Engineering History volumes. As for pastimes, he much enjoys the local Paleontology Society of Austin, a book group, and doing various crafts. He has been happily married to his wife Donna (a two-degree Longhorn) for 62 years. They have three children (all Longhorns) and four grandchildren.

Join us for a fascinating Texas Talks episode featuring Monte Warden, a two-time member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame. Monte Warden’s career began at 15 with his award-winning band Whoa Trigger! and continued with The Wagoneers, described as "the greatest Honky-Tonk band that ever was." His solo work, acclaimed by NME, and his successful songwriting career, producing hits for artists like George Strait and Carrie Underwood, showcase his immense talent. Warden's recent project, Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few, has received widespread acclaim and Grammy nominations. Discover his contributions to music and his advocacy for artists' rights in this compelling discussion. Don't miss the chance to learn from a seventh-generation Texan with deep roots in Texas history. ------------------------------- Monte Warden won his first of a dozen Austin Music Awards when he was just 15 years old for Best New Band, honoring his rockabilly trio Whoa Trigger!. Warden rode the buzz of that band into his next project – leading (as well as writing all the material for) the even more popular and highly influential, The Wagoneers (which Chet Flippo described as ‘The greatest Honky-Tonk band that ever was’), which scored a major-label deal with A&M Records after performing at the very 1st SXSW. The Wagoneers’ Stout and High debut was released to worldwide critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the best and most influential country albums of the 80s. His 1994 self-titled solo debut was named one of the 100 best US albums of the 20th Century by NME. In addition to his success with The Wagoneers on A&M Records, Warden has been signed to RCA, Watermelon, and Asylum/Warner Records. He has appeared in numerous top-ten music videos and television shows, including multiple appearances on Austin City Limits and The Grand Ol' Opry . Warden's biggest commercial success began in 2002 when he started writing for Moonkiss Music, his wife Brandi's publishing company. For the first time, Warden enjoyed multi-million selling cuts, landing placements in major film and television shows, singles on five separate Billboard charts, as well as over one hundred major-label cuts by artists like George Strait, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Patty Loveless, Asleep At The Wheel, Kelly Willis, Josh Abbott Band, and Travis Tritt, to name a few. Warden co-wrote Strait's smash-hit, "Desperately", and in the fall of 2005, the song earned him his first BMI Award for success in the country field. In March 2007, Warden was awarded the prestigious BMI 'Million-Air' Award for "Desperately", signifying over 1 million radio performances. Warden is a rare two-time member of The Texas Music Hall of Fame, both as a solo artist and as a member of The Wagoneers. The Wagoneers reunited in 2012 and continue to play and pack clubs and dancehalls. In 2017, he announced his new Americana project, Monte Warden and The Dangerous Few, a universally critically-acclaimed project of all-original material showcasing the songwriting collaboration of Brandi & Monte Warden in the Jazz / Traditional Pop genre that Paste Magazine dubbed ‘The Great Americana Songbook’, while noting ‘Warden has created a sound that never before existed’. KUTX opined, ‘Imagine Gene Vincent singing Cole Porter’. The 2020 debut album received world-wide critical praise as well as first-ballot Grammy nominations in six categories, including “Best Americana Album” and the highly-coveted “Album of the Year”. The combo enjoys a monthly SRO residency at Austin's most prestigious nightclub, Parker Jazz Club. From 2020-2023, Warden hosted the hugely successful livestream, The Monte Warden Feel Good Hour, for 156 consecutive weeks. Warden has dedicated much of his career in the advocacy of artist's rights, their just compensation, and fair treatment in business. Warden is a proud 7th generation Texan, with ancestors having fought in the Battles of Bexar and San Jacinto in The Texas Revolution.

Curious to know more about the real history behind Juneteenth? Join our online event for an engaging and informative session that will challenge your understanding and provide you with a deeper appreciation of this important holiday.

Juneteenth 101 - Popular Myths and Forgotten Facts" is an encyclopedic treasure trove of facts and trivia about the history of Juneteenth. Drawing from a wealth of obscure mid-19th century newspaper articles, military records, letters, and other documents, this resource provides a factual, yet comically irreverent, presentation of Juneteenth's history.

Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover the facts, dispel the myths, and celebrate the true history of Juneteenth. We look forward to seeing you there!

Purchase book: Juneteenth 101 - Popular Myths and Forgotten Facts
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About the author:
Donald J. Norman-Cox holds degrees in Music Education, Counseling and Student Personnel services. After two decades of public service in the federal government he retired from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Cox’s interest in history began in the 1980s. During the 90’s, he created an operated the nation’s only African American history residential summer camp for teenagers, attracting participants from coast to coast and three other nations. Currently, Cox is a Texas-based public historian focused primarily on the origin and development of Texas Emancipation Day, predecessor to Juneteenth National Independence Day. In 2018, he published the book “Juneteenth 101: Popular Myths and Forgotten Facts,” and is currently developing an African American historical fiction for young adults.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Eleven Days on the Colorado: The Standoff Between the Texian and Mexican Armies and the Pivotal Battle Unfought finds high drama between the Battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. As General Sam Houston arrived in Gonzales on March 11, 1836, to take command of the gathered Texian forces there, he soon learned that the Alamo had fallen. Realizing that his small command was not equipped to meet the full force of the Mexican army, he ordered a rapid withdrawal to the Colorado River. Shortly afterward, the Mexican army, commanded by General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, encamped opposite the Texian camps. New volunteers poured in, and several skirmishes ensued. A pivotal battle seemed inevitable. Just as the two armies seemed prepared to engage, General Houston unexpectedly ordered a withdrawal to the Brazos River resulting in panic among the civilian population and outrage among his troops and officers. From the time of the Texian Aamy withdrawal from Gonzales to the unexpected order to retreat from the Colorado, Sam Houston made some curious decisions, which deserve scrutiny. A day-by-day examination of events helps to ascertain Houston’s mindset and offers some justifications for his decisions. Additionally, this book reviews the lives of some lesser known, yet influential individuals who contributed to the Texian’s fight for freedom. 11 Days on the Colorado is currently available for pre-order at our Legacy of Texas bookstore: https://www.legacyoftexas.com/product/eleven-days-on-the-colorado-the-standoff-between-the-texian-and-mexican-armies-and-the-pivotal-battle-unfought ------------------------------- About the author: JAMES E. BRASHER is a native of Weimar, Texas and holds an advanced degree in geology from Texas A&M University. He has worked for decades in the oil and gas industry and in groundwater conservation, and has written several technical articles on subsurface geology. Mr. Brasher is a direct descendant of Stephen F. Austin's first colonists and some of his family has lived in Colorado County since the days of the Republic of Texas. More recently, he authored a magazine article about the Texian Army’s withdrawal from Gonzales to the Colorado River during the Texas Revolution, which served as a forerunner to his book, 11 Days on the Colorado: The Pivotal Battle Unfought. This book provides a day-by-day account of events during the time that Sam Houston and the Texian army were encamped along the Colorado River during the Texas Revolution.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Join us in an enlightening discussion with John Huhn, the Communications Director with Alamo Trust, Inc. The Alamo stands as a Shrine to Texas Liberty. Alamo Trust, Inc., also known simply as the Alamo, welcomes over 1.6 million visitors annually, making it the #1 most visited destination in the State of Texas. Through its rich and diverse 300-year history, the Alamo narrates the compelling story of Texas Independence to visitors from around the world.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Guts and glory, bulls and barrel racing, spurs and scars are all part of rodeo, a sport of epic legends. Cowboys and cowgirls use brain and brawn to contend for prizes and placement, but more often than not, it is the prestige of honorable competition that spurs them on. College Rodeo covers the history of the sport on college campuses from the first organized contest in 1920 to the national championship of 2003. In the early years of the twentieth century, a growing number of kids from farms and ranches attended college, many choosing the land grant institutions that allowed them to prepare for agricultural careers back home. They brought with them a love for the skills, challenges, and competition they had known—a taste for rodeo. The first-ever college rodeo was held at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. It offered bronco busting, goat roping, saddle racing, polo, a greased pig contest, and country ballads from a quartet. The rodeo was a fund-raising effort that grew enormously popular; by its third year, the rodeo at Texas A&M drew some fifteen hundred people. The idea spread to other campuses, and nineteen years later, the first intercollegiate rodeo with eleven colleges and universities competing was held in 1939 at the ranch arena of an entrepreneur near Victorville, California. Seldom does a college sport exist for eighty years without having a book written about it, but college rodeo has. Sylvia Gann Mahoney has written the first history of the sport, tracing its growth parallel to the development of professional rodeo and the growth of the organizational structure that governs college rodeo. Mahoney draws on personal interviews as well as the archives of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and newspaper accounts from participating schools and their hometowns. Mahoney chronicles the events, profiles winners, and analyzes the organizational efforts that have contributed to the colorful history of college rodeo. She traces the changing role of women, noting their victories that were ignored by much of the contemporary press in the early days of the sport. College Rodeo highlights outstanding individuals through extensive interviews, giving credit to the pioneers of college rodeo. This book includes rare photographs of rodeo teams, champions, and rodeo queens, blended with the true life details of sweat and tears that make intercollegiate rodeo such a popular sport. Link to buy: https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781585443314/college-rodeo/ About the Author: Sylvia Gann Mahoney has been associated with college rodeo since 1977 when she became the New Mexico Junior College rodeo coach. At the time, she was one of only three female college rodeo coaches. She was hired as an English teacher and found that she had “inherited” the additional job as adviser to the rodeo club. Her knowledge of rodeo was limited to being a spectator but never one to back away from a challenge, she got to work. After all, this was Lea County, famous for producing more than 50 champions! She tapped into that talent pool for advice and counsel. Tuffy Cooper was one of those who were very helpful to her. Tuffy was a former college cowboy, roped at the first college finals in 1949, college champion tie down roper at the second college finals in 1950 and the head of a roping dynasty, Roy, Betty Gayle, Tuf, Clif: you know the names! Her women’s team won National Reserve Champions in 1982: the record still stands at NMJC. She was a founder and first president of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni organization. In 2004, Texas A&M Press published her book: College Rodeo: From Show to Sport, the first definitive book on the history of college rodeo. Sylvia judged Miss Rodeo America three times. She was a founder and first executive director of the Western Heritage Center and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. Sylvia, a native Texan, is an educator, author, literary editor/publicist (Design4Writers), photographer, and community volunteer. She was raised in New Mexico at Lovington. In 2004, she was named Vernon Rotary co-chairman of “Marking of the Great Western Trail from Mexico through nine U.S. states into Canada.” Some 200 seven-foot-white-cement posts with red letters Great Western Trail (GWT) were dedicated along the two-thousand-mile trail. The path of the GWT, the longest, largest Texas cattle trail that lasted the most number of years, had never been documented. Rotarians along the two-thousand-mile trail were asked to document the trail through their county or state. Sylvia lives in Fort Worth near her daughter and son and her five grandsons (one is a Marine).

The Texas Almanac is the premier reference for everything Texas! The entire book is revised with the latest information for every edition, including the 254 county maps and our population estimates for every Texas town. Join us as we dive into the 72nd edition in the Texas Almanac. This essential reference book has been revised with all the latest information about our proud state. Inside you’ll find at least 410 tables of data, 300 maps, contact information for 200 state boards and commissions, and the names of 189 state officials, 1,209 judges, 1,223 mayors, and 3,302 county officials (give or take a few). Every Texan should have a copy of the Texas Almanac, order your copy today: https://www.legacyoftexas.com/product/texas-almanac-2024-2025

When Americans settled Texas in the 1830s, they brought their booze with them and found some made by the locals when they got here! Before long, the Lone Star State had a thriving distillery business, more than a century ahead of modern craft distillers that are changing the face of the spirits industry today. This is a fascinating history filled all too frequently with floods, fires, explosions, and lots of bad luck. Had the development of Texas happened a little differently, the state might have well become a major whiskey producer intertwined with barbed wire, refrigeration, cattle, railways, oil, and cooperage all coming into play. Texas distilling is older than both the American and Texan Republics, but the history of transforming grains into whiskey in Texas goes back to at least the early 1840s. No spirit is more associated with the state’s frontier history than American whiskey. But even during its wildest days, there was a vocal prohibitionist element in Texas that was working to outlaw distilleries, and more importantly, close the saloons. Texas distillers also made liquor for the Confederate war effort, and operations in Tyler and near present day Denison played an often-overlooked role in supporting the troops in the field with medicinal whiskey. After the war, home-grown Texas whiskey found a market and seemed destined to takes its place among the great American spirits of its day. Purchase book: https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781649670168/fires-floods-explosions-and-bloodshed/ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ANDREW BRAUNBERG is the co-founder of Still Austin Whiskey Co. His background in Engineering Physics, Science Technology, and Public Policy, as well as his business experience, makes him highly regarded expert, analyst, and consultant across the distilling industry. ------------------------------ Texas Talks is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

At a time when “Friday night lights” shone only on white high school football games, African American teams across Texas burned up the gridiron on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The segregated high schools in the Prairie View Interscholastic League (the African American counterpart of the University Interscholastic League, which excluded black schools from membership until 1967) created an exciting brand of football that produced hundreds of outstanding players, many of whom became college All-Americans, All-Pros, and Pro Football Hall of Famers, including NFL greats such as “Mean” Joe Green (Temple Dunbar), Otis Taylor (Houston Worthing), Dick “Night Train” Lane (Austin Anderson), Ken Houston (Lufkin Dunbar), and Bubba Smith (Beaumont Charlton-Pollard). Thursday Night Lights tells the inspiring, largely unknown story of African American high school football in Texas. Drawing on interviews, newspaper stories, and memorabilia, Michael Hurd introduces the players, coaches, schools, and towns where African Americans built powerhouse football programs under the PVIL leadership. He covers fifty years (1920–1970) of high school football history, including championship seasons and legendary rivalries such as the annual Turkey Day Classic game between Houston schools Jack Yates and Phillis Wheatley, which drew standing-room-only crowds of up to 40,000, making it the largest prep sports event in postwar America. In telling this story, Hurd explains why the PVIL was necessary, traces its development, and shows how football offered a potent source of pride and ambition in the black community, helping black kids succeed both athletically and educationally in a racist society. Link to buy: https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477318300/thursday-night-lights/ About the Author: Michael Hurd is the director of Prairie View A&M University’s Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture, which documents the history of African American Texans. He has worked as a sports writer for the Houston Post, the Austin American-Statesman, USA Today, and Yahoo Sports. Hurd’s previous books include Black College Football, 1892–1992: One Hundred Years of History, Education, and Pride. For more than a decade, he served as a member of the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court for Divisional Players, the group that chooses small college players for the College Football Hall of Fame, and he currently serves on the selection committee for the Black College Football Hall of Fame. ------------------------------ Texas Talks is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.