OldSchooling on the "Lone Star Trail"

[BeerTeam]

As you arrive into most Texas towns, the great aromas of barbecue greets you. Nothing beats the smell of the meat smokers.

If there's a better aroma anywhere, it's would be illegal!

[BeerTeam]

1894 Goliad County Courthouse
Second Empire Style

Most part of Texas have been under six governments:
Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States

Spanish 1519-1685, French 1685-1690, Spanish 1690-1821, Mexican 1821-1836, Republic of Texas 1836-1845, United States 1845-1861, Confederate States 1861-1865, United States 1865-present

Nine Flags
Goliad is one of the three oldest towns in Texas and is one of the few places to have been ruled by nine governments

Texas has approximately:
40,000 recorded archeological sites
11,500 historical markers
2,000 National Register of Historic Places
700 local history museums

Below: Goliad's flag flying historic town square

[BeerTeam]

1892 Victoria County Courthouse
Romanesque Revival style
built of Texas granite and Indiana limestone

I toured "Old Victoria" on their historic driving tour - very nice

[BeerTeam]

1897 LaVaca County Courthouse
Romanesque style
built of Texas brown sandstone and grey stone

[BeerTeam]

Round Top, Texas

[BeerTeam]

eckert's gro - greenvine, texas

i bet for not too much money
you could own these towns

[BeerTeam]

In the Texas Spring season

as you crest hills and round curves

you are bound to see what appears as large lakes

but as you get closer

you will see, not a sea . . .



but acres of Bluebonnets . . .

dotted with scarlet Indian Paintbrush

[BeerTeam]

The springhouse used on
Sam Houston’s family property

Independence, Texas is a historic ghost town
complete with ruins, restored buildings
and over 30 points of historical interest
Texas Independence Trail.com

Austin PBS TV cameraman interested in
Bluebonnets and Motorcycles

The Founding of Baylor U

A Baptist church was established in Independence, Texas (1839)
shortly thereafter (1846) Baylor University was founded.

The four impressive columns in Old Baylor Park
are the rebuilt columns of the female Department of the University building entrance

Originally Posted by womanridge

Jim, I think the picture of the two children in the field of bluebonnets is award winning. . .
Thanks for all the great reports.
Karen

Thank you Karen,
award winning. . . just travel photos on a point and shoot camera, and I was having a great time taking them which is all that matters to me. I think of the years and miles that I have traveled and the very few film photos taken and it makes my ride reports even more treasured to me.

Still to come . . . a ride with Henzilla on the Willow City Loop which is rated one of the top ten drives in Texas. Also riding the Angelina, Sabine, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston National Forests "Piney Woods" of East Texas. I've got one interesting camping story that sure got Henzilla's wife Helen going. The James River and the (Linky) Colorado River crossings - so far what I have posted have just been creek crossings.

After riding East Texas, I traveled across Mid-Texas & Pan Handle on dirt. Speaking of the Pan-Handle of Texas, I think it is one of the most under rated parts of the country as I could go GS Adventure touring indefinitely with the cooperation of the weather Gods! I love the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere by myself. The Palo Duro Canyon Rocks! I also enjoyed a bit of Historic Texas Route 66 on my two day April return to Wisconsin.

This ride report is a long way from being done. It seems that posting a photo takes less than a minute, but when I Google some fact, let's say about a Texas town, I can spend hours reading about what I experienced in that area and what I missed. Then trying to write and re-write the story even more time consuming, especially for me.
My hat is off to the talented folks who can ride, then post their ride report that night from their laptops!

Jim

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44379



Listing of Texas State Parks

* Abilene State Park *
* Acton State Park *
* Amistad National Recreation Area *
* Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge *
* Angelina National Forest *
* Aransas National Wildlife Refuge *
* Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Airport
* Atlanta State Park *
* Avalon State Park
* Balmorhea State Park *
* Bastrop State Park *
* Baylor University State Park
* Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park
* Big Bend National Park *
* Big Spring State Park *
* Birch Creek State Park
* Blanco State Park *
* Bonham State Park *
* Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge *
* Buescher State Park *
* Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge *
* Caddo Lake State Park *
* Cleburne State Park *
* Copano Bay Causeway State Park *
* Daingerfield State Park *
* Davis Mountains State Park *
* Davy Crockett National Forest *
* Dinosaur Valley State Park *
* E O Siecke State Forest
* Eisenhower State Park *
* Fairchild State Forest
* Falcon State Park *
* Falcon State Park Airport
* Fannin State Park *
* Fort Belknap State Park
* Fort Davis National Historic Site *
* Fort Griffin State Park *
* Fort Parker State Park *
* Galveston Island State Park *
* Garner State Park *
* Goliad State Park *
* Goose Island State Park *
* Guadalupe Mountains National Park *
* Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge *
* Huntsville State Park *
* Inks Lake State Park *
* Jasper State Fish Hatchery
* Jim Hogg State Park *
* John H Kirby State Forest
* Kerrville State Park *
* Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge *
* Lake Bob Sandlin State Park *
* Lake Brownwood State Park *
* Lake Corpus Christi State Park *
* Lake Meredith National Recreation Area *
* Lake Whitney State Park *
* Lake Whitney State Park Airport
* Lockhart State Park *
* Longhorn Cavern State Park *
* Mac Kenzie State Park
* Martinez State Park
* Medina Lake State Fish Hatchery
* Meridian State Park *
* Mission Tejas State Park *
* Monahans Sand Hills State Park *
* Monument Hill State Park *
* Mother Neff State Park *
* Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge *
* Nails Creek State Park
* Padre Island National Seashore *
* Palmetto State Park *
* Palo Duro State Park *
* Possum Kingdom State Park *
* Sabine National Forest *
* Sam Houston National Forest *
* San Antonio Missions National Historic Park *
* San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge *
* San Jacinto State Park *
* Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge *
* Seminole Canyon State Park *
* State Fish Hatchery Number 1
* State Fish Hatchery Number 2
* Stephen F Austin State Park
* Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge *
* Texas State Park *
* Tyler State Park *
* W G Jones State Forest
* Washington State Park *
* Wood State Fish Hatchery *









More interesting examples of the power of Google:
More Texas History
Taken from Texas Treasures - Lasalle/
Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819
La Salle’s activities had far-reaching consequences for the future of Texas. Spain increased its own exploration of the Texas coast and advanced the timetable for its own occupation in order to stave off French claims. As for France, it continued to claim Texas, a claim that was transferred to the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and remained a sore point until the boundaries were settled by treaty in 1819.



I_ve Been Everywhere in Texas that is .wmv
It took this BMW rider over 10,000 miles of Texas to shoot this video!


Love this link!

Texas video link

Scenic Driving Texas
By Laurence Parent

Texas Almanac

www.texasonline.com

Texas Symbols

Texas Links

The Texas Economy

Texas Geography

Texas News Online

Texas Map Interactive

Texas State Parks

50states.com/texas

txdot.gov/travel/

http://texaslesstraveled.com/attractions.htm


touring_the_texas_BBQ_belt

milebymile.com/Texas/United_States_Texas_road_map_travel_guides.html


lone-star.net/txtrails


homeschoolfield-trips=TX


weird-stuff-to-see-in-texas/


Texas_History


openroadjourney.com/Texas



· Children are taught to say "Ma'am" and "Sir" to anyone older and are generally corrected if they have a moment of brain freeze. This habit continues well into adulthood.


Fun Facts About Texas

- The Six largest cities are: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso.

- Texas has 91 mountains a mile or higher.

- The longest river is the Rio Grande river, stretching from Mexico along the Texas border.

- Texas's ranches and farms cover roughly 74% of the state.

- The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas.


-Texas’ population is reaching close to 25 million.

-Texas covers about 268,601 square miles.

-Texas is the 28th state, joining December 29, 1845.

-Texas’ motto is friendship.

-Texas is known as The Lone Star State.

-The Texas flower is the bluebonnet.

-The Texas bird is the Mockingbird.

-The Texas tree is the Pecan tree, and there are lots here!

-Major Texas cities include Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

-More land is farmed in Texas than any other state.

-You could fit 220 Rhode Islands in Texas!

-The King Ranch, the biggest single ranch in the U.S.is bigger than Rhode Island.

-Texas stretches 800 miles each way.

-Texas has a lot of farms. Texas has more farms than any other state.

-Main Texas agriculture includes beef cattle, cotton, sheep, milk, rice, and more.

-Texas is home to presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson.

-The biggest state capital in the U.S. is Texas’

-The main fish that can be found in Texas are the crab, flounder, and shrimp.

-Texas is one of the lead explorers in natural gas and oil.

-Texas is first in petroleum, natural gas, and French sulfur.

-Texas is second in salt.

-Texas manufactures many chemicals, metals, glass, and coal products.

-Texas makes more wool than any other state.

-Amarillo holds the largest helium well.


















If you liked this Ride Report
you may also like these other Ride Report I have done



I will finish the Texas trail one of these days . . .
until then enjoy the links


Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail



Texas



Hawaii


Labrador


Wisconsin

[womanridge]

Jim, I think the picture of the two children in the field of bluebonnets is award winning. It reminds me of a black & white photo of my mother and her sister, taken in the sunken garden at Mitchell Park in Milwaukee, circa 1924. Thanks for all the great reports.
Karen

[BeerTeam]

THE JAIL AT LA GRANGE
Date: 1881
Victorian Gothic style

The jail was in use up until 1985
Now, the 125 year old structure is one of the best preserved 19th Century jails in Texas.

Reminiscent of a European cathedral
the structure originally contained two stories
with eight cells on each floor.

Built with "Muldoon Blue" sandstone obtained from the local Muldoon Quarry

___________________________________________

The Courthouse at La Grange
County seat of Fayette County
Date: 1891
Cost of $99,407.04
Architect -James Reiley Gordon
Romanesque Revival style

The exterior walls are built with "Muldoon Blue" sandstone
trimmed with red Pecos sandstone, Burnet granite, and Belton white limestone.

“La Grange”
One of my favorite songs
by one of my favorite (Texan) Bands
not many lyrics but a great beat

. . .when the song was released it drew so much attention to the illegal activities going at the La Grange's Chicken Ranch that they had to cease operation...
. . . now that's some good Texas folklore


ZZ Top: “La Grange” Lyrics
Rumour spreadin' a-'round
in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
/ And you know what I'm talkin' about. / Just let me know if you wanna go
/ To that home out on the range


*************************************
The Chicken Ranch at La Grange
Inspiration for Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

perhaps the oldest continuously running brothel in the nation

Institutionalized prostitution in La Grange can be traced back to 1844, when a widow, "Mrs. Swine," brought three young women from New Orleans

According to the Texas folklore,
there wasn’t much cash around during the Great Depression
so patrons would trade chickens for services rendered

The girls never went hungry and the Chicken Ranch name stuck

The Ranch closed it's doors in 1973

_________________________________________

Truss bridges over Colorado River at La Grange

[BeerTeam]

Burton, Texas
www.cotton gin museum.org

home of the oldest operating cotton gin in the United States

Powered by the “Lady B,” a 16-ton 1925 Bessemer Type IV oil-burning engine
is the largest internal combustion engine of its vintage still operating in America

the gin demonstrates the processing of cotton from wagon to finished bale

Burton Cotton Gin is listed as:
Texas Historic Landmark
Historic Landmark
National Register of Historic Places
& designated a National Historic Mechanical Landmark

[BeerTeam]

Wesley is Czech for "Veseli" (Joyous).

In 1859 the first Czech school in Texas was founded here.

The painted ceilings and interior date from 1889.

The population of Wesley reached its peak 200 people
but by the late 1950s it had declined to next to zero
Wesley had no center or businesses

[BeerTeam]

Grimes County Courthouse, Anderson, Texas
1891
Edwardian Victorian style
three-story structure is made of hand-formed red bricks and native stone
restored in 2002 at a cost of $1.8 million

Anderson is the county seat and was once the fourth largest town in Texas
its population in 1990 was only 370
one of the prettiest courthouses in the state
www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/Anderson-Texas-Grimes-County-Courthouse

[BeerTeam]

Polk County Courthouse
1923
Architect - McLelland and Fink
Concrete and brick
Texas Renaissance style

[BeerTeam]

Burton Auto Co. 1919
In the early years, it sold Maxwell cars and various petroleum products

It was one of the earliest Texaco dealers in the area operating from 1926 until 1988

It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places and looks like it could be a beauty when it is restored

One-way bridge
bridgehunter.com
Texas Escapes.com/Texas_architecture/TexasBridges