Northeastern New Mexico was a hotbed (pun intended) of volcanic activity. Over time, those volcanoes became extinct. But one still served a very important purpose for Texas trail drivers. Learn abo

The Republic of Texas Congress formed the first state Supreme Court in 1836. However, the Court really didn't meet in any significant way until 1840 under the leadership of Chief Justice John Hemphil

A brief episode marking the 2025 tragedy in the Texas Hill Country

What's an upper-crust lady from Kentucky society doing in one of the worst and most dangerous areas of Texas? Dealing cards, of course. Not only that, she was one of the most successful professional

Barbed wire revolutionized livestock fencing. What a great invention...or so it was thought. The real effect was the gradual elimination of the open range and the free grazing and watering of cattle

For centuries, Indians knew where to get water on the desolate terrain of what would become West Texas. One of those spots came to be known as the Van Horns Wells. Named for one of two possible mili

You can't go anywhere in Texas without running into "the devil's rope"--barbed wire. It keeps livestock in AND out. It protects property and discourages trespassers. But barbed wire hasn't been aro

You think our elections are divisive today? Well, Texas is just continuing a long tradition of candidates running hard and stirring the pot. In the Republic of Texas the presidential term was only t

In the early part of the Civil War, a group of German Freethinkers got together to design and manufacture a revolver for use by the Confederate forces. These Germans were intellectuals, engineers, fa

Governor Rick Perry is the longest serving Governor in Texas history. From his humble beginnings in Paint Creek, to the cockpit of an Air Force C-130, to the Governor's Mansion and on to Washington D.