The Handy Texas Answer Book

James L. Haley

Description

• More than 850 answers to common questions on the state of Texas
• Written to appeal to anyone, from history buffs to students and teachers to residents and visitors to the Lone Star State
• Clear organization makes finding information quick and easy
• Clear and concise answers
• Numerous photographs, illustrations, and maps bring the answers to life
• Thoroughly indexed
• Helpful bibliography
• Authoritative resource
• Ideal for anyone seeking a better understanding of Texas, its development, its role in U.S. history, and its people
• publicity aimed at websites focused on Texas, it's history, and people.
• promotion targeting more mainstream book review media and websites
• promotion targeting local radio
• promotion targeting history and educational home schooling and history magazines and local newspaper editors
Just how big is Texas?

From 1845 until 1959, Texas was by far the largest state in the Union. When Alaska was admitted, Texans had to endure a good deal of teasing for no longer being the biggest—which left Texans to counter that, at least, Texas was not frozen nine months of the year. Texas covers 268,581 square miles. Compared to other American states, it is about the same size as the sixteen smallest states combined. Or looking west, it is larger than Washington, Oregon, and Idaho combined (with Maryland left over). On an international scale, it is about twice the size of Germany. As nations go, if it were independent again it would rank 40th in size, after Chile (292,258 square miles) and Zambia (290,584), and ahead of Myanmar (formerly Burma, 261,228 square miles), Afghanistan (251,830 square miles), and Somalia (246,199 square miles).

What are Texas’s dimensions?

Texas’s extreme dimensions are north to south (from Dallam County in the upper northwest to Cameron County and Brownsville in the south), 790 miles. From east to west (from El Paso in the west to Newton County on the Louisiana border), it stretches 773 miles.

Where is Texas’s geographical center?

The very center of the state is in McCulloch County, about fifteen miles northwest of the town of Brady: 437 miles west to the Rio Grande beyond El Paso; 412 miles northwest to the corner of the Panhandle; 401 miles south to the Gulf of Mexico at Brownsville, and 341 miles east to the farthest bend of the Sabine River. The point was reckoned not by equal mileage to the state’s extremities, but by dividing the state into equal areas, and the spot is noted by a marker on U.S. Highway 377, 2 miles south of Farm-to-Market Road 502.

How many counties does Texas have?

There are 254 counties in Texas, more than in any other state. They range in population from about 4.6 million in Harris County, which contains most of the city of Houston, down to 113 souls in Loving County, in the West Texas oil patch. The smallest in area is Rockwall County, near Dallas, at 127 square miles, to Brewster County in the Trans-Pecos, whose 6,192 square miles is larger than Connecticut.

What is the origin of the state’s famous nickname?

The imagery of Texas as the Lone Star took hold during the Texas revolution for independence from Mexico in 1836, but no one knows for a certainty how it originated. There are a number of possibilities. One of the stronger contenders is this one: When Santa Anna canceled the Mexican constitution and assumed dictatorial powers, rebellions broke out in as many as eleven states. One of the most dangerous threats to him was the dual state of Coahuila y Tejas, and he sent an army to the state capital and broke up the legislature. Many Mexican federalists fled to Texas to continue the fight. The state’s flag had been the Mexican tricolor with two stars, one each for its two components, Coahuila and Texas. After Coahuila fell, the Texas star was the only one left holding out the hope of a democratic government.

How did “Friendship” become the Texas motto?

Texans are famous for their hospitality, an ethic that became entrenched during frontier days, when traveling strangers often spent the night at roadside homes, and were not usually allowed to offer payment. That fits the motto, but it is not the origin. In 1690, the first Spanish mission was established near the later site of Nacogdoches, among the Tejas Indians, a name that meant “friend” or “ally.” So, Texas actually does mean friend.

Does Texas have a state flower?

The legislature named the Texas bluebonnet as the state flower in 1901. Lupinus texensis is endemic to Texas, widely distributed, and became a cultural icon through the landscape paintings of Julian Onderdonk a century ago. Grayish-purple in dry years, but an electric violet-blue with good rainfall, vast acreages of central Texas are carpeted with them in spring, usually peaking in mid-April, interspersed with scarlet spikes of Indian Paintbrush and the pale wash of Pink Evening Primrose. The sight of whole vistas of them is unforgettable. Since the 1960s the Texas Highway Department has planted long stretches of right-of-way in bluebonnets and their associated species both for their beauty and their effectiveness in erosion control.

What are other state symbols?

The pecan became the Texas State Tree in 1919; the majestic trees over a hundred feet tall can live for centuries, and Texas has long led the nation in production of native pecans, now augmented with bred varieties. The mockingbird, noted both for its peerless singing and for its fierce defense of its nest, was named the Texas State Bird in 1927.

In more recent years, various lobbying groups and industrial councils have leaned on the legislature to proclaim a silly number of additional state “symbols:” a state stone (petrified palmwood, 1969), a state dish (chili con carne, 1977), a state reptile (horny toad, 1993), a state insect (monarch butterfly, 1995), a state plant (as opposed to tree or flower, prickly pear cactus, 1995), a state vegetable (sweet onion, 1997), a state snack (chips and salsa, 2003), a state dog breed (blue lacy, 2005), a state cobbler (peach, 2013), not to be outdone by a state pie (pecan, 2013).
Introduction

Chapter 1 Overview/Stats, Facts, Figures

Chapter 2 Early Texas: Native Americans to the Revolution 1528–1836

Chapter 3 The Republic of Texas: 1836–1845

Chapter 4 The Antebellum State to Civil War: 1845–1865

Chapter 5 Reconstruction to Urbanization: 1865–1900

Chapter 6 Modern Texas: 1900 to the Present

Chapter 7 Nature, Parks, Climate

Chapter 8 Natural and Economic Regions

Chapter 9 Cities and Towns

Chapter 10 Economy and Business

Chapter 11 Politics

Chapter 12 Sports

Chapter 13 Religion

Chapter 13 Culture, Festivals, Quirky, Folklore, Myths, Colloquialisms

Chapter 14 Notable Sons and Daughters

Appendix A: Texas’s Governors

Appendix B: Sites and Attractions

Timeline

Bibliography

Index

Sujets

• American Government
• HISTORY
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Histoire
• Comanche (etnia)
• Río Grande
• Texas State University?San Marcos
• Mexican?American War
• History of Texas
• Baylor
• Piney Woods
• Apache
• Southwest
• State
• Mirabeau B. Lamar
• Federal government of the United States
• General officer
• San Angelo, Texas
• Waco, Texas
• Lubbock, Texas
• El Paso, Texas
• South
• Red River
• Sam Houston
• Galveston, Texas
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Texas Revolution
• Republic of Texas
• Austin, Texas
• San Angelo
• Lone Star
• Trans-Pecos
• Lubbock
• General
• NM
• United States
• Samuel Houston
• Charles Goodnight
• Dallas
• Local
• Santa Anna
• Waco
• Abilene
• OK
• Panhandle
• Rivière Rouge
• Galveston
• LA
• Fort Worth
• El Paso
• Tejas
• Comanche
• San Antonio
• Rio Grande
• Houston
• Apache (homonymie)
• Austin
• Texas

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578596829
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 18 Mo

Extrait

THE HANDY TEXAS ANSWER BOOK
A LSO FROM V ISIBLE I NK P RESS
The Handy African American History Answer Book
by Jessie Carnie Smith
ISBN: 978-1-57859-452-8
The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work
by Gina Misiroglu
ISBN: 978-1-57859-639-3
The Handy American History Answer Book
by David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-471-9
The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-542-6
The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents), 2nd edition
by Gina Misiroglu
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The Handy Art History Answer Book
by Madelynn Dickerson
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The Handy Astronomy Answer Book, 3rd edition
by Charles Liu
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The Handy Bible Answer Book
by Jennifer R. Prince
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The Handy Biology Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Patricia Barnes Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
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The Handy Boston Answer Book
by Samuel Willard Crompton
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The Handy California Answer Book
by Kevin Hile
ISBN: 978-1-57859-591-4
The Handy Chemistry Answer Book
by Ian C. Stewart and Justin P. Lamont
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The Handy Christianity Answer Book
by Steve Werner
ISBN: 978-1-57859-686-7
The Handy Civil War Answer Book
by Samuel Willard Crompton
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The Handy Communication Answer Book
By Lauren Sergy
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The Handy Diabetes Answer Book
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
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The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
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The Handy English Grammar Answer Book
by Christine A. Hult, Ph.D.
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The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book: Reading Clues at the Crime Scene, Crime Lab, and in Court
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-621-8
The Handy Geography Answer Book, 3rd edition
by Paul A. Tucci
ISBN: 978-1-57859-576-1
The Handy Geology Answer Book
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-156-5
The Handy History Answer Book, 3rd edition
by David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-372-9
The Handy Hockey Answer Book
by Stan Fischler
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The Handy Investing Answer Book
by Paul A. Tucci
ISBN: 978-1-57859-486-3
The Handy Islam Answer Book
by John Renard, Ph.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-510-5
The Handy Law Answer Book
by David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-217-3
The Handy Literature Answer Book
By Daniel S. Burt and Deborah G. Felder
ISBN: 978-1-57859-635-5
The Handy Math Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-373-6
The Handy Military History Answer Book
by Samuel Willard Crompton
ISBN: 978-1-57859-509-9
The Handy Mythology Answer Book
by David A. Leeming, Ph.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-475-7
The Handy New York City Answer Book
by Chris Barsanti
ISBN: 978-1-57859-586-0
The Handy Nutrition Answer Book
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-484-9
The Handy Ocean Answer Book
by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney
ISBN: 978-1-57859-063-6
The Handy Pennsylvania Answer Book
by Lawrence W. Baker
ISBN: 978-1-57859-610-2
The Handy Personal Finance Answer Book
by Paul A. Tucci
ISBN: 978-1-57859-322-4
The Handy Philosophy Answer Book
by Naomi Zack, Ph.D.
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The Handy Physics Answer Book, 2nd edition
By Paul W. Zitzewitz, Ph.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-305-7
The Handy Presidents Answer Book, 2nd edition
by David L. Hudson
ISB N: 978-1-57859-317-0
The Handy Psychology Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Lisa J. Cohen, Ph.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-508-2
The Handy Religion Answer Book, 2nd edition
by John Renard, Ph.D.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-379-8
The Handy Science Answer Book, th edition
by The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
ISBN: 978-1-57859-321-7
The Handy State-by-State Answer Book: Faces, Places, and Famous Dates for All Fifty States
by Samuel Willard Crompton
ISBN: 978-1-57859-565-5
The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book
by David L Hudson, Jr.
ISBN: 978-1-57859-196-1
The Handy Technology Answer Book
by Naomi E. Balaban and James Bobick
ISBN: 978-1-57859-563-1
The Handy Texas Answer Book
by James L. Haley
ISBN: 978-1-57859-634-8
The Handy Weather Answer Book, 2nd edition
by Kevin S. Hile
ISBN: 978-1-57859-221-0

P LEASE VISIT THE H ANDY A NSWERS SERIES WEBSITE AT WWW.HANDYANSWERS.COM .

About the Author

James L. Haley is one of Texas s most distinguished historians. His first book, The Buffalo War , remains the definitive history of the last Indian war on the South Plains and has been in print for forty years. His biography Sam Houston won nine different awards, including the Tullis Prize of the Texas State Historical Association, the Spur Award of the Western Writers of America, and the Book Award of the Philosophical Society of Texas. His 650-page compendium of Texas history, Passionate Nation , won the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award of the Texas Historical Commission. Most recently, after ghost writing the memoirs of famous Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson, he completed a history of the Texas Supreme Court for the University of Texas Press, and his latest books are in the Bliven Putnam Naval Adventure Series for G. P. Putnam s Sons: The Shores of Tripoli (2016), A Darker Sea (2017), and the upcoming The Devil in Paradise.
Haley grew up in Fort Worth, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Arlington, and attended the UT School of Law in Austin. He resides in Austin, Texas.
Contents
P HOTO S OURCES
T IMELINE
I NTRODUCTION
TEXAS BASICS
Population Demographics
EARLY TEXAS
Texas s Native Indians
The Spanish Entradas
French Interlopers
Spanish Missions
Americans Arrive in Mexican Texas
European Immigration into Texas
Austin
Colonial Life
THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
The Texas Revolution
Law and Politics
Frontier Economy
International Relations
Annexation Trickery
Noteworthy Characters of the Republic
TEXAS AS ANTEBELLUM STATE
Old South Meets New West
Cotton and Slavery
Texas Divided over Secession
Texas in the Civil War
Texas Characters of the Civil War
RECONSTRUCTION TO URBANIZATION
Defying the Occupation
The Indian Wars
The Cattle Empire
Texas as a Progressive Leader
MODERN TEXAS
The Twentieth Century
World War I and the Twenties
From Depression to War
World War II
Post-War Texas
Desegregation
Political and Social Turmoil
Modern Texas
TEXAS REGIONS
The Gulf Coast
The Piney Woods
The Brush Country
The Trans-Pecos
The Hill Country
The Panhandle-Plains
Blackland Prairies
BUSINESS, RELIGION, AND EDUCATION
Economics and Large Companies
Agriculture
Clothing Industry
Religion
Education
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE
Physiography, Climate, and Weather
Natural Disasters
Geology
Plants and Animals
Parks and Reserves
THE BIG FIVE CITIES
Houston
San Antonio
Dallas
Austin
Fort Worth
GOOD TIMES, TEXAS STYLE
Sports
Chow Time!
Amusement Parks, Zoos, Aquariums, and Game Parks
Holiday Events, Musical Pageants, and Festivals
Odds and Ends
QUIRKY TEXAS
Regional Speech, Y All
Points of Interest
Legends
TEXAN NOTABLES
Writers
Actors, Directors, Radio Personalities
Musical Talents
Artists
Inventors
Ranchers
Outlaws and Lawmen
Other Notables

G OVERNORS AND P RESIDENTS OF T EXAS
F URTHER R EADING
I NDEX
Photo Sources
American Institute of Architects. Committee on the Environment, Top Ten Program: p. 165 .
Chuck Andersen: 278 .
Michael Barera: pp. 311 , 340 .
Bytor (Wikicommons): p. 61 .
Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News, p. 143 .
Cmeide (Wikicommons): p. 21 .
Coral Records: p. 336 .
Ddal (Wikicommons): p. 222 .
DTobias (Wikicommons): p. 17 .
Federal Bureau of Investigation: p. 149 .
Jay Godwin: p. 206 .
Gail Hampshire: p. 224 .
H. L. Hunt Press: p. 346 .
Jason Helle: p. 288 .
Independence National Historical Park Collection (Philadelphia, PA): p. 30 .
Jillabus (Wikicommons): p. 12 .
Jipwiki (Wikicommons): p. 188 .
Jpo tx113 (Wikicommons: p. 23 .
Elliot Landy: p. 146 .
Library of Congress: pp. 85 , 89 , 98 , 118 , 123 , 125 , 128 , 231 , 268 , 276 , 296 , 352 .
Joe Mabel: p. 251 .
lvaro Montoro: p. 318 .
Larry D. Moore: pp. 43 , 287 , 325 .
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios: p. 332 .
National Archives and Records Administration: pp. 16 , 100 , 211 .
Paramount Pictures: p. 329 .
Portal to Texas History: p. 109 .
Andreas Praefcke: p. 253 .
Clinton and Charles Robertson: p. 167 .
Ed Schipul: p. 63 .
Shutterstock: pp. 2 , 7 , 34 , 104 , 112 , 137 , 147 , 154 , 155 , 158 , 160 , 162 , 169 , 172 , 174 , 175 , 181 , 186 , 190 , 192 , 197 , 204 , 217 , 219 , 226 , 228 , 236 , 238 , 240 , 243 , 245 , 247 , 249 , 256 , 259 , 262 , 263 , 265 , 266 , 274 , 280 , 285 , 289 , 293 , 294 , 302 , 305 , 308 , 312 , 313 , 316 , 332 (inset), 337 , 342 .
Kelly Teague: p. 179 .
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: pp. 41 , 93 , 257 .
John Trost: p. 119 .
University of Houston: p. 140 .
University of Oklahoma Press: p. 344 .
U.S. Air Force: p. 326 .
U.S. Army: p. 136 .
U.S. Farm Security Administration: p. 81 .
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: pp. 131 , 215 .
U.S. Navy: p. 134 .
Vami IV (Wikicommons): p. 303 .
W. M. Vanderweyde: p. 322 .
Steven Watson: 270 .
WhisperToMe (Wikicommons): p. 32 .
Travis Witt: p. 300 .
Steven B. Yount: p. 27 .
Public domain: pp. 5 , 14 , 20 , 39 , 49 , 50 , 52 , 55 , 65 , 67 (modified by Kevin Hile), 70 , 72 , 76 , 79 , 84 , 91 , 102 , 195 , 201 , 202 , 282 , 284 , 324 , 328 , 335 , 349 .
Timeline
Year
Event
c. 14,000 B.C.E .
Proto-Indian flint quarries define Paleolithic Texas culture
1519 C.E .
Alonso de Pi eda maps Texas coast
November