Traces of Tx (today)

[Shakey Jake]

From the Faces of Texas Facebook group:
The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day:
As the crow flies, it's 632 miles from El Paso, Texas, to Beaumont, California, and 741 miles from El Paso to Beaumont, Texas.

[Shakey Jake]

From TSHA:
On this day in 1936, rock and roll singer Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas. He grew up in Wink, and while attending Wink High School he formed a country music group called the Wink Westerners. Later, while attending North Texas State College, he transformed the Wink Westerners into his first rock and roll band, the Teen Kings. The group played throughout West Texas and recorded "Ooby Dooby," which brought him to the attention of the Sun record label in Memphis. Orbison rerecorded "Ooby Dooby" for Sun, and in 1956 it became his first chart hit. In 1959 Orbison joined the small Monument label in Nashville, for which he recorded a string of international hit records, including "Only the Lonely" (1960), "Blue Angel" (1960), "Running Scared" (1961), "Blue Bayou" (1963), "It's Over" (1964), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and died the following year.

[Shakey Jake]

A 1976 picture of roller skating in Galveston. Back in the day you could rent roller skates at a stand on the Seawall. Looks like these young people are having some fun! Anybody remember the Patrick Swayze movie SkateTown USA?

[cooperhawk]

Galveston is one of our favorite places. Didn't get there this year, but maybe next.

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1861, 500 Federal troops stranded at the port of Saluria in Calhoun County were forced to surrender to Confederate colonel Earl Van Dorn. Saluria, at the eastern end of Matagorda Island, was founded in the 1840s and was a thriving port and ranching center in the 1850s. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Federal troops flocked to the coast, hoping to find transport to the North. Van Dorn intercepted 500 of them at Saluria. After being paroled, they were allowed to sail for New York. During the federal blockade of 1862, when invasion seemed imminent, Saluria inhabitants fled to the mainland. Confederate troops stationed at nearby Fort Esperanza later burned the town, dismantled the lighthouse, and drove most of the cattle off the island. Confederate artillerymen defended the fort until November 29, 1863, when they retreated to the mainland. In June 1864 Federal troops left Fort Esperanza. Afterward, citizens began moving back to the island. What finally destroyed Saluria was hurricanes, in 1875 and 1886. By 1904 a rural school with one teacher and seven students was the only vestige of the community. The more famous nearby port of Indianola was similarly destroyed.

[Shakey Jake]

Don't know if this guy is going through the drive through or not. I would like to have been close enough to hear the conversation!

[Shakey Jake]

This weekend is the Austin Blues Festival. I can't make it this year but it's always a great time!

[Shakey Jake]

Found this picture on the SMU Digital Library:
On April 5th, 1905, Theodore Roosevelt and his party made a brief stop in Sherman, Texas, while traveling to San Antonio to attend a reunion of the Rough Riders. Speaking for 15 minutes before a crowd of 35,000, he praised Texas as 'one of two or three greatest states in the Union', emphasized his own heritage from the south and the north and his delight in national reunification. In the carriage, from left to right, are Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, an unidentified man, William Loeb, Jr., Secretary to the President, and Cecil A. Lyon, Republican National Committeeman.

[cooperhawk]

My Grandfather, Harry Cooper, was a member of the Wyoming Rough Riders. Those were Teddy's own.

[Shakey Jake]

On San Antonio native Carol Burnet's 56th birthday, in 1989, her close friend Lucille Ball died. Later that day, Carol received flowers that Lucille Ball had ordered for her birthday. Yesterday Carol Burnet turned 90-years-old.

Shown here: Carole Burnet and Lucille Ball.