Texas trivia
 

TEXAS TRIVIA





Nobody asked for them, but here are some little known Texas facts:





Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles



Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles



El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas



World's first rodeo was in Pecos ... July 4, 1883.



The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.



The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full time coach for Rice University in Houston .



Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America .



Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.



Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.



The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island .



The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was " Houston .."



King Ranch is larger than Rhode Island .



Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.



Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation. (This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag.)



A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.



Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.



Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.



Texas has had six capital cities:

1. Washington-on-the-Brazos

2. Harrisburg

3. Galveston

4. Velasco

5. West Columbia

6. Austin



The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet).



The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends.



Tejas is not Spanish for Texas .



The State animal is the Armadillo. (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg which splits Into four and they either have four males or four females. (Well... I thought it was interesting anyway!)



The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston .





THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS STYLE



People here in Texas have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in the Ten Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" version into "King Ranch" version: Ten Commandments, cowboy style. Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.



(1) Just one God.

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.

(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.

(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.

(5) Put nothin' before God.

(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.

(7) No killin'.

(8) Watch yer mouth.

(9) Don't take what ain't yers.

(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.





That's kinda plain 'n simple don't ya think?



Y'all have A NICE Day NOW, Ya Hear?



May God litter your life with blessings!

I can't wait for all the Texas is God's country posts........

Texas is GOD's country. :D

i grew up in houston,but born in colorado city in the dust bowl. i like the post but couldn't stand living in houston anymore, me and my family went to visit grandma during christmas,and things have changed so much i was glad to get back to north carolina. maybe out in country would be better, but as far as in the city no thank you.:)

I'm sorry to have to tell you this....REALLY....I am!


But......... MONTANA is "God's Country". Texas is just where God rested, after forging out "The Big Sky Country"!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Why....the best water in the Gulf of Mexico, start's it's journey to the Gulf, from the hills above Wisdom Montana!! :p :smokin:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Wait - I was always told that Wisconsin is God's country. I think we need to have a battle royale to figure out who wins.

Houston is a much different city than it was 30 years ago. I don't think that I could live there either. Way too much traffic and the humidity and heat can really get to you in the summer. Texas is much nicer when you get away from the larger cities. There is some beautiful country in the state. Of course, that is their slogan. "Texas is a whole other country."

I hate to inform you but you are both wrong. Perhaps we need to take a poll. :lol:

It's a long drive from Los Angeles to Houston. I've done it. It's a very long drive from El Paso to Houston. :p :lol:

From the Texan 10 Commandments:

(3) No telling tales . ....

Well.... I guess that means all Texans are goin' to Hell! :clap:

Nope. Wisconsin is CHEESE country! ;)

Not really! Sorry, but most of it is as FLAT as my ex-girlfriend and twice as barren!

The sagebrushed Western part of Texas is just boring. Hardly even a hill or mountain to break the monotony. The "grassy" East is just flat and speckled with only a few trees. Even the green grass of the Oklahoma panhandle STOPS at the border of Texas! :lol:

Only Texans would make a mountain out of the mole-HILL country. :hellno:

Sure, the coastline is pretty.... when not covered in oil.... but there's no WAVE action! A coastline of a big LAKE (the Gulf) as opposed to the open ocean! :thumbsdown:

Maybe I missed something in all these years.... but, I can't recall ever seeing acres of "amber waving grain," nor purple mountain majesty. nor fruited plains. And for the most part.... even the SKY seems to be boring itself to sleep.

I can't say exactly where God's Country IS.... it's a tough call between Colorado, Montana and the Pacific Northwest.... but, I'm pretty sure Texas was created on one of his "down" days! No inspiration... no miracles... no desire to impress.

Even the American Indians steered clear of it for the most part.... settling instead in the lands of New Mexico/Arizona... or Oklahoma.... the Dakotas... and even the Southeast. Others, of course, preferred the Northeast, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the Northwest. Note: American Indians are renowned for their love and appreciation for the LAND.

The SPANISH form of the word was TEJAS.

The Caddo indians mostly inhabited western Oklahoma and Louisiana because they were "semi-sedimentary" That means they cultivated and lived off the land. For that.... they needed fertile soil... something found ONLY near the borders of Oklahoma and Louisianna.

The rest of the state is a wasteland.

Interesting fact for truckers: It is 822 miles from the border near Shreveport on I-20 to the border just west of El Paso. You can travel ALL day and never get OUT of that state! (under HOS rules.) :hellno::lol2:

Texans are know for their "grit." I'll give them THAT! Because it TAKES alot of grit to live in the ugliest part of America and STILL have the bravado to claim "superiority." They never learned "humility." :roll: :lol2:

We are "in" Texas for the same reason we are "in" Iraq.... OIL! (and for geographical expedience.) Our military trains in Texas for deployment to the deserts of Iraq! Does THAT tell you something? ;)

Okay GMAN.... Y'all can FIRE BACK now! I'm through trashing Tejas! :lol2::clap:

Thank you for lumping all four of your responses together, golfhobo. It makes it easier for me to ignore them.

Texans take pride in their state. They sacrificed much to be free from tyranny. Just so you know, Texas is actually pretty fertile. They grow a lot of produce in the valley. By the way, that is in south Texas. Texas is one of the few states that can pretty much be self sufficient. They grow their own food, raise their own meat and drill their own oil. They also have their own military to defend themselves. In reality, the U.S. would sorely miss Texas should they actually decide to secede. :smokin:

That would have been more difficult for me thanks to the current software. But, I noticed that I CAN now quote and paste a single statement from a post. I thank IBADMIN for that. See... it WASN'T AOL software.... it was the SITE!

As for making YOUR job easier? Not really concerned. YOU took the job. Deal with it. By your OWN testimony, I am not one that you have to "watch" all the time. I push the envelope (according to you) but don't cross the lines. The only one that caused that problem is no longer here, so you don't REALLY have to "watch me" so closely. YOUR choice.

I didn't say it was for moderating purposes that I was ignoring your posts.:lol:

GMAN said:

AS THEY SHOULD! But, so do ALL Americans in any state!

Really? MORESO than the Colonialists did to win America's freedom from Britain? .... WITHOUT the help of Texans? In actuality, Texans would have LOST their fight for freedom without the help of other Americans.

Well.... I've yet to make it to the McAllen area. I'm quite sure that, with the help of American funding for irrigation, they've made a garden down there. But.... that is NOT representative of West Texas. I lived for 4-5 years in Texas [ IN the fertile part ] and spent a few more months in training in different places. I know SAND when I see it!

More propaganda. No WONDER you like Palin so much. She says the same about Alaska! Any state, under the economies of 100 years ago could be self-sufficient. But, without a MARKET for your oil or your beef, you'd DROWN in the excess!

Same as above. And please CHECK the state of registration on MOST oil companies in Texas. Where do you think the investment money came from to DRILL that oil? Even YOU must agree that the original Texans were poor by contrast. I'm quite SURE that they didn't find and exploit that oil on their own!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

They have nothing MORE than a "National Guard" like ALL OTHER states! They couldn't even defend their OWN territory without help from other states during their fight for "independence." There's not a STATE in this "UNION" that could defend itself against an invasion by a COUNTRY like Mexico or Canada.... or even a few states combined.... without HELP from the U.S. Military! THAT was one of the foremost reasons for the foundation of our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT..... that you so DESPISE!

You don't GET IT, do you? You CAN'T "secede." A few Southern states tried that once, and they were beaten! YOU Texans "cast your lots" along time ago with America, and now.... like all of us... you are OWNED by it! We've invested TOO much into your infrastructure. We NEED the roadways that cross your barren state to effect interstate commerce with the West. We even get SOME of our oil from you. We don't REALLY "need" your Gulf water ports, we have OTHERS. But, we cannot allow such an expansive border with Mexico.... especially one accessible by SEA!

I wasn't around when we "purchased" Louisianna, or "entreated" with Mexico and the Republic of Texas to make them part of America. But, I'm quite sure that there were geographical concerns that ruled the decisions made. We did the same with Russia and Spain to get the REST of our country.... including Alaska! I believe they were smart decisions. We NOW have a country that is bordered on THREE parts MOSTLY by water, upon which we RULE (as Britain once did)

It should be evident by the fact that we invaded Europe by SEA, that such a "frontier" is the hardest to defend. We now control EVERY border with the SEA. And with the "purchase" or whatever of Alaska... we put at least the Bering Sea between us and Russia.

The expansion of our country, for the protection of its citizens, necessarily demanded an expansion of government AND the expense to maintain that security. I doubt that ANY of us would begrudge the cost of the greatest military in the World.... as long as it is DEFENSIVE and not "Imperialistic."

I believe it was COMMERCE and the treaties engaged in for that purpose that bogged us down. And WHO lobbies our Congress for such commercial protections and advantages? The OWNERS of those "big" businesses! Which brings us back to the REPUBLICAN party.... and their REAL "agenda." Which is the Class warfare we left England to defy!

Well... SOUNDS like a true point. But then.... if you were ignoring them... why did you read them and respond? :lol2:

Okay... dont' SAY it! I KNOW you didn't have to READ them in order to respond! ;)

YOUR loss! Have a nice day, Rev! :thumbsup:

Your rants always say the same thing. If you've read one, you've read them all.

And THAT response shows how ignorant, or perhaps just how insolent, you are!

I RANT against different things... at different times... for different reasons.

I don't come to CAD to talk about my kids (which I don't have) or my job (which I don't hate.) I don't ASK for "quarter" and I give it only when it is deserved.

I have ranted against religion, trucking, political propaganda and "adverse moderating conditions." Oh... and misinterpretations of the FMCSA rules!

I'm quite sure that my rants are original, and specific to the topic at hand. If YOU think they are "all the same," then I suggest you turn in your badge!

Now... THIS is not a "rant" against your moderating skills or your pathetic reply to my last post. I have seen improvement in the former, and I expect no better in the latter.

Sorry, gotta go! Bill Maher is on! His insight is worth TEN of YOUR posts!

Just so you know...it's 879 miles from the border of Louisiana at Orange....to the New Mexico border at Anthony.

Just so you know!!

And Houston is in there as a blockade!! :lol:

57 more miles of HELL if you take the "extreme" southern route! :lol2::lol2:

C'mon......theres Ft Stockton and the Comanche Truck stop. Got to the Atrium across the sreet and next to the hotel and spend some time on line 5. The bartender and the cocktail waitress are well worth the stop.

damn dude, i've been there and couldn't WAIT for my 10hr break to be over. ft stockton is a dive town. i'd rather be in lubbock. at least in lubbock, stuff happens. :smokin::thumbsup:

The Comanche has an 8 pound burger and fries for twenty something dollars. If you take it down in under an hour then it's free.

i wouldn't be able to handle that. i'd barf all over the place.

Bourne is about half-way between Kerrville and San Antone. Actually, there are more towns along I-10 than some other places.

You wanna see a whole lot of nothing? Drive on hwy 82, from Wichita Falls to Lubbock.
For about a 160 mile stretch, there are 4 towns. Seymour, Benjamin, Guthrie, and Dickens. Seymour is 50 miles west of Wichita Falls, and Dickens, the furthest, about 140 miles west of Wichita Falls, or 60 miles east of Lubbock. All 4 towns are roughly 30 miles apart. In between, just a barb wire fence on both sides of the highway. A lot of deer, pigs, and no tellin what all you might see out there.
I drive it 5 nights a week, running linehaul.
Some nights can get long. At the same time, I've seen some sunsets that even the world's greatest artists couldn't paint. Nothing prettier than watching the sunset on top of the Caprock. (elevation-4,000 some-odd feet). Especially when the sun is setting behind the clouds.
I've seen and driven through thunderstorms that would turn you white. It can be pretty wicked in the spring, early summer when tornado season is open.

No, Wisconsin is a cold day in hell.

:rofl:
That's just wrong! Funny, but wrong. :lol:

I have to admit.. Some places, I wouldn't wanna live. Like, around Guthrie. Living in a town that has maybe a 100 people living there and 30 miles from any other town. Of course, all 100 people probably work for either the 6666 (four sixes) Ranch or the Pitchfork Ranch. Both ranches are huge!

Maybe, I'm proud. Or maybe I am biased. Call it whatever you want to. Texas IS pretty.
Sure, out west, your hat may blow off on a daily basis, and we have our dust, and the tumbleweeds.
Texas also has the Hill Country. Have you ever driven around Fredricksburg, or Dripping Springs, or Devil's Backbone? Some pretty country down there. Big hills, with purple trees, and wildflowers as far as you can see.
Texas also has the Big Ben Country. The Apaches said that when you climb up the Chisos Mountains, you can see Heaven.
Texas also has the Caprock Canyons, and the Palo Duro Canyons. You can see forever in those canyons. Lots of rough, but pretty terrain.
You say that we don't have mountains? Go see the Guadalupe Mountains. You can touch the stars when you are on top of the Guadaloop.
Texas also has the vast open range of the Llano Estacado.
As much open range as Texas has, Texas also has the Piney Woods. Go see the Lake o the Pines. Pretty country over there in East Texas. :D
There are a lot of places in Texas where it wouldn't take long to get lost.

Texas also has the Texas Rangers. The Texas Rangers can ride like a Mexican,
track like an Indian, shoot like a Tennessean.

I also forgot to mention that Texas leads the country, or should I say, supplies the country in Beef, and Cotton, and Texas Tea, oil that is. Texas also supplies a lot of lumber from the east.

Us Texicans, we take pride in our state. Not just because of it's pretty country, or 'hospitality', but because we earned our Statehood. Texas didn't get it's Statehood on a silver platter, but it fought, and won it's Statehood. We Texicans are thankful for the few volunteers that believed they could stand up and fight, and once see a free Republic.

Another thing I liked about Texas were all those side-routes I found myself on when I was doing trips through there not long ago.
Not to mention the smaller, 500-1000 people towns that were about as laid back as could be.

One day, sooner than later, I'll be able to bust out of this fool's Gold state and get to some place safe.

And their schools seem pretty top-notch as well.

i remember my first trip to el paso, working for a dinette company out of houston, i thought when i got to van horn i was in el paso, not hardly. i thought i'd never get there. then the fun started i had about 8 furniture stores to find. you'd be suprised how many dinette sets you could get in a 48' drop van. joy!:block:

Some people mistakenly think that Texans are arrogant. In fact, it is pride you find in native Texans. You will find a self assurance in those who were born in the state. Their pride is often mistaken for arrogance.

anybody ever try the kolaches when going through schulenburg across i-10, my grandfather used to live there.:thumbsup:

I thought to myself, "Where in the world is Schulenburg?-Sounds like a German town."
So, I searched it. West of Houston, right off the Interstate.

Speaking of kolaches, they must be pretty good down there. I have to admit. I also searched, 'kolaches'. I've heard of them, but I couldn't remember what exactly what they were. I've never eaten one, as far as I know.
Here is the history, from Wikipedia.

Nothing like a couple Kola's in the morning with yer coffee! With jalepeno's of course!! All they are, is a sausage wrapped in a sweetbread bun. Very tasty indeed! Every donut shop on the gulf coast sells em. :love:

the ones i used to get were like a round danish with the fruit filling of your liking in the middle, yumm yumm. i also miss whatburger drive inn's. and monterey house.:thumbsup:

Dem'dere are scones! Kolaches are always with meat in the center.