Texas Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

Looking for Texas trivia? Try our list Texas little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—The admonition “Don’t take any wooden nickels” doesn’t apply in San Antonio, home to the Old Time Wooden Nickel Co., which makes more than 5 million “woods” per year. The wooden nickels are used as souvenirs, advertising promotions, holiday greetings and personal announcements for weddings and births. On the site of the Old Time Wooden Nickel Co. is the Wooden Nickel Museum, which exhibits a collection of vintage wooden nickels, including a giant wooden nickel measuring 13 feet, 4 inches in diameter.

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—Naturalist and TV personality Euell Gibbons was born in Clarksville (pop. 3,883) in 1911. His 1962 book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus, was an instant hit with a growing back-to-nature movement and tells how to find, gather and prepare wild foods.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

Larry Hagman, the lovable astronaut in the 1960s TV series I Dream of Jeannie and devious millionaire in the TV soap opera Dallas, which aired from 1978 to 1991, was born in 1931 in Fort Worth.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

Established in 1935, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest national wildlife refuge in the state. Located south of Muleshoe (pop. 4,530), the refuge encompasses 5,809 acres and serves as a wintering area for waterfowl, including Sandhill cranes.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—President Lyndon B. Johnson’s home office on his ranch near Stonewall (pop. 469) opened last summer. The National Park Service, which owns much of the ranch, renovated the late president’s office so visitors can view the way it appeared when the 36th president used it.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

The unincorporated community of Ding Dong was named for two relatives—Zulis Bell and Bert Bell—who in the 1930s opened a country store on the Lampasas River about midway between Killeen and Florence (pop. 1,054). Their sign painter painted two bells and “ding dong” on the sign and the small town that grew up around the store took the “Ding Dong” name. Coincidentally, Ding Dong is in Bell County.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

In the early 1900s, the Texas Basket Co. in Jacksonville (pop. 13,868) made wooden fruit and vegetable baskets for tomato growers when Jacksonville was known as the Tomato Capital of the World. Today, the company manufactures hundreds of basket styles.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Opened in 1928, the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian (pop. 159) is midway on U.S. Route 66. From MidPoint, it’s a 1,139-mile drive west to Los Angeles and 1,139 miles east to Chicago. The cafe also is famous as “home of the ugly pie crust.”

first appeared: 12/29/2008

The most affluent city in the United States with a population of 250,000 or more is Plano, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city has the highest income and lowest poverty rate. The median household income in 2007 was $84,492.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—The world’s first master’s degree program in ranch management is offered at Texas A&M University in Kingsville (pop. 25,575). Besides graduate-level business courses, students are schooled in rangeland specialties, including animal nutrition and wildlife management.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—Friday, June 13, was Oliver Peck’s lucky day. Peck, co-owner of Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, broke the record for most tattoos inked in a single day. He tattooed the number “13” on 415 customers in the 24-hour period, earning him a listing in the Guinness Book of Records. With many old churches silhouetting its skyline, Fredericksburg (pop. 8,911) is known as the “City of Steeples.”

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—The Center for the Intrepid rehabilitation center in San Antonio treats soldiers and veterans with serious injuries so they can return to normal life. The $50 million center, built with private donations, is said to be the most advanced rehabilitation center in the world, offering a therapy pool, climbing tower, a vehicle simulator, firearms simulator and a prosthetics lab.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

The Grapevine Vintage Railroad makes runs between Grapevine (pop. 42,059) and the Fort Worth Stockyards, giving riders an early-1900s railroad experience. A restored 1896 steam locomotive named “Puffy” pulls Victorian-style coaches across 21 miles of track.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—Up to 3 million bats have made an abandoned railroad tunnel their home at the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management area south of Fredericksburg (pop. 8,911). The bats, which migrate to Mexico during the winter, can be viewed from May to October as they emerge from the 920-foot-long tunnel at dusk in search of insect meals and when they return at dawn.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

Local historians say Gun Barrel City (pop. 5,145) got its Western-sounding name from nearby Gun Barrel Lane, which provided a straight shot between Mabank (pop. 2,151) and Seven Points (pop. 1,145), and from the city’s motto, “We shoot straight with you.” Gun Barrel Lane eventually became State Highway 198.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

Visitors to Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose (pop. 2,122) can view dinosaur tracks formed 113 million years ago. The tracks are preserved in the bed of the Paluxy River, which runs through the 1,500-acre park, making Glen Rose the official “Dinosaur Capital of Texas.”

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—The Breedlove Food Dehydration Plant in Lubbock is the world’s first nonprofit dehydration plant dedicated to relieving hunger. The plant makes dehydrated rice dinners, vegetables and soup mixes that are sent to food banks and international charities. Millions of its meals have been delivered to victims of natural disasters in the United States and around the world.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

Since January, the state has been giving vouchers worth up to $3,500 to drivers who trade in their old, air-polluting clunkers for new, more energy-efficient cars. Under the “Drive a Clean Machine” program, motorists in 16 counties in the Dallas, Houston and Austin areas who meet income and other guidelines can get the vouchers.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—John Lopez of Poteet (pop. 3,305) uses a novel ingredient in the writing pens he makes: cow patties. Lopez mixes powder from the droppings with plastic resin to craft the brown-flecked clear plastic pens. The South Texas Cow Patty Pens sell for $45.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

Lecil Travis Martin, also known as Boxcar Willie, country music’s most famous hobo, was born in 1931 in Sterrett. Martin, known for his railroad songs, was a fixture in the music mecca of Branson, Mo., where he died in 1999.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.