Facts About Texas

eMail | 2-10-04 | unknown

[FlyLow]

No one asked for these, but here are some little known facts about Texas. I know y'all just can't wait to read them!

Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles 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, 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." El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas. Laredo is the world's largest inland port. Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world's largest rose garden with over 38,000 bushes with 500 varieties on 22 acres. The State shell is Lightning Whelk. 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 a t 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 Mexican for Texas. The State animal is the Armadillo. * The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

IT IS THE ONLY STATE THAT CAN HAVE A REFERENDUM AND DIVIDE ITSELF INTO FIVE (5) STATES, PER ITS TREATY TO BECOME PART OF THE UNITED STATES.

*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!

[cavtrooper21]

FYI ping

[You Dirty Rats]

Another interesting Texas Fact:

Phil Sheridan claimed that if he owned Hell and Texas, he'd rent out Texas and live in Hell.

[Hodar]

I just knew you wanted to weigh in on this one.

[MD_Willington_1976]

They also have there own seperate electrical grid...there's the western grid, the eastern grid...then there's the texas grid...

[bigcheese]

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

Ah yes... I spent many a night out "looking at that tree". That tree is beautiful even through fogged up car windows :-)

[Texican72]

Phil Sheridan claimed that if he owned Hell and Texas, he'd rent out Texas and live in Hell.

I'm sure there are a few Texans that believe thats right where old Phil ended..... ;)

[The South Texan]

We keep liberals confined to the city of Austin.

[Joe Hadenuf]

We keep liberals confined to the city of Austin.

Yet you allow millions of illegal aliens to run loose all over the state?

[narby]

I'll never forget my move from Houston to Los Angeles.

Packed up the U-Haul, and launched off early one morning. Drove hard all day, and spent the night somewhere in west Tx.

Got up early the next day, and drove hard almost all day, and finally got to El Paso.

Figured out it was farther from Houston to El Paso than from El Paso, through New Mexico, Arizona, and the California desert to Los Angeles.

D@mn, what a big place.

Only more impressive drive was 5 days on paved roads in Alaska. Then looking at a map of the whole state and discovering I had seen only a teeny corner of it.

[pwatson]

The only correction is after Texas lost the Civil War and re-joined the Union under the Reconstruction Acts, it no longer had the ability to succeed or break up into small states as it did the fist time it joined the Union.
Regards,
Paul 5th Generation Texan

[elbucko]

....."he'd rent out Texas and live in Hell."

I'll drink to that. LBJ was from Texas and sent me through Basic Combat Training at Fort Bliss, Texas in the Spring of 1967. I'd rather be from Oklahoma, than Texas.

[fritzz]

I was at that wonderful hotel in Galveston last month. Built after the 1900 storm to promote new tourism. If we are speaking about same hotel.

[Schattie]

I sit on the toilet
my cheeks a-flexin',
about to give birth
to another texan.

- anonymous

[38special]

There Ain't No Surf In Texas!

[pax_et_bonum]

Texas ping!

[Johnny_Cipher]

My grandfather once had to drive from Arkansas to New Mexico in the 30s. He told me of an old saying about driving across the state:

"The sun has riz, the sun has sit. But I am still in Texas yet."

[Johnny_Cipher]

Dropping off the kids at the pool, eh? :)

[shaggy eel]

The State animal is the Armadillo.

,,, are these best roasted, stewed or turned on a BBQ?

[fritzz]

I'll drink to that. LBJ was from Texas and sent me through Basic Combat Training at Fort Bliss, Texas in the Spring of 1967. I'd rather be from Oklahoma, than Texas.

Yea, but Fort Bliss "isn't" Texas, it looks more like New Mexico. I'm not from Texas and I'm not knocking Oklahoma. My daughter lives in San Antonio and I quite like it.