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TEXAS FORUM • TRAVEL FORUM
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January
2006 Clarification
of Alamo Information on Web Site
Let me just pass along a couple of things about your Alamo information.
First, The Alamo is NOT the most popular tourist attraction or most visited site
in Texas. It is No. 2. The San Antonio River Walk, which is open 24 hours a day
(vs 8-5 at the Alamo) attracts about twice as many visitors as The Alamo, according
to a comprehensive and extensive professional visitor survey done by the San Antonio
Convention and Visitors Bureau and the findings of the Texas Economic Development
office in Austin.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas
Department of Tourism information saying the Alamo is the No. 1 attraction is
based on surveys done at the tourist information centers just inside the state's
borders where people coming into the state may stop and indicate where they plan
to go. It is completely random and informal and not at all scientific. The San
Antonio visitor survey done at the airport, downtown tourism locations and street
interviews included detailed questions lasting about 10-15 minutes and even telephone
followups after visitors returned home to ask if they visited other sites after
being interviewed and why, etc.
While the numbers are now a bit dated,
the city visitor survey concluded that 3.1 million people a year visit the Alamo
(actually go on the grounds or into the buildings vs. walking up to it outside
after closing time) and that more than 6 million visitors a year go onto the downtown
River Walk (not counting locals who go there with visitors or on a regular basis).
The
Daughters of the Republic of Texas, in fact, have people with mechanical head
counters at the door who click each and every visitor who enters the shrine. The
DRT's actual head count and the extrapolated numbers from the city's survey professionals
had virtually identical numbers for visitors to the Alamo. Tourism experts in
San Antonio have maintained for at least 20 years that the River Walk draws more
people than the Alamo. It attracts more visitors every year than the entire State
of Hawaii.
As for the name Alamo, yes it is Spanish for cottonwood, but
the name was given to Mission San Antonio in 1802 when a cavalry unit was sent
here to reinforce the military garrison and La Segunda Compañía Volante de San
Jose y Santiago del Alamo de Parras (The Second Flying Company of San Jose y Santiago
del Alamo de Parras) in Coahuila took up residence in the closed mission complex
and nicknamed it after their hometown.
That is where the name came from.
There is no evidence there were ever any cottonwood trees around the Alamo. Records
show the buildings were referred to as The Alamo after the cavalry unit from Alamo
de Parras arrived and moved into the mission compound.
By the way, it
is Alamo de Parras (not Pamas as you have it) and a "flying company" is a light,
high-speed cavalry attack unit, they do not actually fly.
The cavalry
unit at the Alamo, by the way, remained part of the official military presence
in San Antonio through the transition from Spanish to Mexican governments and
ended its official duties only on June 4, 1836, when Col. Juan Seguin, commander
of the only Tejano company to fight in the Battle of San Jacinto, returned to
San Antonio after the victory at San Jacinto to take possession of the city and
accept the surrender of the Mexican garrison, including the Flying Company still
stationed at The Alamo. - DAVID ANTHONY RICHELIEU, San Antonio 78205, Same
ZiPCode as The Alamo, January 29, 2006
Pumpville
Texas
Pumpville
has a fairly significant appearance in Cormac McCarthy's novel "All
the Pretty Horses ."
It's the last village in the U.S. that the two main characters in the story visit
before crossing over into Mexico, where the majority of the book takes place.
Jamie Barnes, Montgomery TX, January 28, 2006
Onalaska
article
I read with great interest Bob Bowman's article, "The Four
Towns of Onalaska." It was enjoyable reading.
I am originally from Onalaska,
Wisconsin. It might be a nice addition to the article if Mr. Bowman would include
the information that the town name "Onalaska" originally came from the poem, "The
Pleasures of Hope" by Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell. Mr. Campbell's poems were
very popular in American grade schools in the mid-1800s. Thomas G. Rowe, one of
the men who platted Onalaska, Wisconsin, carried a copy of Mr. Campbell's poems
around with him on his adventures. He decided to name his new townsite, "Oonalaska"
(the original spelling Campbell used in his poem) but then decided to drop the
extra "o" at the suggestion of his good friend, Harvey Hubbard, an attorney and
later, a La Crosse County, Wisconsin judge. The then "village" of Onalaska was
founded in 1851, many years before Mr. Carlisle owned his sawmill in the original
Onalaska of the lower 48 states. Onalaska was a lumbering community from the start.
It was on the Black River, whose watershed was once a great "pinery" of white
pine. Mr. Carlisle owned a mill near the end of Onalaska, Wisconsin's heyday as
a lumbering center. He is not considered a town founder in Wisconsin's Onalaska
-- the town was founded many years before he came on the scene.
Thomas
Campbell is buried in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, England. The famous "wolf
couplet" that mentions "Oonalaska" is inscribed on his tombstone. By the way,
of course he made a mistake when associating wolves to Unalaska Island -- there
hasn't been any wolves there since the last ice age. Campbell also admitted, before
his death, that he borrowed the wolf couplet from another poem, a common practice
at the time. The poem was originally published in 1799, when Mr. Campbell was
only 21 years old. - George Tabbert, now residing in Winona, Minnesota, January
28, 2006
Chatmas
Theatre, Hearne Texas
The picture you show as the Chatmas Theatre is
not the Chatmas. The one you show is actually west of the Chatmas. This was the
Mexican theatre, the Queen.
The Chatmas was where the Guy Chandler Park
is now. They have a Veteran's Memorial there.
I grew up in Calvert, lived
there a while as an adult, and taught in Hearne for many years. I spent a lot
of happy hours in the Eloia in Calvert
and the Chatmas in Hearne, with trips to the drugstore afterward.
The
night the Chatmas burned, we could see the glow in the sky from Calvert. We were
all sad that it was not rebuilt. So, there is nothing left of the Chatmas.
You
might contact the "Hearne Democrat" for a picture of the two theatres in Hearne,
when they were in good shape. Someone in Hearne, maybe the library, might have
a picture to share.
There was also a drive-in theatre in Hearne. It was
located where the motels are just north of Hearne on Highway 6, and that triangle
formed where the Cameron Highway goes past the Fireman's Hall.
An Austin
artist, Larry Willcott, I believe is his name, has a lovely watercolor of the
Eloia in Calvert. All that is missing is movie posters in the display cases, the
popcorn machine, and Miss Eloise in the ticket booth, Carl standing by the popcorn
machine, and their son in his A&M uniform selling popcorn. (They didn't sell drinks
and candy at the Eloia. But, the Chatmas had a glistening candy counter inside.)
Hope this helps. Check with some oldtimers to be sure you have the right buildings.
Some of the newcomers don't know. - Cecelia Conitz Heinrich, January 28, 2006
The
Big Tree
From the Lamar Peninsula. Thought you might like this. - Ken
Rudine, January 27, 2006 (See photo)
Sparenberg,
Texas
The
correct spelling is Sparenberg with an 'e' not Sparenburg with a 'u' The difference
between the two is German vs British spelling (the family name is German in origin)
Thank you. - James Sparenberg, January 25, 2006
Mobeetie,
Texas
I
grew up in Pampa, Texas, about 20 miles from Mobeetie in the 1950s and 60s. I
seem to recall many years ago hearing a story told by Texas writer, free speech
hero, and humorist, John Henry Faulk, about how Mobeetie was named. In the story
as told by John Henry, the citizens wanted to name the town Sweetwater but the
name was already taken by another Texas town. Efforts to name the town Sweetwater
in Spanish were to no avail because 'Agua Dulce' was already a town down in the
Texas Coastal Bend. The citizens decided to name the town Sweetwater in the Cheyene
language because Cheyene Indians worked and lived at Fort Elliot. So a man was
sent to Fort Elliot to ask what is the Cheyene word for Sweetwater. The Indian,
who was a Cheyene Indian Scout chuckled and said, "Mobeetie." It was about two
years later when the citizens of Mobeetie found out why the Indian had chuckled
when providing the translation. According to the story told John Henry, it turns
out that "Mobeetie" in Cheyene means "buffalo dung". Anyway, that is how I remember
the story.
Work for the Lord---the retirement is out of this world!
- Rev. Carl W. Clark Driftwood United Methodist Church, Driftwood, Texas, January
24, 2006
Sterling
City, Texas
I
was born and raised in Sterling City. In 1974 I was one of the last babies to
be delivered by Dr. Swan in the hospital there.
I just wanted to let y'all
know that one building [in your coverage] has been left out. That would be the
landmark on main street catercorner from the courthouse and the jail. That building
has been there forever. It was a motel at one time and a bank and is supposed
to be haunted. It was redone to be a restaurant then the ownership changed and
it was reopened up as a restaurant again and again. I remember hearing about it
being haunted more than once. I thought that y'all would like [to share] that
little tidbit - Debra Wimberly, former Sterling Citizen, January 19, 2006
Fayetteville,
Texas
Fayetteville
Cemetery
I've
been looking through your website and would like to visit some of the places described.
Do you have GPS coordinates for the Fayetteville Cemetery? I haven't been able
to turn up a description for the location so far. It would be helpful to publish
GPS coordinates for reference, since many people these days either have them in
the car or use handheld units while out exploring new places. Your site has been
quite interesting -- I've been laid up in bed with a rather nasty bug, and it's
helped to distract me from feeling quite so miserable. Planning trips to some
of the historic cemeteries has been a good diversion. Thank you for any assistance
you could offer. - Sincerely, Kim Stephens, January
17, 2006
Brenham,
Texas
Yellow
Fever Cemetery Brenham, Texas
We made a trip to Yellow Fever Cemetery in Brenham
Texas this morning using the directions on the web site, the directions need
to be changed some, they have closed part of the Old Masonic Road off that goes
behind the new housing area that has been built next to the cemetery.
Better
directions should be take Highway 36 north turn on Dupree Drive take first left
which will be Old Masonic Drive and cemetery is just to the right.
I must
say the cemetery was in horrible shape they have started cleaning a small part
of it but I think they may be just destroying what is left of the headstones.
I do hope some one can take the time to go in there and fix the remaining headstone
without causing more damage. - Dawna Carlton, January 15, 2006
Cool,
Texas
I
am a Coolite and I came across your website a couple of days ago. I am putting
together some pictures and info about our beautiful town to send you. I need to
take a couple of pictures and then I'll send what I know about some of the things
Cool has within its city limits. Thanks for a great website! - Cindy Serrano,
Cool, Texas, January 15, 2006
New
Sweden Church
A co-worker of mine was unfamiliar with the New Sweden
church and this article described and illustrated it very nicely. About the Readers
Comments additions at the bottom of the page, a reader described the "Amana" school
building near Kimbro, an old 2 room school. It actually “Manda” and my father
also attended classes there as a boy. I think it was used in a movie in the 1980’s,
the Robert Redford, Waldo Pepper, or something like that. Very nice website, really
enjoyed it. - Mark Thompson, January 13, 2006
Maypearl
Texas
You
said you didn't know what people of Maypearl called them says but your guess was
Maypearlers. Well we call ourselves Maypearlians. - Niki Larson of Maypearl,
January 12, 2006
MARFA STORE
YOUR STORE FRONT GOT OUR ATTENTION THIS LAST FRIDAY NIGHT AS WE HEADED INTO MARFA
TO SEE THE LIGHTS...WE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND TOOK A PICTURE OF
YOUR PRADA SHOE STORE..AND THOUGHT WE SAW ALIENS WEARING YOUR SHOES INSIDE ONE
SMALL ALIEN FIGURE LOOKED TO BE CARRING A PRADA HANDBAG...WHEN I CHECKED MY CAMERA
LATER TO VIEW THOSE PICTURES THEY WERE GONE EXCEPT FOR THE ONE PICTURE OF THE
ENTIRE STORE FROM THE HIGHWAY..YOUR PRODUCTS ARE NOW KNOWN THRU OUT THE GALAXY....WE
LOVED THE STORE AND WONDERED WHERE THE GAS STATION WENT MAYBE NEXT TRIP WE'LL
SHOP YOUR STORE DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS....THANK YOU THE KLOCK FAMILY
FROM FARMINGTON NM, January 08, 2006
Graham Texas
I was surfing the net this afternoon and found your website. I was looking
at the photo of the National Theater in Graham and the caption “One of the two
theater buildings on the square in Graham”. Actually there is a third. I believe
it was called The Palace. The other theater is the Leon. The Palace is located
north of The National about 2/3 of the distance between it and the Leon. I don’t
know what the building is now but it was remodeled and opened as a Whites Auto
Store some time in the late 1950s, approx. The original sloping floor was leveled
by a lumber false floor built over the concrete. I don’t know why all three theaters
are in the same block. Maybe it was the natural slope that more easily accommodated
the theater seating. The photo is of the west side of the square, looking west,
and the slope is toward the rear of these buildings.
If you ever go to
Graham, walk around behind the National and look at the north side of the theater
building near the rear. You will see a large 8’ diameter (approx) circle in the
brick. That is where the windmill fan was installed to air condition the theater.
I understand that the fan was electrically powered and there was a large intake
covered by evaporative cooler padding, and this created an early evaporative cooler,
sort of.
Incidentally, I was born (11-08-1946) and raised in Graham. I
attended 12 grades of public school. I moved away for the last time in 1977. Isn’t
this silly. I can’t remember breakfast but I do remember something that happened
45 years ago. - Don Wignall, Carrollton, TX, January 07, 2006
Rising
Star Texas
My grandmother had the 1st. set of twins born there. I
think in Eastland County, but not sure. One was named after Truman Higginbotham
White and the other was named after the other owner. Truman H. White and his brother
who died at 18mo. Marshall and Mary White, parents. Grand-daddy White had a wood
leg he had made after he got it caught in a peanut thrasher. The Store brought
2 sets of cribs, highchairs, and chester-drawers that were made of beautiful wood.
One set for each boy. It was a gift. My parents farmed, then moved to oil field
work, then back to "Star ", Cleo "Shook" and Howard White. Bet if you ask the
old people they can really give you stories about Daddy. I am also 1st cousin
to the Longs. Aunt Rene " Rieghly Long's wife," and Aunt Claudia May "Bill Gardner's
Wife" were Mom's sisters. Aunt Sue Gardner as ya'll called her. You may not even
want to know any of that. But Thanks anyway, Patsy Nixon, January 07, 2006
Topsey
Texas
My twin brother and I were born in Topsey in 1936 (at home).
We attended the old school there and also attended the Baptist Church. My grandfather,
Solon Saunders Vardiman, preached there and their home was on the same road with
the church. I remember Mr. Jeffrey's old store. Daddy would take us to get a cold
soda packed down in a tub of ice. - Mary Gail Cowan Leming, January 07, 2006
Vernon
Texas -
Beware of Gas Prices in
Vernon
Fill
your tank before coming to Vernon. Gas prices in Vernon now is higher than California!
- Henry W. Yao, January 06, 2006
Luling
Texas - Subject:
Sarg Records
My
name is Graham C. Marshall and I live in East Yorkshire, England. For a brief
period in the seventies I corresponded with Charlie Fitch of Sarg Records. Does
anyone know anything about him? Is he still alive? I should be very grateful if
you could find someone who could enlighten me. Thanks, Graham, January 05,
2006
Vernon
Texas - Subject:
Kramer's studio
I found numerous old, old photos left by my Grandmother, they were developed at
Kramer Studio in Vernon, Texas. Can you tell me if, by some miracle, it's still
in business or what may have happened to it? Thanks, Margie Foster, OKC, January
05, 2006
Dimmitt
Texas
I
think I got the whole town in this image.
While this doesn't show much of Dimmitt, it represents how I see my hometown.
Thanks for your work on the website. - Bryan Mayfield, January
02, 2006
Carthage
Texas -
Letter from a founder's descendant:
Andy Anderson
of Cartage wrote to correct an error and to extend a cordial invitation to visit
Carthage. "Jonathon ANDERSON not Allison, donated the 100 acres of land. Jonathan
"Old Shelby" Anderson was my Great-Great Grandfather [who is now buried] at the
old plantaion site, where the Anderson cemetery now stands. He out-lived three
wives. They are buried north & south and he is buried at their feet, east & west."
Mr. Anderson also mentions that the recently constructed Veterans Memorial and
the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Museum should be included under Carthage
attractions. - Editor, January 2, 2006 |
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