Texas Handbook

700 Pages·1998·93.999 MB·English

by  Joe Cummings

MOON TRAVEL HANDBOOKS
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TEXAS
HANDBOOK
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TEXAS
HANDBOOK
FOURTH EDITION
JOE CUMMINGS
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Pleasesendallcomments,
TEXAS HANDBOOK corrections,additions,
FOURTHEDITION amendments,andcritiquesto:
Publishedby TEXASHANDBOOK
MoonPublications,Inc. MOONTRAVELHANDBOOKS
P.O.Box3040 P.O.BOX3040
Chico,California95927-3040,USA CHICO,CA95927-3040,USA
e-mail:[email protected]
Printedby www.moon.com
ColorcraftLtd.
© TextandphotographscopyrightJoeCummings,1998. PrintingHistory
Allrightsreserved. 1stedition—August1990
© IllustrationsandmapscopyrightMoonPublications,Inc. 1998. 2ndedition—September1992
Allrightsreserved. 3rdedition—January1996
Somephotosandillustrationsareusedbypermission 4thedition—April1998
andarethepropertyoftheoriginalcopyrightowners.
ISBN:1-56691-112-5
ISSN:1078-5418 £P
wr br o'
Editor:DonRoot %\
CopyEditor: AshaJohnson SB-8
Production&Design:RobWarner
Cartography:BobRace
Index:DianeWurzel
Frontcoverphoto:theAlamo,courtesy TexasHighwaymagazine
AllphotosbyJoeCummingsunlessotherwisenoted. MO! HTAff£ l. i
DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadabyPublishersGroupWest
PrintedinChina
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybetranslatedorreproducedinanyform,exceptbriefextracts
byareviewerforthepurposeofareview,withoutwrittenpermissionofthecopyrightowner.
Althoughtheauthorandpublisherhavemadeeveryefforttoensurethattheinformationwascorrectat
thetimeofgoingtopress,theauthorandpublisherdonotassumeandherebydisclaimanyliabilitytoany
partyforanylossordamagecausedbyerrors,omissions,oranypotentialtraveldisruptionduetolaboror
financialdifficulty,whethersucherrorsoromissionsresultfromnegligence,accident,oranyothercause.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
TheLand
1
Topography;Climate;TravelSeasons
Floraand Fauna 13
Vegetation; Wildlife
History 23
Prehistory; EuropeanContact;Anglo-American MigrationandMexican Rule;TheTexan
Revolution;The RepublicofTexasand U.S. Annexation; Statehood, Secession, andCivil
War;TexasinTransition;Oil; IntotheTwentiethCentury; PostwarTexas
Governmentand Economy 40
ThePeople 43
Population; Ethnicity; Language
TexasMusic 49
Bluesand R&B; CountryandWestern;Tex-MexandTejano; CajunandZydeco; Rock
andRoll;Jazz
SPECIAL TOPICS
The Trans-Pecos 4 TexasFilm 41-42
TheRioGrande 7 AmerindianOrganizations
TexasIronwood 15 in Texas 44
SnakebitePrevention Discography 57
andTreatment 20-21
ON THE ROAD 60
OutdoorRecreation 60
PublicLands; HikingandBackpacking; Hunting; Fishing; Birding;WaterSports;
GuidedTrips
Artsand Entertainment 66
Classical PerformingArts;TexasRootsMusic; Museums; Rodeo; OtherSpectatorSports;
Festivalsand Events
Accommodations 76
Hotelsand Motels; BedandBreakfasts; Dude Ranches; Hostels;Camping
Foodand Drink 80
BorderCrossings 87
IntoMexico; IntoTheU.S.
ServicesandInformation 88
GettingThereandAround 91
ByAir; ByLand; BySea
SPECIAL TOPKS
TexasRodeo 69-70 BitsandBites 82
CowboyPolo 72 AcrosstheBorderline 87
NationalHolidays 74
WESTTEXAS 96
El Paso 96
Historyand Economy; Sights; Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events;
Recreation; Shopping; Information; GettingThere; GettingAround;CiudadJuarez,
Mexico; HuecoTanksStateHistorical Park
GuadalupeMountainsNational Park 126
LandandClimate; Floraand Fauna; History; PineSprings; McKittrickCanyon;
DogCanyon;Williams Ranch; HikingandBackpacking; HorsebackRiding;
Servicesand Information
DavisMountains 137
DavisMountainsStatePark; FortDavis; Sights;Accommodations;VicinityofFortDavis
Big Bend National Park 144
LandandClimate; Flora; Fauna; History; ParkAccess;Accommodations; Services,
Activities,and Information; Drivinginthe Park; Hikingand Backpacking; RunningtheRio
Grande; Mexican BorderVillages
VicinityofBig Bend 165
LajitasandVicinity;Terlingua; StudyButte; Big Bend RanchState
Park; PresidioandVicinity;Ojinaga, Mexico; PresidiotoMarfa; Marfa;Alpine; Marathon;
MarathontoHeathCanyon; FortStockton; Sanderson
Toyah-Permian Basins 194
Pecos; MonahansSandhillsState Park; Odessa; Midland; BigSpring
Amarillo 202
Sights;Accomodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Shopping; Information;
GettingThereandAround
VicinityofAmarillo 210
PaloDuroCanyonStatePark; Canyon; BuffaloLakeNationalWildlife Refuge; Caprock
CanyonsState ParkandVicinity; Fritchand LakeMeredith
Lubbock 216^
Sights; Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Shopping; Information;
GettingThereandAround
ThePrairies 226
Abilene;WichitaFalls
SanAngelo 233
Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Recreation; Shopping;
Information;Transport;VicinityofSanAngelo
Del Rio 244
Sights; Accommodations; Food; Events; InformationandServices
VicinityofDel Rio, LowerPecos 251
Amistad National RecreationArea; SeminoleCanyonStateHistorical Park; Langtry;
Devil's RiverState NaturalArea; Brackettville
SPECIAL TOPICS
The Tigua 101 TheLegendofLost
EarlyArtists 124 MinePeak 164
SacredMescal 129 ChihuahuanDesert 166
BigBendBlackBears 147 SierradelCarmen 171-172
SeeingtheLion 148 DonaldJuddinMarfa 184
TexasMountainRanges 154 LlanoEstacado 214
NORTH CENTRALTEXAS 260
Dallas 260
Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Sportsand Recreation;
Shopping; Information; GettingThereandAround
FortWorth 278
Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Sportsand Recreation;
Shopping; Information; GettingThereandAround
VicinityofDallas-FortWorth 295
Arlington; Irving; Glen Rose;Waxahachie; special topics
Hagerman NationalWildlife Refugeand *""*; "•••••••••
FlyingDiscFuss 282
Vicinity
Waco 306 BootsandBootmakers 293-294
Sights;Accommodationsand Food; 10-2-4 309
InformationandServices
SOUTH CENTRALTEXAS 312
Austin 312
Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Recreation; Shopping;
Information; GettingThereandAround
VicinityofAustin 342
Highland Lakes;Wimberley; Georgetown; San Marcos;WashingtonCounty;
Bryan/CollegeStation
HillCountry 353
Bandera; Kerrville;Comfort; Fredericksburg; VicinityofFredericksburg; FrioandSabinal
Canyons; Utopia
SanAntonio 377
SanAntonioMissionsNational Historical Park;TheAlamoState
HistoricSite; MuseumsandGalleries; Paseodel Rio(RiverWalk); HistoricDistricts;
HistoricArchitecture; ModernArchitecture;ZooandThemeParks; OtherSights;
Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Sportsand Recreation; Shopping;
Information; GettingThereandAround
VicinityofSanAntonio 423
NewBraunfels;GuadalupeRiverRecreation; Castroville; Uvalde;
PannaMaria; PalmettoStatePark; Shiner; Schulenburg
SPECIAL TOPICS
TheBarbecue Triangle 326 TheSecondBattle
SurvivingSXSW 335 oftheAlamo 385
PipeCreekJunctionCafe PaseodelRio WalkingTour 389-390
ButtermilkPie 357
SOUTHTEXAS 438
UpperSouthTexas 438
Goliad; ChokeCanyonStatePark; Kingsville
RioGrandeValley 445
TheLandandWildlife;Climate;WinterTexans; Harlingen; LagunaAtascosaNational
WildlifeRefuge; Brownsville; Matamoros, Mexico; SantaAnaNationalWildlife Refuge;
McAllen; Reynosa, Mexico; Bentsen-RioGrandeValleyStatePark
s
Lared0 469 SPECIAL TOPICS
Sights;Accommodations; Food;
ERenctreerattaiionnm;enSth;oEpvpeinntgs;;ISnpfoorrtmsatainodnand C'hfi/e?f?O!u6a™n'ahioPa'riker 460-461
Services; GettingThereandAround; *nJd*e TexaSPey°teros 48°-481
NuevoLaredo, Mexico; Southeastof TheKlkaPu 485
Laredo; NortheastofLaredo
GULFCOAST 488
TheLandandSea
GalvestonIsland 489
History; Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Recreation; Shopping;
Information;GettingThereandAround
VicinityofGalveston 508
BolivarPeninsula; Brazosport
CentralCoast 514
MatagordaBay; LavacaBay; MatagordaIslandStatePark
CorpusChristi 520
Sights;Accommodations; Food; Entertainment; Events; Recreation; Shopping;
Information;GettingThereandAround
VicinityofCorpusChristi 536 $J?iqAL topic
PortAransas; Rockport-Fulton;Aransas DivingtheFlowerGardens 505
NationalWildlife Refuge; Padre Island PadreIslandJellyfish 552
NationalSeashore; South PadreIsland The Texas-Honduran
and PortIsabel Connection 562
EASTTEXAS 564
TheLand;ThePeople
Houston 566
Climate; Sights;Accommodations; Food; LiveMusic; OtherEntertainment; Events;
Sportsand Recreation; Shopping; Information; GettingThereandAround
TheCajunTriangle 593
Beaumont; PortArthur; Orange
PineyWoods 610
BigThicketNational Preserve;Alabama-CoushattaIndian
Reservation; National Forests;
Tr»Pir«
Nacogdoches;TexasStateRailroadState ".^V.IAk.TP.P.'.V.?.
Historical Park;Tyler; Kilgore; Longview; SwampCool 602
Jefferson;Texarkana PortArthurGumbo 605
RESOURCES 638
Booklist 638
TexasMusicSources 642
INDEX 643