Texas Highways, Volume 42, Number 8, August 1995 Page: Inside Front Cover
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas State Publications and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
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This issue marks the 20th anniver-
sary of perhaps the most popular
column in Texas Highways history.
Speaking of Texas, originally compiled
by Pete Haight of the Texas Depart-
ment of Transportation's Travel and
Information Division, debuted with the
August 1975 issue of the magazine.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, a two-
decade stint with the Marine Corps
had taken Pete away from Texas. When
he retired from the service, Pete want-
ed to learn more about home. He picked
up the monumental Handbook of Texas
and recalls reading the volumes "from
cover to cover."
Before long, Pete "started collecting
little curiosities, anecdotes, facts, and
figures" about Texas, and sent them to
then-Texas Highways editor Frank
lively. Frank liked Pete's work and
published it. Texas Highways readers
liked it, too.
"I couldn't think of a better way to
learn about Texas," says Pete. "I went
through the Handbook of Texas, old Texas
Almanacs, most anything I could get my
hands on to come up with Speaking of
Texas items. It's amazing what comes
out of the woodwork. It was a lot of fun."
Pete wrote Speaking of Texas until
the early 1980s, when staff members
began to compile the column. Over
the years, the column's popularity has
remained strong. Every readership
survey we have conducted reveals that
Speaking of Texas is the most widely
read column in the magazine. Today,
dozens of individuals send in items for
the department, which senior editor
Ann Gallaway has edited for several
years. Thanks to Ann, our contributors,
and the wealth of Texas oddities and
Lone Star lore, Speaking of Texas
should remain a Texas Highways staple
for years to come....
We would also like to thank Dr.
Fred Tarpley, a professor of English
at East Texas State University in
Commerce and at Jarvis Christian Col-
lege in Hawkins, for his help in review-
ing Howard Peacock's story on thebois d'arc tree. Fred, who has
authored books such as Place Names
of Northeast Texas, 1001 Texas Place
Names, and Jefferson: Riverport to the
Southwest, is currently working on a
book about the bois d'arc.
Fred regrets that most Texans don't
value the bois d'arc, a native only to a
swath of the U.S. that includes the
Blackland Prairie and the Red River
Valley. As Howard's story shows, the
tree may not be the prettiest, its thorns
the friendliest, its fruit the smoothest,
or its wood the easiest to work, but
since before the days of the pioneers,
the bois d'arc has yielded colorful dyes,
tannin, wood for the finest hunting
bows, and a wealth of legend and lore.
Maybe stories like Howard's, Fred's
forthcoming book, and celebrations
like Commerce's Bois d'Arc Bash
and Bonham's Bois d'Arc Festival
can keep alive the wonders of the boda-
cious bois d'arc.
This issue also covers some big
summer bloomers-sunflowers-as
well as summertime thirst-quenchers-
the popular products of Texas' flourish-
ing brewpubs and small breweries.
We hope you enjoy these ambrosial
brews, in moderation, of course....
Next month's special issue covers
the rivers of Texas. Early in our plan-
ning for that issue, we realized that we
wouldn't be able to fit all the major
rivers we wanted to cover into one mag-
azine, so this month we feature the
Colorado, Pecos, and Trinity rivers.
In case you missed them, last month
we included stories on the Canadian
and Neches watersheds. Enjoy this
month's streams, sunflowers, and
brews, and join us next month as we
journey from the ruddy Red River to the
silvery Rio Grande.Texas &T
AUGUST 1995 VoL. 42 No.8
GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
GEORGE W. BUSH
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
DAVID M. [AITat
Commissioner of TransportationDAVID BERNSEN
ANNE S. WYNNE
WilliAM G. BuJRNII' P.E.Member
Member
Executive DirectorPUBUSHED MONT IY BY
ZTAVEL AND INFORMATION DMvSION
DORIS HoWDHEIu Division Director
HERMAN KEUNY Publisher
DEBBIE THOMPSON Products Director
GLENDA ROGERS Marketing Director
ROZELLE AMICK Fulfillment Manager
CYN1I-nA KOSEL Assistant to the PublisherJACK LOWRY
Ja.ILAWLESS
ANN GAUAWAY
NoIA McKEY
LoRI MOFFATr
MICHAEL A. MURPHY
JANE WU
NoRA R. MoLENAEditor
Managing Editor
Senior Editor.
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Photography Editor
Art Director
Editorial AssistantTexas Highways (ISSN 0040-4349) is published
monthly by the Texas Department of Trans-
portation, 1101 East Anderson Lane, Austin,
Texas 78752. The official travel magazine of
Texas encourages recreational travel within
the state and tells the Texas story to readers
around the world. Texas Highways is funded sole-
ly through sales of magazines
and related products. Texas
Department of Transportation Ur
1995. All rights reserved. at- n
Publisher's office: 512/483-3671.
The editorial office of Texas Highways is at
1101 EastAnderson Lane in Austin. Call 512/483-
3675; fax 512/483-3672. Send queries about man-
uscripts or photographs to Box 141009, Austin,
Texas 78714-1009. We are not responsible for
unsolicited materials.
Subscriptions to Texas Highways are $12.50 an-
nually ($20 foreign). Single copies, $2. To order
a subscription or to request a change of ad-
dress in a current subscription, write to Texas
Highways Circulation, Customer Service, Box
5016, Austin, Texas 78763-5016, or call 512/483-
3689,483-3688, or 800/839-4997.
Ify ' _ MEMBER, INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL
MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION
PRINED IN U.S.A. ON RECYCLED PAPER
Second Class Postage paid at Austin, Texas, and
additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER- Send
address changes to Texas Highways Circulation, Box
5016, Austin, TX 78763-5016.
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Texas Highways, Volume 42, Number 8, August 1995, periodical, August 1995; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth838408/m1/2/?q=central+place+railroads: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.