Stephen Harrigan
Selected articles from the Texas Monthly Archives 1974 to 1999
They were classic Texas Indians—fierce, majestic, and free. Today's Comanches find their lives defined by legends and bitter truths. [February 1989]
You can lead a herd to water, but can you make a miniseries faithful to Larry McMurtry's Texas Classic? [June 1988]
Henry Cisneros has the vision and charisma of a born leader. Does it matter that he has the soul of an Aggie? [September 1987]
The Yellow Rose of Texas [Texas Primer]
If it wasn’t for the song, no one would remember Emily Morgan, but she launched a nation by diverting Santa Anna at San Jacinto. [April 1984]
The Tumbleweed [Texas Primer]
It’s only a humble thistle, but when you see one, it’s sure to put you in a lonely, rambling, Western frame of mind. [March 1982]
Planet X! We’re Waiting for You!
That’s the message Ray Stanford sends nightly into outer space; so far no one has answered. [February 1976]
Features
The Children of Texas
I was never certain how to explain the importance of the state to my three daughters. Now that I have two grandsons—named Mason and Travis, no less—I’ve realized something that I should have known all along.
Where Is My Home?
A culinary obsession that began decades ago in my grandmother’s kitchen sent me on a quest through Central Texas (and way beyond) for kolaches—not the best ones but the ones that would lead me to myself.
The Peculiar Monument
In this exclusive excerpt from Remember Ben Clayton, a new novel by Stephen Harrigan, a sculptor meets a lonely rancher who has lost his son and needs something to remember him by.
Tusk!
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by mammoths, those giant, prehistoric creatures that once roamed Texas. So I decided to go looking for them.
The Great Terquasquicentennial Road Trip
Some people call it a quartoseptcentennial, or a septaquintaquinquecentennial (seriously), but you’d better save your breath. You’ll need it on this wide-ranging 6,000-mile voyage commemorating Texas’s 175th birthday. It starts in Glen Rose, ends in Austin, and stops along the way at 175 places that tell the story of the state, from the grassy field in La Porte where independence was won to the parking garage in Dallas where the Super Bowl was dreamed up; from the Austin dorm room where Dell Inc. was born to the college hall in Houston where Barbara Jordan learned to debate; from the hotel in San Antonio where Lydia Mendoza recorded “Mal Hombre” to the—well, you get the idea. And you’d better get started. The road awaits . . .
We’ll Always Have Austin
In the late sixties, the Capital City was just as thrilling, drug-addled, pompous, and aimless as you’ve heard. Especially if you came from the provinces.
The Bucket List
Driving the River Road, in far West Texas; having a drink at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, in Dallas; fishing for bass in Caddo Lake; eating a chicken-fried steak in Strawn; searching for a lightning whelk along the coast; and 58 other things that all Texans must do before they die.
Horsemen, Pass By
In Bill Wittliff’s Lonesome Dove photos, make-believe has never seemed so real.
Liftoff!
In this exclusive excerpt from Stephen Harrigan’s new novel, Challenger Park, a female astronaut confronts mommy-track issues on the way to outer space.
Heaven & Earth
The break-up of the space shuttle Columbia was a chilling reminder that the astronauts who dare to dream and risk their lives for the benefit of all mankind are, at the end of the day, mere mortals.
The Gates of the Alamo
An exclusive excerpt from Stephen Harrigan's eagerly awaited novel.
My Own Private Alamo
After 164 years, what more is there to say about (or see at) the old mission church in downtown San Antonio? That depends on how you look at it.
To Dive For
For breathtaking snorkeling in subterranean rivers and caverns, take the road out of Cancún and head for the Yucatán rain forest.
My Underwater Self
From the YMCA pool to the ocean blue, I’ve always been at peace in the deep.
The Lost Tribe
They were the classic Texas Indians—fierce, majestic, and free. Today’s Comanches find their lives defined by legends and bitter truths.
Extra! Extra!
In which the author becomes a star—for three seconds.
The Making of Lonesome Dove
You can lead a herd to water, but can you make a miniseries faithful to Larry McMurtry’s Texas classic?
Texas Primer: The Balcones Escarpment
The blackland prairie of the old South meets the wide-open spaces of the wild West at Texas’ great geologic divide.
The Time of His Life
Henry Cisneros has the vision and charisma of a born leader. Does it matter that he has the soul of an Aggie?
The Coronary Bypass
In Texas, survivors of this life-and-death operation wear their scars like medals of honor.
Texas Primer: The Yellow Rose of Texas
If it wasn’t for the song, no one would remember Emily Morgan, but she launched a nation by diverting Santa Anna at San Jacinto.
On the Edge of Texas
For hundreds of years man—from the Comanche to the backpacker—has tried to conquer Big Bend. Still, it remains wild, stark, and pristine.
The Baby Factory
At Houston’s Jefferson Davis Hospital, the wonders of modern medicine collide with the raw realities of birth, poverty, neglect and hope.
Sniffing
A visit to San Antonio’s underground city, looking for kids with a can of paint and a nose for thrills.
Planet X! We’re Waiting for You!
That’s the message Ray Stanford sends nightly into outer space; so far no one has answered.
The Alamo? Sure. Two Blocks, Turn Right, And It’s Right Across From The Five And Ten.
You remember, don’t you? ThatÃs the place John Wayne died.
The Big House Goes Coed
The Federal prison in Fort Worth is unique in more ways than one.
Let the Love Light Shine
Those Jesus Freaks are your children. But what's the colony like in Dallas?
Columns | Miscellany
His Perfect World
Growing up in Longview and Texas City, John Lee Hancock dreamed of a life in the movies. Today, he’s one of L.A.’s hottest screenwriters.
Deconstructing Willie
Carnality, Castration Anxiety, and Jouissance in Willie Nelson’s Taco Bell Commercial.
Briar Patch
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