Texana
349 stories
A Q&A With Michael Hall »
The senior editor on following the paper trail of Texas history, learning about Jack Johnson sparring with “Chrysanthemum Joe” Choynski, and researching his own family roots.
February 2012 Interview by Alexandra Scoptur
History Lesson
A slide show of ancient court records that tell the story of Texas. Text by Michael Hall. Photographs by Randal Ford.
February 2012
The Paper Chase »
Two old law school buddies (one of whom happens to be the chief justice of the state Supreme Court) are on a mission to rescue thousands of crumbling, fading, and fascinating legal documents from district and county clerks’ offices all over the state. Can they save Texas history before it’s too late?
February 2012 by Michael Hall
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Learning to speak Texan, postprandial bed-sharing, how to start a fire, and a barber shop conundrum.
February 2012 by David Courtney
Cutting For Sign »
What every Texan should know about cutting for sign.
February 2012 by Andrea Valdez
A Q&A With John Spong »
The senior editor on why the Alamo is so important, how Fess Parker and Davy Crockett sparked a phenomenon in the fifties, and what Phil Collins is really like.
January 2012 Interview by Jessica Huff
Come and Take a Look at Me Now »
Against all odds, Phil Collins has turned himself into a world-class Alamo buff who will happily talk your ear off about Santa Anna and Davy Crockett. Can you feel it coming in the Bexar tonight?
January 2012 by John Spong
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Watching the Super Bowl on the sly, meeting the Hill Country neighbors, sharing a bed with man and dog, and smoking grapevine.
January 2012 by David Courtney
The Bucks Stop Here »
East Texas deer breeder Billy Powell flouted the laws against importing live whitetails, emailing photos of his illegally obtained animals to prospective customers. Then Texas Parks and Wildlife came calling.
January 2012 by Lee Hancock
Tanning a Deer Hide »
What every Texan should know about tanning a deer hide.
January 2012 by Andrea Valdez
Custom Belt Buckles »
What every Texan should know about custom belt buckles.
December 2011 by Andrea Valdez
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Enforcing gravel-road etiquette, contemplating “turkey bacon,” reconsidering the bolo tie, and sussing out the true meaning of “goat roper.”
December 2011 by David Courtney
Farmers Flight! »
Texas A&M’s announcement that it was bolting the Big 12 for the SEC signaled the end of a passionate rivalry with the University of Texas that has defined the two schools for more than a century. But what does the end of Aggies versus Longhorns mean for the rest of us?
November 2011 by Paul Burka
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Our advice columnist on roadkill cuisine, zip-up “cowboy boots,” people we may or may not hate, a proud “fourth- or sixth-generation” Texan, and the best place to propose.
November 2011
Water Dowsing »
What every Texan should know about water dowsing.
October 2011 by Andrea Valdez
Common Threads »
Karey Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes have finally completed their life’s work, a massive three-volume history of the quilts of Texas, from 1836 to the present. Here are ten that tell the story of quilting—and our state.
September 2011 by Katharyn Rodemann
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Taxidermy and relationships, school colors abroad, and the proper terminology for a small piece of property.
September 2011
Hitching a Livestock Trailer »
What every Texan should know about hitching a livestock trailer.
September 2011 by Andrea Valdez
A Stitch in Time
A slide show of images of quilts from the archives of experts Karey Patterson Bresenhan and Nancy O’Bryant Puentes.
September 2011
Cowgirl Up »
The word probably makes you think of rhinestone-studded jeans, floppy-brimmed hats, and Nashville queens, but “cowgirl” ought to stand for the tough pioneer women who built ranches and went on cattle drives and the hardy rural women who are out there today doing their fair share of the work, usually invisibly, to maintain a majestic way of live.
August 2011 by Barney Nelson
The Skirmish Will Be Followed by a Ladies’ Tea »
The Civil War may be 150 years old, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still stir up a fuss (Confederate license plate, anyone?). Just ask one of the hundreds of very accurately uniformed reenactors who descend on Jefferson every year to die for the cause.
August 2011 by Katy Vine
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007 »
Expensive quinceañeras, dangerous toys, lawn-watering etiquette, and seasonal restrictions on chili consumption.
August 2011
Noodling »
What every Texan should know about noodling.
August 2011 by Andrea Valdez
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