From East Texas to El Paso, Four Texans Reflect on Where They’re From
Over the years, Texas Monthly’s most celebrated voices have written about the places that shaped them, from the Panhandle to the border. We revisit some of the classics.
Books
January 21, 2013
Irregular Joe
His stories are grotesque, disturbing, and award-winning: Meet Nacogdoches’ Joe R. Lansdale, the most twisted writer in Texas.
Texas History
January 20, 2013
Meanwhile, Back at the Cadillac Ranch
It’s not just another roadside attraction—here’s to a lasting monument of Texas kitsch.
Music
January 20, 2013
Bob Wills
Which future Texas governor hired Bob Wills to play on his Fort Worth radio show?
Texana
January 20, 2013
The Heat Generation
What was Texas like before air conditioning? Thinking about it gives me the chills.
Texas History
January 20, 2013
Texas Primer: Barbed Wire
It spelled the end of the open range and the beginning of modern Texas.
Texas Primer
January 20, 2013
Leon Jaworski
At what age was Leon Jaworski the youngest lawyer in the history of Texas?
Sports
January 20, 2013
Texas Primer: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
How much are the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders paid per game?
News & Politics
January 20, 2013
Abraham Zapruder
How much did Life pay Abraham Zapruder for the rights to his assassination film?
Texas Primer
January 20, 2013
Mary Martin
How many times did Mary Martin shampoo onstage while appearing in South Pacific?
The Culture
January 20, 2013
The Belle Curve
Sexist, shmexist: For pure viewing enjoyment, my feminist friends and I know that nothing can match the Miss America Pageant.
Culture
January 20, 2013
Phyllis George
Phyllis George and Texas’ other former Miss America’s didn’t let the tiara go to their head.
Music
January 20, 2013
Mance Lipscomb
What was so special about Mance Lipscomb’s dentures?
Being Texan
January 20, 2013
Texas Primer: The Hi Sign
The laid-back Texas way of saying howdy on the road.
Texana
January 20, 2013
Fave Combo
Let's hear it for beans and cornbread, the tastiest of plate-mates, a classic Southern supper—and a meal any fool can cook.
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Great Escapes
From a boutique hotel in hip South Austin to a bed-and-breakfast across the Mexican border, from fly fishing on the Llano River to bathing in the Chinati Hot Springs, 33 getaways the guidebooks don’t tell you about, courtesy of our intrepid staff of weekend warriors.
The Culture
January 20, 2013
Going For the Jiggler
Explaining the enduring appeal of Jell-O can be as challenging as, well, nailing it to a tree.
Feature
January 20, 2013
A Texas Survival Kit
What to do if you're bitten by fire ants, lost in the wilderness, sprayed by a skunk, attacked by a shark, stuck in a lightning storm, swept away by a riptide, or caught in any of eleven other worst-case scenarios.
Anne Dingus
January 20, 2013
Mentionables
From bullet bras to panties emblazoned with the Lone Star flag, a brief history of women’s underwear in Texas.
Texas History
January 20, 2013
Making Up Is Hard to Do
How the cosmetically challenged among us manage to save face.
Texas History
January 20, 2013
The Way We Wore
From buckskin to polyester, a look at 166 years of Texas fashion that doesn’t skirt the issues.
Style & Design
January 20, 2013
FASHION • Tom Ford
Man makes the clothes.
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Townsfolk
La Grange’s Mr. Barbecue, the police chief of Athens: fifteen local characters with, er, character.
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Shops
Elegant antebellum furniture in Jefferson, Latin American folk art in Smithville: Where the buys are in two dozen communities.
Recipes
January 20, 2013
A Texas-Style Christmas: Feast Meets West
If traditional holiday meals leave you hungry for something new, you’ll devour the dishes that Dallas chef Dean Fearing has prepared.
Encyclopedia Texanica
March 1, 2007
Texas Myth #92
How many Texans died at the Alamo?
Business
January 1, 2007
Texas Myth# 31
Did The Texas Chainsaw Massacre really happen?
Encyclopedia Texanica
November 1, 2006
Texas Myth # 113
Does the ten-gallon hat hold ten gallons?
Encyclopedia Texanica
August 31, 2006
Texas Myth# 471
Who put the Bowie in the bowie knife?
Encyclopedia Texanica
June 30, 2006
Texas Myth #29
Was J. R.shot in Dallas?
Encyclopedia Texanica
April 30, 2006
Texas Myth #319
Do horny toads really squirt blood?
Encyclopedia Texanica
January 1, 2006
Texas Myth #264
Oil’s well that begins well.
Encyclopedia Texanica
September 30, 2005
Texas Myth #665
Great Houston’s ghost!
Feature
August 31, 2005
The Answers
1. a, 3; b, 1; c, 2 2. d 3. the horny toad 4. c 5. b 6. XIT 7. c 8. 1936 9. a, 2; b, 5; c, 6; d, 7; e, 1; f, 3; g, 4 10. buffalo 11. Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was the second president of the
Feature
August 31, 2005
This is Only a Test
One hundred simple questions—well, not that simple— stand between you and Texas literacy.
Encyclopedia Texanica
July 31, 2005
Texas Myth #14
Is DWB (driving while barefoot) illegal?
Food & Drink
July 31, 2005
Let Me Call You Sweet-Tart
I’m in love with you, cherry lime.
Web Exclusive
May 31, 2005
A Cook’s Tour
From tamales and chile con carne to boiled fish and macaroni with mushroom sauce, the first-ever compendium of Mexican American cooking, Mexican Cooking: The Flavor of the 20th Century—That Real Mexican Tang, takes readers on an unusual culinary ride.
Encyclopedia Texanica
May 31, 2005
Texas Myth #198
Is Juneteenth ours?
Food & Drink
May 31, 2005
Critters And Fritters
You’d love my collection of vintage Texas cookbooks. Just don’t ask me to cook from them.
Encyclopedia Texanica
April 1, 2005
Texas Myth #321
Bluebonnet burglars, beware?
Encyclopedia Texanica
February 1, 2005
Texas Myth #714
No, you can’t shoot your adulterous wife.
Anne Dingus
February 1, 2005
Message In a Bottle
Blondness—natural or otherwise— is even more Texan than Big Hair.
Encyclopedia Texanica
December 1, 2004
Texas Myth #454
Gene Autry’s reindeer games.
Critters
September 30, 2004
Case by Case
What to do in ten more worst-case scenarios, from getting bitten by a brown recluse to getting caught in a dust storm.
The Culture
September 30, 2004
Encyclopedia Texanica
The seven dips on a Texas trip.
Anne Dingus
July 31, 2004
The Rat Unpacks
I've been collecting vintage Texana since I was ten years old, and believe me, I've got loads. But it's time to sell.
The Culture
June 30, 2004
Encyclopedia Texanica
How high may our flag fly?
Reporter
April 30, 2004
Encyclopedia Texanica
The myth of the saguaro cactus
Reporter
April 1, 2004
Blame That Tune
Why Anne Dingus hates "Texas, Our Texas."