Texas History
November 22, 2019
JFK’s Assassination Only Grows More Distant at Dallas’s Sixth Floor Museum
Thirty years after opening, the museum approaches its dark history from an increasingly detached remove.
Being Texan
Meanwhile, in Texas
November 20, 2019
Meanwhile in Texas: If the Boat’s a-Rockin’ . . .
Plus, some people in Houston really, really want a Popeyes chicken sandwich.
Style & Design
November 20, 2019
The Power of Boots
The cowboy boot is more than a sturdy piece of workwear. It’s more than a fashion statement, too. It’s a vital piece of Texas culture, as complicated, diverse, and ever-evolving as the makeup of our state.
Style & Design
November 20, 2019
Behold the Art of the Cowboy Boot: Bolder and Better Crafted Than Ever
Across the state, custom bootmaking legends and their successors are building on a handcrafted tradition with a dizzying array of styles.
Style & Design
November 20, 2019
Texas Is the State of the Cowboy Boot. But the History Is More Complicated Than You Think.
What we know today as the cowboy boot is a distinctive offshoot of styles favored by Genghis Khan, the Duke of Wellington, and myriad other horsemen throughout history.
Style & Design
November 20, 2019
Texans and Their Boots: Reflections From a Few of Our Favorite People
The stories, the traditions, and the deeper meanings of the boots in their lives.
Style & Design
November 20, 2019
An Inside Look at the Making of a Great Cowboy Boot
The master bootmakers at Little’s, in San Antonio, demonstrate what goes into a fine boot.
Texas History
November 11, 2019
“We Cannot Forget About Them”: A Southwest Pilot Brings His Father’s Remains Home to Dallas
Roy Knight Jr. was killed in action in Vietnam, and his remains were missing for decades. Now his family has finally found closure.
Being Texan
November 4, 2019
The National Media Hilariously Misunderstands Texas Geography
All the news from the “Dallas suburb” of Marfa and the “adjacent” regions of El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley.
Being Texan
November 1, 2019
See How Our Readers Celebrate Día de los Muertos
We put out a call for stories about Texans memorializing the Mexican holiday.
Texas History
October 30, 2019
A Final Toast to the Quirkiest Little Dive Bar in the Piney Woods
Ray Gene, proprietor of Longview’s singular It’ll Do Tavern, passed away last weekend.
Best Thing in Texas
October 16, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Trae tha Truth, Houston Hero
The rapper continues to lift up those in need in his hometown.
Meanwhile, in Texas
October 16, 2019
Meanwhile in Texas: Five Baby Alligators Were Found in a Hamlin Backyard Pool
Plus, two Amazon drivers were accused of stealing a dog in Parker County.
Country Notes
October 16, 2019
A Lone Postman Delivers the Mail to the Far Reaches of the Big Bend
Not many people will drive the mail to places the U.S. Postal Service won’t. Seventy-one-year-old Gilbert Lujan is one of them.
Best Thing in Texas
October 11, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: It’s Cold
After the longest summer we can remember, the seasons are finally changing.
Being Texan
October 3, 2019
The Summer That Wouldn’t Die
I left Texas after the brutal summer of 2011, only to return in time for the hottest September on record.
Best Thing in Texas
September 27, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Tony Romo Is a Legit Professional Golfer
He’s good at everything!*
Texas History
September 24, 2019
Dallas’s Newly Reopened Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Calls Visitors to Action
The institution has changed its mission to also acknowledge traumas experienced by other groups.
The Texanist
September 22, 2019
The Texanist: How Can You Be a Texan If You’re a Liberal?
An unnamed person from an unspecified place has an unsavory point of view.
Best Thing in Texas
September 20, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Imelda Edition
The storm’s consequences have been serious, but people affected by it have found ways to be joyful nonetheless.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
‘Big Wonderful Thing’ Author Stephen Harrigan Explains Why Davy Crockett Was the Taylor Swift of His Day (Sort Of)
The Austin author on his fascination with H.L. Hunt, his inability to hate Santa Anna, and how he met the challenges of writing a history of Texas for the twenty-first century.
Country Notes
September 18, 2019
Long Live the ‘Big Bend Sentinel.’ Viva ‘El Internacional.’
Small-town papers often serve as bearers of civic pride. But the former owners of Marfa’s Big Bend Sentinel and Presidio’s International learned long ago that writing the news meant looking out for their neighbors.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
The New Texas History
Stephen Harrigan’s ’Big Wonderful Thing’ sweeps away decades of mythmaking. Are we ready to remember the Alamo—and the Texas Rangers and the Civil War—differently?
Meanwhile, in Texas
September 18, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Cow Rang a Doorbell in Mansfield
Plus, a school district accidentally auctioned off its students’ private information.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
‘Big Wonderful Thing’ Excerpt: “Sediciosos”
In the early twentieth century, long-simmering tensions in South Texas erupted into a grim and brutal race war.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
‘Big Wonderful Thing’ Excerpt: “Savage Ware Fare”
After breaking away from Mexico, the combative Republic of Texas took its fight against Native Americans to the heart of Comanchería, led by a group of militiamen who called themselves Rangers.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
‘Big Wonderful Thing’ Excerpt: “Reason Had Left Its Throne”
As the Civil War violently divided the nation, Texan turned against Texan.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
Américo Paredes vs. J. Frank Dobie
For years, the great folklorist convinced many scholars and activists that the vaunted “Texas Man of Letters” was an anti-Mexican racist. Maybe it’s time to reconsider that judgment—as Paredes himself eventually did.
Texas History
September 18, 2019
The Battle to Rewrite Texas History
While a new generation of scholars is rewriting our history, supporters of the traditional narratives are fighting to keep their grip on the public imagination.
The Texanist
September 15, 2019
The Texanist: The ‘Nub’ of a Corny Dog Is Good Eatin’, Right?
An Austin couple debates the culinary worthiness of the crusty little ferrule beloved by many State Fair of Texas-goers.
Being Texan
September 13, 2019
Legends of the Fall
Those wistful end-of-summer photos on Instagram have us deeply envious.
The Texanist
August 31, 2019
The Texanist: What Do I Do When I See an Upside Down Texas Flag?
A Dallas man vacationing on the Jersey Shore is discombobulated by a discombobulated Lone Star Flag.
Business
August 30, 2019
Break’s Over: Texas Is Only the Fourth-Hardest-Working State in America
A new study finds the Lone Star State lagging behind in backbreaking labor.
The Texanist
August 25, 2019
The Texanist: Is There Really Only One Natural Lake in Texas?
A Southlake transplant falls hook, line, and sinker for the lie aquatic.
Texas History
August 23, 2019
Why Billy Bob’s, Texas’s Most Famous Honky-Tonk, Isn’t a True Honky-Tonk
A brief history of one of our most beloved (and endangered) cultural institutions.
Meanwhile, in Texas
August 20, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Rat Snake Was Found in a Walmart Shopping Cart
Plus, an escalated karaoke squabble and a Little League embezzlement.
Being Texan
August 20, 2019
The Best Honky-Tonks in Texas
We traveled 3,000 miles to find the state’s best little country joints. Welcome to neon nirvana.
Being Texan
August 14, 2019
What Does It Mean to Be Latinx in the Wake of El Paso?
A reflection on the recent shooting that left 23 people dead.
Best Thing in Texas
August 12, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Once Again, Simone Biles Shows Why She’s the Greatest of All Time
Over the weekend, she became the first person ever to perform two gymnastics moves.
The Texanist
August 11, 2019
The Texanist: Are the Marfa Lights Overrated?
An El Paso man wasn’t impressed by his recent viewing of the West Texas phenomenon.
Best Thing in Texas
August 7, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: This 11-Year-Old Is Showing the World What El Pasoans Are Made Of
After last weekend's mass shooting, Ruben Martinez created the viral #ElPasoChallenge to inspire random acts of kindness.
The Texanist
August 3, 2019
The Texanist: If You Didn’t Live in Austin, Where Would You Live?
A Houston man wants to know if our columnist would be happy in another of Texas's many wonderful locales.
Critters
August 1, 2019
Is the Salvador Dalí Dog Up for Adoption in Dallas or Not? A Texas Monthly Investigation
Why is New York trying to steal Texas’s most Instagrammable puppy?
The Texanist
July 27, 2019
The Texanist: Is It OK to Wear My Late Uncle’s Giraffe-Skin Cowboy Boots?
A British man is feeling guilty about walking around in exotic animal hide.
Best Thing in Texas
July 24, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Tim Duncan Is a Spur Once More
“Coach Tim” has a nice ring to it.
Meanwhile, in Texas
July 24, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Bexar County Inmate Flooded His Cell During an Escape Attempt
Plus, a larcenous middle school band director, and a CBD-packing grandma.
Critters
July 23, 2019
Should You Shave Your Dog in the Summertime?
Ten years ago, my wife and I saw a listing on Craigslist for an 18-month-old Siberian husky. Within a few seconds of meeting Dio, I knew he was our dog. In the years since, we’ve cared for him in little ways (a grain-free diet that agrees with his sensitive stomach!)
The Texanist
July 20, 2019
The Texanist: Why Do We Share a State Bird With Five Other States?
A pair of Austin birders think it’s time to replace the Northern mockingbird with something more . . . Texas-y.
The Texanist
July 7, 2019
The Texanist: What’s the Best Swimming Hole in Texas?
A San Antonio woman is looking for some liquid relief from the heat. The Texanist has a deluge of options.
The Texanist
June 30, 2019
The Texanist: My Husband Shouldn’t Be Driving Around Town Without His Shirt On, Should He?
This week: Topless man on heedless car trip!