Texas Road Trip
Evelyn Orozco
Day 1:ODESSA, TEXAS
My journey across the West Texas town of Odessa led me to some interesting findings. Our day starts with traveling down the Comanche War Trail. The Comanche War Trail is a trail that the Comanches traveled down trying to get away from ' white eyes'. The trail went right through Odessa, where over 2000 of them lived for a period of time.
Buffalo Wallow
Our second stop along the way is a place called Buffalo Wallow. Today it's a historical area with a pond where people go to walk or just enjoy the dry desert air. It used to be a place where passing buffalo would roll around in the dirt to help get the bugs off or help them shed their winter coats. The wallow got as big as 8 to 12 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The buffalo were pursued seasonally by the plains Indians, who lived off the food and clothing the buffalo provided.
Petroleum Museum
Next along the way was the Petroleum Museum. Odessa is part of what is known as the Permian Basin. This region has been declared the nation's largest oil production center. The museum is all about oil and gas production and the people who have worked so hard to accomplish this. The oil and gas industry is the heart of Odessa, Texas. It is the largest job market in this area and provides the majority of Odessa's population with work.
Permian Football Game
Our last stop for the day was a Permian football game! Thank goodness, it was Friday. High school football is a big deal all across the state of Texas but in Odessa, it's a way of life! Movies have been made about this football team. Maybe you've heard of Friday Night Lights? Well, that's all about the main high school in Odessa called Permian High School. Their mascot is a black panther named Mojo and on Friday nights in this town, the chants of "Mojo, Mojo" can be heard for blocks.
Day 2: Plainview
The first stop in Plainview, Texas is the Schick Opera House. A guy named Levi Schick launched the opera house on Oct. 11 in 1909. A traveling opera company opend the opera house with a play of ' Little Dollies Dimples'. Later attractions included musical producations and plays. Sometimes they even did graduations serimonies and local talent shows. The theater could sea up to 900 people. It remained the areas historic sight until about 1920. When compitions for movie theaters put it out of buiness.
The Santa Fe Railroad
The second stop for today is the Santa Few Railroad in Plainview,Texas.This railroad has been operating since 1886.It didn't have a rail connection. So in 1903 people raised 75,000 dollars to put on a railroad. The first train reached the railroad on Dec 3 1906. The railroad has been running ever since.
The Granada Theater in Plainview,Texas
Our last stop for today is the Granada Theater.
Day 3: Texarkana
Today's first stop is the Scott Joplin Mural. It's honors the cities most famous son. Scott Joplin was a famous composer and piano player. He lived form 1867 to 1917. He also won a Pulitzer Prize. In the mural it has some of bus last notes from his most famous song.
Texarkana Automobile Museum
Our second stop today is the Texarkana Automobile Museum. The theater contains 22 cars represting 4 to 5 decades of car manufacuring. It has amost everythging about cars that you would want to know.
Ace of Club House
For our last stop we are visting the famous Ace of Club House. It was built in 1885. It is considered as one of the most uniqe houses in the country. Peopel say the funds for making it were won in a poker game with a ace of clubs.
Day 4: Houston, Texas
The first stop today is Freedman's Town. I was built for freed slaves who had even freed before the American Civil War. They created their own churches and civic organizations. To he education and people's health Abraham Lincon crated the Freedmans Beua. They streets schools for children and adults to teach then how to read and write.
San Jacinto Museum of History
Our second shop for today is the San Jacinto of History. This is a historic park where Texas gained its independence from Mexico in 1836. Its a 570 foot shaft with a 34 foot star symbolizing the Lone Star Republic. It was over 400 years of Texas history inside of it. I has over 100,000 objects, 250,000 documet, 10,000 pictures and 35,000 book rare library.
Day 5: El Passo
Our fist stop in El Paso Texas is the Concorida Cemetery. It was founded by a man named Hugh Stevenson. When his wife died from blood poisoning from being gorded by their pet deer. She ended up being the resident to be buried in the cemetery. Today there are over 60,000 people buried there. Mostley residents of El Paso and early pioneers.
El Paso Museum of Art
or second stop for today is the El Paso Museum of Art. It has over 5,000 peices of art. Including 12th through 18th century European Art. It also offers special exhibitations. Art lectures, classes, concerts, and educational programs through out the year.
Day 6: Kermit, Texas
Our first stop in Kermit Texas is the Winkler County Courthouse. It was built in 1929. It was designed by a man named David Castle. It is four stories tall, its a updated version of the smaller one that had been built earlier.
The Medallion Home
The Medallion Home was built in 1907 when Kermit, Texas had just became a small town. It was built by a man named W.H Seasstunk. It is the oldest houses in the whole town . People come and visit it all the time. One room has a 1915 wedding dress from one of the people that has first lived there.
Day 7: Austin, Texas
Our first stop in Austin, Texas is the Oakwood Cemetery. It started off as not a real cemetery until 1856. More and more people had been coming to Austin ament here wherebt many cemeteries so people just had been barring people in one place on a big hill. Finally in 1856 someone had gotten it registerd.
Elisabet Ney Museum
Elisabet Ney was a sculptor that bought property in Austin, Texas in 1892. Today the house is a museum of all her art that she made while she lived in Austin. She called her showcase of art Formosa. She completed the museum in 1893 and it even got bigger in 1902.
Zilker Botanical Garden
Zilker Garden was created in 1962, when the city council added space to Zilker Park. Everyone that is would be a really good idea to build it. They got it approved and they started bulidng it on Sept 8 1963.
Day 8: Graham, Texas
The first place we are going to visit in Graham, Texas is The Young County Court house. People had been wanting a court house for there little city. They put together 314,000 to biuld the court house. The inside is bulit with marble floors and has things carved into the walls.
The Old Post Office Museum and Art Gallery
This building was created in 1935. It is pretty much a regular post office art gallery. The first post master that worked there was a man named Spencer Boye Street. The building has a mural of him painted by some one named Alexandre Hogu.
The Young County Veterans Memorial
In September 1999 the people in Graham decided they wanted to have a memorial who had served in the militery through 1990-1999. On memorial day 2000 the center section was dedicated to the soldiers that had died in the war. On Veterans Day 200 the outer wings were dedicated the the men and women that had been in World War 2, 3, korea, and Veitnam.