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Traces of Texas

@tracesoftexas.bsky.social
7.8K followers 1.7K following 3.1K posts

Purveyor of Texas history and culture. Cowboy boots junkie and chronicler of all things Lone Star. 100% organic, free-range Texas content. A politics-free feed. DON'T get political! Buy me a coffee? Click here: buymeacoffee.com/tracesoftexas

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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 13h
Texas Tech University is 101 years old today, on account of it opened in Lubbock on Sept. 30, 1925. There were 914 students in four schools: Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics, and Liberal Arts. Naturally, being Texas, there was chicanery involved. But that's a story for another day.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A house in Comanche, Texas, 1939. By the time Russell Lee took this photo, it was simply an elaborate pigeon roost. It no longer stands, but part of its foundation still does.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is a photo of Texas Longhorn superfan Scott Wilson in his longhorn-themed Cadillac. Scott was undoubtedly on his way to a game when this was taken. Before he died last year at the age of 74, Scott had seen 595 longhorn games in a row, without missing a single one. Courtesy Scott's social media.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Horses drink from a tank on the Matador Ranch, 1940. I love the composition of this photo! Another entrant in "The Most Texas Photo of all Time" competition?
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Time it was And what a time it was, it was A time of innocence A time of confidences Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories They're all that's left you Sigh ....
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A couple in Pilot Point, Texas, circa 1900. Aren't they well turned out? I get the feeling that they might be among Pilot Point's wealthier citizens. Her dress and purse are fantastic, as is his frock coat. It appears that she's carrying a shawl, too. Really super.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
74 years ago today, Dick "Night Train" Lane made his first NFL start for the Los Angeles Rams. Night Train (best football nickname ever) was from Austin. An undrafted free agent, in his rookie season he set an NFL record that still stands: 14 interceptions in one season, & it was only 12 games!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Is a song played on Austin City Limits in Austin a trace of Texas if it's played by somebody from New Orleans? youtu.be/ardeW1HPhH0
youtu.be
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill | Live From Austin City Limits TV
YouTube video by Austin City Limits
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in San Antonio circa 1894. It was located on the north side of Alamo Plaza and built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, with a castle-like corner turret and tall stone tower. Sadly, it was torn down about 1935. But wasn't it beautiful?
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Haw haw haw haw ...
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Some excitement was created in the northwest part of the city Wednesday night by an inebriated individual endeavoring to effect an entrance into the wrong house. He was put to flight by the housewife, who cudgeled him vigorously with a broomstick." --- Denison Daily News, Friday, June 18, 1880
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Dolly Parton performs at WBAP's Golden Anniversary celebration in Dallas, 1974. How great is this? Courtesy the Portal to Texas History.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Texas Gothic?" A rancher and his wife on the Matador Ranch near Matador, Texas, 1940. How wonderful is this photo? Everything about it --- from his hat and skinny sinewy-ness to her glasses and dress and open, kindly face ---- is perfect. Taken by Hansel Mieth for Life Magazine.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here's an astonishing 1873 photo of Wild Bill Hickok, Texas Jack Omohundro, and Buffalo Bill Cody, all in one photo. The Old West's most famous lawman (Hickok), most famous scout (Buffalo Bill Cody) and most famous cowboy (Texas Jack) in one photo. This was taken in Denver.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Traces of Texas reader Vince Roper thoughtfully shared this very early photo of ZZ Top before Billy Gibbons started growing his beard and when Dusty Hill's was in its proto-beard stage. I have never seen this photo before, I don't believe. Thank you, Vince. SUPER DUPER!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Buffalo Soldiers wounded in the U.S. Army's Punitive Expedition into Mexico return to El Paso circa 1916. I'm sure they were happy to be back on U.S. soil.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
40 years ago today, Mike Scott of the Houston Astros threw a 2–0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants at the Houston Astrodome and clinched the National League West division title for the Astros. How many of you remember? I do. I was living in Houston at the time and it was insane.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A singer-guitar player in downtown Austin, 2011. One of my own photos.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Alamo Plaza circa 1880.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The original version of "Amarillo by Morning" as sung by the man who wrote it, Texan Terry Stafford. From 1973. www.youtube.com/watch?v=la6i...
youtube.com
Terry Stafford ~ Amarillo By Morning
YouTube video by Wayne “BigNobody” Harvey
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Here's a knockout historical photo: the staff of the First National Bank in Fort Worth circa 1900. It looks like a reputable place to store one's money. I love that whole suspenders-and-bow-tie look. Very classy, indeed. Courtesy the fabulous folks at UTA Special Collections.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Military Plaza in San Antonio, 1892. The plaza was an obvious trading center at this time. The wagon in front appears to be cedar. You don't cook with cedar and the length suggests fence posts.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Sanchez family in El Paso, 1921. Abundio Delgado Sanchez and Concepción Nieves Sanchez had left the city of Silao Guanajuato, Mexico in late 1906. They crossed the border into El Paso in June, 1907 on El Paso Electric Railway, paying three cents for the privilege of entering the United States.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Two men work a cotton harvesting machine in North Texas circa 1908. If I am not mistaken, this is a Pittsburg American Cotton Picker, an early experimental mechanical cotton harvester. I would love to watch one of these beasts work a field for a while.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
How many of y'all know what's going on here and/or are old enough to remember? These men are spraying DDT in Lufkin, Texas, to reduce the mosquitoes. Circa 1954. Courtesy the The History Center in Diboll, which has all kinds of wonderful East Texas photos available in their online archives.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Erwin E. Smith archive at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth is GREAT. Check out this circa 1910 photo of a cowboy with a sugarloaf hat on a paint pony somewhere in North Texas. Erwin was a working cowboy/ photographer who worked on the LS, the JA, the Matador etc .. ranches.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Written by Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price's version of this song was song of the year by the Country Music Academy in 1970, when it hit # 1 for Ray. Ray and Kris were both Texans, of course. Here's Ray in 1972. Is this the greatest voice in country music history? www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUp7...
youtube.com
Ray Price - For The Good Times 1972 Live
YouTube video by jeriw
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Check out this INCREDIBLE circa 1908 shot of Van Horn, Texas. Fantastic clarity, and what a setting! In the past, I've written quite a bit about Van Horn's colorful history, but space denies me the opportunity here. Courtesy the fabulous John Miller Morris Archive at SMU's Degolyer Library.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
That time Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton duetted on Willie's classic "Night Life." This is pretty freakin' great. youtu.be/1hRZDWweNMo?...
youtu.be
ERIC CLAPTON & Willie Nelson - "Night Life"
YouTube video by Journeyman461
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I'm a firm believer that the selection of one's coffee cup in the morning has a huge bearing on how the rest of one's day will go.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Texas leads the U.S. in terms of propane production, with close to 52% of all propane produced annually. Of course, not just propane, but propane accessories. 😉
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Great Galveston Fire of 1885 is overshadowed by the 1900 hurricane, but it was one of the worst urban disasters in Texas history up to that time. It happened with astonishing speed, essentially destroying a substantial slice of Galveston in about five hours. Remarkably, nobody was killed.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
youtu.be/ghmvFisQ72w?... Goodness gracious. Two Texas legends. Having seen both Little Joe y la Familia and Willie Nelson on several occasions, it just don't get no better than this. Little Joe is from Temple, of course. The video itself isn't in the best shape, but it's such a historic moment!
youtu.be
Little Joe y Willie Nelson You Belong To My Heart
YouTube video by TejanoSA (TejanoSA)
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
UT-Austin opened its doors 143 years ago today, on Sept. 15, 1883. Depending on one's point of view, the state of Texas was saved from a state of woeful ignorance or the paving of the road to hell started on that date. Shown here: the oldest known photo of UT-Austin, from 1883.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Three Texans and a man from Arkansas sing a song written by another Texan, the great Guy Clark. youtu.be/MpZV1iJ99g4?... So, so great!
youtu.be
Desperados Waiting for a Train (American Outlaws: Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1990)
YouTube video by HighwaymenVEVO
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Traces of Texas reader Robert Eakins thoughtfully submitted this photo of Elizabeth Taylor on the set of "Giant," in 1955 and asked if I have ever seen it before. I have not. I did an image search and I don't believe it has appeared on the internet. I'm elated to see this. What a find!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A.J. "Jack" Dragoo of Brady, Texas in April, 1968. A.J. was 99 years old and lived for two more years, dying in 1970 at the age of 101. He was born in Round Rock in 1869 and had been a trail driver, Texas Ranger and deputy sheriff, and is credited with ending rustling in 14 Texas counties.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
My goodness ... I think I watched more football and associated with more miscreants yesterday than just about any day in my life. I'm not sure what was more fun ...the football or the miscreants. 😀
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Calera Chapel in Toyahvale (a few miles west of Balmorhea) toward sundown on a smoking hot summer evening. The building of the chapel in 1902 was a profound leap of faith, being that it was truly out in the middle of nowhere. It remains so to this day. One of my own photos, from July, 2023.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Texas Quote of the Day: "I tried to be a house painter, but I couldn't stand all that paint all over me." ---- George Jones Isn't it funny how decisions based on trivial things often lead to such momentous results? George didn't like paint; Result? We got "He Stopped Loving her Today."
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
'Fess up. You're really here to listen to Ray Charles' cosmically great "Deep in the Heart of Texas, aren't you? www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Fr...
youtube.com
Deep In The Heart of Texas
YouTube video by Ray Charles - Topic
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Jim C shared this sad tribute to the unknown pioneer girl who died on a wagon train who died here. Jim took this photo in Augusta cemetery, which is in Houston county, nine miles east of Grapeland. 4 acres in size, first known burial in 1854, still in use. Thank you, Jim C. Nice find!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Associated Press room at the Dallas Morning News, 1943. I imagine chaotic scenes on a daily basis, primarily because of the time constraints posed by putting a newspaper "to bed" on time every morning. Editors pace the floor, smoke cigars, and wait on the last update before putting it to bed ...
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
One of my own photos. I liked the way the light posts almost perfectly framed the mountain in the background, that cobalt-blue sky, and that red fence in the foreground. I think I took this in Van Horn, but I could be mistaken. That was about 20,000 photos and 35,000 miles ago.
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
You really can't blame Moon Mullican --- he only has seven nights to rock. www.youtube.com/watch?v=291P... One of the greatest piano players to ever come from Texas. The king of boogie woogie.
youtube.com
Seven Nights to Rock by Moon Mullican
YouTube video by Ron Shiflet
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Tony Dorsett and Tom Landry Don Meredith and Tom Landry Walt Garrison and Tom Landry Roger Staubach and Tom Landry
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Today is the 60th anniversary of the first airing of Star Trek on NBC. The original show ran from September 8, 1966, to June 3, 1969. I wouldn't mention it were it not for the fact that Gene Roddenberry, who created the show, was a Texan, having been born in El Paso in 1921. Live long and prosper!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
TOT Matt Milliken shared this shot of his mom's 1948 senior class picture from Martin's Mill High School. Matt's mom, Anna Faye McKinney, is in the front row on the far left. She was the "Gold Star nominee" of the 4-H Club, the valedictorian of her class, and voted "Most Beautiful."
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Another entrant in "The Most Texas Photo of All Time" contest. Reader John T. Leslie's wife bought a batch of about 30 photos taken at Antone's in Austin. One of them is this great photo of three Texans: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, and Clifford Antone himself (in the background). Mercy!
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Traces of Texas @tracesoftexas.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Jimmie Dale Gilmore has so many great, lesser-known songs. This is just one of them. youtu.be/LrfU9EocLFM
youtu.be
Santa Fe Thief
YouTube video by Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Topic
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