The Cattleman
If you’ve read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, you’ve heard passing mention of Shanghai Piece, a prominent Texan cattleman. He wasn’t just a character in McMurtry’s novel, but was a real person who was at the heart of the Texas cattle industry in the 1800s. Shanghai Pierce’s first name was actually Abel, and while he…
The Death of a Well Shooter
In 1949, a sensational story about a fascinating, daredevil of a man gripped the nation, especially Texas, where a murder mystery took place. During WWI, a man named Tex Thornton learned all he could about explosives, and became known as a master of blowing things up. He perfected the art of controlling explosions and made…
The Stars at Night
Throughout the year, we can sometimes see shooting stars on their path across the night sky- just a brief glimpse of something amazing. In the early hours of a Sunday morning, in June 1950, members of this community could see shooting stars, which “threw a dazzling blue light over southern Oklahoma and northern Texas and…
Juneteenth
One holiday, with two names. In 1936, the Register’s A. Morton Smith wrote a Town Topic column about the Emancipation Day celebrations expected to occur in Gainesville. In 2021, the holiday Smith wrote about became a federal holiday known as Juneteenth. This day, June 19th, has a long history. President Lincoln freed all of the…
The Princess Who Became a Texan
Once upon a time, there was a woman whose life would make a great plot of a book. She was born Princess Cecile of Prussia, but due to the unrest in Germany during the World Wars, her family abdicated the throne. Princess Cecile adapted well to life as a regular citizen once she was no…
A Fishing Summer
2024 marks 70 years since the first Lake Texoma Fishing Derby, and 80 years since Lake Texoma was completed. Before that first Derby occurred, the Register stated the record for a black bass was 12 pounds 1 ounce – a pretty impressive catch! This summer, if fishing is your go to sport, it’s only $12…
An Accidental Discovery
Ever heard of a Mosasaur? Some university students digging for fossils near Austin in 1936 hadn’t either until they uncovered one by accident. The two students, who were from the North Texas area, were on a lab assignment to look for invertebrate fossils in the Onion creek bed. When they inadvertently dug up bones from…
A Pioneer Citizen
Saint Jo, Texas checks a lot of boxes. It’s a small town with some of the loveliest views to be found in North Texas, and it has a unique history. The first pioneers were searching for gold, but didn’t find any. Saint Jo sits in Montague County, and is near the Elm fork of the…
An American Heroine
It always helps to feel that we are not alone, and for children who were blind, Helen Keller was there as an icon of hope and a highly accomplished role model. Helen Keller had become a living national treasure. She was a person highly esteemed for overcoming intense challenges and using her gifts to uplift,…
What’s in a Brand?
Photographic glimpses into our past can be hard to come by. These images from the Register taken in spring of 1940 show a little piece of what a roundup was like in Texas. Specifically, they were taken at Pitchfork Ranch, a huge 118 acre establishment near Guthrie, Texas, which is in between Lubbock and Wichita…
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