A Most Scenic Century
Adventurer Pam LeBlanc, a frequent TCP contributor, appreciates the splendor of Texas’ state parks about as much as anybody: “I don’t own a ranch or a big chunk of Texas wilderness, but because of our state park system, I feel like part of this big, beautiful state belongs to me.”
Thanks to state leaders 100 years ago, Pam and all Texans can escape to 89 state parks, historic sites and natural areas. The State Parks Board was created in May 1923 to begin setting aside land for parks, and in 1963 it merged with another agency to form the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Happy trails, y’all.
Loaded
National Be a Millionaire Day is May 20. Texas has some 650,000 millionaire households, second only to California.
Worldart | Stock.adobe.com
Made in a Shade
Viva Magenta—a nuanced crimson that balances warm and cool—is the color of the year. The hue, announced last winter by Pantone Color Institute experts, was inspired by the red dye derived from cochineals. “This color merges the warmth of the natural world with the endless, rich possibilities of the digital space,” says Pantone’s Elley Chang. Learn more about the tiny insects called cochineals in our 2019 story The Bugs That Make You See Red.
Worth Repeating
“I’ve learned that success comes in a very prickly package.”
—Sandra Bullock, star of Hope Floats, a post-divorce drama set in Smithville, which was released 25 years ago, May 29, 1998.
Play It Safe
May is National Electrical Safety Month. It’s also when many of us hit the water. Never swim near a boat, marina or launching ramp. Residual current could put anyone in the water at risk of electric shock drowning.
When Theodore Roosevelt, above center, arrived in San Antonio, he had no combat experience to speak of. Indeed, a Washington correspondent described the whole bunch of cowboys, ranchers and Ivy League college athletes as a “rough riding outfit.”
Photoquest | Getty Images
Ironing Out the Rough Edges
Some 1,000 men and even more horses and mules trained in San Antonio 125 years ago in preparation for their participation in the Spanish-American War.
By the end of May 1898, Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were on their way to Florida before sailing to Cuba, where the future president led the charge up San Juan Hill.
While in San Antonio, the Rough Riders trained at what is now Riverside Golf Course, near the water hazard on the 16th hole.
Making History
Two groundbreaking African Americans from Texas were in the news 50 years ago this month:
- Tom Bradley of Calvert was elected as the first Black mayor of Los Angeles on May 29, 1973.
- Ernie Banks of Dallas technically became the first Black manager in the major leagues when he stepped in May 8, 1973, after the manager of the Chicago Cubs was ejected from a game.
Rita’s Riches
The biggest oil field in the country was discovered 100 years ago this month, when Santa Rita No. 1 blew in at a spot about an hour outside Midland. Oil and gas began flowing May 28, 1923, and today the Permian Basin accounts for nearly 40% of all U.S. oil production.
Golfing Pioneer
Bettye Danoff of Dallas was one of 13 founding members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950.
In the early days, Danoff and her colleagues drove from tournament to tournament in their own cars. The drivers used color-coded paddles—red, green and yellow—that they could wave out the window to signal a stop for gas, food or the bathroom.
Danoff was born 100 years ago this month, May 21, 1923.
