Everything San Angelo is known for
San Angelo, Texas, a city in the Concho Valley of West Texas, has a notable connection to music. While known for its agricultural heritage as the "Wool and Mohair Capital of the World," the city is also home to a variety of artists and is mentioned in numerous songs. For example, the rock band Los Lonely Boys hail from San Angelo, and country artist Aaron Watson has a song titled "San Angelo."
With 21 songs in our collection mentioning San Angelo and 18 artists calling it home, the city's musical footprint is evident. The House of FiFi DuBois and Blaine's Pub are among the local venues that host live music, contributing to the city's entertainment scene.
Showing top 20 of 21 songs
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near San Angelo.
Blaine's Pub on West Harris Avenue is San Angelo's original live music venue, open since 1997 and a regular stop on the Texas Country, Red Dirt, and Americana circuit. It's an intimate room: one long bar and a small stage where up-and-coming acts play.
San Angelo's name is a bit of a love story, really. Back in the late 1800s, when the area was just starting to blossom around Fort Concho, a man named Bart DeWitt played a key role in its development. He chose to name the fledgling town "San Angelo" in honor of his wife, Carolina Angelo. It's a simple, sweet gesture that speaks to the spirit of the place, even today. While "San Angelo" literally translates to "Saint Angel," it's more than just a religious reference. It’s a personal one, a reminder that even in the rugged landscape of West Texas, there's room for tenderness and devotion. Maybe that's why the town feels so welcoming.
San Angelo has a certain charm to it, a laid-back feeling you don't find everywhere. Maybe it's the altitude, sitting up here at almost two thousand feet, giving us those clear, star-filled nights. Or maybe it's the way the Concho River winds through town, a reminder of how this all started. You know, Fort Concho being established back in '67, bringing folks out this way and shaping everything that came after. Even the Cactus Hotel, that grand old building Conrad Hilton put up back in '29, still stands tall downtown. It's funny to think about all the people who've walked these streets.
Sponsor of 1918 measure to give Texas women right to vote. Born in Lawrence County, Tenn. came to Texas 1872. Helped map town site of Ben Ficklin, first county seat, Tom Green County. Grew first bale of cotton and installed first (water-powered) cotton gin in county; was one of first ranchers to work for law and order, in fencing rangeland. County Commissioner 6 years. Served 1915-1919 in Legislature of Texas. There his amendment to 1918 election bill gave vote in primaries to women of Texas three years before the national adoption of woman's suffrage. (1968)
(Star and Wreath) Led 5th Texas Cavalry, Battle Val Verde in Arizona-New Mexico Campaign, 1861-1862. Commanded "cotton clad" carrying Cavalrymen dubbed "Horse Marines" in recapture Galvston, January 1863. Made brigadier general while leading Green's Cavalry division 1863 campaign to save Louisiana. Killed 1864 leading attack at Blair's Landing, Louisiana in Red River Campaign to prevent the Federal invasion of Texas. An ardent Texan, a brave leader, he constantly sought the heat of battle. A memorial to Texas who served the Confederacy. This county was named in honor of Tom Green, 1814-1864. Came to Texas from Tennessee, 1833. Veteran Battle of San Jacinto 1836 manning famed "Twin Sisters" cannons. Fayette County representative 4th Congress. Secretary of Senate, 6th and 8th congresses. Clerk of Supreme Court, 1841-1861. Participated frontier Indian campaigns. Member Somervell Expedition. Officer in Mexican War. Confederate general in the Civil War.
Fort Concho in San Angelo is one of the best-preserved frontier forts in Texas. Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry were stationed here and patrolled the Texas frontier.
María Guevara Cárdenas, Chicana politician, activist, and feminist, daughter of Fernando Guevara and Paz (Manchaca) Guevara, was born on January 20, 1935, in Tivoli, Texas. As one of nine children in a family of migrant farm laborers, Guevara often joined her siblings as field laborers and, as a result, was unable to attend school year-round. In 1945 the family relocated to San Angelo, Texas, where she grew up in the predominantly Mexican American La Loma barrio. She attended public schools there but was unable to complete high school. However, she later earned her GED. At the age of fifteen, María Guevara married Abel Gomez Cárdenas in San Angelo on November 2, 1950. The couple had six children and were divorced in 1977. María Cárdenas spent most of her adult life in the Rio Vista neighborhood of San Angelo, where she first became involved with the community through the local Parent Teacher Association and other neighborhood organizations. Inspired by the rise of the Chicano Movement, Cárdenas’s interests became increasingly political by the late 1960s. During this time, she often wrote letters to the editor of the San Angelo Standard-Times to voice her opinion about the discrimination that minority children faced at school and the city government’s neglectful attitude toward neighborhood improvement. Cárdenas expanded her political activities as a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Raza Unida Party (RUP). In the early 1970s she joined the Rio Vista Consejo del Barrio (“neighborhood council”), a local affiliate of the Education Group Action Project initiated by Texans for the Educational Advancement of Mexican Americans (TEAMA), and later became chairwoman of a statewide advisory board for TEAMA. In 1972 Cárdenas attended the RUP’s first national convention in El Paso as a voting delegate for Tom Green County. After the convention she campaigned on behalf of RUP gubernatorial candidate Ramsey Muñiz. She also associated herself with Mujeres Por La Raza Unida and the Texas Women’s Political Caucus , and in 1977 she attended the National Women’s Conference in Houston, Texas. By the late 1970s she joined the Democratic party and served on the board of the Tom Green County Democratic Club. Cárdenas’s membership with these political organizations provided her an outlet to fight for race, gender, and class equality within and outside San Angelo. Aside from Cárdenas’s political motivations, she realized that earning an education would help her advance in society. In 1975 she enrolled at Angelo State University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1983. In 1976 Cárdenas spearheaded a successful campaign to create a single-member district voting system for the San Angelo city commission. The proposed city charter amendment challenged the at-large voting system that the city of San Angelo traditionally used. The change to single-member districts allowed marginalized residents to elect members of their own neighborhood onto the city council. After the measure was overwhelmingly approved by voters in April 1976, Cárdenas was named to a special advisory board tasked with drawing up the boundaries for the newly-created districts. On May 13, 1978, the Rio Vista neighborhood elected Cárdenas to represent District 3 of the San Angelo city commission; she was the first Mexican American woman to serve in this capacity. She eventually served on the city commission (known as the city council since 1979) for three consecutive terms. During that time, Cárdenas pushed for improvements to basic services in her previously-underrepresented district such as paved roads, street lights, and a monthly blood pressure clinic for barrio residents. She was also instrumental in convincing the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund construction of a public housing development for low-income seniors living in the Rio Vista neighborhood. Additionally, in 1981 she coordin
Fort Concho was abandoned as an active military post in 1889. In 1905 C. A. Broome formed the Fort Concho Realty Company and parceled off lots in his Fort Concho addition to San Angelo. At about the same time J. L. Millspaugh, another real-estate developer who had been a post trader during the fort's active years, attempted to persuade the newly incorporated city of San Angelo to purchase the old fort as a park site. Although Millspaugh's initial efforts were unsuccessful, the eastern third of the parade ground and other pieces of property were donated to the city in 1913. The Pocahontas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution sought to have Fort Concho designated a state historic site, a goal accomplished in 1924, when a bronze plaque was placed on the parade ground. By 1929 Ginevra Wood Carson had founded the organization that became the Fort Concho Museum. She launched her campaign to save the fort by purchasing, for $6,000, the original headquarters building, built in 1876 by request of Col. Benjamin H. Grierson , who was then the post commander. Over the next thirty years Mrs. Carson spearheaded efforts to develop and expand public ownership of the museum. During that time several projects were undertaken, including the purchase and renovation of the schoolhouse-chapel, the reconstruction of two enlisted-men's barracks in 1951, and the acquisition of the Ruffini office building. In 1961 Fort Concho was registered as a National Historical Landmark through the Historic Preservation Office of the National Park Service. At about the same time the fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Texas Historic Landmark. Then in 1967 Franklin G. Smith, an NPS staff member, submitted a three-phase master plan for long-range development, financing, and interpretation of the site. Under Smith's plan, a museum director was employed, additional staff positions and several new programs were established, and a consistent preservation and acquisition program was carried on. Although local businesses and clubs continued to occupy and use some of the old fort buildings, such as the barracks, the officers' quarters, and the old commissary, the grounds contained seventeen surviving period structures, and the two barracks reconstructions. Some of these were at least partially restored and used for museum exhibits by 1980. In 1980 a new master plan was published by the Bell, Klein, and Hoffman architectural firm in Austin. The old post hospital, which had been damaged by fire in 1911 and subsequently demolished, was reconstructed. It is now part of the John and Sally Meadows Historical Complex. By 1989 the museum complex included sixteen original structures, six reconstructions, and a stabilized ruin, making it one of the best preserved frontier forts in the United States. The Fort Concho Museum contains over 35,000 artifacts in its collections. Equipment and furnishings in one of the officers' quarters and a barracks replicate the interiors of such buildings during the post's active years. The restored post chapel is often utilized by area school children, who relive the days of the McGuffy readers and one-room schoolhouses. The museum maintains an education department and an archive and research library. Conventions are often held in the restored commissary building. The Fort Concho Museum Press produces a monthly periodical, the Fort Concho Members' Dispatch , and other publications. Living-history groups reenact the lives of White infantry and White and Black cavalry units on the Texas frontier. These units can be seen at Fort Concho during Fiesta Frontier Day (third Saturday in June), Fiestas Patrias (second weekend in September), Christmas at Old Fort Concho (first weekend in December), and special events throughout the year.
Jack W. Mathis, recipient of the Medal of Honor, was born on September 25, 1921, in San Angelo, Texas, to Rhude Mark and Avis C. Mathis, Sr. Jack and his brother, Mark, were raised in Sterling City. Jack enlisted in the United States Army on June 12, 1940, and saw duty with the Eighteenth Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After learning that his brother had enlisted in the air corps, Jack transferred and was assigned with Mark to Goodfellow Field in San Angelo. Both were accepted as aviation cadets, trained as bombardiers, and commissioned second lieutenants. Jack was assigned to B-17s and went to the Eighth Air Force in England, where he was assigned to the 303d Bombardment Wing. He flew fourteen missions. On the last of these he was just starting his bomb run as squadron lead bombardier over Vegesack, Germany, on March 18, 1943, when he was hit by a burst of antiaircraft fire. His right arm was shattered above the elbow, and he received large wounds in his side and abdomen. Although mortally wounded, he dragged himself back to his bombsight, dropped his bombs, and then died at his post of duty. As the result of his courage and determination his squadron placed its bombs directly on the assigned target. He was awarded the Medal of Honor "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity beyond the call of duty." Mark Mathis was on the base when the aircraft bearing the body of his brother landed. He requested and received permission to replace Jack in the crew of the Harold Strouse . Though this crew returned to the United States after completing its required tour, Mark stayed on and was killed in action when his battle-damaged B-17 ditched in the North Sea in May 1943. Jack Mathis is buried in Fairmont Cemetery, San Angelo.
95 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Blaine's Pub on West Harris Avenue is San Angelo's original live music venue, open since 1997 and a regular stop on the Texas Country, Red Dirt, and Americana circuit. It's an intimate room: one long bar and a small…
San Angelo's name is a bit of a love story, really. Back in the late 1800s, when the area was just starting to blossom around Fort Concho, a man named Bart DeWitt played a key role in its development. He chose to name…
Sponsor of 1918 measure to give Texas women right to vote. Born in Lawrence County, Tenn. came to Texas 1872. Helped map town site of Ben Ficklin, first county seat, Tom Green County. Grew first bale of cotton and…
You're driving past San Angelo, where John Yellott Rust built a telecommunications empire from the ground up. Born in Virginia, Rust learned the telegraph business as a young man, even helping build a line from New York…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is the site of the very first church building in town. Catholic priests had visited this area for centuries, but it wasn't until after Fort Concho was established in…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is where a newspaper was born that helped shape this whole region. Back in 1884, two guys who worked at the 'San Angelo Enterprise' decided to start their own thing.…
You're driving past the site of San Angelo's first United Methodist Church. Organized in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1882</say-as>, this congregation rose from the ashes of a flood that destroyed…
(Star and Wreath) Led 5th Texas Cavalry, Battle Val Verde in Arizona-New Mexico Campaign, 1861-1862. Commanded "cotton clad" carrying Cavalrymen dubbed "Horse Marines" in recapture Galvston, January 1863. Made brigadier…
You're driving through the heart of what was once the original Tom Green County, a vast territory that dwarfed Rhode Island ten times over! This land, part of the Republic of Texas until 1846, was a crucial stop on the…
You're driving past the site of some of San Angelo's earliest permanent buildings, constructed during an 1880s economic boom. Look for the Victorian architecture! The San Angelo National Bank got a fancy sandstone…
You're driving past Emmanuel Episcopal Church in San Angelo, a place with roots stretching back to the frontier days of Fort Concho. The very first Episcopal services in this area were held way back in 1871, right at…
You're driving past the site of San Angelo's First Baptist Church. Missionary work began here in 1881, and a formal congregation formed in 1883. Despite droughts, cyclones, and the army abandoning Fort Concho, the…
Here is a story about Fort Concho after dark. A frontier officer wrote about a typical night at a cavalry camp on the Texas plains, and it reads less like a military post and more like a campfire horror story. He wrote,…
Fort Concho in San Angelo is one of the best-preserved frontier forts in Texas. Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry were stationed here and patrolled the Texas frontier.
You're driving through San Angelo, and just ahead is a site that rose from disaster. In September of 1936, a massive flood surged down the South Concho River, wrecking much of the city, including its parks and swimming…
You're driving past San Angelo, where history gallops on. Back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1867</say-as>, Congress created the Tenth Cavalry, an all-black unit led by white officers. Facing discrimination,…
You're driving past the Maier House, a beautiful Victorian home built in 1891. Originally erected by George W. Brockman, it was purchased in 1893 by Edward Maier, a rancher and businessman. Maier remodeled the house…
You're driving past the Eckert House in San Angelo, a home built with a unique touch. In 1910, German immigrants Oscar and Martha Eckert bought this lot. Oscar, a jack-of-all-trades who was a farmer, tinsmith, windmill…
After the Civil War, the United States Army created four all-Black regiments and sent them to the frontier posts of West Texas. The Ninth and Tenth Cavalry established their headquarters at Fort Concho, and they became…
You're driving through San Angelo, and just ahead is the former site of the Massie home. Mary Lee Payne Massie, born under pioneer conditions, faced hardship, even losing her wardrobe crossing a river! But she…
You're driving past the Orient-Santa Fe Depot, a grand old building that was once the heart of a grand dream. Built in 1909 by the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railway, this was meant to be a vital link in a…
Imagine a time when the Texas frontier was a wild, untamed land, and this very spot was a crucial defense against raids and conflict. Fort Concho was established in 1867 at the junction of the North and South Concho…
You're cruising through San Angelo, and right here is the former home of Fred Beck, a German immigrant who made his mark on this town. Beck arrived in San Angelo in 1886 and purchased this very homesite in 1889. Just a…
You're driving past Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo, a place that's seen more than 33,000 burials since it opened as the 'New City Cemetery' in 1893. The first to be laid to rest here was Elise Bond, wife of a city…
You're driving past the resting place of John Ingram, a true Texas hero. Ingram fought bravely at the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive clash that won Texas its independence. He was born way up in Kentucky back in…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is the story of Daniel Millar. He arrived in Texas way back in 1831, settling the land years before it was even a republic. Millar then served in the Texas War for…
María Guevara Cárdenas, Chicana politician, activist, and feminist, daughter of Fernando Guevara and Paz (Manchaca) Guevara, was born on January 20, 1935, in Tivoli, Texas. As one of nine children in a family of migrant…
Fort Concho was abandoned as an active military post in 1889. In 1905 C. A. Broome formed the Fort Concho Realty Company and parceled off lots in his Fort Concho addition to San Angelo. At about the same time J. L.…
Jack W. Mathis, recipient of the Medal of Honor, was born on September 25, 1921, in San Angelo, Texas, to Rhude Mark and Avis C. Mathis, Sr. Jack and his brother, Mark, were raised in Sterling City. Jack enlisted in the…
You're driving through Central Texas, perhaps near Lockhart, where a preacher once died mid-sermon. Andrew Jackson Potter, known as the 'fighting parson,' was a Methodist circuit rider who served the Texas frontier for…
You're driving through Williamson County, the birthplace of a Texas legend known as 'Booger Red.' Samuel Thomas Privett, Jr. was born here in 1864. But a childhood accident changed his face forever, earning him the…
You're driving through San Angelo, where Maggie Fulleylove Starks carved out a legacy against all odds. Back in the 1920s, she noticed the funeral homes here weren't giving the Black community the respect and care they…
You're driving through San Angelo, the "godmother" of this West Texas city. Eva Camúñez Tucker was the first Mexican American woman to graduate from San Angelo High in 1930. She faced segregation early on, even…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is a place that owes a lot to Clara Starr Pope Willoughby. Born in 1902, she was a descendant of Republic of Texas Secretary of the Treasury James Harper Starr. But…
Right here in San Angelo, Texas, in 1948, a groundbreaking moment for women in sports happened. Thirty-eight women met at the St. Angelus Hotel to form the Girls Rodeo Association, which we now know as the Women's…
You're driving near San Angelo, Texas, and right here is a story about Ellen Beck Goldsby Lynch. She was a laundress for the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the Tenth Cavalry, stationed at Fort Concho. Life was tough, and in…
The Dunbar Library in San Angelo, Texas, was the first and only library in that city for African Americans during segregation . The Tom Green County Library was founded in 1929, but the public library excluded people of…
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near San Angelo, and you're passing through a landscape that once offered hope for people battling a deadly disease. Right here, Dr. Boyd Cornick, a physician himself, arrived in…
You're driving near San Angelo, home to Goodfellow Air Force Base. It all started back in 1940 as San Angelo Field, a pilot training site. Just a year later, it was renamed Goodfellow Field to honor John J. Goodfellow,…
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the hometown of a Tejano music legend: Tony 'Ham' Guerrero. Born in San Angelo in 1944, Guerrero found his passion for the trumpet early. He went on…
You're driving through Tom Green County, and right here in San Angelo, you're passing through the stomping grounds of J. Willis Johnson. He arrived in the area around 1874, initially hunting buffalo. But Johnson wasn't…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here, Charles B. Metcalfe started his Texas life in 1873, just a young man in charge of a mule drive heading for Fort Worth. He ended up working the 700-mile frontier route…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, in what is now San Angelo, you're passing the old stomping grounds of McArthur Cullen Ragsdale, a pioneer photographer. In 1875, he set up shop on the main trail of the…
You're driving through San Angelo, the heart of West Texas, where the buildings themselves tell stories. And one of the key storytellers was Oscar Ruffini. He arrived here in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
You're driving through San Angelo, a town born right on the frontier. It all started in the late 1860s, just across the North Concho River from Fort Concho. The founder, Bart DeWitt, set up a trading post that would…
You're driving through San Angelo right now, and you're passing a legacy that started with a promise. John Moore Shannon and his wife, Margaret, moved here in 1893 and decided to leave their entire estate to build a…
You're driving through the Concho River basin, and right here is where Annie Ellen Allen Tankersley made her mark. Arriving in Texas in 1853, she and her husband eventually settled near what is now San Angelo, becoming…
You're driving through Tom Green County, a place that's seen centuries of history unfold. Long before Texas was a republic, Spanish explorers were visiting the native Jumano people here along the Concho River, even…
You're driving through San Angelo, home to Angelo State University. It started way back in 1928 as San Angelo College, a junior college right in the heart of the school district. It wasn't until 1963 that the state…
You're driving through San Angelo, a city that was home to Andrew Jackson Baker, a man who wrestled with millions of acres of Texas land. Baker served as Texas Land Commissioner in the late 1890s, a time when the state…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here in San Angelo, you're passing through the stomping grounds of Louis Lee Farr, Sr. Born in Greenville in 1865, Farr moved to San Angelo in 1884 and became a true builder…
You're driving through San Angelo, the city that became the heart of a media empire. Houston Harte, a Missouri transplant, bought the San Angelo Evening Standard back in 1920. Just seven years later, he partnered up to…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, the story of the Concho, San Saba and Llano Valley Railroad comes alive. Chartered in 1909, this railroad aimed to connect the region, with its main office right here…
You're driving through what is now Tom Green County, and right here is where Captain Edmund Duggan spent the last decades of his life. Duggan fought with Hood's Texas Brigade in the Civil War, starting as a lieutenant…
You're driving through West Texas, the land of wide-open spaces and rugged individualism. Right here, you're passing through country that shaped men like Edwin S. Mayer. Born in San Antonio in 1896, Mayer found his…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is O. C. Fisher Lake. It was originally called San Angelo Lake, built by the Army Corps of Engineers starting in 1947 and finished by 1952. This massive earthen dam…
You're driving through San Angelo, home to an organization dedicated to something you might not have considered: early Texas art. Right here, the Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art, or CASETA, was…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here is Delta Memorial Park Cemetery. Established in 1928, it served as a vital resting place for the African American community in this part of West Texas. For decades, it…
You're driving through San Angelo, and right here, you're passing the site of a true West Texas pioneer: St. John's Hospital. Back in 1909, this booming town of 15,000 had zero hospitals. The San Angelo Business Club…
You're driving past the site of a true Texas original, Major Ben Ficklin! He was called the 'Mystery Man of the Confederacy,' a VMI grad who fought in the Mexican War and helped launch the Pony Express. Ficklin even…
You're driving past the site of Ben Ficklin, a frontier outpost named for Major Ben Ficklin himself. He was a frontiersman and a big name in mail and stagecoach contracts, even helping to launch the Pony Express!…
You're driving through what used to be Ben Ficklin, Texas, a town that met a watery grave. It started in 1873, laid out by Francis Corbett Taylor in honor of his friend, Maj. Benjamin Ficklin, who had established a…
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near San Angelo, and you're passing through a place named after a man who was, among many things, the originator of the Pony Express. Ben Ficklin, born in Virginia, came west and…
You're driving through what is now Tom Green County, named for a man who fought in some of Texas's most pivotal battles. Thomas Green arrived in Texas in 1835, just in time to fight in the Battle of San Jacinto, helping…
You're driving near San Angelo, and right here, in what was once known as Sanatorium, Texas, stood a community built entirely around healing. In the early 1900s, tuberculosis was a deadly epidemic. In response, Texas…
You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right beneath your tires, for a time, ran one of the greatest cattle highways in history: the Western Trail. Blazed in 1874 by John T. Lytle, this route stretched from…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, the Concho River. It's named for the Spanish word for 'shell,' and for good reason. Back in 1650, explorers Hernán Martín and Diego del Castillo found huge quantities…
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, you're passing through the birthplace of a major wool industry hub. In the spring of 1877, Joseph Tweedy and his partners drove the very first sheep into this area,…
You're driving through West Central Texas, and right here, you might have passed the site of Bohemia. <break time="400ms"/> It was planned as Twin Mountain City back in 1906 by George Hagelstein, who was selling off his…
You're driving through Tom Green County, heading west of San Angelo, and you're passing through a place with a name straight out of classic American literature: Knickerbocker. It was named for Diedrich Knickerbocker,…
You're driving through Vancourt, Texas, a farming and ranching community southeast of San Angelo. What's interesting here is how the town got its name. The first postmaster, W. S. Kelly, was establishing a mail route…
You're driving through Veribest, a Texas town with a name born from a bit of a mix-up. Back in 1926, a local resident named C. A. Roberson wanted to open a post office. But there was already a town in Texas with the…
You're driving through Water Valley, a community with a name that tells a story. It all started back in 1885, when the post office went by a few different names, like Yandell and Rethaville. But by 1889, S.S. McCrary…
You're driving past San Angelo, and you're passing the legacy of John R. Nasworthy. This Georgia-born pioneer fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War before heading to Texas. He became a key figure in West Texas,…
You're driving through San Angelo, the heart of Texas's sheep and goat country. These animals first arrived with Spanish explorers way back in the 1500s, providing food and clothing for missions. By the 1850s, Angora…
On January 8, 1865, a force of Texas militia and Confederate soldiers attacked a large camp of Kickapoo on Dove Creek, near present-day San Angelo. It was a catastrophic mistake. The Kickapoo were not raiding. They were…
You're driving past the Wall Brethren Church, a community with roots stretching back to the summer of 1929. Czech-speaking Brethren families, moving from places like Granger and Taylor, found a new home here. Initially,…
Wall, Texas, might seem like just another dot on the map as you drive through the rolling plains west of San Angelo. The air is a touch thinner up here at 2,060 feet, and there's a quiet that settles over you, a feeling…
You're driving past Grape Creek, Texas, a place that was once a vital link in the nation's communication system. Back in 1857, John Butterfield won a contract to deliver mail twice weekly between the Mississippi River…
You're near Wall High School in Wall. Last December, they took down Newton twenty-five to twenty-four to win the Texas 3A Division II state football championship. They wear that crown until this December, when the next…
Wall High School (Wall, TX): Most recent: 25-24 over Newton · 2025 3A Division 2 final.
Wall (Wall, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Hagyn Barbee (0.598 avg, 3 HR); Reid Ballard (0.458 avg, 5 HR); Jack Jeys (3 HR); Konnor Kanak (2 HR); Wyatt Jost (0.470…
You're driving past the Mullins Cemetery, a final resting place for a true Texas pioneer. Isaac Mullins arrived in the Republic of Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1837</say-as>. He organized Tom Green…
You're driving through West Texas, not far from San Angelo, where a major medical facility stands as a testament to one man's dedication. Right here, Dr. Joseph Banning McKnight took charge of a brand new state…
You're driving through Tom Green County, heading toward Carlsbad. This town started in 1907 as a land rush. Developers bought the huge Hughes Ranch, laid out a townsite, and offered free land to anyone who bought a farm…
You're driving past the site of a former self-sustaining community that once housed 2,000 people. In 1912, the Anti-Tuberculosis Colony No. 1 opened its doors, established by the Texas Legislature to treat tuberculosis.…
Christoval’s a small town, a real getaway, but it holds a bigger story than you might think. This place, settled back in 1883 and named for Saint Christopher, started as a trading post right here on the Concho River.…
You're cruising through Knickerbocker, a town that started with a bang in the 1870s. Farmers and ranchers were drawn to the fertile land along Dove Creek. The Baze brothers kicked things off in 1875, digging an…
You're driving through Knickerbocker, where education has been a priority for over a century. As early as 1877, children rode horseback to the Baze Subscription School, a one-room adobe building that operated for over…
Knickerbocker, Texas, out there on the Edwards Plateau, is a place that breathes quiet. The Middle Concho River cuts through the limestone, and the air’s dry, up there at nearly 2,500 feet. It's ranch country, mostly…
You're driving past the Old Thiele Building, a real hub of activity back in the day. Built in 1904 by Joe Thiele, a sheep rancher and civic leader, this place was constructed from native stone dug just a couple miles…
You're driving through Christoval, Texas, a community with a name that might surprise you. It's supposedly named for Christopher Columbus Doty, an early settler, but the name itself is Spanish for 'Christopher's Water.'…
Christoval (Christoval, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Ryler Hunt (2 HR).
You're driving past the site of the Christoval Baptist Church. Organized in 1889 as the South Concho Baptist congregation, the church met in a shared Union Church building before constructing its own octagonal…
You're driving through what used to be the Arden community, named for sheep raiser John Arden who arrived back in 1876. After 1900, homesteaders moved in, and by 1903, Joe Funk donated land for a school and cemetery…