According to the official version, the name of the State of Texas comes from the word tasha, which in the Caddo indigenous language, spoken by the Indians of the Hasinai nation, means "friendship." This conclusion was reached by the American historian Herbert Eugene Bolton in 1907 based on the claim that, during the 1689 expedition led by Alonso de Leon, there was a meeting between Fray Damian Massanet and some Indians who said techas to them, as a sign of friendship. From the study of the bibliography, we find that in 1606 this territory was already called Tejas, fact that, by itself, invalidates the official version.Probably the name of the State of Texas has its origin in the word texa, or texo, as it was written in old Spanish. These were the names given to a very familiar, sacred tree in Spain. The Neches River was baptized at first with the name of River of the Texas because of the abundance of trees of this species that populated the river.

“[A] linguist . . . takes readers on a tour across the state, using names and language to tell its history.” ―Alcalde Was Gasoline, Texas, named in honor of a gas station? Nope, but the name does honor the town’s original claim to fame: a gasoline-powered cotton gin. Is Paris, Texas, a reference to Paris, France? Yes: Thomas Poteet, who donated land for the town site, thought it would be an improvement over “Pin Hook,” the original name of the Lamar County seat. Ding Dong’s story has a nice ring to it; the name was derived from two store owners named Bell, who lived in Bell County, of course. Tracing the turning points, fascinating characters, and cultural crossroads that shaped Texas history, Texas Place Names provides the colorful stories behind these and more than three thousand other county, city, and community names. Drawing on in-depth research to present the facts behind the folklore, linguist Edward Callary also clarifies pronunciations (it’s NAY-chis for Neches, referring to a Caddoan people whose name was attached to the Neches River during a Spanish expedition). A great resource for road trippers and historians alike, Texas Place Names alphabetically charts centuries of humanity through the enduring words (and, occasionally, the fateful spelling gaffes) left behind by men and women from all walks of life. “[A] quite useful book.” ―Austin American-Statesman

According to the official version, the name of the State of Texas comes from the word tasha, which in the Caddo indigenous language, spoken by the Indians of the Hasinai nation, means "friendship." This conclusion was reached by the American historian Herbert Eugene Bolton in 1907 based on the claim that, during the 1689 expedition led by Alonso de Leon, there was a meeting between Fray Damian Massanet and some Indians who said techas to them, as a sign of friendship. From the study of the bibliography, we find that in 1606 this territory was already called Tejas, fact that, by itself, invalidates the official version.Probably the name of the State of Texas has its origin in the word texa, or texo, as it was written in old Spanish. These were the names given to a very familiar, sacred tree in Spain. The Neches River was baptized at first with the name of River of the Texas because of the abundance of trees of this species that populated the river.

A New York Times bestseller! “Lively and absorbing. . ." — The New York Times Book Review "Engrossing." —Wall Street Journal “Entertaining and well-researched . . . ” —Houston Chronicle Three noted Texan writers combine forces to tell the real story of the Alamo, dispelling the myths, exploring why they had their day for so long, and explaining why the ugly fight about its meaning is now coming to a head. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. Forget the Alamo provocatively explains the true story of the battle against the backdrop of Texas's struggle for independence, then shows how the sausage of myth got made in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. In the past forty-some years, waves of revisionists have come at this topic, and at times have made real progress toward a more nuanced and inclusive story that doesn't alienate anyone. But we are not living in one of those times; the fight over the Alamo's meaning has become more pitched than ever in the past few years, even violent, as Texas's future begins to look more and more different from its past. It's the perfect time for a wise and generous-spirited book that shines the bright light of the truth into a place that's gotten awfully dark.

A guide to seashells found in Texas that discusses the historical uses of mollusks and seashells, the history of conchology and malacology in the state, habitats, and other related topics, and provides information for identifying nine hundred species.