Secret Austin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

by Les Thomas, Cheryl Thomas

Overview

How did a soldier left for dead on a Civil War battlefield make it to Austin and help build a world-class university? Where is the college dorm room where a struggling student started Dell computers? And why are there thousands and thousands of bats in Austin? Find the answers to these questions and many more in Secret Austin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Learn about the lost-cause oilrig that became a gusher and funded higher education for generations. Follow in the footsteps of famous Austinites like Janis Joplin, Farrah Fawcett, and Matthew McConaughey. With life long journalists and Austin fans Cheryl and Les Thomas as your guides, you’re bound to find more than a few surprises about Austin—even if you’ve lived there forever. Whether you're a slacker, an entrepreneur, a poet, or just a bluebonnet admirer, you’ll find Austin’s most fascinating hidden gems, strange history, and obscure trivia in their guide to the “City of the Violet Crown.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681062815
Publisher:	Reedy press, LLC.
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Series:	Secret
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Cheryl and Les Thomas are lifelong journalists and lifelong Austin fans. Following college, they were both reporters at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Cheryl taught English in the public schools for more than 30 years and was a wire service reporter, while Les joined Southern Living Magazine as a travel editor and senior writer. They still live in Austin and when they aren’t traveling and writing, they operate an Angus cattle ranch near Bertram. Les is an award winning writer and longtime member of the Society of American Travel Writers who has been honored with the Governor’s award from the Texas Department of Tourism.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Alright, Alright, Alright 2

Too Big to Deliver 4

The Big Byte 6

Arachnophobes, Beware 8

Bevo Settles an Old Score 10

A Garden Older Than Dirt 12

Discovering a Pearl 14

A Texas-Size Bat 16

Custer Rode to the Rescue 18

Books with a View 20

Talk This Way, Please 22

Austin's Long Road Home 24

It Keeps on Ticking 26

Cleared to Land 28

End of the Road for Geraldine 30

Sainted Oil 32

Why They Call It "Dirty's" 34

You're Guilty, but We'll Name the Courthouse after You 36

A Puzzling Picture 38

Foam Sweet Foam 40

Turn on the Moonlight 42

A Carnivore's Delight 44

No Limits 46

Groceries from the Golden Days 48

Mosaic Mystery 50

Margarita with a View 52

Casa Neverlandia 54

Rock of Ages 56

Double Trouble 58

An Alamo Survivor's Story 60

Charles Umlauf's Secret Garden 62

There's No Pool Like an Old Pool 64

Music for a General on Mount Bonnell 66

The Queen of Oratory 68

Hank's Last Show 70

The Flood That Lifted up Whole Foods 72

How the State Flower Lost Its Thorns 74

Be Wary of Hairy 76

A Window on the World 78

Comedy Meets Magic 80

Chips Off the Old Block 82

Heaven for Foodies 84

A Rocky Reception 86

Reddy Kilowatt Would Be Proud 106

Country Music Spoken Here 108

Equine Royalty 110

First Lady 112

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Dinosaur 114

Star Maker 116

Clara's Heavenly Lagoon 118

Friendly Flora 120

Tragedy of a Tree 122

Strollin' Down the River 124

A Blonde Icon 126

The Chitlin' Circuit 128

Servant Girl Annihilator 130

The Spirits of the Driskill 132

Discovering the Dinos 134

Cerveza and Legends 136

Don't Come and Take It 138

Sway to the Smoky Sweet Blues 140

A Balancing Act 142

The Pig War 144

Aggies Stormed the Castle 146

Think or Swim 148

Home of the Hilltoppers 150

The Paramount Still Shines 152

Convict Hill Left Its Mark 154

The Day the Dillo Died 156

Priceless Papers 158

The Other Governor's Mansion 160

Did Weirdness Start Here? 162

The Day Time Stood Still 164

Birds of a Feather 166

Gone Too Soon 168

Mystery of a Lost French Ship 170

Gone without a Prayer 172

Two Caddies Who Changed the Game 174

Free-Range Chickens 176

Iconic figures in Stone 178

Top Secret Vodka 180

Queen Bee 182

House of Joy 184

Baby Face and the Slue Bonnet Court 186

A Simple Howdy 188

Sources 190

Index 195