Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

For most of its 155 year history, the Port Isabel Lighthouse, like a lonely sentry, kept silent watch over ships that ventured into the shallow gulf waters of the lower Laguna Madre. One of sixteen lighthouses serving the state, this renovated structure is evocative of a bygone era; one that continues to capture the imagination of visitors.

A lot of people are fascinated with lighthouses.

Gabriel Gildinas is Port Isabel’s lighthouse keeper.

A lot of the visitors that we have are inland, so seeing a lighthouse is like finding treasure to them. It’s just an unbelievable site that they want to come, they want to experience this. It brings a lot to their imaginations. You just see the children. They’re just unbelievably fascinated with it. They just want to run up the stairs.

New technologies have made the need for lighthouses obsolete. But at one time – they were lifesavers.

Well, in the past, the use of this lighthouse was mainly to help the ships in this area. At the time, this was one of the largest shipping ports in the entire world. The lighthouses, they really don’t serve much of a purpose nowadays because of the GPS- global positioning system, but back in that time, lighthouses were like the GPS. The only way you could navigate and knows what’s in front of you is by knowing there’s a lighthouse right there.

Find a link to more information about the Port Isabel Lighthouse at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

In June, the Texas Archaeological Society (TAS) offers a Field School where folks dig in the dirt to explore our state’s history. Bryan Jameson is Field School Committee Chairman.

I have people who come up to me and I’ll mention archeology and they think of dinosaurs, and archeology obviously is the study of the people of the past. That’s why archeology sites are so important.

The 2007 Field School takes place in Menard, and celebrates the historic site of Presidio San Saba.

This year represents the 250th anniversary of Presidio San Saba. We’re going to do some excavations at the Presidio with the intent of hoping to define more of the architecture, features that we may find to help us figure out what the daily life of these people in an 18th century post would have been like.

TAS promotes the importance of archeology with hands-on activities and education during the summer event.

We’re trying to educate everyone as much as we can as to the importance of archeology and this is one way to accomplish that. Archeology sites are a very limited resource. So, hopefully by people coming and attending and being part of it, they realize exactly what we are trying to say to them. Preservation of our history can only be accomplished by these means.

Field School is June 9th through 16th. Register online at www.txarch.org…. the deadline is May 31st.

Tomorrow, getting kids involved in archeology.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Window to the Past is a segment airing on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series the week of May 13. Series writer/producer, Alan Fisher, says it examines prehistoric rock art in the lower Pecos River Region of Texas.

In the canyons and cliffs in and around Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site, there are these amazing pictographs – ancient rock paintings.

You go down right in that canyon and you step back three-thousand, four-thousand years.

We followed, not only the personnel at the state park there, but also some scholars who were doing some of the latest research on trying to figure out what these rock paintings really mean to the people who made them so long ago.

Now, another symbol in this rock art that is what is called a crenelated arch; it is there to represent the physical barrier between the real world and the spirit world, or the after world.

There aren’t too many places you can look at something that was made by human hands that is that old in Texas, or really anywhere in North America. So, it’s really remarkable to stand before a painting that was painted so long ago and try to imagine what the people who made it were thinking and what their lives must have been like.

The Window to the Past segment airs the week of May 13, as part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series.

Check your local listings.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Texans don’t need much encouragement to kick up their heels and celebrate. And this Saturday, several state parks celebrate May Day and Cinco de Mayo.

Fulton Mansion State Historic Site is a stately, one hundred thirty year old manor, that faces Aransas Bay. And Saturday, May fifth, this jewel of the Gulf Coast Region celebrates spring, with May Day festivities. If you’re so inclined, go ahead and show off the moves you’ve learn on “Dancing with the Stars” when you trip the light fantastic around the maypole. Or play period games with the kiddos, enjoy old-fashioned pie-eating contests and create beautiful flower crafts. There’s live music, a petting zoo…from 10 to 4 pm.

Not to be outdone, Sebastopol House State Historic Site in Seguin, located in the Prairies and Lakes Region of the state, offers it’s version of May Day festivities. It is a free family event packed with music, a maypole dance, demonstrations, a climbing wall, games, free kid’s prizes and much more! Families are invited to come enjoy time together at this historic setting from 11 to 4.

Cinco de Mayo marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. And on Saturday, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, offers family activities with a Hispanic theme including games, dancing, music and food, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Reduced admission for adults, and free for kids under 12 years.

For entrance fees and directions to these events, go to the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Humanities Texas is the state affiliate for of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Executive Director Michael L. Gillette.

We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit, but every year we receive a grant from the NEH – The National Endowment for the Humanities – and we use that grant to promote the humanities in public programs throughout the state.

The organization recently awarded TPWD a $10-thousand dollar grant to support development of an online education center exploring the history of Texas in the 1930s and 1940s. Gillette says the lack of high quality, primary source material related to Texas in the 20th Century was one reason the project received funding.

So, I think that was very appealing, and the fact that it was truly a statewide project and relates to so many sites throughout the state.

The grant for this project was made possible by the Linden Heck Howell Memorial Fund.

Titled “A New Deal for Texas,” the web pages will feature lesson plans and historical essays that will help students investigate digitized historical images, artifacts and documents relating to New Deal programs in Texas.

One thing that it will achieve is enabling student to recognize the history around them.

Web pages for “A New Deal for Texas” are currently in development.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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