Posts Tagged ‘History’

I had the pleasure of meeting and recording Texas Senator John Cornyn reading a famous letter from Republic of Texas President Sam Houston to former U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

Voices of Texas History

1844 draft letter from Sam Houston to Andrew Jackson regarding the annexation of Texas by the United States.

Read by United States Senator
John Cornyn on July 27th, 2012

Listen (MP3 file)

Read transcript (pdf file)

About the document

Sen. Cornyn reads sections of a draft letter dated February 16, 1844, from Republic of Texas President Sam Houston to former U.S. President Andrew Jackson emphasizing his support of Texas’ annexation by the United States. (Draft letter: Item 3362, Andrew Jackson Houston collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission). The excerpts read by Senator Cornyn highlight the most compelling points in Houston’s draft letter (the final draft was ultimately sent to Jackson).

Voices of Texas History – Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

There is something about the Wild Weird West that evokes a UFOlogical feel to me. Perhaps its just the similar folktale, friend-of-a-friend nature of some western tall tales.

I’ve still not seen Cowboys and Aliens. I’ve wanted to but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I know, I know…

Anyway, here is an excerpt from a blurb in the Books section of Huffington Post (of all places) discussing a recent book (from Roswell Books) doing some chronicling of Wild West UFO History and comparing that to the media’s portrayal of the subject in the recent Cowboys and Aliens film:

Just like “Cowboys & Aliens” was not the first western movie ever made, UFO encounters did not begin with the alleged Roswell UFO crash in 1947.

In fact, there were hundreds of reported sightings of UFOs and extraterrestrials between 1840 and 1900, according to Noe Torres, a librarian in South Texas, and John LeMay, a historical archivist in Roswell, N.M.

The two have documented 14 of those sightings in a new book, “The Real Cowboys & Aliens: UFO Encounters of the Old West,” which Torres published via his own company, Roswell Books, which specializes in paranormal literature.

The book analyzes UFO reports that took place in America between 1840 and 1900, the period when “Cowboys & Aliens” is set, and contrary to what the characters played by Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig think of the creatures — they call them “demons” — LeMay said the idea that Earth could be visited by people from other planets wasn’t an alien concept.

via E.T. Researchers Say ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Distorts Truth About Aliens In Wild West.

The Mufon STAR TEAM lead field investigator I met recently (Fletcher Gray) suggested the body in the story looked alien and child like from burning up and shrinking into the fetal position and that it was likely the body of the pilot/inventor of whatever airship had crashed.

But just like with the other UFO flaps / eras, there seem to be far too many reports for it to be a lone mad scientist flying contraption inventor.

One good book on the Texas flap is The Great Texas Airship Mystery. Another interesting “alternate” take is this awesome art book: THE SECRETS OF DELLSCHAU – The Sonora Aero Club & the Airships of the 1800s, A True Story by Dennis Crenshaw in collaboration with P.G. Navarro.

The FringeWare store in Austin (and its print publication FringeWare Review) fixated on Aurora for a time, with dark fiction writer and former head of the Temple of Set Don Webb and the FringeWare folks cooperating to replace the stolen/missing gravestone for the poor abandoned alien:

• - FringeWare Benefit Honors UFO / Aurora Marker Project
• - Aurora’s Harbinger: A Fable for the Fin de Siecle by Jeff Gorvetzian
• - Cowboy Hats of the Gods: UFO Millenial Cults in Texas by Doc Hambone
• - Donn Webb’s (former Temple of Set High Priest) support of the Aurora Marker Project

More recently, UFO expert Jerry Clark has expounded upon his own investigations into the strange Texas tales of airship encounters. He reminded me about the Beaumont and Deadwood Texas Airship Sightings:

(Go to the 7 minute 25 second mark on the second video.)

“Finally, early in the evening of April 30, in Deadwood, Texas, a farmer named H. C. Lagrone heard his horses bucking as if in stampede. Going outside, he saw a bright white light circling around the fields nearby and illuminating the entire area before descending and landing in one of the fields.

“Walking to the landing spot, Lagrone found a crew of five men, three of whom talked to him while the others collected water in rubber bags. The man informed Lagrone that their ship was ONE OF FIVE that had been flying around the country recently, that theirs was in fact the SAME ONE that had landed in Beaumont a few days before, that all the ships had been constructed in an interior town in Illinois -which borders Iowa -and that they were reluctant to say anything else because they had NOT YET TAKEN OUT ANY PATENTS. By May of that same year, the sightings ended….”

Mystery Airships of 1890’s – KeelyNet – March 3, 1990

Finally … some interesting articles from the archives dug up at UFO Chronicles:

Diary Describes UFO Seen in 1808

A STRANGE STORY-REMARKABLE DISCOVERY

By Missouri Democrat
10-19-1865

Target…Austin, Texas (1960)

Uploaded by CONELRAD6401240 on Dec 16, 2010

For a complete history of this locally produced civil defense film see:
http://www.conelrad.com/targetaustin/index.php

TARGET…AUSTIN, TEXAS
1960
20 min. / B & W
A Presentation of KTBC-TV’s Project 7
Written & Narrated by Cactus Pryor
Script Consultant: Mattie Treadwell
Directed & Edited by Gordon Wilkison

CAST:
Coleen Hardin as Dorothy Klukis
Harvey Herbst as Roger Klukis
Charles Lasater as Clarence Phillips
Terrell Blodgett as himself (Austin Civil Defense Director)
Bob Gooding as himself (KTBC radio announcer)
Tom Atra as himself (Newspaper Salesman)
C.L. Davis as himself (Shoeshine Man)
Matt Martinez as himself (owner of El Rancho Restaurant)

The City Of Dallas – 1963

Uploaded by 10Garmonbozia01 on Apr 19, 2007

Various statements by reverent W.A.Holmes and M. Belli (Defence councellor for Jack Ruby), regarding the city of Dallas. Including B.J.Hargis regarding the state of America.

Also from the National Indignation Convention Dec. 13th 1961, the mayor of Dallas – E.Cabell with general E.Walker. Some footage covering the asassination attempt at general Walker.

Some from Adlai Stevenson’s visit October 24th 1963, where he encounters a not very friendly crowd. Alabama governor G.Wallace announce candidacy to head democratic ticket for presidency, using Dallas.

Police Chief Jesse Curry addresses the people that nothing degrading must happen to the president during his visit, and that the DPD will do anything in their power to prevent this. This in light of the Adlai Stevenson incident.

…

FROM 10Garmonbozia01:

As is said elsewhere; ‘Documents which define history should belong to the public, not private interests’.

I also try to refer my sources, but I have not yet been able to find the time to write or locate transcripts of all of the footage so far posted.

It may be mentioned that some has been taken from documentaries produced for TV,and therefore do not project my own personal views, which may, and certainly do differ at times.

The important thing is that as much information as possible,is accessible and available to as many as possible.

Photos/Scans regarding the assassination:
jfk.fotopic.net

People should consider this anniversary when contemplating the importance of allowing whistleblower releases and investigative journalism like that taking place en masse with the WikiLeaks and other document releases…

AUSTIN, Texas — Precisely 40 years after they began to appear in The New York Times, triggering a constitutional crisis over freedom of the press, the Pentagon Papers will be released at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum and other sites Monday.

Officials with the Lyndon B. Johnson Library on the University of Texas at Austin campus have scheduled a news conference to unveil the once-top secret, 7,000-page Pentagon study of the Vietnam War first leaked to The New York Times. Simultaneous releases of the papers also are planned at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston; Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, Calif.; and the National Archives at College Park, Md.

The Times began publishing the documents 40 years ago until a federal judge halted the publication. A fragmented U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ruling. In the meantime, The Washington Post published the documents.

The release also comes 38 years after President Johnson himself asked Nixon, his presidential successor, to release them to the public, the Austin American-Statesman reported Sunday. Johnson died 10 days later of a heart attack.

The LBJ Library has had a complete set of the report documents since 1969. Former Johnson aide Tom Johnson said the documents leaked to The Times and The Post did not include a section about secret Johnson administration efforts to negotiate peace with North Vietnam.

Read more: Pentagon Papers to be released | AP Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

Austinist Interview with Mack White about his projects (PsiOp-Radio is mentioned) and upcoming appearance at “Staple! Independent Media Expo”. The interview is conducted by Samantha Pitchel. I think that “Staple-gator” (by another artist named Kennon) looks rather Cryptozoological!

Graphic novelist and Texas native Mack White is well-known for his signature style that pairs traditional pulp comic sensibilities with subject matter that often draws comparisons to dark masters like Robert Anton Wilson. He began self-publishing comics in the ’80s, and has been featured in a wide range of anthologies including Zero Zero, The Bush Junta (which he co-edited with Gary Groth) and the touring art show Comics on the Verge. His forthcoming release, the graphic novel Texas Tales Illustrated, explores unique stories from the Texas Revolution and will be published by Texas Christian University Press this April. When he’s not illustrating, White is co-host of the political podcast PsiOp Radio, and is also acting in the locally-produced film Bozoland.

Mack will be appearing at the seventh annual Staple! Independent Media Expo, an interactive book fair and conference promoting comics, art, animation and self-published literature taking place March 5-6, 2011 at The Marchesa Hall and Theater.

SOURCE: Interview: Mack White [Staple! Independent Media Expo Preview]

www.Staple-Austin.org /  www.MackWhite.com

More from the interview in which Mack talks about his next big comics release:

Which came first: your interest in Texas and Western history, or your illustration work? Do they often inform each other?

Both interests started about the same time, when I was three years old. My oldest surviving drawing, done when I was three, is a picture of Davy Crockett. And now, years later, I find myself drawing Davy Crockett in Texas Tales. But those two interests haven’t always been intertwined. Most of my comics work has been about subjects other than Texas or the Old West. I always wanted to do a comic about the Alamo, but not until now was the timing right. It was literally the fulfillment of a childhood dream to work on Texas Tales—which, I should add, was co-created with author Mike Kearby.

Read the rest of the interview at The Austinist!