August 1, 1991 - After a blistering start to his MLB career, Scott Livingstone entered his 9th career game already hitting .344 with 8 runs scored. In his first at bat against Mike Fetters of the California Angels, Livingstone hit a line drive single into the right-centerfield gap scoring Dave Bergman to make it 2-0 Tigers. Livingstone came up again in the bottom of the 4th with a 3-0 lead, and, this time, he took Fetters deep over the right field wall for a solo homerun. If you've listened to his Ball 5 podcast, he has mentioned that since he only hit 17 homeruns in his career, he remembers them all, but this is probably one of the best since it was his first career homerun. Livingstone came up again in the 6th inning but settled for a walk off reliever Floyd Bannister. He finished the night 2-2 with a run and 2 RBIs to raise his early career average to .382 as his Tigers went on to beat the Angels 5-3.

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Photo by James Hulse; more photos here.

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Andrew Jackson Sowell
Born in Tennessee 1815
Came to Texas about 1829
Served in the Army of Texas; a courier from the Alamo, he left the fortress just before it fell to hurry reinforcements and supplies
Died about 1882.
His wife Lucinda Turner Sowell, born 1827 - died 1883.
Erected by the State of Texas 1956
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May 17, 1991 - After being drafted and signed in the 10th round of the 1987 MLB draft by scout Tom Chandler of the Cleveland Indians, yes former Aggie head coach Tom Chandler, Ever Magallanes got the chance to shine on the MLB stage at home against the Oakland Athletics. With his club leading the A's 11-3 going into the 8th inning, Magallanes came in to replace shortstop Felix Fermin. In the bottom of the 8th, he worked a full count before drawing a walk off of John Briscoe; he would be erased in a double play to end the inning. In the Top of the 9th, he got his first defensive chance when Rickey Henderson grounded out to Magallanes. The story is that Magallanes, who was respecting the speed of Henderson, rushed the throw so much that his throw beat Henderson to the bag by over 10 feet. Magallanes would only appear in 2 more games during his 11 day stint in the majors, but he would spend 11 years in the Mexican League and would be elected into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. He is still active in player development in the Angels organization and most likely would have worked with Gavin Grahovac after he was drafted this year during his brief stint with the Angel's ACL club.

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Photo by James Hulse; more photos here.

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Rev. Andrew Jackson Potter
Called "The Fighting Parson," Andrew Jackson Potter is a well-known figure in 19th century Texas history. He was born in Chariton County, Missouri on April 3, 1830, to Joshua Potter (1776-1840) and Martha (Johnson) Potter (d. 1840). His mother instilled in him a deep respect for religion and a love of the frontier. In 1846, Potter joined the army during the Mexican American War, accompanying wagon trains and trading. He gained a reputation among his fellow travelers for shrewdness and courage. In 1852, Potter settled in Texas, where he met and married Emily Catherine Guin (1838-1922) in Bastrop; the couple would go on to have 15 children. In 1856 at a religious camp meeting, Potter reported a religious conversion and began studying to become a Methodist minister. In 1859, he was licensed by the West Texas Conference of the Methodist Church.
Between 1862-1865, Potter served as a chaplain in the Confederate Army. After being discharged, the Methodist Church appointed Potter to the Prairie Lea circuit in Caldwell County. Fellow circuit rider Reverend John Wesley Devilbiss convinced Potter to become a circuit rider on the Kerrville Circuit, which was at that time the frontier of the West Texas Conference. The Potters first relocated to Comfort, then to a 308-acre farm near Boerne in 1871. Many of the Potter children married into neighboring communities and established significant families in Kendall County. Rev. Potter helped found several churches in the region. He organized the First Methodist Church of San Angelo in 1880, and in 1883, moved his family to that city. Rev. Potter died at the pulpit of Tilmon Chapel, near Lockhart, in Caldwell County on October 21, 1895. He is buried near Dale in Caldwell County.
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April 9, 1991 - Prior to Opening Day 1991, Chuck Knoblauch had spent the entire 1990 season in AA. He was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training in 1991 but forced the Minnesota Twins' hands by batting .388 that spring. Manager Tom Kelly batted Knoblauch 2nd in their opening game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland. Facing off against Dave Stewart who was coming off back-to-back-to-back-to-back 20 win seasons, Knoblauch flew out three times before drawing an 8th inning walk against reliever Steve Chitren. The Twins were not able to do much that game and dropped Opening Day 7-2. It wasn't the end though as Chuck Knoblauch would go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year and his Twins would go 95-67 in the regular season before beating the Atlanta Braves in extra innings in Game 7 (with help from a sac bunt by Knoblauch) to win the 1991 World Series.

A very blurry minute long highlight of the game can be found here (Knoblauch makes an unfortunate appearance at the 13 second mark):


Knoblauch's World Series sac bunt leading to the walk-off Game 7 win can be found here:

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Photo by Marion and Steve.




From the image of the marker, it appears that it should be around here. I do not see it, though.

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Andrew A. Rasmussen
A native of Denmark, Andrew Rasmussen (1858-1933) came to the United States at the age of 13 and began a maritime career that lasted for 60 years. Following the shipwreck of his schooner, the "Dorio and Doria," in 1885, Rasmussen joined Calhoun County's Saluria Life Saving Service, which had rescued his crew. By 1889, he was placed in charge of the station, which later became part of the U.S Coast Guard. Capt. Rasmussen and his wife, Theresa Amelia (Smith), built a home at this site in 1911. They are buried in the Port Lavaca Cemetery. (1985)
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Photo by Marion and Steve; more photos here.

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Old Anderson Place
Built 1860 at edge of an old Indian campground, by James B. Anderson, one of town's founders and a school trustee in Salado. Community leaders, lawyers and doctors have lived here.
Boarding here in 1883 while a student at Old Salado College was James E. Ferguson, 1915-1917 Governor of Texas--and husband of the first woman Governor.
Under panelling and cedar walls. Window glass is hand blown.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
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Photo by James Hulse; more photos here.




Look! It snowed!

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The Anderson House
This Victorian residence with distinctive second floor windows was designed by Wichita Falls architect Joseph C. Pate. Built for local businessman Guy Dewitt Anderson and his wife, it was completed in 1907. A noted civic leader, Mrs. Anderson also served as a commissioner for the Texas Centennial, 1936. Oilman W. E. Connors bought the house in 1918 and lived here until his death 20 years later. Built overlooking the city, it reflects the earlier prominence of the surrounding neighborhood.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
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June 9, 1990 - Making the 4th start of his career, and arguably the best start of his career, Russ Swan and his Seattle Mariners faced off against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers went 3-up, 3-down in the first against Swan. They went 3-up, 3-down in the 2nd against Swan. They went 3-up, 3-down in the 3rd against Swan. An error in the 4th was quickly erased by a double play as Swan continued to face the minimum against the Tigers. The Tigers then went 3-up, 3-down in the 6th and 7th innings against Swan. It wasn't until the 8th that Swan allowed his first hit of the game which was a single to Cecil Fielder. Tracy Jones followed with another single, but a double play and fly ball to right field ended the threat. Despite having only thrown 73 pitches over 8 innings (his high was 13 pitches in the 3rd thanks to a dropped foul ball), Swan was relieved and watched as his bullpen surrendered a 2 run homer in the 9th, but his Mariners won 5-2 marking the first career MLB win for Swan. Swan's 7 no-hit innings to start the game was the longest no-hit threat by a Mariners pitcher in a week as Randy Johnson also no-hit the Tigers on June 2nd in Seattle.

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Photo by Richard Denney; more photos here.

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Ancient Rocks Boundary
The mountains toward the east are limestone reef beds deposited in the Cretaceous and Permian seas about 135 million years ago and 250 million years ago; respectively. The limestone reefs overlie deformed rocks in the Ouachita Fold Belt, which is visible along the highway to the east, near Marathon. To the south are younger limestone beds deposited about 125 to 135 million years ago. They also rest above the Ouachita Fold Belt (so named for the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas-Oklahoma, where formation was first studied by geologists).
Toward the west, northwest, and southwest are layers of lava and associated volcanic rocks 25 to 35 million years old. These were thrust upward, into and over most of the older sedimentary rock layers. Many of the molten rock masses cooled and hardened underneath, while vast quantities poured over the surface in the form of lava flows and volcanic debris up to a mile in thickness. Subsequent erosion has sculptured these highlands by removing much of the younger volcanic rock, and cutting deeply into the older sea deposits. Out of the lower, igneous hills grow yucca and other cacti, contrasting with juniper and pinon on the higher elevations. (1970)
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August 3, 1989 - Prior to the 1989 season, Russ Swan was pitching in A ball for the San Jose Giants. In 1989, Swan made the jump to AA, AAA, and then the MLB. He had the unenviable task of facing off against reigning Cy Young winner, Orel Hershiser in his MLB debut. The game started off great with Kevin Mitchell providing a 3-run lead with a 1st inning home run. Swan answered with shutdown innings in the bottom of the 1st and 2nd innings. In the 3rd, his defense let him down on a 1-out throwing error off a Hershiser bunt attempt. The error allowed Jose Gonzalez to score all the way from 1st to cut the lead to 3-1. Things continued to unwind in the 4th when the same defender committed his 2nd error of the game and was followed by an Eddie Murray triple and Mickey Hatcher home run to make it 5-3 Dodgers. Swan came back in the 5th and had a clean inning erasing a leadoff single with a caught stealing. Swan was pulled in the top of the 6th after allowing a lead off single to Murray and finished the night with 5.0 innings, 5 hits, 5 runs (3 earned), and 2 strikeouts in his MLB debut. He also went 0-2 at the plate with 2 groundouts. Swan would make 1 more start for the Giants in 1989 and 2 more appearances in 1990 before a trade with the Mariners sent Swan to Seattle in exchange for Gary Eave; Eave never appeared in the majors with the Giants and actually resigned with the Mariners in the 1990 offseason.

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Photo by James Hulse; more photos here.

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An 1890 Bank Building
Irish quarrymen mined stone for this Victorian structure on Bower's Hill (2 mi. N), near home of a bank director, L. J. Bower. With its fine quality masonry and woodwork, the bank building added dignity to the Courthouse Square. An abstract firm and land office occupied the upper floor. After drought in its north Texas and Indian Territory trade areas, the bank failed in 1895. In 1906 W. I. Tidwell and son bought the property for a retail store. It was sold to W. A. Corbett in 1933 and to Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Roach in 1975. The lower front facade was last changed in the 1950s. (1976)
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July 30, 1988 - Appearing in his 17th career game, Sherman Corbett was brought on in the 3rd with runners on 2nd and 3rd and his California Angels down 6-5 to the Chicago White Sox; starter Kirk McCaskill had an early exit after struggling through the 2nd inning and not recording an out in the 3rd. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Corbett surrendered a 2-run double (runs credited to McCaskill) and then a sac-fly to make it 9-5 in favor of the White Sox. Corbett settled in from there allowing only a single and a walk through the 5th inning; he struck out Harold Baines and Dan Pasqua to end the 5th. During this time, Corbett's Angels mounted a come back and regained the lead with an 11-9 score entering the bottom of the 6th. 2 singles and 2 groundouts in the 6th cut the lead to 11-10 and the Angels turned to Stew Cliburn and Donnie Moore to close out the game with the Angels hanging on 15-12. For his effort, Corbett was credited with his first MLB win. His 2nd and last career win would come a week later in his next appearance which was in the first game of a double header; a double header in which he would appear in both games throwing 1.1 innings each.

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Photo by Marion and Steve; more photos here.

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Amphion and Amphion Cemetery
Amphion traces its beginning to the establishment of Atascosa County's first courthouse which is believed to have been constructed near this site at the county seat of Navatasco in 1857. Amphion, thought to have been named after a figure in Greek mythology, was located within the 17,000-acre ranch of Jose Antonio Navarro, a prominent local rancher and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Amphion was at one time a thriving community with several general stores, a hotel, post office, blacksmith shop, cotton gin, tannery, churches, fraternal lodges and a school. Amphion Cemetery was established about 1870 at this site on land donated by Roy Jenkins and Frank Lozano. Although the earliest recorded gravesite is that of Laura Underwood (d.1891) there is a gravestone with the year 1800 inscribed on its surface that local tradition claims marks the grave of a young boy killed by Indians. This cemetery contains the graves of at least two veterans of the American Civil War.
When railroad lines were built through Atascosa County in 1907 and 1927 along routes that bypassed Amphion, business activity declined and the community eventually dissolved. Virtually all that remains of the former town of Amphion is this cemetery. (1992)
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August 27, 1985 - After a dominating 1985 minor league season that saw Steve Davis ascend through both AA and AAA for the Toronto Blue Jays, Davis got the call to join the major league club for the final 38 games of the 1985 season. Making only his second appearance, Davis was thrust into the game against the Minnesota Twins in the 2nd inning when Blue Jays starter, Tom Filer, was removed from the game with an elbow injury that cost Filer most of 2 seasons. Davis shined over the next 4 innings in relief allowing only a 2-out single to Kent Hrbek; Davis struck out Mike Stenhouse, Roy Smalley, and Kirby Puckett who only struck out about 12% of the time in his HOF career. Davis maintained the 3-0 lead for the Blue Jays who would pour on the runs in the 8th and 9th innings to run away with the win 8-0. For his effort, Davis was credited with the win, his first in his MLB career.

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Photo by Marion and Steve; more photos here and here.



The marker should be here. It appears that the facade of the building was redone around 2012, and the marker can no longer be seen from the outside. Perhaps it is inside or perhaps it was moved somewhere else. This image is from 2007 when you could still see the marker outside the building.

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Amon G. Carter
Born in Wise County, Texas, on December 11, 1879, Amon Giles Carter left home at an early age and worked at a variety of odd jobs around the country before his arrival in Fort Worth in 1905. Carter became the advertising manager of the "Fort Worth Star", which published its first issue on February 1, 1906. Thus began a career in journalism that by 1925 had taken him to the position of president and publisher of the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram," the newspaper with the largest circulation in Texas for many years.
Carter's involvement in a wide variety of interests left its mark on many Texas institutions. In 1921, he authorized the purchase of equipment that resulted in the establishment of WBAP Radio in Fort Worth. An aviation enthusiast, Carter brought numerous early aviators to Fort Worth to demonstrate their skills and helped attract aviation industry to the area. His promotion of Fort Worth and the entire West Texas region attracted widespread attention.
Much of the fortune he earned in oil was spent on philanthropic interests, including establishment of the Amon Carter Museum as a gift to Fort Worth.
Amon G. Carter died in Fort Worth on June 23, 1955, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery. (1985)
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October 14, 1984 - With the Detroit Tigers up 3 games to 1 in the 1984 World Series, the San Diego Padres went with Mark Thurmond to make his 2nd career World Series start; just the 3rd World Series start to this point made by an Aggie. Unfortunately, the Detroit Tigers' bats, which had been relentless the entire series, came out hot. Thurmond surrendered a lead off single to Lou Whitaker to begin the bottom of the first inning. Alan Trammell followed with a fielder's choice which erased Whitaker and left Trammell on first. He didn't stay there long as Kirk Gibson homered on the first pitch to make it 2-0 Tigers. Things unraveled from there as Thurmond surrendered 3 consecutive singles to make it 3-0. HOF manager Dick Williams turned to the Padres' bullpen, but the bullpen, outside of Andy Hawkins, continued to allow the Tigers to score. After the Padres had tied the game at 3 runs a piece, the Tigers answered back and won the game 8-4 clinching the 1984 World Series Championship. A season and a half later, Thurmond would be traded from the Padres to the Tigers and helped the Tigers to the 1987 ALCS.

You can watch Thurmond's performance here:

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Photo by J Frye; more photos here.

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Amon Carter Riverside High School and Riverside ISD
A community school system known as Trinity Bend existed as early as 1876 in what is now the Riverside neighborhood of Fort Worth. Classes were held in a one-room schoolhouse built by Dr. Eagle, a retired physician. The Pendleton District was created for this area in 1884, and the name Riverside was adopted fifteen years later. After the City of Fort Worth annexed the Riverside Community in 1922, the school became part of the Fort Worth educational system. In 1941 the school at this site was named for Fort Worth businessman and philanthropist Amon G. Carter. (1983)
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With the football result I need this countdown to go quicker!

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Photo by Mansfieldphoto.com; more photos here.

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Amon B. King
In the early morning of March 14, 1836, twenty eight Texans under Captain Amon B. King separated from Col. William Ward's command in the mission church and late that day in a wood on the west bank of Mission River a half mile below the town fought a desperate battle with part of General Urrea's Mexican command. Five Texans were killed and five wounded, one of whom joined Colonel Ward in the church. The others escaped but were captured next day.
On March 14, 1836, Lieutenant Colonel William Ward with less than one hundred and fifty men successfully defended the Church of the Refugio mission against four successive attacks by General Jose Urrea's command and made his escape from the church that night after having lost only three men wounded, two left to care for them and a few others as couriers or while separated from command.
On March 16, 1836, Captain King and fourteen of his men who had been made prisoners by General Urrea's cavalry the day left before were marched to the slope of the hill on Goliad road about one mile from the Refugio church and shot. Their bones were later buried where they fell by John Hynes, a twelve year old lad of Refugio who had been their friend. James Murphy of Refugio Colonel Fannin's courier killed near by on March 14, was buried in their common grave.
Erected by the State of Texas in memory of Captain Amon B. King and Texan soldiers killed in action or captured and afterwards slain as a result of the fighting at Refugio March 14, 15, 16, 1836.
Samuel Anderson, William Armstrong, Leslie G.H. Brady, James Henry Callison, John H. Colegrave, Thomas Cook, Fields Davis, Henry H. Eadock, Lewis C. Gibbs, James Henley, Joel F. Heth, Jesse C. Humphries, Harvey H. Kirk, William R. Johnson, Snead Ledbetter, James B. Murphy, George W. Penny, J.B. Rodgers, Antoine Sayle, William N. Simpson, Gavin H. Smith, John C. Stewart, Robert A. Toler, John Ward, Christopher Winters, Samuel Wood.
THC Database

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Conchovalleyag said:

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With the football result I need this countdown to go quicker!

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I'm doing my best.

Conchovalleyag said:

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With the football result I need this countdown to go quicker!

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Thinking the same - I'm ready for baseball season

At least Ole Miss won - we know how that feels. Same story but blown up because it was college football.

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Photo by Marion and Steve; more photos here.
Go look at the bluebonnets growing in this cemetery. I would love for bluebonnets to grow all over my grave. :')


No street view for this one. Google car has never been there.

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Amity Cemetery
When 14-year-old Charles Farley died in Feb. 1878, his parents buried him near their farmhouse, as this frontier locality had no cemetery at the time. Three months later Fannie Nichols (1875-78) died and was buried nearby. The Farleys then donated an acre of land as a community graveyard. The neighbors built an adjacent brush arbor for funerals and general gatherings. In the summer of 1878, Baptists organized a church, naming it Amity (friendship). Before erecting their own buildings, Baptists and Methodists held services in the brush arbor or at Amity School (1 mi. NW).
William H. Lindley (1840-1913) bought land south of the Farley Farm in 1885. When new surveys placed the cemetery on his land, Lindley deeded the burial ground to the public. Later his son-in-law, George Brown, gave an additional acre to be used if needed. A large tabernacle with permanent fixtures replaced the brush arbor and was used for funerals until 1938 or 1939, when it was severely damaged by a storm. Free-will donations have maintained the cemetery since 1951. A "First Sunday in June Singing" which Amity Baptist Church originated in 1897 now serves as an annual memorial day and homecoming. By 1978 Amity Cemetery has nearly 400 graves. (1978)
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October 9, 1984 - Coming off of a Top 10 Rookie of the Year season in 1983 and a 14-8 record with a 2.97 ERA in 1984 to lead the Padres to the 1984 National League Pennant, the team's first, Manager Dick Williams handed the ball to Mark Thurmond to start Game 1 of the 1984 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. After a rocky start that saw Lou Whitaker single and Alan Trammell drive him in with a double, Thurmond settled in and left 2 stranded in the Top of the 1st. Him teammates picked him up in the bottom half with a 2-run double by Terry Kennedy to stake the Padres to a 2-1 lead. Thurmond made this lead stand up over the next 3 innings by working around a single and 2 walks. In the 5th, Thurmond ran out of luck as a 2-out double followed by a Larry Herndon home run gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The Padres would turn to the bullpen for the rest of the game, but Tigers' ace, Jack Morris, went the distance in a 3-2 Tigers victory that setup their championship run. Unbeknownst at the time, Thurmond's 5 innings to begin Game 1 would be the best outing by a Padres starting pitcher in the 1984 World Series, as the remaining 4 games saw the Padres' starters go a combined 5.1 innings with 14 runs allowed. This game marked only the 2nd time in history that an Aggie started a World Series game.

The entire Game 1 starting with the ceremonial first pitch thrown by none other than Texas A&M's own C.E. Pat Olsen can be found here:

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Photo by Larry D. Moore; more photos here.

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American Legion Hall
Donna Border Post No. 107. Dedicated 1920. First American Legion Hall built or owned by any post in the world.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964
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September 1, 1984 - A September call-up in 1984, Mark Ross was making his first appearance with the Houston Astros since his 4 game cup of coffee in 1982. After Astros' starter Bob Knepper allowed 4 runs through the first 4 innings, the Astros handed the ball to Ross with the Astros trailing the home team, St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2. Ross made quick work of George Hendrick, Lonnie Smith, and David Green to set the Cardinals down in order in the bottom of the 5th via flyouts and a groundout. The Astros answered the shutdown inning in the Top of the 6th with 3 singles and a triple to score 3 runs to take the 5-4 lead. As you did in the 80s, the Astros turned to closer Dave Smith for the final 4 innings to secure the save and an 8-4 Astros victory. For his effort, Ross was credited with the win, the first of 2 in his MLB career; his 2nd win would not come until 6 years later with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Photo by Brian Anderson; more photos here.



And now here we are celebrating two hundred fifty years. How about that!

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Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of the American Declaration of Independence
Most of the "Old Three Hundred" settlers in Stephen F. Austin's first Texas colony in the early 1820s came from the United States and were proud of their Anglo-American heritage. Austin discouraged any display of American loyalties which might anger the Mexican authorities or violate colonization laws. Many customs persisted, however, including observance of July Fourth as American Independence Day. On July 4, 1826, settlers around Beason's Crossing, nucleus of the present town of Columbus, planned a barbecue to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. No doubt, many colonists traveled long distances for this important gathering.
West of the Colorado River in Green DeWitt's Colony, a small group set out from Gonzales on July 2 to attend the barbecue at Beason's. While camped for the night, they were attacked by Indians but managed to escape. Returning to Gonzales, they found their homes plundered and one man killed. The other settlers were visiting at a nearby cabin and escaped the Indian raid. The survivors then proceeded to the safety of older settlements along the the Colorado. (1976)
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April 4, 1984 - It's the 2nd game of the 1984 season, and the New York Mets were wrapping up a 2-game series versus the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati. The Mets jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after 3 innings thanks to 2 singles in the 2nd and 2 doubles in the 3rd. Despite allowing 6 free base runners via walks, Mets' starter Ron Darling stayed out of trouble by limiting the Reds' offense to just 2 hits through 6 innings of work. After the 6th, Mets' rookie manager, Davey Johnson, turned to the bullpen and used Doug Sisk to close out the last 3 innings earning the save in the 2-0 victory over the Reds. The Mets' win was their first of the young season and marked the first of 90 wins for the Mets in 1984 and the first of 1,372 career wins for Johnson as a manager. The Mets' 90 win season was their first winning season since 1976. Their 2nd place finish in the NL East was also the first time they finished higher than 5th out of 6 teams in the NL East since 1976 as well. Ahead of his time, Johnson was one of the first managers in all of baseball to rely on computers and statistics to optimize his lineup based on the statistical data.

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Photo by Bill Kirchner; more photos here.



Look, there's a train wheel next to it.

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America's Second Transcontinental Railroad
(Joined Here in 1881)
Great achievement in American history. Victory for statesmen, including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, who early as 1845 had supported in the United States Congress the idea of a transcontinental railroad. This was effected in 1869, but a need remained-- as advocated in the Congress-- for a southern route. In 1869 the Southern Pacific began constructing such a line eastward from the west coast. In 1871 the Texas & Pacific began building a line, under a special Act of Congress, from east Texas to southern California.
They ran a dramatic race which reached its climax as construction crews for the roads neared this site. Southern Pacific reached Sierra Blanca on Nov. 25, 1881-- while crews of the T. & P. were 10 miles to the east of here.
On Nov. 26, 1881, an agreement was reached by Jay Gould, for the Texas & Pacific, and Collis P. Huntington, for the Southern Pacific, whereby in Sierra Blanca the roads would "approach, meet, and form one continuous line to the Pacific Ocean.
The lines were joined here on Dec. 15,1881, and on Dec. 16 transcontinental service was inaugurated. (1968)
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April 2, 1984 - After the New York Mets endured their 6th 90-loss season in the last 7 years, General Manager Frank Cashen, handed the reigns to rookie Manager Davey Johnson. Johnson, who had led the Mets' AAA team to the AAA World Series Championship in 1983, showed up to his press conference in cowboy boots and openly talked about utilizing statistics to better shape lineups and rotations for best matchups. After saying "I like working for smart men, and Frank Cashen is a smart man for hiring me", Johnson then asked Cashen why it took so long for Cashen to hire him. In his playing days, as Johnson was wrapping up his mathematics degree at Trinity, he took a computer programming class and used his skills on a computer owned by Orioles owner Jerry Hofberger to develop an optimized lineup that he gave to his HOF manager, Earl Weaver, ahead of the 1969 season; Weaver took the data and threw it in the trashcan. Now that he was in control, Johnson hired a data processing manager to run statics for him for the 1984 season, and was a pioneer in what would later become known as sabermetrics. While his first game as skipper didn't go so well, losing 8-1 with opening day starter Mike Torrez only lasting 1.1 innings, his statistical analysis laid the ground work as the Mets went from 90 losses in 1983 to 90 wins in 1984 and eventually the 1986 World Series championship.

I still think Johnson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame as his .562 winning percentage is 10th all-time among managers with 1,000 career victories, 13th all-time among managers who managed 1,500 games, and is the 2nd best winning percentage of any modern day manager (post 1960 - also excludes active managers Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone). He managed for 5 different franchises and holds a winning record at each stop, and he was only the 2nd manager ever to take 4 of those franchises to the playoffs.

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Photo by James Hulse; more photos here.

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Amasa Turner
Served as a private, officer and recruiter in the Army of Texas, 1835-36.
Erected by the State of Texas, 1962
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June 29, 1983 - Prior to his first MLB start on June 29th, Mark Thurmond had made 3 bullpen appearances, 2 of which came against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Impressed by his composure, manager Dick Williams inserted Thurmond into the starting rotation for his 4th appearance and his 3rd against the Dodgers. Thurmond went up against Fernando Valenzuela who was coming off a Rookie of the Year award in 1981 and a 19-win campaign that saw him finish 3rd in the Cy Young voting in 1982. Thurmond and Valenzuela traded zeroes in the first inning. In the 2nd, Thurmond ran into trouble by allowing an RBI triple to Derrel Thomas followed by a successful squeeze bunt by Valenzuela to stake the Dodgers to an early 2-0 lead. Thurmond reciprocated the sac bunt in the 3rd inning which setup a 4-run inning to give the Padres the lead. The Padres and Thurmond wouldn't look back. Thurmond shutdown the Dodgers offense going forward allowing only 3 hits and a walk the rest of the way as he finished a complete game 13-2 victory over Valenzuela and the Dodgers. The complete game victory was the first MLB win of Mark Thurmond's career and cemented his role as a starter for the Padres.

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Photo by Bill Kirchner; more photos here.

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Amarillo Natatorium ("The Nat")
The Natatorium, an open air building surrounding a swimming pool that measured 36' by 101', opened in July 1922. "The Nat" was enclosed in 1923 for year-round use. In 1926 the building was converted into a dance hall with 10,000 square feet of maple flooring covering the pool area. "The Nat" also provided dining and at its peak employed 40 staff members. Well known bands traveling along Route 66 often stopped here to entertain. Though closed as a public dance hall in the 1960's, "The Nat" served the Amarillo area as a significant social center for decades.
(1996)
THC Database

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