Marking Time #3: World's Richest Acre

Today's installment of "Marking Time" takes us out to East Texas where they had quite an oil boom awhile back. The HUGE amount of drilling is commemorated by the "World's Richest Acre" Park:


Which also has a State Historical Marker which reads:

Part of fabulous East Texas oil field discovered in 1930. This 1.195-acre tract had first production on June 17, 1937, when the Mrs. Bess Johnson-Adams & Hale No. 1 well was brought in.
Developed before well-spacing rules, this block is the most densely drilled tract in the world, with 24 wells on 10 lots owned by six different operators. This acre has produced over two and a half million barrels of crude oil; selling at $1.10 to $3.25 a barrel, it has brought more than five and a half million dollars.
A forest of steel derricks for many years stood over the more than 1,000 wells in downtown Kilgore, marking the greatest concentration of oil wells in the history of the world. Dozens of these derricks still dot city's internationally famous skyline.
Since 1930, the East Texas oil field has produced nearly four billion barrels of oil. It now has more than 17,000 producing wells, and geologists predict a future of at least 45 years for this "granddaddy of oil fields." Its development has attracted to the area many diversified industries and a progressive citizenship with a high degree of civic pride.


And as luck would have it we have a video for this one that we shot a few years ago:

Marking Time #2: World's Largest Jackrabbit

Today's Marking Time entry is the pride of Odessa, TX: The World's Largest Jackrabbit!


The marker reads:

True plains Rabbit. Lives only in the west. Burro-like ears gave him his name. color is protective, blending with sand and dry grass. Very long legs make him a swift runner, clocked at speeds to 45 miles and hour. Object of hunts with Greyhounds. Was prized by plains Indians for food and fur. to white man a reminder of desert-hard life. In drouth and depression, meat source for thousands. Subject of tall tales. Actual hero of world's only Jackrabbit Rodeo, in Odessa, May 1932.

You can see how it maintains it's "World's Largest" status by towering over geologist Devin Dennie.

Eating Gluten Free at the State Fair of Texas

Here's some video we shot earlier this week about eating gluten free at the State Fair of Texas for the "From Cows to Quinoa" blog.

Marking Time #1: The B.W.J. Wofford Home

In our travels we are constantly running across State Historical Markers. The typical reaction by most travelers is to ignore these points of posterity in an effort to get where they are going. But the focus of each of the markers is to remind weary road goers of important people, places and events of the past. And as the expression goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it...

To that end, we are introducing a new feature on the blog: "Marking Time." Each Marking Time entry will focus on one historical marker. While we won't go terribly in depth with the history of the marker, we will show off it's location and hopefully remind roadtrippers to take a look around on their next journey and possibly appreciate what a great learning tool the open road can be.

Our first Marking Time entry is the B.W.J. Wofford Home:


The home was relocated to the East Texas Arboretum in Athens, TX.

The marker reads:

Bushrod W. J. Wofford Bushrod William John "Bush" Wofford was born in February 1832 to William M. and Mariah Frances Johnston Wofford in Madison County, Alabama. He grew up an only child in Tippah County, Mississippi. His parents died when he was a young man, and he came to Texas in the early 1850s.
In 1852, Wofford married Martha A. Miller of Anderson County, Texas. The following year, he bought 320 acres of the Matthew Goliher Survey near Fincastle (25 mi. Se). He built a house, using hand-hewn logs, handmade bricks and, perhaps, an existing cabin structure. His first son, George M. Wofford, was born in February; Martha died a few months later.
Wofford remarried to Frances Eliza Ayres of Tippah County in 1855, bringing her to his Fincastle home. It is believed she initiated additions to the cabin, including a long, front gallery porch, two log rooms and a dog run, and clapboard siding. Between 1855 and 1878, Bush and Eliza had nine children, many of whom lived to become successful residents of Henderson County.
During his long life, Wofford worked as a farmer and owned a Fincastle mercantile business, called Wofford & Son. He also served as a lieutenant in a reserve unit from Fincastle during the Civil War. Eliza and Bush moved to Athens in 1890. He died in 1891, and he is buried with Eliza at the Athens City Cemetery.
The house remained in Fincastle until 2001, when the family donated it for relocation to this site. Wofford descendants provided funds for the restoration of the house and its use as a museum.


Outside the house is a recreation of the family's garden which is enjoyed by visitors to the arboretum.


While we won't be able to catalog every historical marker (there are tons of 'em) we will feature as many as we can and look forward to the journey.

Pictures From This Year's Visit to the State Fair

Here are some pictures from our visit to the 2011 State Fair of Texas!

This year's Butter Sculpture:


A fairly underwhelming world record:


Angry Birds in crochet form! (which, in my opinion, really should have placed higher than "Honorable Mention)


Why does "Fried Chicken Skin" not get more publicity?


The winners and judges from the Spam Cook-Off:

2011 State Fair of Texas Opening Day Parade

Geo-Walk: Gneiss & Easy

Devin has a nice time checking out some nice gneiss.