Welcome to Texas Tales, Trails & Rails - The Inspiration

Welcome!  You’ve arrived at the first post for the Texas history and travel blog called TEXAS TALES, TRAILS & RAILS.   My name is KELLY NORTH, traveler, blogger, historian.  I am a fifth generation Texan proud of my state and its history.  I currently live just a few miles from the land on which my great, great grandfather settled in the late 1800’s.

I’ve traveled miles and miles of Texas’ roads in my lifetime, visiting historic sites and small towns all over the state of Texas, camping, canoeing, hiking and boating.  And I continue to travel the miles of Texas.  Only now, I’m traveling with a purpose; to document the history of Texas’ counties, its towns, historic sites, monuments, railroads, hotels, pioneers, and to share its historic events and stories in this blog.  So much of my state’s history has been recorded in small town newspapers, diaries, and scrapbooks.  Few people are keeping diaries or scrapbooks anymore.  And the small towns are losing their newspapers.  Who now will preserve our history and record our new history in the making?

Thankfully, with the help of many partners (including many private collectors, local libraries and small town museums), UNT LIBRARIES is scanning these newspapers, diaries and scrapbooks along with photos, letters, interviews and even audio and video recordings. And they have made them available online for free at THE PORTAL TO TEXAS HISTORY. They have captured and preserved so much already, but so much more needs to be done.  You can visit their site at texashistory.unt.edu

There was a time in the not too distant past when I could learn as much about Texas history in the local newspaper and in state magazines as I could in school.  That, sadly is no longer true.  Most magazines, newspaper articles and even television shows about Texas, place their focus on restaurants, places to stay, the state parks and available activities and entertainment, with little being said anymore about Texas history.  Even my beloved Texas Highways magazine has fallen prey to this neglect of Texas’ history.

There are many others working hard to preserve and share the history of Texas.  Texas is fortunate to have the TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION which does an incredible amount of work not only in providing a plethora of brochures, booklets, books and other materials for tourists and Texans interested in their history, but also administers the Register of Historic Places and works to preserve our historic sites.  

There are also a handful of blogs like KATE and JOHN TROESSER’S TEXAS ESCAPES and a vast number of Facebook groups (administered by folks like BOB DUNN & WILL BEAUCHAMP) documenting Texas history in photos and stories.  

I had long known about the Texas Historical Commission, but only discovered the others in recent years after becoming interested in getting reacquainted with Texas history.  My interest was inspired by one man: RAY MILLER.

Ray Miller was one of the great champions of Texas history. And that is why I’m starting the Texas Tales, Trails & Rails blog with a nod to him.  It is RAY MILLER who inspired the TEXAS TALES, TRAILS & RAILS adventure. 

Ray Miller * Handout Photo

So who was Ray Miller?  Ray Elvin Miller was the creator of a TV show called THE EYES OF TEXAS.  He was born March 28, 1919 and  grew up in Fort Worth and began a career in radio there in 1938.  He moved to Houston to work for KPRC radio.

KPRC radio bought Houston’s first television station in 1951. The station became Channel 2.  It was on that television station that Ray launched THE EYES OF TEXAS in 1969.  It became what may still be the longest running local TV show.  It remained on the air until 1999.   

Ray held the news director position at Channel 2 for 20 years.  Although he retired from that position in 1979, he continued working there hosting The Eyes of Texas.  He also produced another show for KHOU TV Channel 11.  Titled “RAY MILLER’S TEXAS”, that series lasted well into the 1980s.  Ray traveled the state covering historic sites, unique attractions and people. “Only in Houston” noted that he narrated “the history and culture of Texas”.

Following his death on September 30, 2008, the “Houston Chronicle” observed that he was a “familiar face and voice for a generation of Houstonians”, while a Houston radio history blog called him the “Edward R Murrow of Houston TV News.”

The Eyes of Texas preceded and most likely influenced Dallas’ “4 Country Reporter” hosted by Bob Phillips’.   “4 Country Reporter” eventually became what we now know as “Texas Country Reporter”.  Others have followed in those footsteps, notably Chet Garner’s The Daytripper.

Better than even his show, Ray published a number of excellent Texas travel guides, chronicling its history, people, historic sites and events.  It is thru his guides, rather than his TV show, that I came to know Ray Miller and be inspired to follow in his steps in recounting Texas’ history and places.

Naturally enough, since I live in the DFW area, my first introduction to his many travel guides was his “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Fort Worth/Brazos Valley Edition”.  It is divided into four regions: The Austin Colony Area; Waco and Central Texas; The Fort Worth Area and The Wichita Falls Area.  Ray covers each county in each region, including some key towns, many of which no longer exist.  That’s one thing that really impressed me with Ray’s coverage; he recorded the history of places that no longer exist.  They may no longer exist, but Ray is making sure they are not forgotten.

After reading this book, I located all of his other books and they are now all in my collection.  They include the aforementioned “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Fort Worth/Brazos Valley Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Dallas/East Texas Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: San Antonio/Border Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Houston/Gulf Coast Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Panhandle/Plains Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Austin/Hill Country/West Texas Edition”; “Eyes of Texas Travel Guide: Hill Country/Permian Basin Edition”; “Texas Forts: History and Guide”; “Texas Parks: A History and Guide”; “Ray Miller’s Galveston” and “Ray Miller’s Houston”.

There are at least 80,000 miles of highway in Texas and I may never drive every mile, but my goal is to follow in Ray Miller’s footsteps visiting every county, county seat and town covered in his books and to share their histories along with current photographs.

It’s a tall order, but that’s my goal.  I’m a Texan with a map, an SUV and a plan: Exploring Texas County by County.

Thank you, Ray Miller.  And thank you, all chroniclers of Texas history everywhere.

References:

"Houston TV Icon, Eyes of Texas Creator Ray Miller Dies", Jennifer Leahy, September 27, 2008, Houston Chronicle

Obituary, Ray Miller March 28, 1919 - Sept 27, 2008, Lou Congelso,

Only in Houston "Ray Miller (Journalism)" - Sept 27, 2008, no byline, Revolvy.com

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