God so loved his Texans he gave them the right to tell tall tales. Now you know why Texans are so associated with the telling of tall tales. Well, at least that's the way I see it. In reality though, I feel there probably is a little more down to earth explanation. I do know one thing; Texans never the truth get in the way of telling a good story. So in a way, that could be the start of a Tall Tale.
In general, telling tall tales seems to have gained prominence during the cattle drive days of the late 1800's. And as we all know, most of those cattle drives started out here in Texas. Telling these tales around the campfire apparently was a good way for the cowboys to relax after a long day of making dogies get along. Oh, and just so you know, the lyrics, "Get a long little dogie" is not about choosing a dachshund for a pet. In this case dogie - pronounced dough-gy - refers to a motherless calf in a range herd of cattle.
Actually, the verbal art form of telling tall tales goes back a lot farther than the cowboy days and a lot of the more famous tall tales like Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Johnny Appleseed aren't even about Texans. In fact, other countries such as Australia, United Kingdom and Russia have similar story telling traditions.
So why the link between Texas and Tall Tales; I would have to say this link was solidified back in the early 1800's when a congressman from Tennessee became so disillusioned with the political process he turned to his constituents and said, "You can all go to hell, I'm going to Texas." Ever since then, this has been the attitude that best exemplifies the Texas spirit - in my way of thinking that is.
There are those who consider David Crockett to be the very first American superstar. A true backwoods intellectual with a braggadocio personality, keen wit and willingness to stand his ground made it seem like life as a politician was his destiny. Dubbing himself the "King of the Wild Frontier" and extolling tales about things like his bear hunting exploits set him in the forefront of American politics back in his day - at least in the newspapers.
The bigger than life persona he projected, along with his political success, eventually lead to a popular book and stage play about his life called "A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett" - a play that ran for more than two thousand performances. Then, on March 6, 1936, in a battlefield called the Alamo, his folk hero status ascended into the realms of the legendary Texan we all know and love today.
Yes indeed, if there is anyone who has inspired the notion of Texans being rugged, courageous, independent and ready to tell everyone all about it; I can't think of anyone better suited than this family man, frontiersman, politician, soldier, story teller and honest-to-goodness real life legend – of whom tall tales now abound all over the world.
Thanks Davy, for helping make Texas what it is today.
In general, telling tall tales seems to have gained prominence during the cattle drive days of the late 1800's. And as we all know, most of those cattle drives started out here in Texas. Telling these tales around the campfire apparently was a good way for the cowboys to relax after a long day of making dogies get along. Oh, and just so you know, the lyrics, "Get a long little dogie" is not about choosing a dachshund for a pet. In this case dogie - pronounced dough-gy - refers to a motherless calf in a range herd of cattle.
Actually, the verbal art form of telling tall tales goes back a lot farther than the cowboy days and a lot of the more famous tall tales like Paul Bunyan, John Henry and Johnny Appleseed aren't even about Texans. In fact, other countries such as Australia, United Kingdom and Russia have similar story telling traditions.
So why the link between Texas and Tall Tales; I would have to say this link was solidified back in the early 1800's when a congressman from Tennessee became so disillusioned with the political process he turned to his constituents and said, "You can all go to hell, I'm going to Texas." Ever since then, this has been the attitude that best exemplifies the Texas spirit - in my way of thinking that is.
There are those who consider David Crockett to be the very first American superstar. A true backwoods intellectual with a braggadocio personality, keen wit and willingness to stand his ground made it seem like life as a politician was his destiny. Dubbing himself the "King of the Wild Frontier" and extolling tales about things like his bear hunting exploits set him in the forefront of American politics back in his day - at least in the newspapers.
The bigger than life persona he projected, along with his political success, eventually lead to a popular book and stage play about his life called "A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett" - a play that ran for more than two thousand performances. Then, on March 6, 1936, in a battlefield called the Alamo, his folk hero status ascended into the realms of the legendary Texan we all know and love today.
Yes indeed, if there is anyone who has inspired the notion of Texans being rugged, courageous, independent and ready to tell everyone all about it; I can't think of anyone better suited than this family man, frontiersman, politician, soldier, story teller and honest-to-goodness real life legend – of whom tall tales now abound all over the world.
Thanks Davy, for helping make Texas what it is today.
Jim
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