Towns and Places of the Lone Star State Quiz

Answer: Dublin

Dublin is a dairy town south of Ft. Worth, but is most famous for its history with Dr. Pepper. The Dublin Dr. Pepper Bottling Company claims to be the oldest Dr. Pepper factory in the world, and manufactures Dr. Pepper with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

It was founded by Sam Houston Prim, a local businessman in Dublin who created the fountain drink in Waco, Texas. The Dublin Bottling Company started manufacturing Dr. Pepper in 1891, and continued to produce their soda with pure cane sugar past the time period during the 1970s and 1980s, when many soda bottling companies switched to producing soda with corn syrup.

The pure cane sugar has remained a trademark of the bottling company's product. The Dublin Dr. Pepper Plant is considered a Texas original, attracting many tourists each year to the business which has been operating for over a hundred years.

Answer: Galveston

Galveston was a major commercial center in the United States and the most populated in Texas during the 19th century. When the Great Storm of 1900 hit the island, a wall of 15 feet of water crushed the island, putting Galveston on the map for one of the deadliest natural disasters in United States history.

The hurricane of 1900 devastated this port, with an estimated death count of 8,000 people according to officials. Galveston did not return to being the major commercial center it was before, but several improvements were made to prevent future disasters.

When the city was rebuilt, the foundation of the land was raised 17 feet higher than it had been before with sand and the 17 ft Galveston seawall was put in place to protect the city from flooding.

In modern times, Galveston has remained a metropolis area where tourism became the city's leading industry. Galveston has many notable sites and is also historically known for being the home of the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in Texas, which was consecrated in 1848.

Answer: Gun Barrel City

Although the name of this town may remind people of classic westerns, it was not an official city during the frontier cowboy days. Gun Barrel City began as an unincorporated community in the 1960s and did not become an official city until 1969. In the past, Gun Barrel City was an area known for liquor and beer trading. Outlaws such as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker visited the area during the years of Prohibition.

In later years, the town attracted tourists because of its location near Cedar Creek Lake which flows into the Trinity River, one of the major rivers of the Lone Star State. Gun Barrel City is also located near Dallas, one of the major metropolitan cities in the Lone Star state.

Answer: Happy

Happy is on the borderline of Swisher and Randall counties, close to the city of Amarillo. It was named by a group of traveling cowboys who found the area in the process of looking for water. The town was named after Happy Draw, the small water route the cowboys discovered near the area. In the past, Happy had a stagecoach exchange station which brought in visiting settlers. When major railroads were erected and bypassed the area, the town lost business.

Comfort, Farewell, and Pleasanton are also small towns in Texas.

Answer: San Antonio

San Antonio is one of the largest cities in Texas and has many attractions, ranging from amusement parks, sports, animal wildlife centers, Spanish missions, and Latino marketplaces. It is home to a number of historical markers including the old governor's palace and the Alamo.

Although it is not very large, the Alamo is a memorial of the cost of independence. The Alamo was the site of a battle between Texans and the Mexican government in the Texas War of Independence. Between 100 and 300 Texan soldiers died in the massacre that followed the twelve day siege of the Mexican army.

Although this battle was a tremendous loss, the cruelty of the Mexican army toward the Texan soldiers influenced many Texan settlers and citizens from the United States to join the Texan army. Texas eventually gained its independence, and the Alamo has remained one of the most revered memorials to the soldiers who fought for independence in the Texan Revolution.

Answer: the Brazos

The Brazos flows 840 miles through the center of Texas and is the longest river in the state. It is the eleventh longest river in the United States, at a length of 1280 miles. It begins in New Mexico and its ends at the Gulf of Mexico, Texas' eastern border.

The Brazos was named by early Spanish explorers and was an important waterway for navigation and travel. The Brazos also played a role in the history of Texan Independence from Mexico, as the site of a battle in the Texas Revolution between Mexican and Texan navies.

Answer: Paris

Although Paris does not have any oil rigs or drills, it does have some unusual attractions. The Texas Eiffel Tower was built in 1993, the same time Paris, Tennessee built its own. Tennessee replaced its 60 ft. tower with a 70 ft. one. In order to give the Texas Eiffel Tower a bit of a heightening edge, a red cowboy hat was added to the top. Among other Paris attractions is Pyro, a giant statue of a cartoon dragon, the mascot of Paris Junior College.

There is also a grave monument of Jesus in cowboy boots.

Answer: Johnson City

Johnson City was founded by President Lyndon B. Johnson's grandfather and was the hometown of the president and his family for many years. The Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historical Park and Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park showcase Lyndon B. Johnson's home, ranch, and childhood places of interest.

Other parks in the area include Pedernales Falls State Park, which has 4,800 acres of scenic animal life and waterfalls.

Answer: Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg was named after Prince Frederick of Prussia, a nephew of Prussia's King Frederick William III. It began as a community of German immigrants, many of whom came to Texas to escape the revolutions of 1848 in Germany. Fredericksburg was also one of the birthplaces of Texas German, a dialect that was formed by German settlers who initially refused to learn English. Fredericksburg still has many buildings with German architecture, and many of the churches and inns still reflect the German heritage.

There are also many interesting German foods in the shops and bakeries that attract tourists from the surrounding areas.

Answer: Colorado

The Rio Grande River starts in the high mountains of Colorado and flows over 1,885 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, making it the fourth largest river in the United States. Although it received its common name from the Spanish, several Pueblo and Navajo Indian tribes had names that described the Rio as the "Big River" including the Towa "hañapakwa", which means "Great Waters" and the Keresan "mets'ichi chena", meaning "Big River".

It is known for its trail through the dusty mountains and deep landscapes in West Texas around the border of Texas and Mexico.