Fantastical History of Waco

From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

1910 to 1920 were years of turmoil in Mexico. Revolutionaries fought to overthrow the regime of Porfirio Diaz and then fought among themselves to establish a new government. Thousands of Mexicans immigrated to Texas fleeing the war. Most of the immigrants had almost no money and often had no choice but to settle in what some would call disreputable neighborhoods. And a great many of these immigrants found themselves in none other than little Waco-town. In Waco, the so-called disreputable neighborhood where they ended up settling was the neighborhood between Second Street and the Brazos River. Once known as “The Reservation” or “Two Street,” it was the former location of Waco’s notorious legalized red-light district.

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Hallie Earle was born in Waco in the year 1880. She was the eighth and last child of Civil War veteran Major Isham Harrison Earle, and as is often the case with the youngest child, she was her parent's pride and joy.

From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

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Shapley Prince Ross, his wife Catherine, and their seven children were some of the first settlers to move to Waco Village in March of 1849. And with the Shapley Ross family came Armstead Ross and his wife Lucindy.

From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

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On March 11, 1889, Joseph Daniel Bell and his crew drilled into a rock formation in South Waco and sent a geyser of hot water spewing into the clear, blue Central Texas sky. (geyser) This gusher helped turn Waco, Texas, into a popular tourist destination for the next 20 years. You see, a “hydrotherapy” craze was sweeping the nation. It was believed that hot water from deep underground carried minerals that could miraculously cure all manner of ills. Ardent adherents claimed it could cure anything, from upset stomach to heart disease, to mental illness.

From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

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After the Civil War, Texas fell upon hard economic times. People everywhere were trying to figure out a way to make ends meet. Some made these ends meet in peculiar ways.

From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

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From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

One of the things that the city of Waco is most known for is none other than Baylor University. Founded in 1845, the university oddly enough didn’t have an official mascot for almost 70 years after its founding. Several possible mascots were suggested, but the issue was hotly debated among students, faculty, and funders.

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From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

The original parcel of land now known as Cameron Park was donated to the City of Waco in 1910 by the family of William Cameron. One of the park’s most famous landmarks, Lover’s Leap, is a picturesque spot atop a limestone Bluff overlooking the Bosque River. Lover’s Leap was added to the park through a second donation in 1917. And while the story of the donation may not be one worth telling, the story of how this Waco landmark got its name is a tale as old as love and pain. So allow us to take you back to the world of Waco long before Waco was its name. Back to a world in which the Huaco tribe of Native Americans inhabited these lands.

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From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

In the mid-19th century, Waco was proud to be known as “Athens on the Brazos” because it was home to so many institutions of higher education. One of the most well-respected was Waco Female College. Opened in 1860, Waco Female College quickly gained an enviable reputation as a fine school for the daughters of the best Waco families. The young women who studied there graduated as cultured ladies, well-prepared for marriage and to take their place in society. What the wealthy families who sent their offspring to Waco Female College did not know was that graduates were also well-prepared for an alternate career … as female spies.

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From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes Fantastical History of Waco!

Most people in Waco are familiar with Lake Waco. The large artificial lake originally formed when the lower Bosque river was dammed in 1929. Far fewer, however, know that before Lake Waco, there was another lake. A smaller, very different kind of lake, one that was submerged when Lake Waco was created. Only a few people ever knew about this lake. But for those few, it was a precious, place. Some people called it the Lake of Sweet Dreams. Some people called it the Lake of Air and eventually, this became simply: Lake Air.

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From the mind of Ashley Bean Thornton and the actors of Wild Imaginings comes "Fantastical History of Waco"! Today's story is all about the Alico building and the eccentricity of Mr. Artemis Roberts.

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