Rambling Boy

On this episode of Rambling Boy, Lonn explains why "the backyard chicken coop is an American tradition as old as the Pilgrims and apple pie." Learn about the America's history of hen houses and about a unique industry formed around egg-laying.

On this episode of The Rambling Boy, Lonn dives into the history of the names of Texas counties and rethinks the naming system altogether. Would West Texas be better off with an "Agave County" instead of one named after President of the Confederate States Jefferson Davis?

On this episode of The Rambling Boy, Lonn dives into the history of Texas fences. He explores everything from the barbed wire, or “bab wahr,” fencing that's ubiquitous across the state today to the ornate square picket fences popular in the 1890s.

On this episode of Rambling Boy, Lonn talks about July 14, which is Bastille Day. The holiday commemorates the seizure of the Bastille, a 14th-century fortress that once protected the eastern approaches to Paris, by a revolutionary mob on July 14, 1789. While France had very little influence on the development of Texas, Lonn reflects on the few historical French incursions on the area.

One of the fastest-growing businesses in Marfa is Airbnb. On this episode of the Rambling Boy, Lonn explores the history of the short-term rental website, as well as some of the more interesting spaces—and experiences—available here in West Texas.

On the eve of this year's Independence Day, Lonn talks about another thing that happened on this date: the deaths of both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, on July 4, 1826. The former presidents, who were friends and had a long storied correspondence, passed away on the same day – exactly 50 years after they signed the Declaration of Independence.

On this episode of the Rambling Boy, Lonn reacts to a letter written by Graydon Hicks, the Fort Davis Superintendent of Schools, and gives his hot take on public school funding. He also shares a story about one person to come out of Texas's rural public schools: Luther Evans, who graduated in a class of nine from Bastrop High School, and went on to become the Librarian of Congress and the Director-General of UNESCO.

On this episode of the Rambling Boy, Lonn reflects on Marfa's recent Agave Festival. Inspired by the documentary film Agave is Life, the three-day event included lectures, music, and food all related to the agave plant. Lonn highlights a few speakers: Dr. Steve Black, an archaeologist from Texas State University; Dr. Carolyn Boyd, the founder of the Shumla Archeological Research and Education Center at Comstock, Texas; and Dr. Phil Dering, an ethnobotanist.

Indian Emily - Real or made up for a good story?

Sure there's a restaurant named after the hero whose final warning helped garrison of soldiers in Ft. Davis stave off an attack by nearby Apache, and during the Texas centennial in 1936, the state placed a granite marker at Emily’s supposed grave...

...But did the Fort Davis Legend actually exist? On this edition of the Rambling Boy, Lonn takes a deeper look.

On this episode of The Rambling Boy, Lonn Taylor tells the story of Luther Evans, a man from Sayersville, a rural community in Bastrop County, who overcame poverty and adversity by the sheer force of intelligence. From a one-room elementary school in rural Texas (where he graduated first in his class of seven students), to the Library of Congress, Evans' journey is riddled with interesting experiences that took him all around the country and the world. When his predecessor resigned and he became the Librarian of Congress, Harry Truman, who appointed Evans, told him that he wanted the Library to be not only the Library of Congress but “the Library of the United States.” Evans...