SW EW-448 The Armadillo - an icon of Texas

The armadillo is a small to medium-sized mammal with a leathery armour shell. The word “armadillo” means "little armored one" in Spanish. The armadillo is an icon of Texas but it originated in South America.  In Texas, the specie of Armadillos is the nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).  This is a medium-sized nocturnal solitary animal. In 1995, Texas designated the nine-banded armadillo as the official state small mammal.

This armour-like skin of the armadillo appears to be the main defence of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armour protects them) or digging to safety. Armadillos have short legs, but can move quite quickly and they have the ability to remain under water for as long as six minutes. The nine-banded armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised.

This postcard came from maggie249 (2 February 2015) Swap-bot.

SW DV-307 SW FO-493 Houston - most populous city in Texas

Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth most populous city in the United States. The city is estimated to have a population of 2.2 million people within a land area of 599.6 square miles (1,553 km²). Its metropolitan area has over 6 million people.

Houston was founded in 1836 and incorporated as a city in 1837. The city was named after General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded and won at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles (40 km) east of where the city was established.

Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations. Voters rejected efforts to have separate residential and commercial land-use districts in 1948, 1962, and 1993. Consequently, rather than a single central business district as the centre of the city's employment, multiple districts have grown throughout the city in addition to downtown which include Uptown, Texas Medical Center, Midtown, Greenway Plaza, Memorial City, Energy Corridor, Westchase, and Greenspoint.

I have received two postcards of Houston.  The first postcard came from Sabbysteg (30 September 2014) Swap-bot and the second is from Diane (fabriqueen) (8 June 2015) Swap-bot.

 

SW DT-301 A Texan Windmill

To open up vast areas of land in Texas, a constant water supply was needed.  The European windmill with its bulk and need for constant attention was not suitable and in 1854 a solution arrived with the invention of the American windmill in Connecticut.  The need of a windmill in Texas was primarily to pump water.

The American windmill had a vane or “tail” as it was called by Texas cowhands that functioned to direct the wheel into the wind. The wheel was a circle of wood slats radiating from a horizontal shaft and set at angles to the wind, designed so that centrifugal force would slow it in high winds; thus, the machine was self-regulating and operated unattended. Its simple direct-stroke energy converter consisted of only a shaft and a small fly wheel to which the sucker rod was pinned. This compact mechanism was mounted on a four-legged wood tower that could be constructed over a well in one day.

The railroad builders were the first to use windmills but windmills soon moved to the ranches. By 1900 windmills were a common sight in Texas. Inhabitable land was no longer limited to regions with a natural water supply. The windmill made the most remote areas habitable.

In 1888 the windmill industry shifted to the backgeared, all-steel windmill. By 1912 few wooden windmills were being sold. The windmill was the prime supplier of water in rural Texas until 1930, when electric and gasoline pumps began to be widely used.

Texas was (and probably is) the largest user of windmills in the United States.

This postcard came from Aimee Dars Ellis (30 September 2014) Swap-bot.

Six flags over Texas

Six national flags have flown over Texas since the first European exploration of the region by Cortez in 1519. The six flags are: 
 

(1) Texas Under Spain. 1519-1685; 1690-1821
Spain was the first European nation to claim the territory of what is now Texas in 1519.  They did not do much to establish a presence and set up a mission only about 100 years later.

(2) Texas Under France. 1685-1690
In 1685, France planted its flag but it was not a successful venture. By 1690 Texas was back in Spanish hands.

(3) Texas Under Mexico. 1821-1836
Following Mexico's independence from Spain, Texas became Mexican territory.  A war erupted between the Anglos from the North who had migrated there and the Mexicans.  Victory was achieved on the battleground of San Jacinto near Houston and Texas became independent.

(4) Texas as a Republic. 1836-1845
The Texas republic endured epidemics, financial crises and still-volatile clashes with Mexico during its ten years of independence. Texas joined the United States on December 29, 1845.

(5) Texas in the Confederacy. 1861-1865

(6) Texas in the US. 1845-1861; 1865-Present

This postcard came from Cathy N. (18 September 2014) DS Postcrossing.

WC 41-189, US-3068232 SW-SW ED-334 WC 86-509 Texas - 2nd largest state of the USA

Short notes on the State of Texas

Capital:        Austin

Largest city:              Houston

Area:                           268,581 sq mi  (696,241 km2)  2^nd largest State

Population:                  26,448,193 (2013 est)

Admission to Union:    December 29, 1845 - The 28^th  State to be admitted.

The first postcard shows (a) the Capitol in Austin (b) the Alamo (c) a Texan Longhorn and (d) Bluebonnets - the State floral emblem.

The second postcard has spurs, a windmill in Texan colours, flowers and longhorns. It was sent by maggie249 Swap-bot.

The third postcard shows the Lone Star Flag and the State Seal. This came from Sabrina (13 November 2014) Postcrossing.
The fourth postcard is from Bettina E. (6 July 2015) Swap-bot.

SW Y-039 The Texas Longhorn

The Texas Longhorn is a breed of cattle known for its characteristic horns, which can extend to 84 in (2.1 m) tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and 36 to 80 in (0.91 to 2.03 m) tip to tip for bulls.   The postcard however claims that the horns, tip to tip can be 120 in (3.04m).  Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist.

Texas Longhorns are known for their diverse colouring. A longhorn can be any colour or mix of colours but dark red and white colour mixes are the most dominant. Due to their innate gentle disposition and intelligence, Texas Longhorns are increasingly being trained as riding steers.
Most breeds of cattle fall into either beef or dairy. The Texas Longhorn is principally a beef animal and is known for its lean beef, which is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most beef.

 Definitions:

Steers are castrated males

Tip-to-tip :  a straight line measurement , not the length of the horn.

I received this postcard from Sara Taylor (9 April 2014) Swat-bot.

 

SW C-004 USS Texas (BB-35) Battleship and San Jacinto Monument in Houston, Texas, USA

Battleship Texas (USS Texas (BB-35)), the second ship of the United States Navy named in honour of the U.S. state of Texas, is a New York-class battleship. The ship was launched on 18 May 1912 and commissioned on 12 March 1914.

Soon after her commissioning, Texas saw action in Mexican waters following the "Tampico Incident" and made numerous sorties into the North Sea during World War I. When the United States formally entered World War II in 1941, Texas escorted war convoys across the Atlantic, and later shelled Axis-held beaches for the North African campaign and the Normandy Landings before being transferred to the Pacific Theater late in 1944 to provide naval gunfire support during the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Texas was decommissioned in 1948, having earned a total of five battle stars for service in World War II, and is now a museum ship near Houston, Texas.


The San Jacinto Monument is a 567.31-foot (172.92 m) high column. The monument is topped with a 220-ton Lone Star (the symbol of Texas). The monument commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. The monument, constructed between 1936 and 1939 is the world's tallest monumental column and is part of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. Visitors can take a lift to the monument's observation deck for a view of Houston and the Battleship Texas.




Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the United States. It is a diverse city with a large and growing international community. The metropolitan area is home to an estimated 1.1 million (21.4 percent) residents who were born outside the United States, with nearly two-thirds of the area's foreign-born population from south of the United States–Mexico border. Additionally, more than one in five foreign-born residents are from Asia.
This great postcard came from Kerri Lewin (March06-2014) Swap-bot and she has affixed some great stamps too!