Texarkana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Texarkana Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a two county region anchored by the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas, and encompassing the surrounding communities in Bowie County, Texas and Miller County, Arkansas. The MSA is the core of the Ark-La-Tex region.
In 2005, the Texarkana MSA had a population of 132,846, with 59,936 residents within the city limits of the two cities, as stated in the 2006-2007 Community Profile released by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce.
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[edit] History
While the meaning of the name is clear, the actual origin is uncertain, and the name is believed to have been used prior to Texarkana's founding. One tradition tells of a Red River steamboat named The Texarkana, circa 1860. Another story mentions a storekeeper named Swindle in Red Land, Louisiana who concocted a drink called "Texarkana Bitters." A third account states that Col. Gus Knobel, a railroad surveyor coined the name[1]. Local lore suggests that prior to Texas' annexation by the US that the area north of the Sulphur River (and at times as far south as Cypress Creek or even the Sabine River) and and on the south or west Side of the Red River as far west as the current Arkansas-Oklahoma border there were territory disputes between Americans, Mexicans, or others (French, Spanish, even the English.) Because of these disputes, lawlessness ruled in the area that at times was claimed by all three (TEX-ARK-ANa). Because of the area's name, the city on the border between Texas and Arkansas was given the label.
In 1876, Texarkana, Texas, was granted a charter under an act of the Texas legislature, and a Texarkana, Texas, post office operated from 1886 to 1892. At some point after that, Congressman John Morris Sheppard secured a postal order officially changing the name to "Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas"[1].
[edit] Geography
Texarkana consists of two separate municipal designations:
- Texarkana, Arkansas, the county seat of Miller County, Arkansas
- Texarkana, Texas, located in Bowie County, Texas
The iconic boulevard State Line Avenue follows the Texas-Arkansas state line throughout much of Texarkana. The two "sides" of Texarkana are separate only from a political standpoint. Thousands of Texarkanans actually live in one state and work in the other.
Due to its divided political nature, Texarkana has two mayors and two sets of city officials; however, the two sides share a federal building, courthouse, jail, post office, labor office, chamber of commerce, water utility, and several other offices[1].
[edit] Roads
Texarkana is on Interstate 30, located close to halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Other major routes in Texarkana include:
- U.S. Route 59
- U.S. Route 67
- U.S. Route 71
- U.S. Route 82
- The Loop (consisting of US 59, as well as Texas State Highway Loop 151 and Arkansas Highway 245)
[edit] Local lore
Due perhaps to its nature as a divided city and its remoteness from large urban areas, Texarkana has long been known as a hotbed for ghost stories, mysteries, and other colorful local lore.
[edit] The Phantom Killer
In 1946, Texarkana was the site of one of America's first widely-publicized serial murders, in which five people were killed and several others injured by an unknown assailant. Dubbed the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" by news media, the violence focused on couples occupying popular "make-out" spots in and around the town, such as backroads and "lovers' lanes." The only description of the killer was that he wore a plain pillowcase over his head, with eyeholes cut out. The case was never solved and the spree ended with no suspects arrested.
A man by the name of Youell Swinney, who was 29 at the time, was arrested and charged with the murders shortly after they occurred. He was later released from prison in 1974 after serving 28 years for the murders, when a judge acknowledged his appeal that he had not received a fair trial. He had been implicated by his wife who claimed she was present when he committed the murders, yet her various accounts varied each time she told them. Swinney himself denied having any involvement, which he maintained until his death in 1993 at age 76. Still, many believe he was the murderer, including several of his prison inmates who claimed Swinney had confessed to them[citation needed].
These events inspired the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown, released in 1977, written and directed by Charles B. Pierce, and starring Ben Johnson, Dawn Wells, and Pierce himself. Some of the facts of the original case were fictionalized or altered for the film, including victims' names.
In recent years, most area police and sheriff's records of the case were discovered by investigative journalists to be mysteriously missing. No active files on the case are currently being maintained by area law-enforcement agencies. Some locals believe that the Phantom Killer died long ago. Some claim that he was a member of the local upper class aristocracy, which collaborated to keep his identity quiet in order to avoid scandal. Others say that he was more a supernatural force than a human being (e.g., Jack the Ripper), and that he will return again some day to resume his bloody deeds[citation needed]. Technically, the case is still open, though as of 2006 it is considered cold.
[edit] Swamp monster
The swampy terrain of Boggy Creek, near Fouke, Arkansas, a small Miller County town southeast of Texarkana, is the reputed home of an anthropoid monster similar in appearance and behavior to the Pacific Northwest's Bigfoot and Sasquatch, and to the Skunk Ape of Florida legend. A film dramatizing these stories, entitled The Legend of Boggy Creek, was released in 1973. Three sequels, Boggy Creek II, Return to Boggy Creek and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (the "official" sequal made by the original film's director, Charles B. Pierce) followed with very little commercial success (although The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II was featured in the eleventh season of Mystery Science Theater 3000).
[edit] Texarkana in Popular Culture
Movies
- Walk the Line
- Smokey and the Bandit
- The Town That Dreaded Sundown
- The Legend of Boggy Creek
- Return to Boggy Creek
- The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II
- American Psycho
Songs
- All My Exes Live in Texas by George Strait
- Gimme Gimme Good Lovin by Crazy Elephant
- Texarkana by R.E.M
- Texarkana Baby by Fred Rose, recorded by Eddie Arnold and Bob Wills
- Blue Tail Fly and Cotton Fields by Leadbelly
- Call it What you Want by Tesla
- Ride My Llama by Neil Young
- Cotton Fields by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Fingernails by Joe Ely
Books
[edit] Notable people From Texarkana
- See also: Category:People from Texarkana
- Scott Joplin (childhood home)
- Parnelli Jones, race car driver
- Ross Perot
- Rod Smith, Denver Broncos-wide receiver
- Nathan Vasher, Chicago Bears-defensive back
- Craig Monroe, Detroit Tigers-outfielder
- Eric Warfield, Kansas City Chiefs
[edit] References
- ^ a b c The Handbook of Texas Online, Texarkana, TX. Texas State Historical Association, University of Texas.
- ^ Google Maps, Texarkana.
- Metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, December 2003 [1]
- Texarkana, Texas fact sheet from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Texarkana, Arkansas fact sheet from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Texarkana Chamber of Commerce 2006-2007 Community Profile (in PDF format)
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- TxkUSA.org, official web site for Texarkana, USA
- Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
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