Barney The Dinosaur: The State Capital Of Texas

The state capital of Texas is Austin. Austin has the world's largest bat colony under the Congress Avenue Bridge. According to Bat Conservation International, “About 1.5 million bats take up residence there during the summer, eating up to 20,000 pounds of insects each night” Austin became the Capital of Texas, because in 1839 the congress of Texas formed a commission to seek a site for a new capital to named for Stephen F. Austin. Mirabue B Lamar, second president of the newly formed republic of Texas, advised the commissioners to investigate the area named Waterloo, noting the area’s hills,waterways, and pleasant surroundings.

Landmarks

One of the landmarks in Texas is Bastrop State Park.

Bastrop State Park was designed in the 1900’s as a showcase of Civilian Conservation Corps work. It’s facilities were designed by CCC architect Hebert Maier. It is a very cool place to learn about. A lot of people go here all the time in the summer and all year around. I think I would like to visit Bastrop State Park.

Famous Person
Barney the Dinosaur was born in Dallas, Texas, from the Disney channel show, Barney and Friends.

He is America's favorite purple dinosaur. Barney made a debut on TV show in 1992 with the title Barney and Friends. Even though Barney and Friends was a great success, PBS only gave the fund for 30 episodes. The creator of Barney is Sheryl Leach of Dallas Texas, she created Barney in 1987.

State Song

“Texas, Our Texas” It was adopted by the legislature in 1929 after being selected in a state-wide competition. It was composed by William J. Marsh of Fort Worth. The lyrics were written by Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright. This song is comprised of three verses and a chorus. The Seventy-third legislature adopted ‘Texas, Our Texas” as the state song in a 1993 law.

State Bird

The state bird of Texas is a Mockingbird because it is found in all parts of Texas. It is a singer of distinctive type, a fighter for the protection of his home, falling if need to be, in its defense, like any true Texan. The Mockingbird can sing up to 200 songs including the songs of other birds,insects, and amphibian sounds , even an occasional mechanical noise. This bird was adopted as the state bird on January 31, 1927. It is known as a fierce protector of its nest and environment. It's sometimes seen swooping down on a dog,cat, or predator that may be venturing too close the bird’s protected territory , according to

“ISjunction.com”.

State Flower
According to Netstate.com, “The state flower of Texas is the Bluebonnet. The Bluebonnet is not only the state flower, Texas has also designated an official Bluebonnet tartan,song, and city.” The Bluebonnet flower is named for the blue color and sunbonnet-shaped petals. Texas state wildflower day is celebrated every April 24, (also Jaylyne Lindemann’s birthday). They proclaimed the state flower in 1901. Burnet, Texas calls itself the “Bluebonnet capital of Texas” and hosts an annual Bluebonnet Festival the second week in April.

State Stone
The state stone of Texas is the Petrified Palmwood. According to Netstate.com, “Texas designated the official state stone in 1969.” It is actually a quartz-like stone. It is more properly referred to as a fossil rather than a stone. Petrified Palmwood is the most beautiful of fossils. It was adopted on March 26, when Governor Preston Earnest Smith signed house concurrent resolution NO.12.

State Fish
Texas designated the Guadalupe Bass as the official state fish in 1989. It is found only in Texas, native to fast moving streams in the Central Hill Country. A small but powerful fish, the Guadalupe is not a true bass, but a member of the sunfish family. The male Guadalupe Bass builds a gravel nest in shallow water and spawns there. Once the female lays her eggs (up to 10,000), he chases her away and guards the nest throughout the incubation period.

State Nickname
The state nickname for Texas is “Lone Star State.” It originates from the star on the 1836 flag of the republic of Texas.

The lone star signifies Texas as a former independent, republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The reason Texas got the nickname is that people say a single star was part of the long expedition. Some say that the star represented the wish of name Texans to achieve statehood in the United States. Others say it originally represented Texas as the lone state of Mexico which was attempting to uphold its rights under the Mexican constitution of 1824.

State Motto

The state motto of Texas is “Friendship.” The word Texas is from a Caddo Indian word “Tejas” (meaning “Friends” or “Allies.”) It was adopted as the state motto by the Forty-first Texas legislature in February, 1930. The word was chosen because the Texas or Tejas was the Spanish pronunciation of the Caddo Indian word “Friends” or “Allies.” Before “friendship” became the official state motto of Texas, the Alamo served as the state’s official motto from 1836 to 1845. “The Texas state motto, “Friendship” was adopted by House Concurrent Resolution No. 22, 41st legislature, 4th called session (1930)” according to

ereferencedelk.com.

Conclusion
I really had fun researching about Texas. I liked learning about all the different things there. If I ever got to pick a state to visit I would pick Texas because it is so beautiful. I would like to research more about Texas and I would want to find out what other kind of animals live there. I really liked the state Nickname because it says that Texas is an independent state. I really liked researching about Texas.