Historical markers in Texas seem incredibly straightforward: Important History Person A was born over there, and they founded Important History Thing x, and then they died over here. However, the reality behind these stories is so much more than could ever fit on a sign. Life is complex, funny, sad, and way messier than the history books often lead us to believe. Every time we look deeper into the history represented by a marker, we find something fascinating such as controversial opinions about ants and Methodist colleges and sex scandals. We also explore the social fabric and tensions missing from these markers. For example, the "La Recluta and La Escuelita" historical marker on the surface offers a brief snippet of the late 19th-early 20th century Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the mining region of Milan County. But, as we continued dig into the Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American experience in Texas, we uncovered a different story, one deeper and, at times, darker than any coal mining shaft.

Co-Author with Annaliese Dempsey

Mile Marker 77