gonzo1976

That would make sense, since Smith Street appears on maps going back to 1839.

Here is a list of all the places named Houston. I'm sure one of these towns must have a Toro Street (or a Bull Street).

http://www.placesnamed.com/h/o/houston.asp

During WWII German submarines were off the Galveston coast sinking our supply ships.

And didn't the U.S. keep a prisoner-of-war camp somewhere near Alvin?

They just have next to no pictures. Click on a "Decade in Photos" icon and one, maybe two, pictures show up.

It's an interesting site, but it reads like it was written by the Chamber of Commerce with all the references to building permits and port receipts. That's certainly good information, but it's cold and dry. There's needs to be a lot more about people.

That's the problem with a lot of history texts: they focus too much on facts and not enough on stories. They tell you this war was fought between these dates and this guy was king from then to then or this disaster took place on this date but they don't weave it together into a story. And to be fair, that's a hard thing to do.

Yeah, that was always my complaint about history. It's easy to find out when the Astrodome was built or when oil was struck at Spindletop.

I'm more concerned about the little aspects of history that have been lost to time.

I've never been able to tell who or what organization is behind it. I'm curious as to who put it all together.

So, did anyone discover the mystery of Toro Street?

Not yet!

I never knew it existed, what caused it's demise in 1990 that forced it to shut down?

Moody Gardens?

Galveston Island’s Sea Arama tourist attraction, behind the seawall on the West End, was being demolished Tuesday.

Ah well, what's going to happen to the site?

Does the shadow know if there are any current story-telling type radio programs currently?

I'm sure there are. You just have to really look for it. "Prairie Home Companion" comes to mind. The BBC, available online, sometimes runs new radio shows.

Does KTRH still run "When Radio Was" late Saturday nights? That was always fun to listen to.

I always thought it was a beautiful building. Glad to see something is being done with it.

I tried a quick search of some of Bob Bailey's photos over here, but I couldn't find anything going back to its heyday on that site.

It was completly re-built with all new equipment and all. Because of the size of the space they had to work with the new system had to be custom built.

Awesome. It seemed like a tiny elevator to begin with.

What is the red mark at the top of the moose's antler?

I saw that, too. It looks like a flaw in the printing.

What river does this bridge cross?

I could have sworn there was a railroad bridge just outside of Refugio on the south side of town, too. I didn't take U.S. 77 past Refugio very often because it was one boring drive. I would take the back roads to get to Corpus.

I'll remember her brief relationship with Bill Dauterive and the time Hank Hill mooned her at the Austinental.

Guessing if the circles were fountains, walking paths, or otherwise is futile effort if you don't even know if the area was developed.

We know the circles existed because it shows up on various street maps up until the 1950s.

I wonder if Clinton Park was meant to replace it.

Hah! From the above-mentioned Web site:

CenterPoint Energy Tower

Also known as: The Tower of Power

Also known as: Kilowatt Tower

Formerly: Reliant Energy Plaza

Formerly: Houston Industries Plaza

Formerly: 1100 Milam

Why not go back further?

Formerly: Some demolished building

Formerly: Some demolished house

Formerly: A mound of dirt.

Maybe I missed it, but I guess the only way to find out would be to head out there, knock on doors, and hope some longtime resident there remembers what used to be there. When did it disappear from the maps? In the '60s right? I'm sure there's some old-timer who knows.

FEZ1964's book is an amazing accomplishment, undoubtedly one of the best books on broadcasting history in a single market ever published, and I highly recommend it. I had been researching radio history in Houston for 8 months before I found it. I had not gone back nearly as far as his book does, having mostly concentrated on the period from 1922 forward, and have compiled a chronology of AM stations down to about 1980 and FM stations down to about 1968; I have about 100 pps in a word processor and someday will get around to getting it on line.

Seriously, you guys should team up for a volume II. 100 pages of history might not translate well online, but it sounds like a potential book.

Anyone know what time of year Notsuoh was held?

And would anyone care to speculate on the purpose of those towels hanging in front of the bar?

No-Tsu-Oh was generally held in November. It ended in 1915, I believe.

Now that I think about it, doesn't that picture look a little off? That looks more like a bar in Dodge City, Kan., from 1883 rather than Houston in 1923. I think someone dressed like that in Houston during Prohibition would have drawn a few stares.

I was a reporter in Corpus Christi.

I usually sleep with the radio tuned to talk radio. About 7:45 a.m. CST, I vaguely heard an announcer say a plane had struck the first tower. I turned on the TV and watched smoke billow from the building.

At the time, many of the commentators thought it was a Cessna. No one really figured it to be a commercial jetliner. People were saying that it was a clear day, and it seemed strange that a plane would fly into the building. I remember thinking, "How are firefighters gonna put THAT out?"

I crawled out of bed. I didn't have to be at work till 9 a.m., so I went to the living room to channel surf among CNN, ABC and the other networks.

All of a sudden, while watching Good Morning America, this plane comes out of nowhere and slams into the second tower. I could hear the people on television gasp in horror. I distinctly remember how I felt at the time, but it's hard to describe. It was akin to helplessly watching an injured person get shot in the head. I think I said some expletive and phoned my parents in Houston to tell them to turn on the TV.

One thing I remember is that no one called attention to the second incoming airplane. I don't recall any news anchor saying, "Look, here comes another one!" It was like the second plane just blindsided America while we watched the first tower burn.

I learned about the other attacks while driving around town. Man, there was so much confusion. There was talk of a fire at the Mall in Washington, D.C. I wondered how long these attacks would continue.

The rest of the day is a blur. I came home a little late, turned on the TV and saw that EVERY SINGLE station, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, whatever, was tuned to a news station.

Well, I figured Toro Street could have Spanish for Bull Street, but as far as I know, no such street with that name existed in Houston, either.

I'm entirely willing to believe there are ghosts in there. But one explanation I heard for the voices could be the way the building is constructed. Someone who used to live there told me the long hallways would carry voices well. So if you were on one end of the hall, it was easy to hear someone talking on the other end of the hall.

On a side note, I wonder if the elevator was fixed during the renovation.

Thanks. And (she says, self-servingly) here's the link:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/4172529.html

Nice stroke of luck there running into Weingarten's president and CEO!

All the good questions are asked when I'm at work!

I'm not aware of an Echo telephone exchange in Houston during the Prohibition era. There was a thread a few months back that listed most, if not all, of the telephone exchanges.

I read the card as Oct. 2-7.

Wow. I knew it closed, but I had no idea much of it still existed. Is that all there was to the site? I haven't been there since I was a wee lad.