Nacogdoches

Two in one day?!! Are you crazy, man? Yes...yes i am.

So today a guy i work with asked me where i came up with the name Nacogdoches. Him not being from Texas, i could see how this is confusing. I informed him that it's the name of the town i grew up in. Then i momentarily forgot the actual story of how that town got it's name.

This looks like a job for...WIKIPEDIA-MAN!

So check it out:

Nacogdoches is the oldest town in Texas. (Similarly sister city Natchitoches is the oldest town in Louisiana). Evidence of settlement on the same site dates back to 10,000 years ago. It was one of the original European settlements in the region originally populated with Adaeseños from fort Los Adaes[6].
Nacogdoches is named for the Caddo family of Indians who once lived in the area. There is a legend that tells of an old Caddo chief who lived near the Sabine River and had twin sons. When the sons grew to manhood and were ready to become leaders of their own tribes, the father sent one brother three days eastward toward the rising sun. The other brother was sent three days toward the setting sun.
The twin who settled three days toward the setting sun was Nacogdoches. The other brother, Natchitoches, settled three days to the east in Louisiana. The two brothers remained friendly and the road between the two communities was well traveled.

Then I read on to find this little tidbit that i had never heard of:

In 1912, the Marx Brothers came to town to perform their singing act at the old Opera House. Their performance was interrupted by a man who came inside shouting, "Runaway mule!" Most of the audience left the building, apparently thinking a runaway mule would provide better entertainment. When they filed back in, Julius (later known as Groucho) began insulting them, saying "Nacogdoches is full of roaches!" and "The jackass is the flower of Tex-ass!" Instead of becoming angry, audience members laughed. Soon afterward, Julius and his brothers decided to try their hand at comedy instead of singing, at which they had barely managed to scrape together a living. A historic plaque commemorating the event is posted in downtown Nacogdoches.

HA! That's awesome. You think you know a town. For a more personal look at Nacogdoches, go here and take a listen to "Nacogdoches." It's the first song I ever wrote about 8 years ago. This version is not that same one, but the lyrics are still the same.