Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published July 13, 2005

"Gone to Texas"

"Gone to Texas" was a familiar phrase to long ago Tennesseans. That sprawling hunk of open country in the far south acted as a magnet that drew new settlers to it. Recently I spent half a week in the Lone Star state attending the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' annual conference. Often fellow attendees remarked on the friendliness of the people and I always used that opportunity to educate them on the TN-TX connection. I told them that friendly attitude had been brought to Texas by Tennesseans.

Our conference headquarters was at the newly opened Gaylord Texan Resort. This sister of Gaylord's Opryland Hotel which opened in 2004 is equally lush but features a Texan décor. It was designed with the look and feel of a cattle baron's ranch house.

The sweltering Texas heat was subdued by enclosing the entire complex in a climate-controlled atmosphere under glass. It is not as large as Opryland where I am convinced a visitor could wander around for days lost in the vastness of the place, but it is every bit as spectacular with rich tropical plantings and fountains. In the Yellow Rose Pavilion is an undeniable Texas touch. There is a colorfully decorated mechanical bull just waiting for a fearless soul to mount and be thrown off.

Located just six minutes from the DFW Airport and twenty minutes from either Dallas or Fort Worth, the Gaylord Texan overlooks Lake Grapevine and carries the Grapevine address as does DFW.

William D. Tate, the mayor of Grapevine, attended many of our meetings. Often he was dressed in the garb of early Texas cowboys. Tate mentioned that after a short article appeared in Southern Living magazine he received a letter from Chattanooga. It was filled with some family history about his great-grandmother who had lived in Chattanooga. Another Tennessee connection.

Just as our Peavine Road was named for the wild vines that flourished there, when the first settlers arrived in Grapevine in 1844 they found an over abundance of wild mustang grapes and they named the whole town for those grapes. Today there are seven wineries with tasting rooms featuring wines made from much higher quality grapes.

Grapevine could easily have become a memory if it had not been chosen as a stopping point on the Cotton Belt Route Rail Line in 1888. Then in 1974 the transportation industry gave new life to Grapevine when DFW opened in 1974. In 1970 the population was 7,000. Today it has soared to more than 46,000.

All of the above was a bonus and on the periphery of the reason I traveled to Texas. From early morning till late evening the conference was filled with workshops led by knowledgeable professionals. Participants were challenged to improve their craft. Discussions were packed with inspiration, new ideas and always a liberal sprinkling of good humor. Best of all old friendships were refreshed and new friends were added.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.