Tag: Texas

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The Lake Worth Monster

Join Big Juicy for his first Halloween Special as he dives into the tale Lake Worth Monster. Learn how the moon landing was overshadowed by a dark creature from the backed up waters of the Trinity River. It makes sense that this creature is really three in one. Join me if you dare.

What’s Juicy?

The story of the first monster sighting on Lake Worth in 1947 is from a 1977 news article where Thurman Ranch gives his account of the monster he created from old inner tubes, buttons, and rope. The quote From Lake Worth officer Dutch Carroll is from this Article from the December 26, 1947 Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Lake Worth Casino was a large complex with a dance hall and roller coaster that used to be where the Casino Beach Park is currently.

The ideas for destroying the monster may seem ridiculous but were from this December 1977 article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The story about Thurman’s idea for the monster and the eventual destruction by a drunk man and his girlfriend are from the same article.

The account of the second Lake Worth Monster is from the September 6, 1959 Star-Telegram and everything is told the way it was in the newspaper. It does say they used a small dog and a banana to lure the monkey out. It is remarkable that Dutch Carroll was involved with this monster as well.

The most famous monster on Lake Worth is the Goat Man or the classic Lake Worth Monster. The moon landing was going on at the same time and there is this great newspaper front page with moon landing as the headline and the Lake Worth Monster sculpture below the fold.

The story about three couples parking in the same car at midnight on Greer Island is from the Star-Telegram. It never ceases to amaze me how many people would fit in a car in the 60s (See Jayne Mansfield video). I chose to use the sculpture image because I believe Joe Pack put a lot of effort into creating something that represented all of the eye witness accounts. It does look like the offspring of Falkor and E.T.

The Jack Harris quote is from this Star-Telegram article.

The story about Joe Pack and his sculpture is from the article pictured above. I did make up the bit about the sculpture being the inspiration for Falkor, the luck dragon, but I couldn’t help but see the similarities. The NeverEnding Story was from West Germany, which surprised me.

The photograph of the monster is what you will see if you google images of the Lake Worth Monster. It is not clear at all.

The musical is real and I regret I missed the 2016 revival. You can watch the full 1989 production online here. I haven’t watched the full video, but folk/rock/jazz/blues opera seems to be a fit description.

The part at the end was me trying to imitate telling stories by the campfire. My son didn’t get it, but I told him it was because his daddy never took him camping. Jacksboro Highway was a pretty rough place to be back then but it was probably not near rough enough for the devil himself.

For the record, I do believe in the moon landing. It was just a fitting way to end the video. I imagine if you made a Venn diagram of people who believe in The Lake Worth Monster and people who deny the moon landing, it would look like a lunar eclipse.

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John St. Helen

Join Big Juicy as he explores a conspiracy theory of presidential proportions. See how a sledge-hammer wielding actress, an American assassin, president Lincoln, a bunch of lawyers, and a whole bunch of brandy weave together to tell a tale of Texas history.

What’s Juicy?

The story outlined in the beginning of the video is the version that is taught in most History books. Booth did time the gunshot with the “funny” line in play to reduce disruption in the theater. Sockdologizing is a mix up of the word doxologizing.

Booth shouted “Sic semper tyrannis” which is Latin, not Greek. It means “thus always to tyrants.” I’m not sure if anyone knew what he was talking about.

Lincoln did institute the first income tax in the US and he did die on April 15th. I made up the part about his death being commemorated by making it Income Tax Day. It is a much better story than what really happened. The saying about death and taxes was attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Who knows if that’s true.

Finis Bates is Kathy Bates’s grandfather. It is a strange and beautiful connection. The rest of the narrative comes directly from his book. It is archived here and is an interesting read.

The cabin in Glen Rose is west of the square and is restored. I am not sure if you can go inside or if there is anything in there. It was closed up when I went by. The store on the south side of Granbury’s town square with the St. Helen’s sign is assumed to be his old saloon. The opera house is next door.

This story fascinated me for several years. There is something inside us that wants to believe in conspiracy theories. The mundane is dead and boring and needs to be juiced up a bit. Or in this case, have some brandy rubbed on it. That may be what has kept this one alive for so long.

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Murder Castle

Get in the mood for October as Big Juicy tells the tale of how an American serial killer, Mississippi country girls, castles, lime pits, and the Chicago World’s Fair come together to tell a fascinating tale of Fort Worth Texas history.

What’s Juicy?

I first found out about H.H. Holmes while watching a TV show named Timeless a few years back. Since then, his name or alias has come up a few times. I was pretty surprised when I heard about his connection to Fort Worth.

Minnie Williams is the person who brought Mudgett to Fort Worth. She was born in Mississippi into poverty. Her parents died and she went to live with her uncle in Dallas. Nanny and her brother stayed behind. There is no evidence she had a speech impediment but she did attend the Conservatory of Elocution in Boston. She came back to Midlothian to teach but also went to the northeast to perform in theater. That is where she most likely met Mudgett.

There are several accounts of how Minnie and Hatch/Holmes/Mudgett met. I don’t really know which one is true, so I went with the most likely story.

Mudgett did have a history of disturbing the dead to commit insurance fraud. He would steal bodies, even dig them up, to stage them as people he bought life insurance policies for. He is also accused of turning stolen corpses into medical skeletons. They were sold to local universities. He is most famous for his Chicago Murder Castle that he expanded for the Chicago World’s Fair. It is believed that he murdered hundreds of fair attendees.

Nannie was asked to come to Chicago for Minnie’s wedding. If Minnie wrote the letter, she was definitely not alive when Nannie arrived. In his biography, he admitted to suffocating Minnie in an air tight vault.

He was tried and hanged for killing Pietzel. He turned himself in because he was afraid what they would do to him in Texas for stealing horses.

The fascinating part of this story is that there are so many discrepancies in the newspaper accounts that it is hard to tell what is true and what is embellished. It is definitely my kind of story.

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Western Line Dancing

Join Big Juicy as he digs up the history surrounding western line dancing. See how John Travolta, cow pens, honky Tonks, bad music, and the need to relieve yourself come together to form this intriguing tale of Texas, if not world, history.
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Crazy Mineral Wells

Join Big Juicy as he explores the crazy side of life in Mineral Wells, Texas. See how water wells, crazy old ladies, White Sox, baseball, the Mob, and Welcome signs weave an exciting tale of Texas history.
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Panther City

Discover the story behind Panther City. History comes to life as Big Juicy explains how railroads, lawyers, cows, panthers, fire, Bible stories, and public works projects come together to weave an exciting tale of Texas history.
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Fort Worth Live Stock Exchange

Discover the story of the flagpole at the Fort Worth Live Stock Exchange building in Fort Worth Texas. History comes to life as Big Juicy explains how wooden legs, Taco Bell, lightbulbs, Beeritas, and a reckless bet made between two mayors come together in this captivating tale of Texas history.