Campfire Stories

Immerse yourself in the stories of the people who defined Texas.

Since the discovery of fire, people have gathered around campfires to share stories. At the Bullock Museum, the story of Texas history begins with Amarillo artist Robert T. Ritter's mosaic. At the center is the fire pit. Gathered around the fire are the people who wrote the stories of Texas. Use the interactive mosaic below to explore Texas's campfire and discover the people who shaped Texas.

Explore Campfire Stories

Click a character to learn his or her Texas story. Click and drag the terrazzo title to rotate the wheel, or use the Rotate Terrazzo controls.

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African Americans

African American woman at washtub 1800s
I belong to myself now. Harriet, freed woman, 1865
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American Indians

East Texas landscape with lake and trees
We must be wary... Naguatex Caddi
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Buffalo Soldiers

10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers
I never saw braver men anywhere. General John Pershing
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Cattle Ranchers

group of longhorn cattle in a field with a man on a horse corralling them
Other states are carved or born; Texas grew from hide and horn. Bertha Hart Nance, 1932
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Conquistadors

Spanish conquistador with raised sword standing in water
This clearly shows how the designs of men sometimes miscarry. Cabeza de Vaca
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Frontier Folk

Frontier family and stagecoach
G.T.T.
Gone To Texas frontier saying
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Missionaries

St. Francis of Assisi stained glass window
Happy are those who endure in peace... St. Francis of Assisi
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Roughnecks

Spindletop oil derrick 1901
There's something down there. Al Hamill, Spindletop driller 1901
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Texas Rangers

Texas Ranger silver star badge
They were men who could not be stampeded. Colonel Homer T. Garrison, Jr.
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Vaqueros

Frederick Remington drawing of vaquero on a galloping black horse
I wanted to become a vaquero and I did. Albert Rojas, author of These Were the Vaqueros
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Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)

WASP silver wing pin
We will not again look upon a women’s flying organization as an experiment. We will know they can handle our fastest fighters, our heaviest bombers. AAF Commanding General Henry "Hap" Arnold, 1944. (Source: War Department Press Release, Address by General H.H. Arnold, Thursday, December 7, 1944)
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