Nacogdoches

[adorshki]

Two sisters from the mid-west were on a road trip across the U.S.

As they were tooling across East Texas they began seeing signs for a town called Nacogdoches.

This prompted some heated discussion between the sisters about how the name of the town should be pronounced. One sister was of the opinion that the g was silent and the c h e s part was prounounced like the word cheese. The other, that the gd combination resulted in a soft j sound and the c h e s part was prounounced shay.

Each time they passed a new sign naming the town of Nacogdoches the discussion would begin again.

Finally they arrived in the town itself. The one sister said to the other “Let’s stop in that little restaurant there and get lunch. We’ll ask a local how they pronounce their town’s name and settle this once and for all!”

So the ladies park and enter the establishment. They walk up to the counter and order their lunch, and as she pays the clerk the first sister asks “Could you please say the name of this place for us? We’ve been seeing the signs and arguing about the pronunciation of it for an hour now. If you could just say the name of this place out loud, that would be ever so helpful!”

The clerk looks from one lady to the other, shrugs and says, very slowly and clearly “Burrr … gerrrr … King.”
.
.
.
.

BTW, how do you pronounce Nacogdoches?

 

[kitniyatran]

Just like it's spelled?

 

[West R Lee]

Just like it's spelled?

I do, and my son graduated Stephen F. Austin State in Nacogdoches. SFA has what once was considered a very prestigious Forestry school, as well as a really good education department. It' billed as the oldest town in Texas. Been there many, many times. Some do pronounce it "Nacadoshes". I use the ch sound.

West

 

[Uke]

Speaking of Texas. My wife found an old postcard, probably from the 60s, in her deceased mom's belongings the other day. On it a cartoon drawing of St. Peter at the pearly gates looking up at a waiting Lyndon Johnson smoking a cigarette. St. Peter: "Yeah, you can come in, but it's not as big as Texas."

 

[adorshki]

I do, and my son graduated Stephen F. Austin State in Nacogdoches. SFA has what once was considered a very prestigious Forestry school, as well as a really good education department. It' billed as the oldest town in Texas. Been there many, many times. Some do pronounce it "Nacadoshes". I use the ch sound.

West

Is it true it derives from the Paiute name for "Place of the Great Breaking Wind"?

 

[West R Lee]

Is it true it derives from the Paiute name for "Place of Breaking Winds"?

Yes, they had a "knack" Nac for breaking wind, and the "choo doches" was about the ensuing sneezing. with the doches meaning "please don't".

West

 

[Minnesota Flats]

He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisiana
Was where he felt at home
He was born in Nacogdoches
That's in East Texas
Not far from the border
But he liked to tell everybody
He was from Lake Charles
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
We used to drive
Through Lafayette and Baton Rouge
In a yellow Camino
Listening to Howling Wolf
He liked to stop in Lake Charles
'Cause that's the place that he loved
Did you run about as far as you could go
Down the Louisiana highway
Across Lake Pontchartrain
Now your soul is in Lake Charles
No matter what they say
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisiana
Was where he felt at home
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
In those long last moments

 

[Minnesota Flats]

There was a woman in Georgia didn't feel just right
She had fever all day and chills at night
Now things got worse, yes a serious bind
At times like this it takes a man with such style I cannot often find
A doctor of the heart and a doctor of mind
If you like country with a boogie beat he's the man to meet
If you like the sound of shufflin' feet he can't be beat
If you wanna feel real nice, just ask the Rock and Roll doctor's advice
It's just a country town but patients come
From Mobile to Moline from miles around
Nacogdoches to New Orleans
In beat-up old cars or in limousines
To meet the doctor of soul, he's got his very own thing
Two degrees in be-bop, a PHD in swing
He's the master of rhythm he's a rock and roll king
If you like country with a boogie beat he's the man to meet (he's the man to meet)
If you like the sound of shufflin' feet he can't be beat
(I say he can't be beat)
If you...
If you wanna
If you wanna feel real nice, just ask the Rock and Roll doctor's advice

 

[West R Lee]

A nice sunrise shot of downtown Nac.

 

[adorshki]

A nice sunrise shot of downtown Nac.

"The Big Nac"

Hey, where's that Burger King?

 

[West R Lee]

Right there on the right. However, native Texans prefer Whataburger and Dairy Queen.

West

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Well, I'm drivin' to New Orleans
On a half a tank of gas
Got a Jesus on my dashboard
Got a third wife on my ass
They don't think I'm gonna make it
But, I swear, I think we can
In my Red Ball Texas Flier
I'm a red ball Texan man
Well, I left big 'D' this morning
Just about the break of day
Sixteen bennies and a bowl of chili
Well, I'm bound to find my way
If I get to Nacogdoches
Then they'll know just who I am
In my Red Ball Texas Flier
I'm a red ball Texan man
Don't you know
Well, in funky Louisiana
Little redhead made a stand
With a fistful full of nickels
And a razor in her hand
She said, "Tex, I'm gonna cut you, boy
From appetite to thirst,"
I said, "Hold on, pretty pinto
Better cut the mustard first."
Well, I rolled her in the parkin' lot
I rolled her in the green
I rolled her 'til the sheriff came
And then it got obscene
Oh, we jumped bail at midnight
She said, "Honey, ain't life grand
In that Red Ball Texas Flier
With my red ball Texan man."
Oh, we got on to New Orleans
Down inside the Vieux Carré
Where we found how we were different
Than we ever thought we'd be
At the Court of the Seven Sisters
I was found with the seventh son
Opened up that Red Ball Flier
And moved in with everyone
_____________________________
Imagine Stuart Margolin, the guy who played the character "Angel" on the TV show "Rockford File" singing this. He actually did so on a limited edition, very rare LP called "Angel Sings". I actually have a copy but, unfortunately, there's no video of that particular song on YouTube. His version of this song, plus another tune called "Silly Old Gigolo" were the standouts on the album.

(Pardon the sidebar):

 

[twocorgis]

"Lake Charles" by Lucinda Williams, too.

He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisiana
Was where he felt at home
He was born in Nacogdoches
That's in East Texas
Not far from the border
But he liked to tell everybody
He was from Lake Charles
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
We used to drive
Through Lafayette and Baton Rouge
In a yellow Camino
Listening to Howling Wolf
He liked to stop in Lake Charles
'Cause that's the place that he loved
Did you run about as far as you could go
Down the Louisiana highway
Across Lake Pontchartrain
Now your soul is in Lake Charles
No matter what they say
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
He had a reason to get back to Lake Charles
He used to talk about it
He'd just go on and on
He always said Louisiana
Was where he felt at home
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments
Did an angel whisper in your ear
And hold you close and take away your fear
In those long last moments

 

[twocorgis]

A nice sunrise shot of downtown Nac.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump from you, right? In Texas, distance is a relative thing!

 

[West R Lee]

Just a hop, skip, and a jump from you, right? In Texas, distance is a relative thing!

Ah, about 75 miles south Sandy. It's a beautiful area down there. In fact, all of East Texas is very heavily forested.

West

 

[Rocky]

Nac-a-nowhere is also the hometown of Freddie King. And Surfing Steve.

 

[West R Lee]

SFA has one fabulous forestry school Rock. My son visits there from time to time these days. Still friends with some of the professors and sees them at conferences. He is a forestry specialist for the largest electric utility company in the state. He coordinates the right away clearing around the big transmission lines, while trying to save all the trees he can. It's a thankless job, but he's a good people person. He used to do helicopter audits from the Red River to north of Austin, from New Mexico to the Tyler and Nacogdoches area. Now the guys who do the audits answer to him, but if you ask him, he'll tell you he'd rather be doing the audits.

SFA’s forestry program receives top ranking | SFA

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — In its 2021 Global Rankings, education technology firm Plexuss has recognized Stephen F. Austin State University as having the top forestry program in Texas. “I believe this ranking is a testament to the passion our faculty members share for the profession of forestry, as...

www.sfasu.edu

West

 

[Rocky]

Right there on the right. However, native Texans prefer Whataburger and Dairy Queen.

West

As a New Englander, I was sadly disappointed by the large local Mexican restaurant in Nacogdoches.

 

[West R Lee]

As a New Englander, I was sadly disappointed by the large local Mexican restaurant in Nacogdoches.

Some down here are not so good Rock, but most are fabulous.

West

 

[hansmoust]

It's a beautiful area down there. In fact, all of East Texas is very heavily forested.

West

Been there on one of my camping trips. Here's a shot I took a little over 10 years ago at Caddo Lake, about 3 hours north of Nacogdoches:

Remember some of the road signs with other cities that had 'hard-to-pronounce' names. Indeed a beautiful area and I would think nothing has changed since then!

Sincerely,

Hans Moust
www.guitarsgalore.nl