- Gone to Texas
Gone to Texas, often abbreviated G.T.T. or GTT, was a phrase used by Americans immigrating to
Texas in the 19th century ["National Gazette and Literary Register" - December 29, 1825, "Col. Palmer is said to have takenFrench leave and gone to Texas." from [http://martinparmer.tripod.com/id12.html online source] , verified 2005-12-30.] often to escape debt [ [http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/publications/sntexas/texas_shape_and_name.htm "UTSA ITC Education Scrapbook - Texas the Shape and the Name"] , TheUniversity of Texas at San Antonio , Institute of Texan Cultures. 1996-2001, verified 2005-12-30.] , especially in the South and Midwest. It was often written on the doors of abandoned houses or posted as a sign on fences. The phrase is well known in Texas due to the state government's policy of requiring Texas history courses in grades four and seven.Outside of Texas the phrase is less well known, although it has gained notoriety recently due to the publishing of "Gone to Texas!" by
Randolph B. Campbell , considered to be the most recent authoritative work of Texas's history by scholars. The phrase has also been used as the title of a 1986CBS TV movie "Gone to Texas: TheSam Houston Story" and as the first trade paperback in the Vertigocomic book series Preacher. "Gone To Texas" is also the title of a novel byForrest Carter , which was adapted into the film "The Outlaw Josey Wales " starring and directed byClint Eastwood . In 2006, American rock bandJessica's Crime released a concept album entitled "Gone to Texas", which shares similar themes of vengeance and retribution with Carter's novel, while the album's protagonist recalls theman with no name character, portrayed by Eastwood in his earlierspaghetti western films, such asthe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly .Recently, the Governor's Office of Economic Development has revised the use of "Gone to Texas" as part of its plan to attract businesses to Texas under its current advertising campaign "Texas. Wide Open For Business".
References
Further reading
* "Gone To Texas - A History of the Lone Star State", Randolph Campbell, Oxford University Press, Oxford, ISBN 0-19-513843-0.
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