Fair, Postcard Info

Clute, Texas
Clute's history began at the junction of the old Calvit and Eagle Island Plantations. Alexander (Sandy) Calvit, one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, obtained title to the land in 1824. The Old Three Hundred is a term used to describe the 297 grantees, made up of families and some partnerships of unmarried men, who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin and established a colony in present day Brazoria Countyin southeast Texas. The settlers who received their titles under Austin's first contract were known as the Old Three Hundred, and they made up the first organized, approved influx of Anglo-American immigrants to Texas. In November 2003, a mammoth was found buried in a sand pitin Clute by a backhoe operator for Vernor Material & Equipment Co. This was believed to be remains of the first-dated mammoth discovered on the Texas Gulf Coast. Clute hosts "The Great Texas Mosquito Festival" every July. The festival has been held annually since 1981. The three-day festival attracts some 18,000 visitors

Cuero, Texas
The city of Cuero had its start in the mid 19th century as a stopping point on the Chisholm Trail cattle route to Kansas. However, it wasn't recognized as a town until 1873 when it was officially founded. The city thrived through much of the late 19th and early 20th century by the introduction and practice of turkey ranching in the area. Today, agriculture is still the primary industry in the Cuero region. Cuero is considered to be one of the top cattle producers and shippers in Texas. Recently, on August 8, 2008, a DeWitt County deputy, Brandon Riedel, filmed an unidentifiable animal along back roads near Cuero, Texas on his dashboard camera. It is said to be the mythical chupacabra. Each year, Clute hosts Turkey Fest, a local festival during which the townsfolk compete with people at various turkey-centric events. The competitions revolve around the turkeys each town raises and takes immense pride in. The events are the prettiest turkey contest, turkey toss, turkey trot, and turkey race. Unlike most Turkey Trots, where humans do the racing, in Cuero, the "turkey trot" involves racing actual turkeys.

Dodge, Texas
Dodge is an unincorporated community in eastern Walker County, Texas, on the northern edge of the Sam Houston National Forest. Although settlers first arrived in the Dodge area in the 1820s, the community was founded in 1872 by William H. Parmer, the son of Martin Parmer. Dodge grew up around the Dodge Station of the Houston and Great Northern Railroad; it was named for Phelps Dodge, the company that constructed the community. The community flourished for several decades, but it declined with the coming of the Great Depression. Although only two cabins remain, Dodge City is still the site of 1800s-style gunfight re-enactments.