
May 1985 Issue

Features


I Was a Dude on Tumbling Mare Mountain
My pack trip in Mexico’s Sierra del Carmen wasn't exactly the Gray Line Tour.
Help! We’re Surrounded!
Of course we know that Texas is an oasis in the midst of a wasteland. But some unenlightened folk from our neighboring states beg to differ. We let them talk, then set them straight.
How They Ruined Our Prisons
Before Ruiz v. Estelle, prisons in Texas were the safest, most productive, and most economical in the nation. Now—after costs have quadrupled—our prisons are the most dangerous in the U.S.
Texas Primer: The Western Shirt
Today’s cowboy can thank Hollywood designers for the shirt on his back.
A Date with Leatherface
Is there romance after a starring role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? A leading man reveals all.

Western Art
This story is from Texas Monthly’s archives. We have left the text as it was originally published to maintain a clear historical record. Read more here about our archive digitization project. From 1983 to 1986, Texas Monthly’s regular feature, “Western Art,” highlighted artists’ takes on the classic
Columns
Public Gestures
Dallas' Fifth Texas Sculpture Symposium proves it's time for us to look to our sculptors for public artworks.
Operatic Adventures
A little gimmickry goes a long way toward making the Fort Worth Opera's current season a success.
Fish Story
Alamo Bay gets in over its head; Lost in America finds itself through comedy; The Slugger's Wife strikes out.
Resident Rockers
Five new albums show that Texans can get any kind of music they want from local labels.
Reporter
Texas Monthly Reporter
Battles at the border; weirdos at the Starck Club; monument at the end of the tracks; Mr. Migra goes after Zopilote; Baptists at each other's throats.
Miscellany
State Secrets
Love game at Texas Commerce; Phil Gramm versus Jim Wright in East Texas; a storm over a port for Mark White; some good news—maybe—about a nuke.