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COMMERCE, TEXAS
Bois d'Arc
Capital of the World
Hunt
County, Central
Texas North
33°14'42"N 95°54'0"W (33.244959, -95.899957)
10 miles N of I-30
65 miles NE of Dallas
125 miles W of Texarkana
45 miles S of the Texas/Oklahoma border
ZIP codes 75428-75429
Area code 903
Population: 9,680 Est. (2019)
8,078 (2010) 7669 (2000) 6,825 (1990)
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Commerce High
School
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Home of Texas
A & M - Commerce
Gateway to Cooper Lake
The Commerce event
calendar revolves around the September Bois d'Arc Bash. The
Bash occurs on the nearest weekend to Sept 25th, the anniversary of
the town's incorporation in 1885.
Commerce has taken this maligned and under-appreciated tree and only
asks that we take a closer look. The name is pronounced Bo-Dark (which
sounds like a late night AM Disc Jockey). The tree's seed was once
a commercial export to foreign places like Oklahoma, where it was
planted in fence lines before the advent of barbed wire.
McKinney and Bonham
also have the tree in their history. Blocks were cut of the durable
wood and streets were paved with it. Max, the former Champion Bois
d'Arc in the State of Texas, recently lost his throne to a tree in
Corsicana (of all places),
but can still be visited (and consoled) inside the city limits of
Commerce.
Since Bois d'Arc "apples" can't be eaten, the folks at Commerce also
hold a Crawfish Festival and 5K Run/Walk the first Saturday
in May.
Perhaps due to the University, Commerce has a variety of restaurants
and coffeehouses that is unusual for a town this size. If you're driving
from Dallas to Texarkana,
it's worth the slight detour to become acquainted with this energized
community. |
People
Flying
Tigers by Archie P. McDonald ("All Things Historical"
column)
"Many native East Texans find fame and fortune far away from
their birthplace. A case in point is Claire Lee Chennault, who was
born in Commerce, Texas..."
An
Influential Visit by Robert G. Cowser
Miss Tula Milford of Commerce High School
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Commerce Tourist
Information
Commerce Chamber
of Commerce
1227 Washington Street
903-886-3950
Website: www.digitcom.org
Contact the Chamber for some of their brochures. A downtown map
of Commerce is furnished and one for the University and Cooper
Lake as well. |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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