Today, to commemorate Texas Independence Day and Texas History Month, Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush announced the beginning of the interactive Save Texas History Top Texan Tournament. The Top Texan Tournament allows users to vote for their favorite Texan among 64 figures from throughout the state’s history and can be accessed at savetexashistory.org/toptexan . The tournament will last throughout March.
“One of my goals as land commissioner is to invoke new technological platforms at the Texas General Land Office,” said Commissioner Bush. “The Top Texan Tournament will encourage Texans of all ages to learn more about some of our state’s most important historical figures and raise awareness of the Save Texas History program.”
Similar to NCAA March Madness, Texans will be able to submit their bracket predictions before voting begins. The deadline to submit bracket predictions is Wednesday, March 9 at 10 a.m. The tournament features six voting rounds in addition to the prediction round, with the final voting round closing on Wednesday, March 30 at 11:59 p.m.
The technology used to power the bracket will automatically rank users after each round based on the accuracy of their predictions. The top point earner for the first five rounds will receive a 2016 Save Texas History Map Calendar, a set of Save Texas History notecards, a pair of tickets to the Bullock Texas State History Museum, a flexibound 2016-2017 Texas Almanac, and a gift card to TXHumor.com. The top point earner at the end of the final round will receive a grand prize consisting of a map reproduction of his or her choice from the Texas General Land Office, a 1-Year Homestead Membership to the Bullock Texas State History Museum, a 1-Year Membership to the Texas State Historical Association, a hardcover 2016-2017 Texas Almanac, a copy of Stephen F. Austin, Empresario of Texas, a 2016 Save Texas History Map Calendar, a set of Save Texas History notecards, and a gift card to TXHumor.com.
“Texas doesn’t just have history – we have legend,” said Commissioner Bush. "From the heroes of the Alamo to the cattle ranchers who drove longhorn up the Chisholm Trail to feed America, to the wildcatters who dug deep into the desolate sands of West Texas and found black gold – Texans have proved throughout history that what happens here changes the world. This Top Texan Tournament is a chance for all Texans to decide which part of our legend means the most to you.”
Winners of the bracket and the prediction contest will be announced on Thursday, March 31 at approximately 10 a.m. on the Texas General Land Office Facebook page at facebook.com/txglo . Tournament sponsors include the Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Texas State Historical Association, and Texas Humor (Sauceda Industries, LLC).
About Save Texas History
Created in 2004, the Save Texas History program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of the historic maps and documents housed in the GLO Archives, and serves as a resource for teaching and digitizing Texas history. If you would like to donate to the Save Texas History program to adopt a document or collection, assist with archival acquisitions, develop educational programs, or support digital projects, please visit www.savetexashistory.org . Follow Save Texas History on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SaveTXHistory and Twitter at https://twitter.com/SaveTxHistory .
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