1885: Hailstones the size of a man’s fist hit Erath County, killing cattle, splintering shingles, and mashing stove pipes. Stephenville Empire

1892: A traveler between Thurber and Weatherford investigated the source of “piteous moaning” to find a trained bear chained to a tree, nearly starved to death. Nearby were the bodies of two Italians who had been traveling across Texas performing with the bear. They had been robbed and murdered about a week earlier. Weatherford Enquirer