The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day: Texas Tech University is 101 years old today, on account of it was Sept. 30, 1925 that Texas Technological College opened in Lubbock, with 914 students in four schools: Agriculture, Engineering, Home Economics, and Liberal Arts. Naturally, this being Texas and all, a bit of chicanery was involved. The push to establish a college in West Texas began before 1900, almost as soon as settlers began putting down roots on the plains. Their efforts appeared to pay off in 1917, when the Texas Legislature approved the creation of West Texas A&M College as a branch of Texas A&M. But the victory was short-lived. The law was repealed at the next legislative session after it was discovered that Governor James E. Ferguson had falsely reported Abilene as the choice of the committee charged with selecting the college site. Naturally, Ferguson's deception got everybody's dander up and stiffened the resolve of West Texans. With the West Texas Chamber of Commerce helping lead the campaign, supporters continued pressing Austin for a college of their own. Their persistence finally paid off in 1923, when the Legislature approved a compromise bill written by State Senator William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock and State Representative Lewis Carpenter of Dallas. Competition for the new school was fierce. Thirty-seven West Texas towns submitted proposals, and the locating board visited every one of them before choosing Lubbock. A local steering committee purchased 2,008 acres just west of town and sold the land to the state for the new campus. So ....Guns up, Red Raiders!