Land office’s website has lessons for Texans

The old Texas General Land Office website covered almost as much territory as Texas.

As part of an effort to simplify state websites and make them more smartphone-friendly, the Land Office has pared 270 webpages back to 87 and made it easier for Texans to find information about our state’s history and resources.

One mouse click takes readers to Veterans Land Board services, background on the state’s land and coastal management, field maps or an extensive collection of historical maps and Alamo information.

Of note is the website’s section on education. The Land Office is only peripherally involved in education through management of the Permanent School Fund, but Land Commissioner George P. Bush has added a series of Texas history and geography lesson plans for teachers, along with a set of science lessons studying the Texas coast.

Bush, an ex-schoolteacher and former Fort Worth board chairman for an Irving-based public charter school system, will teach an online classroom lesson Oct. 29 via webcast titled, “Opportunity in Texas: Land and its Legacy in Texas History.”

The website also includes photos of Bella, the Alamo cat. The address remains glo.texas.gov.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Land office’s website has lessons for Texans."