Crawfish boils are a Louisiana staple, but the tradition stretches back hundreds of years—from Native American tribes to Cajuns and spring festivals we know today.
Between December, 1884 and December, 1885 ... about 3 years before Jack The Ripper did his thing in London ... 8 girls were attacked, raped and murdered in Austin, Texas.
Guns in schools? Drinking and driving? Leaving cars and homes unlocked? Smoking areas for high school students? Yep, all once totally normal in El Paso and Texas in general once upon a time.
You can find various online sources. However, Wikipedia claims that in addition to the regular "business" of housing POWs during the Civil War, there were horrible things that took place here during that time.