Question: What Texas town was once home to a business that manufactured armadillo purses?
Answer: Comfort. In 1898, German immigrant Charles Apelt began making purses out of armadillo shells, using their meat to make barbecue and chili. He hired dozens of hunters to supply his business, and within six years, he had sold 40,000 purses. Eventually, he began breeding them onsite in an elaborate network of concrete burrows. The business thrived until Apelt and his wife died in the 1940s. After a brief closure, his daughter-in-law reopened the business to breed armadillos as pets. The operation permanently shut down in 1971. A historical marker was erected in 2009.
