Paris, Texas, was founded in 1845 and named by settlers nostalgic for their previous home in Paris, Kentucky (itself named for France's support during the American Revolution). By the time Texans named their Paris, there were already multiple American cities with the name. The Texas version grew into a modest cotton and railroad town in the Red River region, never quite escaping the shadow of its French namesake. Building an Eiffel Tower was the obvious solution - embrace the connection, claim the name, and give tourists a reason to stop.

Paris's original Eiffel Tower replica was built in 1993 by Boilermakers Local 902. It stood about 50 feet tall, a reasonable scaled-down version of the French original. In 1998, the city learned that Paris, Tennessee, was building a larger tower - 60 feet. Texas pride demanded a response. The local community raised funds to build a new, larger tower, 65 feet tall. But simply being taller than Tennessee seemed insufficient. Someone suggested a cowboy hat. The idea caught fire. A 10-foot red cowboy hat was fabricated and mounted atop the tower, forever distinguishing the Texas version.

The cowboy hat was controversial. Some residents wanted a dignified replica; the hat seemed tacky, undignified, too aggressively Texan. Others argued that the hat was the point - why pretend to be something you're not? Paris, Texas, isn't Paris, France, and the hat acknowledged that with pride. The hat won the argument, partly because it was simply too good a visual to pass up. Photographs of the cowboy-hatted Eiffel Tower spread across the internet. The tower became a destination. The hat, initially divisive, became beloved. Texas had successfully out-Texased a French monument.

Paris, Texas, is more than its tower. The town of about 25,000 sits in the Red River valley of northeast Texas, closer to Oklahoma and Arkansas than to any Texas metropolis. It's the birthplace of John Chisum, the cattle baron; the hometown of William Jennings Bryan's running mate; the setting (by name, though not by location) of Wim Wenders' celebrated 1984 film 'Paris, Texas.' The downtown has some preserved Victorian architecture. The Evergreen Cemetery contains unusual Victorian mortuary sculpture. But the tower is why most visitors come.

The Eiffel Tower replica is located in Love Civic Center Park at South Collegiate Drive, near downtown Paris, Texas. The tower is always visible and free to photograph. The park includes the civic center and tennis courts. Downtown Paris has antique shops and the plaza County Courthouse. The Paris Visitor Center can provide information on other local attractions. Paris is located 100 miles northeast of Dallas; DFW International Airport is the closest major airport. The drive from Dallas takes about 90 minutes via US 82. The town is quiet; the tower is the star attraction. Come for the Eiffel Tower, stay for the cowboy hat.