A Yearbook in Review: How the Aggieland Annual Made Its Debut

Before Texas A&M University was called Aggieland, before women were allowed to enroll, and long before that university in Austin claimed the longhorn as its own, there was the Olio.

It was 1895, and a group of cadets decided to preserve moments and memories of campus life in the form of the first “annual” ever published at Texas A&M. That single edition of the Olio stood alone for years, a snapshot of a time when Aggie traditions were still being born.

Then came Mary and Sophie Hutson—twin daughters of a professor, determined to be part of the story even if the rules said they couldn’t. In 1903, they helped revive the yearbook under a new name: the Long Horn. Though they weren’t allowed to earn diplomas, the sisters attended classes, wore uniforms and earned their place in the pages of history, literally and figuratively.

For nearly five decades, the Long Horn was a student staple. However, Texas A&M, never one to share an identity with a rival, eventually renamed its beloved yearbook in 1949 to what is now known as the Aggieland.