Traces of Tx (today)

[Shakey Jake]

Either you like fruitcake or you hate it. ...

Yup, hate it.

About the same category as mincemeat for me.

My mother made the best mincemeat pies. Oh, goodness, I still remember how they taste!
Jake
p.s also her strawberry rhubarb pies!

[markiver54]

Wait now...strawberry rhubarb is a different story.

[Mags]

Wait now...strawberry rhubarb is a different story.

Especially with a hard frozen scoop of strawberry ice cream on top.

[Shakey Jake]

This is from the Traces of Texas Facebook group (a couple of days late but still a good read).
75 years ago today, on Dec. 22, 1947, Bob Lemmons died near Carrizo Springs, Texas. He was believed to be 100 years old. Bob ---- shown here in a 1936 photo taken by Dorothea Lange ----- was a legend, "the most original mustanger," according to J. Frank Dobie. He was born about 1847 and moved to Texas in 1854. Bob was the slave of John English, who had come to make a home at Carrizo Springs in Southwest Texas. Bob's original birth name is not known.
After being freed, he came under the tutelage of Texas rancher Duncan Lemmons, who took the seventeen-year-old youth to Eagle Pass to work for him. Out of respect for his new employer and friend, Lemmons adopted the rancher's last name. He worked at the Eagle Pass ranch learning the techniques of ranching and mustanging (mustanging is the hunting of wild horses either for military use or for slaughter as pet food). When Duncan Lemmons died, Bob continued to work as a "brush cowboy" and ranch foreman in the Carrizo Springs area. He eventually purchased his own ranch near Carrizo Springs and worked it until his failing eyesight forced him to retire.
His fame came about as a result of his mustanging methods. Said Lemmons, "I grew up with the mustangs....I acted like I was a mustang...made them think I was one of them." His methods were unusual because he would mustang alone. When working a herd of mustangs, Lemmons lived off the land, taking for comfort only a Mexican blanket, which served as both cover and slicker. The legend of the man who lived as a mustang and gained the confidence of the wild horses spread throughout Texas, but his career as a mustanger ended when the Carrizo Springs area population began to grow and when fences sprang up on the landscape.
Though he could no longer mustang, Lemmons determined to live "alone in the brush." In 1931 author J. Frank Dobie interviewed Lemmons for his book The Mustangs (1952). Lemmons was eighty-four years old. As mentioned earlier, he died in Dimmit County on December 23, 1947.

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1852, the first railroad locomotive in Texas was placed in service by the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway. It was named for Gen. Sidney Sherman, one of the owners of the railroad. The engine, believed to have been built by the Baldwin Company about 1837, had a top speed of about thirty-five miles an hour. It was purchased used from a Massachusetts railroad company and arrived at Galveston in 1852. The locomotive operated until 1870. After retirement it stood as a derelict until 1899 when it was scrapped.

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1917, some forty-five Mexicans, possibly followers of Pancho Villa, crossed the border and attacked Luke Brite's Presidio County ranch. The Christmas holiday found the Brites and most of their workers away from the ranch; the family of ranch manager T. T. Van Neill fought the invaders, but were forced to surrender the key to the ranch store. The raiders looted the store of food, clothing, and cash and stole the best horses and all the ranch's saddles. The mail stage arrived during the raid and the postman and two passengers were murdered. After several hours, neighbors and members of the Eighth U.S. Cavalry arrived and drove off the raiders. On the following morning, the raiders crossed back into Mexico. Some 200 cavalry troopers followed, killing ten of the bandits and recovering some of the stolen goods. A few weeks later, Texas Rangers killed fifteen Mexicans in Porvenir, in part in retaliation for the Brite Ranch raid; the Porvenir Massacre was one of the most serious acts of ranger misconduct cited in the Texas Ranger investigation of 1919.

[Shakey Jake]

Todays post come from the Traces of Tx facebook group:
Oh, Lordy, y'all aren't going to believe this. Traces of Texas reader Bob McSpadden was kind enough to send in this photo of the groundbreaking at the San Jacinto monument on April 21, 1936 --- 100 years to the day after the battle. The plow being used is a 100 year old plow and behind the plow is Andrew Jackson Houston, Sam Houston's son, who was 85 years old. Andrew lived to see the completion of the monument, which must have been a very proud day for him. Handling the cattle is E.H. Marks, the owner of the LH7 ranch in Barker, Texas, the outfit that donated the cattle for the event. This was given to Bob by E.H. Marks' daughter, Atha Marks Dimon.
You know, I've seen a lot of different photographs of the monument, its history etc.. but I have never, ever seen this. And Sam Houston's son to boot! What a treasure! Thank you, Bob!

[cooperhawk]

We've been there a couple of times and it is very impressive. WE also were on the battleship Texas while we were there.
I understand it's in Galveston being restored now.

[Shakey Jake]

We've been there a couple of times and it is very impressive. WE also were on the battleship Texas while we were there.
I understand it's in Galveston being restored now.

The LH7 no longer exists. It's now part of the Barker-Cypress Resevoir. One of the descendants got ownership of the brand and is now in the Bandera area of Texas.
https://www.bing.com/maps?q=barker+cypr ... PC=EDGEDSE

If you click on the link the area to the left that is in green is the general area of where the LH7 ranch was. It's now owned by the Corp of Engineers and is used as a watershed for controlling water in Brays Bayou. This is also where the American Shooting Center is where I go to shoot and George Bush Park.
Jake

[Shakey Jake]

From TSHA on the LH7 Ranch:
LH7 RANCH.The LH7 Ranch, in western Harris County, was established by Emil Henry Marks in 1907. Marks's grandparents were Prussian immigrants; his father, A. T. Marks, was born as their ship arrived at Galveston in 1843. E. H. Marks was born on October 26, 1881, at Addicks, the youngest of A. T. and Elizabeth (Schulz) Marks's two daughters and three sons. Orphaned at age ten, E. H. began working as a cowboy for an uncle who ranched at Pattison on the Brazos River. He later worked for other East and Southeast Texas ranchers. In 1898 he registered the LH7 brand in Harris County. The letters had no special significance; the seven represented the number in his family. In 1907 Marks married Maud May Smith of Fairbanks and started ranching on sixty-three acres east of Addicks. In December 1917 he moved the LH7 Ranch three miles west to 640 acres of prairie near Barker. To entertain neighboring ranchers who helped him with the spring branding of 1918, at a time of manpower shortages during World War I, Marks staged a small riding and roping contest. The branding party grew into an annual ranch rodeo that attracted large crowds from nearby Houston for thirty years.
Marks was among the first Gulf Coast cattlemen to cross Brahman bulls imported from India with the common longhorn cattle. By 1924 he was using three Brahman bulls on the LH7, one from the estate herd of Abel H. (Shanghai) Pierce and two imported from Brazil. Highly resistant to heat and parasites, the breed proved exceptionally well-suited to the rigors of the Gulf Coast climate. The LH7 became an important supplier of quality Brahman breeding stock for ranges from South Texas to Florida. At the same time, Marks protected the foundation stock of the LH7-the Texas longhorn-from extinction. As early as 1923 he began hand-picking a herd of the old-time Texas cattle to keep the breed alive. Choosing outstanding specimens from the thousands of East Texas cattle he traded in, Marks built one of the nation's finest and largest herds of authentic longhorns. By the 1930s, when the LH7 was running 6,670 head of crossbred range cattle on a 36,000-acre lease west of Houston (between Highway 90 and Hockley), Marks was separately maintaining a herd of 500 pure Texas longhorns. With the revival of the breed, the Marks line became one of the "seven families" of longhorn cattle, as determined by the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America (established in 1964).
Ranch operations were severely curtailed during the Great Depression. In January 1936 Marks and Houston oilman W. A. Paddock dissolved a thirteen-year partnership in the ranch, and Marks was left with little more than his private longhorn herd and about 1,000 acres. It was the end of the LH7 as one of the largest ranches in Southeast Texas. World War II took a further toll; to protect the war industries at Houston from flooding along Buffalo Bayou, the United States Army Corps of Engineers claimed 450 acres of the LH7 for the Addicks-Barker flood-control reservoirs, built in 1945–48. The condemned land included the LH7 rodeo grounds, and Marks abandoned the annual ranch rodeo.
In January 1952 he rode with three others in the first Salt Grass Trail Ride, thus inaugurating one of Houston's most enduring traditions. The trail ride is reenacted each February to kick off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Though well into his eighties, Marks continued to ride horses and work cattle. He died in Houston on September 15, 1969. The LH7 Ranch at Barker passed to his youngest daughter, Maudeen Marks, who continued to maintain a herd of longhorns on land surrounded by Houston. After their father's death, Maudeen and her brother Travis agreed to share the LH7 brand for their separate longhorn herds at the original LH7 Barker headquarters, at Maudeen's newer ranch near Bandera, and at Travis's ranch near Fannin. In 1985 the Texas Historical Commission designated the LH7 a state archeological landmark.

[Shakey Jake]

Not much on today's agenda so I'll just do tomorrow's a day early! December 28th, 1946 Edgar Winter was born in Beaumont, TX. A multi-instrumentalist playing saxophone, keyboards, and percussion he never attained quite the notoriety as his recently passed brother Johnny Winter. Here's a link to one of his iconic performances of this century with Rick Derringer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lprFCcpaswo

[Shakey Jake]

A little over 163 years ago the man in this photo, Juan Cortina, rode into Brownsville and seized control of the town. Cortina, whose full name was Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Goseacochea but who had nicknames like Cheno Cortina, the Red Robber of the Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Robin Hood, was a Mexican rancher, politician, military leader, outlaw and, ultimately, a folk hero. He had established himself as a champion of Mexicans living along the border in the years after the Mexican War. The incident that ignited the first so-called Cortina War occurred on July 13, 1859, when Cortina saw the Brownsville city marshal, Robert Shears, brutally arrest sixty-year-old Tomas Cabrera, who had once been employed by Cortina. Cortina shot the marshal in the impending confrontation and rode out of town with the prisoner. Early on the morning of September 28, 1859, he rode into Brownsville again, this time at the head of some forty to eighty men and seized control of the town. Five men, including the city jailer, were shot during the raid, as Cortina and his men raced through the streets shouting, "Death to the Americans" and "Viva Mexico." Over the next several years Cortina fought Texas Rangers and U.S. regulars. His band threatened the stability of the Valley until 1861, when he was finally defeated. Thereafter he confined his activities to Mexico, where he died in 1894.
(Source: Traces of Texas Facebook Group)

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1845, the United States Congress voted to annex Texas. Statehood was first proposed in 1837, but was rejected by President Martin Van Buren. Constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico were the reasons given for the rejection, but antislavery sentiment in the United States undoubtedly influenced Van Buren and continued to be the chief obstacle to annexation. Under President James Polk the United States Congress passed the Annexation Resolution in February 1845. Texas president Anson Jones called the Texas Congress into session on June 16, 1845, and a convention of elected delegates met on the Fourth of July. Both the Texas Congress and the convention voted for annexation, and a constitution was drawn up. The document was ratified by popular vote in October 1845 and accepted by the United States Congress on December 29, 1845. On February 19, 1846, President Jones of the Republic of Texas handed over control of the new state government to Governor James Pinckney Henderson.

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1880, the infamous "Diamond Bessie" case concluded when a Jefferson, Texas, jury acquitted Abraham Rothschild of murder. When a well-dressed man and woman calling themselves "A. Monroe and wife" got off the train and registered at the Brooks House in Jefferson on January 19, 1877, events were set in motion that led to the first big-name trial in Texas. A. Monroe was in reality traveling salesman Abraham Rothschild, the son of Meyer Rothschild, a Cincinnati jeweler, and the woman posing as his wife was a prostitute named Bessie Moore. "Diamond Bessie" was found murdered in the woods near Jefferson several weeks later, and Rothschild was arrested for the crime. After two and a half years and two sensational trials that involved most of the prominent lawyers in East Texas, including future governor Charles A. Culberson and future congressman David B. Culberson, Rothschild was finally acquitted in 1880. Since 1955 a courtroom drama relating the story has been presented each spring as part of the Jefferson Historic Pilgrimage. More reading about the incident can be found here:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent ... rder-trial
Source: TSHA

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1980, Armadillo World Headquarters held a final New Year's blowout before closing its doors to await demolition. The celebrated Austin music venue was a concert hall in a converted National Guard armory in downtown Austin. It opened its doors in August 1970 and quickly became the focus for much of the city's musical life. AWH reflected the emergence nationwide of countercultural forms of music typical of its time. With a capacity of 1,500, the hall featured a varied fare of blues, rock, jazz, folk, and country music in an informal, open atmosphere. In 1980 the demands of the downtown real estate market brought an end to the Armadillo.
Source: TSHA
https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/ ... cert-table

[Shakey Jake]

Today's post comes from the Traces of Texas Facebook group. There are a few of these "Painted Churches" in the area around Schulenberg, Shiner and Mouton (German and Czech communities). Most of them are open to the public and have a donation box for those wishing to help with the inordinate amount of upkeep these take. We had a "Painted Churches Ride" when I belonged to the Southern Cruisers, and it was one of the best attended rides. I'll also post a web link so those of you wishing to do so can get a peek at these marvels.--Jake
Isn't it great to find a little slice of relatively unknown Texas history as you're just passing by? Traces of Texas reader Travis Witt was out on FM 532 near Moulton, Texas when he spotted this old church, the St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Following the Civil War and Emancipation, the small but vibrant African American population around Moulton began to be served by missionaries of a newly formed offshoot of the Methodist Church called the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. In 1867, Reverend E. Hammitt became the first Black AME minister in the county, riding a large circuit that included Moulton. In 1887, the modern-day city of Moulton was laid out and founded by Samuel and William Moore. At that time, the brothers donated a plot of land to the city’s black population in the southeastern part of Moulton. On this land, the faithful erected a small one-room church. Often referred to as Moore’s chapel by many locals, the little church nourished the religious needs of the black community.
Following the end of World War I, the church became the African American school for the community. More space was needed so, in 1921, the church trustees purchased land and erected a new building for the church and school. Although the space offered few amenities, the congregation flourished here for decades. In 1948, the Moulton Independent School District built a new school for the district’s black children. Due to disrepair, hurricane and flood damage, a new church was built in 1962 under the leadership of Rev. W.O. Johnson and Joseph Parker. After several more decades of faithful religious and community service, the migration to urban areas caused the membership of the church to decline.
St. Paul’s AME Church reluctantly closed its doors in 2007. Although the church is no longer in operation, its 120 years of service as a spiritual beacon remains in the hearts of the community.
Thank you, Travis. Really a neat old structure!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pa ... ORM%3DVDRE

[Shakey Jake]

On this day in 1936, musician Roger Miller was born in Fort Worth. He had no formal musical training and apparently never learned to read or write music. After service in the army, during which he entertained troops in a Special Services country-music band, he moved to Nashville, where he did odd jobs and played in back-up bands for such entertainers as Minnie Pearl and Ray Price. After Miller won a contract as a drummer with the Faron Young organization, other performers began singing his songs. In 1961 he first made the country top ten as a performer with "When Two Worlds Collide," co-written with Bill Anderson. He moved to Hollywood, where his singing career took off in 1964. "Chug-a-lug" and "Dang Me" were hits in both country and pop categories. The next year Miller scored a series of bestsellers: "King of the Road," "Engine, Engine No. 9," "Kansas City Star," and "One Dyin' and a-Buryin'." NBC featured Miller in his own weekly variety show, which fared well in 1966 but subsequently lost out in the ratings and was cancelled. Miller won eleven Grammy awards, both as composer and performer, in the categories of contemporary and country and western. In 1985 he received five Tony awards for his score to Big River, a musical based on Huckleberry Finn. He died in Los Angeles on October 25, 1992.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c7D0YsgnrE

[Shakey Jake]

Came across this photo of boys hanging out in front of a store in Tomball, Tx in 1945. You can just imagine what kind of mischief they're thinking about getting into! I bet one of them has a slingshot in his hip pocket! I can relate as I grew up in a small town as well. Tomball isn't that small these days with a population of 12,500 or so in north Harris Co. The area is growing fast as urban sprawl is making its way north on Texas 290. It's definitely a summer photo with the boys in their bare feet. Maybe some fishing in a tank pond is on tap later in the day. Anyway, I thought it to be a little Norman Rockwell "ish".

[Shakey Jake]

Today's entry comes from the Traces of TX Facebook page:
The old Rupley Hotel and the adjoining 1893 M. Diegel Building in Victoria, 1930s I think. I'm willing to wager that those hamburgers were mighty tasty! The buildings, which were located at 208 S. Main St., were bulldozed in November 1974 and a parking lot was built. There's a nice mural overlooking the parking lot today. Here's a recent Google street view:
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A ... bpd0gEbXaW

[Hatchdog]

I was able to make my screen larger and the kid on the left sitting on the crate has a look on his face that just screams, “trouble”. Probably grew up to be a respectable member of society.