Authentic Texas 2017 Fall

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E D I T I O N

Navigating

DALLAS

the TOM LEA TRAIL

LITTLE MEXICO’S

EL FENIX

MOUNT VERNON

Statewide

DAY of the DEAD CELEBRATIONS

WATERMELON MILLS

COFFEEHOUSE SAN BENITO

FREDDY

FENDER

Familia $4.95 USA

Display until Nov. 30, 2017

ALL IN THE

Tejano legend Little Joe Hernández

FROM THE TEXAS HERITAGE TRAILS LLC

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BIENVENIDO A Authentic Texas. Texas has a mystique all its own, born of the many cultural influences in our history. No other culture has contributed more to that mystique than our neighbors to the south, and it’s that heritage we honor in this quarterly edition of Authentic Texas.

Presented by the Texas Heritage Trails LLC, the enterprise is led by representatives from five of the 10 Texas Heritage Trail Regions of the Texas Historical Commission’s Heritage Trails Program. The program is funded primarily by the

State of Texas through the commission, but the magazine and other activities of the Texas Heritage Trails LLC, are not.

Authentic Texas is supported by advertisers across Texas who serve heritage travelers, and, with this issue, we proudly join the Open Sky Media family of publications.

The building behind me is the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, the premier regional repository for preservation, development and promotion of Latino

and Hispanic arts and culture.

Designed by Mexican-born architect Ricardo Legorreta, the stunning facility, known for its bold colors, includes an art gallery and sculpture courtyards featuring local, regional and international artists.

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and for the 51 percent of Texans of Hispanic descent, it’s a great time to honor and celebrate our heritage. And what would a celebration be without music, particularly the Tejanostyle made famous by our Authentic Person, José María De León Hernández, known professionally as Little Joe. He and his La Familia band have been entertaining audiences worldwide for over three decades.

In keeping with our Hispanic theme, Tex-Mex cuisine headlines our Eats and Drinks department, but man cannot live by tacos alone, so you’ll want to check out Sherman 903 for a local craft brew or drive on over to Mount Vernon for a freshly brewed cup of joe at the Watermelon Mills Coffeehouse.

As you travel across Texas this fall, be sure your authenticity shows by donning your cowboy hat, the subject of our Authentic Thing. Don’t have a hat? Then saddle up, ride over to one of the cowboy hat makers profiled in the story, and try one on for size.

The story of extraordinary artist, writer and historian Tom Lea is found at the institute that bears his name in El Paso, but nowhere is his talent more evident than on the Tom Lea Trail, an extraordinary record of Texas history told in paint and pen in 11 cities from El Paso to Galveston, another one of our fall trail drives.

Finally, readers who enjoy a bit of color will want to keep a watchful eye out for this issue’s Texas icon, and official state insect, the Monarch butterfly, as it makes its annual migration to warmer climates.

We hope our fall features inspire your desire to hit the trails and discover authentic Texas experiences of your own. Until then … Los Senderos Feliz! (Happy Trails!)

Patty Bushart Secretary, Texas Heritage Trails LLC

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Contents FALL 2017

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AUTHENTIC PERSON

AUTHENTIC PLACE

AUTHENTIC THING

José María De León Hernández is known nationally and internationally as Little Joe, the Tejano music legend, who, along with his band, La Familia, has transformed the genre, won Grammy awards and delighted generations of dedicated fans.

Dallas’ first Mexican American community, a 10-square-mile neighborhood known as Little Mexico, was formed when immigrants escaping the Mexican Revolution arrived looking for work. The center of the community was Pike Park, a favorite gathering place that many are trying to restore.

A real Texan knows the difference between a true, custom-made cowboy hat and a cheap, mass-produced facsimile. That’s good news for the state’s hat makers, who take their craft seriously and painstakingly create each hat using equipment that is, by design, more than 70 years old.

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WYATT MCSPADDEN

FEATURES

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Contents 60

FORTS WAY OUT WEST P. 70

DEEP IN THE ART

Joe Barrington

Hammer and steel are the tools necessary for the sculptor from Throckmorton.

63 HAPPENINGS

LEGACY

70 HISTORIES

150 Years of Forts

Forts Concho, Griffin and Richardson recall 19th-century reconstruction.

LOCAL

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TEXAS ICON

Monarch Butterfly

The spectacularly colored Monarch was designated the Texas state butterfly in 1995, but its existence is threatened — down to 34 million today from 1 billion two decades ago.

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YONDER

San Benito

Three museums celebrate the rich history and culture of San Benito.

Soon they’ll be housed under one roof.

Burton Cotton Gin

The foundation of Texas’ economy was once cattle and cotton, and the Burton Farmers Gin is the oldest operating gin in the country.

Llano’s Scenic City of the Dead

Amarillo’s Llano Cemetery was the first designated a Texas Historic Cemetery.

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CITY LIGHTS

EATS & DRINKS

Dallas’ Love Field

Birthplace of Tex-Mex

Once an army aviator training base during World War I, Love Field grew to become one of the economic engines of Dallas.

Texas Prison Museum

Visitors learn about prisons and prisoners at this Huntsville museum, which features Bonnie Parker’s pistol and the “Old Sparky” electric chair.

West Texas Libraries

They’re not just for books anymore.

76 TEXAS ORIGINALS

Sherman 903

Anita Hold Eisenhauer

Watermelon Mills

Nueces County has a dogged and dedicated preservationist.

Austin Eastciders

Trails in This Issue

LIFE

44 TRAIL DRIVES

Historic Cemeteries

Gravestone symbols reveal much at historic cemeteries.

Day of the Dead

Brazos 50 Forest 28, 56 Forts 60, 79 Hill Country 48, 50, 58 Independence 22, 48 Lakes 26, 36, 44, 48, 52, 54

Mountain 48, 50, 78 Pecos 79 Plains 24, 48 Tropical 20, 48, 76

Día de los Muertos is celebrated across Texas — in surprisingly diverse ways.

Tom Lea Trail

El Paso’s multitalented famous son and chronicler has a trail named for him that covers 11 Texas cities.

HISTORIC CEMETERIES P. 44

FROM TOP: DERRICK BIRDSALL; TUI SNIDER

Departments

TRAILS MAP THE TEXAS HERITAGE TRAILS program is based on 10 scenic driving trails created in 1968

by Gov. John Connally and the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) as a tool for visitors to explore the Lone Star State. The trails were established in conjunction with HemisFair, an international expo that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio.

In 1997, the State Legislature charged the Texas Historical Commission with creating a statewide heritage tourism program. The THC responded with a program based on local, regional and state partnerships, centered on the 10 scenic driving trails. Today, each trail region is a nonprofit organization governed by a regional board of directors that supports educational and preservation efforts and facilitates community development through heritage tourism.

PUBLISHER

Stewart Ramser ADVERTISING

Julie A. Kunkle, Associate Publisher Christina Olivarez, Advertising Director Senior Account Executives: Jeff Carlyon, Macaulay Hammond, Denise Janove, Margaret Kennedy, Roxanne Levine, Tina Mullins, Misty Pennock, Maxine Pittman, Jasmine Allgood Ward Abigail Stewart, Advertising Sales Manager Jillian Clifton, Advertising Sales Coordinator Lisa Reiley, Advertising Design & Production ART DIRECTOR

Martha Gazella-Taylor, Gazella Design

PLAINS TRAIL REGION

EDITOR

Tom Buckley COPY EDITORS

Julie Seaford, Michael Marchio LAKES TRAIL REGION FORTS TRAIL REGION MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION

PECOS TRAIL REGION

BRAZOS TRAIL REGION

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION

CONTRIBUTORS

Valerie D. Bates, Katarina Brown, Tim Chandler, Megan Forgey, Loretta Fulton, Trey Gutierrez, Tui Snider, Stephen Siwinski, Riley Welch FOREST TRAIL REGION

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION

TROPICAL TRAIL REGION

Legend

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Jeff Salmon, Texas Forts Trail Region Patty Bushart, Texas Lakes Trail Region Ron Sanders, Texas Mountain Trail Region Kay Ellington, Texas Plains Trail Region Rick Stryker, Texas Tropical Trail Region EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF PARTICIPATING TEXAS HERITAGE TRAIL REGIONS

Margaret Hoogstra, Texas Forts Trail Region Jill Campbell Jordan, Texas Lakes Trail Region Wendy Little, Texas Mountain Trail Region Barbara Brannon, Texas Plains Trail Region Nancy Deviney, Texas Tropical Trail Region

Texas Heritage Trails LLC 3702 Loop 322 Abilene, TX 79602 AuthenticTexas.com (325) 660-6774

BRAZOS TRAIL TexasBrazosTrail.com

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL TexasIndependenceTrail.com

FORTS TRAIL TexasFortsTrail.com

MOUNTAIN TRAIL TexasMountainTrail.com

FOREST TRAIL TexasForestTrail.com

PECOS TRAIL TexasPecosTrail.com

Texas Heritage Trails LLC member organizations are participants of the nationally award-winning Texas Heritage Trails Program of the Texas Historical Commission.

HILL COUNTRY TRAIL TxHillCountryTrail.com

PLAINS TRAIL TexasPlainsTrail.com

Texas Heritage Trails, LLC dba Authentic Texas is a member of the Texas Travel Industry Association and is a Go Texan partner.

LAKES TRAIL TexasLakesTrail.com

TROPICAL TRAIL TexasTropicalTrail.com

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Texas Heritage Trails LLC is owned and operated by five nonprofit heritage trails organizations.

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TEXAS ICON p. 16 H YONDER p. 20 H CITY LIGHTS p. 26 H FEATURES p. 30

FLIGHT of

GRACE WILLIAM WARBY

The King of the Butterflies

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MONARCH

Butterfly The threatened species — and Texas’ official state butterfly — is getting a hand from Laura Bush’s Texan by Nature

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FROM LEFT: SUE STUTZMAN; GRANT MILLER

SITE SEEING: Laura Bush with (from left) Patrick Newman (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center), John Faraci (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), and Benjamin Tuggle and Tom Melius (both of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in the Nectar Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin during Texan by Nature’s South-Central Monarch Symposium.

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MEGAN FORGEY

LOOK INTO the pale blue Texas sky this fall, and you may be fortunate enough to see a group of Monarch butterflies, known as a kaleidoscope, filling the sky.

The Monarch, designated the Texas state butterfly in 1995, takes a remarkable 3,000-mile journey every year, leaving their fall perch in locations as far north as Canada to head as far south as Mexico. For lucky Texans, these easily recognizable butterflies with an ornate black, orange and white pattern can be seen flying overhead as they journey to their summer vacation down south.

A Texas icon, Monarchs are often bred in schools and used in ceremonies such as memorial events and even weddings. Unfortunately, the U.S. population of Monarchs today rests at 34 million, a stark contrast to the one billion in 1995.

The Monarch Wrangler program founded by former first lady Laura Bush’s environmental group, Texan

by Nature, aims to foster awareness among Texans.

The nonprofit partners with state and federal agencies, academia and non-government organizations to improve habitat for the Monarch and other pollinator species. The Monarch’s endangerment represents an important problem facing the continent and its health.

The Monarch butterfly, known to some as the king of the butterflies because of its unique migration pattern, is the most familiar North American butterfly, and serves as the state butterfly to Texas as well as Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Vermont and West Virginia. The Monarch was even nominated in 1990 as the national insect, though the legislation didn’t pass. In 2009, Monarchs were even transported to and bred at the International Space Station.

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Anurag Agrawal, an ecology professor at Cornell University and author of the book Monarchs and Milkweed, believes the reason may be threefold. “For one, their grand migration isn’t seen in any other North American butterfly,”

Agrawal says. “Second, their wings of iconic black and gold are a beautiful sight to any eye. And third, their presence in nature is quite remarkable. In contrast to other butterflies, Monarch caterpillars are out on plants and are diurnal, making them a frequent sight for many Texans.”

“What sets the Monarch apart,” Mills says, “is their unique migration. It blows people away that no one can pinpoint how Monarchs are able to find the exact same places to migrate to every year. It’s really a mystery.” Unfortunately, the phenomenon that makes the Monarch so special is on a downward trend. The biggest problem rests in their southward migration to Mexico, with Monarchs unable to find enough food due to urbanization, pesticide use and, in recent years, a major winter storm that decimated a large portion of the population.

“The main theory is there’s not enough milkweed for the Monarch,” Agrawal says, “but I don’t accept that.” He explains that because the Monarch has a large distribution from Canada to Mexico, there’s always the potential for fluctuations in population.

He proposes that problems could be rooted in the nectar sources they need to “sugar up” on the way to Mexico, along with habitat fragmentation and pesticide use. Pesticide use is the main theory for the Monarch’s decline. While Monarchs are present around the world, essentially all of the Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains

SUE STUTZMAN

The Monarchs’ migration is a complex journey that encompasses two distinct patterns.

Monarchs have two principal populations: one that rests east of the Rocky Mountains, and the other that winters west of the Rockies. Both migrate into California and farther south beginning in August, with smaller populations in the Midwest and North Texas migrating south a few weeks later. Texas serves as an important landmark for Monarchs. Situated between principal breeding grounds to the north and overwintering areas in Mexico, Monarchs leave the Northeast and the Upper Midwest at the end of August through October and travel 30 to 50 miles per day, making their way through Texas at the end of November.

The rationale for why the Monarch became Texas’ state butterfly remains unclear. “It’s funny,” says Erin Mills, director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston.

“As much research as I’ve done about Monarchs, I haven’t found any reason why they’re the state insect of Texas and so many other states.” She credits the distinction to the large number that fly through Texas on their way to Mexico.

overwinter in 12 mountaintops in Mexico the size of New York City, making any pesticide use in the surrounding areas a serious threat to the U.S. population.

Efforts to preserve this Texas icon are underway. The Monarch Wrangler program was launched by Texan by Nature, after a May 2017 convention in Austin at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center with over 200 participants from all over the country, many of them researchers, land insurers and corporate businesses. The program’s mission is to increase the population and foster involvement in creating habitat essential to the Monarch by planting native plants vital for the Monarch’s survival, removing invasive species and tagging or tracking Monarchs.

The goal is to increase the Monarch population by at least 50 percent by 2020. The program consists of four categories: residential, civil, landowner (which focuses on the rural landscape) and a corporate category for businesses interested in landscaping their headquarters with native plants vital for the Monarch. “Anyone can contribute,” says Monarch Wrangler interim director Matt Wagner. “It’s as simple as planting plants that Monarchs feed on in your backyard.”

As for the program’s name, Wagner says it stems from the spirit of independence and problem-solving inherent in Texas culture. The program aims to spur Texas-led conservation to benefit the economy and natural resources.

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LOCAL YONDER

FENDER BENDER: Freddy Fender recorded the first bilingual No. 1 song in the history of the Billboard chart. Soon, his museum will be housed with San Benito’s two other historic centers at the Cultural Heritage Museum (at right).

Resaca City

The story of San Benito is told in three museums that celebrate music, history and culture VALERIE D. BATES

SPRINKLED WITH oxbow lakes that long ago

separated from the Rio Grande, San Benito is home to so much history and culture, it takes three museums to tell it — though those three entities will soon be under one roof.

The San Benito History Museum is a good starting point. San Benito’s topography, mild climate and resacas — dry river beds — offered fertile ground for a bright future in agriculture.

In the early 20th century, builder and civil

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engineer Col. Samuel Arthur Robertson built a railroad spider web that connected San Benito’s bounty to the rest of Texas and beyond. The railroad also offered convenient transportation for midwesterners to discover the mild climate of South Texas. A glimpse of the life and times of early San Benito pioneers can be experienced through historic images and artifacts while strolling through the history timeline of this “Resaca City.”

TROPICAL TRAIL REGION

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SAN BENITO

FROM LEFT: RACHEL GALAN; JEFF WILLIAMS

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San Benito was also the birthplace of Baldemar Huerta, who, as a child in a family of traveling performers, picked up the skills that would later propel him to fame. Huerta was first known by his stage name El Bebop Kid in 1957, then as Eddie con los Shades with a signature rockabilly sound. That was before he legally changed his name to Freddy Fender, however, in 1958. With songs like his No. 1 smash “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” the first bilingual No. 1 hit in Billboard history; “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard pop chart but was a No. 1 country hit; and more than 20 country hits that charted between 1975 and 1983, Fender owns a rightful place in music history. A visit to the Freddy Fender Museum allows a tour through the Grammy winner’s life — his struggles and triumphs.

The Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame & Museum is located in San Benito’s Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center — entirely appropriate as San Benito is touted as the Birthplace of Conjunto. Called the “working man’s music,” conjunto is a fusion of European accordion rhythms and Mexican roots ranch music. Its history is showcased in the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame through the likes of Narciso Martinez (the father of Texas-Mexican conjunto), Pedro Ayala, Ricardo Guzman and others. For a live experience, October’s Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center Conjunto Festival brings San Benito’s rich music history and culture to life, helping to ensure that future generations will be inspired by the genre’s unique flavor and singular sound.

The newest project on the city’s horizon is the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum,

SQUEEZEBOX ROYALTY: Paco Betancourt’s son poses with the portrait of his late father, owner of the Rio Grande Museum Company, in the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

which will house all three of these nonprofits that share a passion to preserve and share San Benito’s rich history. Slated for completion sometime in the late fall or early winter, the new museum will combine the stories of San Benito in one location but with nearly three times the square footage.

Freddy Fender Museum 210 E. Heywood St. San Benito, TX 79586 freddyfendermuseum.com HOURS Thurs.–Sat. 10 am–4 pm

Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center 225 E. Stenger St. San Benito, TX 79586 (956) 367-0335 texasconjuntomusic.org

San Benito History Museum 210 E. Heywood St. San Benito, TX 79586 (956) 399-9991 sanbenitohistory.com

JEFF WILLIAMS

HOURS Thurs.–Sat. 10 am–4 pm Local information for the visitor is available at the Freddy Fender Museum and the San Benito History Museum at 210 E. Heywood St. A gift shop is also on-site.

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Cotton Gin Museum

Burton helped bring the cotton industry to Texas RICK STRYKER

Crossing the border from Louisiana influence of the cotton industry on Texas life has to Texas for travel, trade or immigration was often been overshadowed by that of oil and gas. closely controlled in the early years. The Mexican But it’s worth remembering that the foundation of Constitution of 1824 changed that, allowing the Texas economy was truly cattle and cotton — American and European farmers along with their African slaves to immigrate a story told by a small museum and a working gin nestled deep in the Texas Cotton Gin Museum into Coahuila y Texas (present307 N. Main Street day Texas). It wasn’t long before Texas Independence Trail Region.

Burton, TX 77835 the northward expansion of cattle

From the period when Texas (979) 289-3378 cottonginmuseum.org ranchers powered by Spanish and was a state of Mexico to its days Mexican immigrants met the as an independent republic, and HOURS westward push of cotton farmers finally to its inclusion as part of the Tues.–Sat. 10 am– 4 pm from the United States.

United States, Texas evolved as a Guided gin tours

After the Civil War, with unique blend of Hispanic, black at 10 am and 2 pm slavery abolished, cotton growers and Anglo cultures. Washington were forced to devise new County, in which Burton is situated, was among the earliest locations to approaches to their business. Plantation-type receive the wave of new immigrants who brought gins were replaced by community gins, which automated and sped up the process of ginning the cotton industry to Texas.

IN THE EYES of the public, the formative

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BURTON

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION

FROM LEFT: RICK STRYKER; COURTESY OF THE TEXAS COTTON GIN MUSEUM

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WHEN COTTON WAS KING: (from left) The Texas Cotton Gin Museum; the Burton Farmers Gin as it was in 1914.

cotton considerably. And the establishment of railroads introduced an extremely cost-effective way to transport cotton bales to market.

The small town of Burton sprang up when the Houston Texas Central Railroad built a track from Houston to Austin. In 1913, 13 Burton men formed the Burton Farmers Gin Association and built an “air system” cotton gin, opening for business in 1914. The gin was initially powered by a steam engine until 1925, when a Bessemer fuel oil engine was installed. That was the power source for 38 years until an electric motor was installed with the Bessemer as a backup. The last year of commercial operation of the gin was 1974, as cattle and dairy farming replaced cotton farming in the area.

The Burton Farmers Gin is the oldest operating gin in America. It is a National Historic Engineering Landmark, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Since 1986, volunteers have maintained the gin, which has, since 1994, continued to gin at least a couple bales a year. Visitors to the gin may tour museum exhibits and experience firsthand the process of ginning and baling cotton.

As a bonus, the Texas Cotton Gin Museum is located in the Burton Commercial Historic District, a remarkable collection of historic structures. The district contains 28 buildings that contribute to a National Register designation, including retail stores, industrial buildings, a railroad depot and a portion of the railroad rightof-way, all providing a glimpse of Texas’ industrial past.

COURTESY OF THE TEXAS COTTON GIN MUSEUM

FIELD DAY: Quin Dell Kroll’s father weighs cotton before it’s ginned.

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Llano Cemetery 2900 S. Hayes St. Amarillo, TX 79103 (806) 376-4538 llanocemetery.org

12th Annual Twilight Tour

Sat., Oct. 21 3–7 pm Entrance on 34th Street is encouraged

VISIT AMARILLO visitamarillo.com

HONORIFIC: Established in 1888 as Amarillo’s first burying ground, Llano Cemetery holds special recognitions annually for deceased public servants (right photo). These occasions include Wreaths Across America, Memorial Day, the Avenue of Flags, and a Law Enforcement Wreath Laying Ceremony.

YONDER

Llano’s Scenic City of the Dead

The first site to be designated a Texas Historic Cemetery keeps memories evergreen BARBARA BRANNON

WEDNESDAY, the 9th of November, 1921, was

an ordinary day for retired judge and former Texas Lieutenant Governor James Nathan Browning of Amarillo, aged 71. Perhaps he spent a few moments musing over his long-ago cattle-raising years at Fort Griffin, or reminiscing about the dark nights when he read for the law by the light of a pine knot on the frontier. Maybe he thought of his term in the state legislature, or the son he’d lost a while back to a riding accident.

He did, on that day, drop the charter he’d just drafted for the nonprofit Llano Cemetery Association into the mail. He then stopped by the Elks Club for a game of chess, returned home, and died.

The post to Austin must have moved swiftly, for just three days later — on the very day the judge

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was laid to rest in the cemetery he helped create — the state granted the association’s charter.

Texas’s first Historic Cemetery Visitors today to Amarillo’s Llano Cemetery, the first site in Texas to be designated a Texas Historic Cemetery (1987), can pay respects at the judge’s grave. Or at the final resting places of Medal of Honor recipient Lance Corporal Thomas Elbert Creek, “Amarillo by Morning” songwriter Terry Stafford, and commander of the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia, Rick Husband, among thousands of others.

“Historic Llano Cemetery is more than just a cemetery, more than just a statistical recording of burials and more than just a repository for the dead,” says Mark Blankenship, executive director

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AMARILLO

PLAINS TRAIL REGION

COURTESY LLANO CEMETERY

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AUTUMN REMEMBRANCE: The annual Twilight Tour began as a partnership between Llano Cemetery and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.

of Llano Cemetery. “It’s very much alive with the memories of people and families who helped shape Amarillo, the Republic of Texas, and our nation.”

COURTESY LLANO CEMETERY

Historic Twilight Tour each October Bringing the stories of the deceased to life is the purpose of a special autumn event at the cemetery.

The Historic Twilight Tour focuses on the founders, pioneers and legends of the Panhandle.

Guests are invited to stroll the cemetery’s scenic acres with the aid of an app, or join in a docentguided hayride.

On the windswept plains, the cemetery’s 150 developed acres feature thousands of trees and shrubs, including Austrian pine, Chinese pistache, varieties of evergreens, junipers, cedar elms, Allée Elms, desert willows and lacebark. Five wells on the site have the capacity to disperse 250,000 gallons of water per day. These improvements and landscaping had their roots in New Deal programs of the 1930s, but visitors enjoy the grounds today for picnics, walking, jogging and biking, as well as reflection and prayer.

Divided into numerous lawns and gardens, such as the Garden of the Four Chaplains, the Garden of Angels and the Field of Honor, the cemetery invites visitors to appreciate its natural settings and plantings as well as its monuments and structures such as the Pantheon (with the nation’s first underground mausoleum) and a historic caretakers’ cottage.

A monument to the pioneers Some 7,000 veterans are buried at Llano Cemetery.

Older sections were designed for infants, and for ethnic or religious groups. In section 66, victims of the 1917-19 influenza epidemic were swiftly buried in long trenches.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1992, the cemetery today is a place of beauty, heritage and memory. “What was simply a place to bury the dead,” reads the National Register documentation, “became a park as well and thus a living monument to the pioneers of Amarillo.”

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LOCAL CITY LIGHTS

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Remembering Dallas’ Love Field as an army aviator training base

IMAGINE CLIMBING into a two-

seater, single-engine aircraft made of fabric stretched over a wood frame.

How about cranking up the propeller and heading down a runway a mere decade after the Wright brothers’ flight, when plane crashes were still common?

Sites and exhibits in Dallas help visitors appreciate the dangers — as well as the huge strides made in military and civilian aviation — from a century ago.

World War I was the inaugural leap into strategic military flight.

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TOP FLIGHT: (from left) A restored Curtiss “Jenny” that was among the training aircraft used at Love Field during World War I, on exhibit in the Frontiers of Flight Museum; Maj. Albert L. Sneed, commanding officer of Love Field, 1918, in his Curtiss JN-4D.

RICK STRYKER

Although initially viewed as primarily a reconnaissance tool, by the end of the war airplanes were engaged in air-to-ground bombing and strafing, and even air-to-air combat. A late entrant in 1917, the United States had to swiftly catch up with the burgeoning role of aircraft over the three years since the war had begun.

And in one of the best strategic moves by a city booster group anywhere, in 1917 the Dallas Chamber of Commerce purchased 671 acres and leased it to the army as one of many new wartime aviator

training fields in the state and nation.

After the war, Love Field grew into one of the economic engines of Dallas, spurring growth and prosperity. It was the site of Texas’ first air mail and passenger service in the 1920s.

The City of Dallas this year celebrates the centennial of its original airfield. “100 Years, 100 Objects: A History of Dallas Love Field” is on exhibit through fall 2017 in the terminal (on the way to baggage claim), telling the story of the birth and early history of this pioneer airport. The exhibit is a great introduc-

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DALLAS

Frontiers of Flight Museum Dallas Love Field 6911 Lemmon Ave. Dallas, TX 75209 (214) 350-3600 flightmuseum.com HOURS Mon.–Sat. 10 am–5 pm Sun 1 pm–5 pm

VISIT DALLAS visitdallas.org

COURTESY DANNY MINTARI; COURTESY FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT MUSEUM

Flying Start

COURTESY FRONTIERS OF FLIGHT MUSEUM

tion to and a perfect bite-sized First World War experience for those who find themselves passing through Dallas via Love Field.

Also at the airport’s Danny L. Bruce Flag Plaza is an obelisk memorializing the 12 army men killed among the 449 trained in the 16 months during which Love Field was actively preparing men for war. A plaque also memorializes Lt. Moss Lee Love, victim of an earlier plane crash and the army aviator for whom the airfield was named.

The nearby Frontiers of Flight Museum, in addition to being an excellent permanent World War I exhibit, has a temporary exhibit running through 2018. Among the many planes featured is a Curtiss JN-4D of the type that was used as a primary flight trainer. The majority of American pilots learned to fly in a “Jenny,” a nickname derived by pilots from the “JN” model designation.

The restored Jenny in the museum is one of the actual planes used during this initial period at Love Field.

The “Flyin’ Frolic” hosted by the Army Air Service in November 1918 included two days of aerial demonstrations that entertained more than 30,000 people. Attendees witnessed impressive skills of the pilots and the capabilities of the airplanes. It also documented the transition of Love Field from pasture to airfield.

Take a moment to hark back to Love Field circa 1917 by visiting any of these installations and

learning about the time when America began to adopt the airplane as a universal mode of transportation and an effective military tool.

PLANE TALK: World War I recruiting poster from 1917 features the airplane — and the promise of an experience abroad — to sell potential recruits on enlisting.

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CITY LIGHTS

Huntsville exhibits enlighten and educate

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IN A STATE with the second-larg-

est penal system in the nation — 108 adult correctional institutions, 37,365 employees, 146,107 incarcerated offenders and 238 offenders on death row — it’s only fitting there’s an institution where visitors can learn all about prisons, prisoners and corrections.

In Huntsville, home not only of the venerated Sam Houston but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), some 34,000 visitors a year, of all ages, take that opportunity at the Texas Prison Museum.

The independently run, privately funded museum draws attention for sensational exhibits like Bonnie Parker’s pistol and the long-retired “Old Sparky” electric

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AU THENTIC TEXAS

RICK STRYKER

chair that handled hundreds of for prison offenders is 21.4 percent.

Gone are the days of chainexecutions between 1924 and 1964.

Exhibits trace the history of Texas gang work crews and extreme meaprisons from the system’s incep- sures of punishment. Though the tion in 1848 to the present, with old ball-and-chain and primitive features ranging from imaginatively handcuffs are on display, there’s also contrived contraband weapons to a rich history of inmate rehabilitathe work of corrections officers to tive programs going back well over gang tattoos. But it also educates a century: the public about such thought• For over 100 years, prison agriprovoking aspects as the final cultural operations have not only statements of those who’ve grown crops and raised livebeen executed. stock but have taught farm Many noteworHUNTSVILLE ing and ranching skills to thy success stories of • inmates. the correctional system • Since 1854, Texas prison are highlighted. Visitors programs have taught induslearn, for instance, that 463,905 trial and craft skills to inmates, offenders are currently on parole or subject to community supervision, who’ve created products including and the three-year recidivism rate furniture and artistic pieces; these

BIG HOUSE STORIES: (clockwise from left) The Walls Unit of the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville; pistol taken from the Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow “death car”; makeshift weapons on display in the Prison Museum.

Texas Prison Museum 491 Highway 75 North Huntsville, TX 77320 (936) 295-2155 txprisonmuseum.org

HOURS

Mon. through Sat. 10 am–5 pm Sun. noon– 5 pm Closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the day after Christmas, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day

Huntsville Visitor Center & Gift Shop 7600 Highway 75 South Huntsville, TX 77340 (936) 291-9726 huntsvilletexas.com

HOURS

Mon. – Fri. 9 am–5 pm Sat. 10 am–5 pm Sun. 11 am–5 pm

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ALEXEY SERGEEV; RICK STRYKER; JERRY DONAHO/FLICKR

Texas Prison Museum

days numerous prison-made items can be purchased in the museum gift shop.

• The Texas Prison Rodeo involved inmates in bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping and other events from 1931 to 1986.

RICK STRYKER

• The Windham School District, established in 1969, is now one of the largest correctional edu-

cational systems in the nation, serving more than 83,000 offenders each year. At the Ellis Unit, shelter dogs are taken in by inmates and trained and acclimated to be adopted as pets.

A particularly sobering memorial honors prison employees killed in the line of duty, individuals who willingly take on one of the most

challenging jobs in the state work force.

There are some noteworthy alumni, grisly stories and dastardly deeds represented here. As in other museums, every visitor should have at least one “Wow!” moment, and the Texas Prison Museum offers many.

PROVOKING DEBATE: From 1924 to 1964, 361 prisoners died by judicial electrocution in Texas — in an electric chair (right) built by incarcerated craftsmen in 1924. At left, a death penalty opposition exhibit.

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A U THENTIC TEXAS

AUTHENTIC PERSON

OF THE

THE LEADER OF LITTLE JOE Y LA FAMILIA HAS A 5-YEAR HISTORY AS AN INNOVATIVE MUSICIAN AND CULTURAL ICON.

by KAY ELLINGTON photograph by WYATT MCSPADDEN

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“I saw your area code — 806,” comes the rich From Local Latinaires to California Chicano Culture

In 1958 the Latinaires recorded their first single with Torero Records, and in 1959, when Coronado left the group, Little Joe became the band’s leader and renamed it Little Joe and the Latinaires. He was motivated to continue on with the Latinaires when his little brother Jesse joined the band to play bass. Tragically, Jesse died in a car accident in 1964, but his dreams for the band inspired Little Joe and the Latinaires to pursue the path of full-time musicians.

By the sixties, Little Joe and the Latinaires were touring the Bay Area, and he noticed that the times they were a-changin’. “We had a show one night, so I thought I’d better go get a haircut,” Hernández says. “Then I looked around and there were guys with hair to their hips there. It was complete culture shock.” That wasn’t all that startled him. “I saw all these hip guys speaking Spanish and really embracing it in their music,” Hernández adds. “The Latin thing was really happening, with Carlos Santana and Malo especially.”

In the ’70s, Hernández became committed to the farm workers’ movement led by César Chávez and the Chicano movement that had emerged across the American Southwest, so he changed the band’s name to Little Joe

Cotton Fields and School Dances

When 13-year old José María De León Hernández agreed to play guitar in his cousin’s band in Temple, Texas, more than 60 years ago, little did he know he’d ultimately become a household name in Tejano music.

Hernández dropped out of school in the seventh grade to help his family make a living, picking cotton as a migrant farm worker, but he carried the musical heritage with him as well.

When cousin David Coronado invited Joe to play guitar for his band, the Latinaires, Hernández earned $5 for his first gig — a high-school sock hop in Cameron, Texas, in 1955.

“That’s more than I could make picking cotton,” he says.

The seventh of 13 children, he also acknowledges other influences of his raising in that particular time and place. “I grew up during segregation in a black neighborhood,” he says. “We were one of two Chicano families in that neighborhood. All of my friends were black, and I remember going to the movies when I was 6 or 7 years old with my friends. They made my black friends go up into the balcony, and I cried. They finally let me go up into the balcony with them.” Hernández has credited growing up in a black neighborhood with infusing his music with jazz and blues.

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y La Familia, reflecting his dedication to the contributions and struggles of his community.

The United Farm Workers reciprocated Hernández’s support, naming the singer’s rendition of “Las Nubes” the organization’s official anthem. Written

by Wally Armendariz, the lyrics of “Las Nubes,” or “The Clouds,” offer migrant farm workers hope and inspiration from the rain from the clouds.

The legend at 77; in June, the city of Temple renamed 6th Street as Little Joe Drive;

Fame for La Familia

In 1991 Little Joe y La Familia won their first Grammy. “We dedicated it to my little brother,” Hernandez says, adding that a special graveside service was held to recognize the honor. “It was for Jesse, because he always wanted me to be a star. He was always pushing me and inspiring me.”

Little Joe y La Familia have indeed become stars, their popularity spanning from intimate historic theaters to cruise ships to arenas, from small-town jamaicas and benefits to rodeos and festivals. In the past year alone they’ve played dates across Texas and well beyond; fans could catch up with them in venues as diverse and far-flung as Alpine’s Granada Theatre, a Christmas dance in Weslaco, the Plaza Theatre in El Paso, Valentine’s in Valentine, the Hi-Ho Ballroom along the Bankhead Highway in Grand Prairie, and the Trader’s Village School Supply Drive in San Antonio. When the band

WYATT MCSPADDEN

and unmistakable voice of singer “Little Joe” Hernández over the cell phone.

“That’s cotton country,” he reminisces. “I picked a lot of cotton in Lubbock, Plainview, Abernathy. People don’t appreciate how back-breaking that kind of work is. A lot of it is done by machine now, but a lot of the food we eat is still harvested by hand. People need to appreciate what it takes to bring food to the table.”

It’s that kind of connection with his own roots — and those of fellow Texans — that has earned the 77-year-old the iconic status of “Tejano royalty” and attracted audiences of tens of thousands to Little Joe y La Familia concerts.

Over the years the band has won two Grammy Awards and inspired generations of fans all over the country and internationally with a sound that blends norteño, country, blues and rock ’n’ roll. And nowhere is the group as fiercely cherished as in their home state of Texas.

“Little Joe is one of the true giants of Texas Music,” says Steve Ray of the Texas Music Office. “His work with the Latinaires in the ’60s and early ’70s stands with anything recorded by Motown or Stax in that same period, and his success has only grown from there — selling albums, winning Grammys, and entertaining thousands.”

Still touring in his seventies, Hernández is speaking from his Temple home after returning from a zillionth road trip. He talks about the heritage, the culture and the eras that influenced his music, reflecting on how times have changed, and how some parts of the good old days weren’t so good.

50 YEARS ON: (clockwise from left) accepting the Best Tejano Album Grammy at the 2008 ceremony; Ruben Ramos (at left) and Little Joe at a Freddy Fender Tribute, held at Antone’s in Austin; ; Little Joe y la Familia, circa 1975 (from left, Johnny, Rocky and Joe Hernández).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY HOUSTON CHRONICLE: CARLOS LOWRY/FLICKR; HISPANIC ENTERTAINMENT ARCHIVES

played the spring 2017 Pops Concert with the Big Spring Symphony in its recently renovated Municipal Auditorium, Michael Perez, a fan on Facebook, commented, “Continuing to break down boundaries like they never existed. A Chicano band from Temple, Texas, backed by a symphony! Over 50 years of making a difference.”

The Smithsonian Institute and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have hosted Little Joe y La Familia during National Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1997 Little Joe received the Governor’s Award from the Texas branch of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) for his contributions to the legacy of Texas music. He received the Smithsonian’s Lifetime Legend Award in 2001. Little Joe y La Familia was recognized with a 1991 Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album for Diez y Seis de Septiembre and a 2008 Best Tejano Album for Before the Next Teardrop Falls.

These days, Hernández’s son Ivan, his agent, is the one who pushes him.

“Yes, he takes advantage of me,” Hernández jokes, before adding “No, I can pretty much pick and choose which gigs I want to take.”

That doesn’t mean he’s slowing down after a half-century, however.

He’s involved with the organization he founded, Little Joe Diabetes and Prevention Organization; he’s at work on a documentary about his life, Recuerdos ... the Life and Music of Little Joe; and his most recent album, San Antonio, is his first venture into rock ’n’ roll.

His influence, simply put, is undeniable. “His accomplishments,” notes Steve Ray of the Texas Music office, “not only as a musician and bandleader but as an entrepreneur who started his own record labels, is an inspiration for musicians everywhere.”

It’s no wonder one critic has described Hernández as “arguably the most accomplished Mexican-American singer in history.”

Little Joe y la Familia Museum TEMPLE

Fans of Tejano music or Texas music history should visit this museum operated by “la familia.”

Vintage photos adorn the walls

of the Little Joe y La Familia Museum, which documents its subject’s life, family (he’s one of 13 children) and decades-long career. Born Jose Maria DeLeon Hernandez, Little Joe (and predecessor Beto Villa) turned traditional conjunto music on its head. His music paid hom-

age to his Mexican heritage while embracing a range of Americanized styles, from blues and jazz to country.

Little Joe’s music was an integral part of the Chicano movement and earned him the nickname “King of the Brown Sound.”

In 1991, Little Joe y La Familia won a Grammy Award for Diez y Seis de Septiembre. The gold statue is proudly displayed along with Hernandez’s honors from the Tejano Music Awards and the Texas Governor’s Award.

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PATTY BUSHART

PHOTOS COURTESY DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY

CULTURAL CENTER: The Pike Park gazebo in Little Mexico provides shade, shelter and ornament.

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AUTHENTIC PLACE

Little Mexico’s

PIKE

PARK The cultural heart of Mexican Americans in Dallas by

PATTY BUSHART

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Deep in the shadows of downtown skyscrapers

Affairs. sits one of the last remnants of Dallas’ first the United States.

“Pike Park is a part of us and In 1978, the field house was Mexican American community. Pike Park our story,” Nañez notes. “We grew was the centerpiece of the once-bustling Little converted to a Mexican-style strucup with the park. We vanished Mexico neighborhood and home to genera- ture with red tile roof and arched together when the North Dallas tions of Mexican pioneers who settled in Dallas. windows. The gazebo and adjacent Tollway was constructed through Original inhabitants were predominantly Jewish, community center were recognized our neighborhood, but we’ll conbut by 1910 immigrants from south of the border in 1981 as a historical landmark tinue to champion restoration of began arriving in large numbers seeking employ- by the Dallas County Historical the park. Maybe it can’t be the ment and to escape the Mexican Revolution. Commission and, in 2000, became same as it was, but maybe it can By the 1920s there were an estimated 7,000 to a Dallas City landmark. continue to play a significant role

In addition to local celebrities, 10,000 Mexico-born residents crowded JUANITA NAÑEZ President, Dallas County for our community and for its new other well-known individuals into the small, 10-square-block neighHistorical Commission urban environment and visitors.” grew up in the barrio, includborhood.

Celebration returns to ing singer, musician and

Pike Park, established in • DALLAS the park once again when the actor Trini López, feath1914, was a favorite gathering place erweight boxer Roberto Marroquin and DMAHL hosts Fiesta Diez y Seis, Sunday, Sept. in the burgeoning neighborhood, and 17, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festivities World Cup soccer player Omar Gonzalez. the park grew and flourished along

The centennial dedication will include live Tejano music, traditional games with the Mexican American of Pike Park in 2013 correspond- and activities, and free food while it lasts. Parking population. Originally named Latino Cultural ed with proposed city-approved is available in the garage of the American Airlines Summit Play Park, it expanded Center renovations. The DMAHL, Center. Visit www.dmahl.org for the latest fiesta to include a field house with 2600 Live Oak St. Dallas, TX 75204 led by Dallas County Historical information. shower baths, reading rooms, (214) 671-0045 Commission president Juanita an assembly hall and year-round lcc.dallasculture.org Nañez, has been tenacious in its playgrounds with tennis courts quest to have the now-silent recand a wading pool.

HOURS Tue.–Sat. 10 am–5 pm reation center brought back to life

During World War II, Sun.–Mon. Closed Dallas Heritage Village and has established a committee soldiers who grew up in the Dallas Heritage Village’s fall exhibit, dedicated to preserving the park barrio would meet at the park Neighborhoods We Called Home, explores the Pike Park complex. One idea is to have the with their families and friends historic neighborhoods of Dallas that served 2807 Harry Hines Blvd. as strong supportive communities for Jewish, building house a multicultural before leaving for duty and upon Dallas, TX 75201 Hispanic and African American Dallasites from museum and event venue. returning from the war. dmahl.org the early 1900s and beyond.

The Dallas Park and

Albert Valtierra, chair of The Dallas Mexican American Historical VISIT DALLAS Recreation Board has been gracious the Dallas Mexican American League’s collected oral histories, digitized famvisitdallas.com in collaborating with DMAHL in Historical League’s (DMAHL) ily memorabilia and artifacts tell the story of renovating the facilities thus far and Pike Park Preservation Dallas’ first and largest Mexican barrio, Little has sought input from the commitCommittee, says the park was Mexico. The exhibit will be on display in the railroad section house through Dec. 30 and is “the cultural heart of the Mexican American com- tee regarding a feasibility study for restoration of free with general admission. munity,” playing host to legendary Cinco de Mayo the Pike Park field house.

While little remains of the historic neighand Mexican Independence Day celebrations.

1515 S. Harwood

In 1969, Anita Nañez Martinez became borhood today, the non-profit DMAHL is Dallas, TX 75215 (214) 421-5141 the first Mexican-American official elected to the recording and preserving the rich culture of dallasheritagevillage.org Dallas City Council. When planning her elec- Little Mexico and the Hispanic community. The tion festivities, she deemed the most appropriate league also provides educational programming, HOURS Tue.–Sat. place to hold the inaugural celebration was Pike curates exhibitions and hosts events throughout 10 am–4 pm Park, a tribute to the neighborhood in which the year in partnership with local public broadcast Sun. noon–4 pm she grew up. Over the years she’s fought hard station KERA, whose offices are two short blocks Closed Monday for improvements to the park and continues to from Pike Park and the Latino Cultural Center promote Hispanic pride and culture throughout operated by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural

“Pike Park is a part of us and our story.”

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A U THENTIC TEXAS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ALLMUSIC.COM; COURTESY DEPORTES; COURTESY U.S. SOCCER: KELSEY ARMISTEAD

NATIVE SONS (AND DAUGHTERS): (from left) Trini López, a guitarist, singer and actor who hit gold with the song “If I Had a Hammer”; Roberto Marroquin, a super bantamweight boxer who won a gold medal at the 2006 National Junior Olympics; and Omar Gonzalez, who plays soccer for the U.S. Men’s National Team as a defender, all grew up in Dallas’ Little Mexico area. Below, colorful, folkloric dancers entertain.

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HAT CHECK: The interior of Damon Albus’ 5D Hats & Leather in Abilene.

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AU THENTIC TEXAS

AUTHENTIC THING

Tip OF THE

Hat For Texas’ hat makers, engaging in a craft from a bygone era is as much about pride as love by

TREY GUTIERREZ

COURTESY DAMON ALBUS

I

F YOU’RE NOT from Texas, the idea of a shop specializing in custom, handmade cowboy hats may seem as antiquated as the image of the cowboy himself. But while cheap, mass-produced cowboy hats are available to consumers worldwide, custom cowboy hat makers have staked their livelihoods on the belief that a true Texan knows the value of quality over quantity.

Luckily for them, they’re right. Admittedly, the demand for custom cowboy hats isn’t as high as it once was, when long days of farming and cattle driving required reliable protection from the scorching Texas heat. Although the industry’s heyday has come and gone, the custom hat maker still manages to make an honest living, doing so out of a genuine love for the craft.

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COURTESY JAMES AND KIM ANDRAE

Today, custom hat-making operations remain a sparse but notable pres- to inherit their skills and operations, recent years have seen the opening of ence throughout the Lone Star State, reliably found in small, historic towns a number of first-generation hat shops, by men with no prior hat-making where customers are most attuned to the effort meticulously crafted into each experience. “I get asked a lot if I inherited this shop,” says Capital Hatters’ hat. “A lot of people don’t understand the amount of work that goes into James Andrae, himself a first-generation hatter. “It’s becoming something of a trend.” ’em. That’s why it was a no-brainer to open up shop here in

Given the high overhead costs — and the countless Stephenville, the Cowboy Capital of the World,” says James Capital Hatters hours one must commit before opening shop — one can’t Andrae, owner of Capital Hatters. “Yet I still get people who 830 E. South Loop Stephenville, TX 76401 help but wonder what leads someone to boldly pursue hat are amazed we actually build the hats in-shop.”

(254) 965-5678 making as a livelihood. For newcomers like Albus or Morris,

Considering a custom hat can fetch a price between $300 Wed.–Sat. 11 am–10 pm however, the answer was simple: job satisfaction … or lack and $1,200 (depending on the quality of the material) and Sun.–Mon. 11 am–9 pm thereof. Before opening their respective hat shops, both men take anywhere from one to three months to complete, having held respectable jobs: Albus as a parole officer, Morris as a a customer base that understands the diligent process isn’t 5D Hats & Leather construction manager. Both jobs paid well enough, yet the just pleasant coincidence for a hat maker — it’s a crucial part 517 Oak St. men felt something was missing. “I got tired,” Morris says. of the business. “I have people come in who are used to seeAbilene, TX 79602 (325) 673-9000 “I realized there’s more to life than working a job you don’t ing $20 hats at Walmart,” says Cameron Morris, owner and Sun.–Thu. 11 am–10 pm enjoy.” operator of Waco’s Standard Hats. “They’re amazed to see a Sat.–Sun. 11 am–11 pm

Albus and Morris would look to hat making as a cure hat for $800. But the way I see it, you get what to pay for. For for their nine-to-five blues. “Working with my hands was $20, you’re getting 20 bucks worth of work out of your hat; Standard Hat Works a passion,” Albus says. “I felt my calling was hat making, for $800 you’re getting something you can pass down to your 1304 N. New Rd. kind of like a preacher feels his calling.” For anyone aspiring grandkids.”

Waco, TX 76710 to break into the business, hat-making is seen as a uniquely

For the customers who can appreciate the custom hat(254) 754-4287 Texan occupation, a product of a romantic, bygone era where maker’s dedication, the finished product is worth every Wed.–Sat. 11 am–10 pm Sun.–Mon. 11 am–9 pm a person could make an honest living through satisfying, cent. From taking the first measurements to applying the hands-on work. “I’ve always finishing touches, each hat loved making people happy, is painstakingly crafted by building things and working the shop’s owner with the PASSING THE HAT: James with my hands,” Morris says. kind of attention to detail Andrae educates son “This job encompasses it all that’s almost nonexistent Slade at Capital Hatters in Stephenville. into one. You know what they in today’s day and age. say: ‘If you do what you love, “There’s a unique nostalthe money will come.’” gia about the business,”

The road to becoming Morris says, “which is what a custom hat maker, however, resonates with customers.” requires much more than a That nostalgia certainly yearning for a more satisfying isn’t disingenuous. Custom job. For the aspiring hat maker hat making is an industry not born into the industry, that’s antiquated by design: there’s little recourse to gather the equipment used in the the equipment necessary to building process is, on averbegin operation. The most age, more than 70 years common method is to wait old. “This kind of machinuntil an established hat maker ery hasn’t been manufacgoes out of business (as was tured since the ’30s, when the case for 5D, Standard and demand was higher,” says Capital Hatters). Should no Damon Albus, owner of operations be on the market, Abilene’s 5D Hat Shop. a hat maker’s last resort is to “There’s a lot of truth to assemble their setup piece by the old adage, ‘They don’t piece, something Albus expemake ’em like they used rienced firsthand after losing to.’” his operation to an accidental

With the machinery fire. “Let me tell you,” Albus itself effectively an antique, says, “you end up writing a lot it’s no surprise some hat of individual checks.” shops remain in the family, Once a hat maker finally has a complete setup, the real challenge begins passed down from generation to generation. Just ask 28-year-old Thomas Bradley Peters, current owner of Fort Worth’s historic Peters Brothers Hat — learning the craft. Even if one has the time and energy to put toward the Shop, a business started in 1911 by his great-great-grandfather Thomas study, finding the means often proves a headache. “You can’t just google ‘how Peters. “I always knew I’d take over one day,” Peters says. “Grandpa had my to make a hat’ — it’s not a widely taught skill like an auto mechanic,” Morris father building hats when he was 13 years old, and he stepped me behind the says. “It’s hard to find someone who’ll sit there and teach you.” Since so few steamer machine at age 4.” While it’s not uncommon for some hat makers resources are available, a sizable amount of a hat maker’s knowledge is self-

COURTESY JOSH MORGAN CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

HAT IN HAND: Cameron Morris, owner of Standard Hat Works in Waco, applying finishing touches to one of his custom hats.

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taught, with trial and error ultimately proving the most valuable mentor. “It’s frustrating — anybody who’s shaped a hat before will tell you it’s not easy,” Morris adds. “But you pick up certain tricks along the way. I probably learned the most by making mistakes and trying to fix ’em.”

Though it may seem like a hat maker’s education is complete once he knows enough to open his doors to the public, any experienced hatter will tell you that’s where the education truly begins. Those who truly excel at the craft find it both difficult to learn and impossible to master.

“There’s always different techniques to figure out,” Peters says. “Anybody who considers themselves a master — to me — is just selling themselves short.

I don’t think even my grandfather would consider himself a master.” Considering Peters’ grandfather was once tasked with building a custom hat for President John F. Kennedy during his last trip to Texas, it would seem perfection is unreachable in the hat-making industry. For many, that unobtainable pursuit of perfection is hat making’s biggest draw. “I hope I’m still learning new ways to approach the craft in 20 years — that will mean I’m still trying to better myself,” Morris explains.

“I don’t ever want to get complacent. I tend to get bored with things I’ve mastered.”

In fact, no two hat makers are exactly alike in their methods. Through years of consistent learning and fine-tuning, hat makers eventually develop their own personal style that separates them from the rest. “Everybody does their own thing,” Andrae says. “Everybody has their own way of tweaking … how they measure, or how they finish a hat … that’s theirs and theirs alone.

Another hat maker may find my method incorrect, but it’s how I do it, and it’s what works for me. So right or wrong, it’s still my style. That individual artistry brings loyal customers for each individual hat maker. For the customer, that kind of personalized attention to detail justifies a custom hat’s price tag and waiting period. You’re getting a hand-built hat that fits like a glove as opposed to buying a size,” Peters explains. “We don’t put sizes in our customs at all. We build straight to the temple to get the size right.” Adds Albus: “It truly is your hat. You pick the height of the crown, the size of the brim, the trim on your hatband, whatever you want. These days there’s such a mentality of, ‘If I want a hat, I want it right now.’ In the custom world, people want a quality, personalized product, and they’re willing to wait for it.”

The amount of creativity and variation involved with the process, coupled with the years of practice it takes to simply become passable, qualifies hat making as nothing short of an art form. From a customer’s point of view, to purchase a custom hat is to become part of that artistic process. In that way, buying a custom hat isn’t unlike commissioning a portrait — it’s very personal for a customer … it’s a reflection of who they are. Like a painter must understand his subject’s essence before he can create their portrait, a hat maker must make a genuine, human connection with

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his customer before he can begin his work. “You have to get a feel for the customer, get the knack of what he wants,” Andrae says. “Everybody who walks through the door is a distinct character, and that character is portrayed through the hat you make them.” That astute eye for humanity is why every successful hat maker is, at his core, a people person. “Meeting new people every day is what drew me to this job,” Albus says. “I’m looking to make a friend out of each deal I make.”

The hat makers’ promise of quality has attracted a fair share of notable individuals to Texas’ custom hat shops over the years. Larry Hagman, Wilford Brimley … even members of the band Guns N’ Roses have come from far and wide to get their custom hats the Texas way.

Texas’ custom hatters have pretty much seen it all. “You ever heard of Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey — you know, the little critter who dresses up like a cowboy and rides a border collie at rodeos around the country? We made a tiny hat for him once,” Andrae says, laughing. “It wasn’t any bigger than a coffee cup.”

That same sincere customer service has, over time, turned the neighborhood hat shop into a popular hangout for locals and tourists alike.

“People compare it to a bar without the drinks,” Morris says. “That’s the kind of welcoming laidback atmosphere it is. Folks enjoy coming just to hang out and shoot the bull without having a used car salesman mentality thrown at them. On occasion, we’ll even have musicians for whom we’ve made hats for in the past stop by and play a few songs to kill time before their big show.”

Should you ever find yourself in town, wanting to see the old-time craft for yourself, you’re in luck. Because hat makers take great pride in their craft, they’re often eager to share their process with others. “I’m the kind of guy who, if a craft is made by hand, I want to see how it’s done,” Albus says. “That’s always been important to me … to let people see what goes on in the workshop.

That’s why I say ‘Come on in! And if you’ll bring me a cold Dr Pepper, I’ll let you watch the process for hours!’ I want people to be knowledgeable about what we do. I’ve got two glass doors looking into the workshop — you can walk back there anytime if you got a question or just wanna see how something’s made.”

It’s plain to see that any hat maker worth his weight has a genuine love for his craft. For a maker, it’s not just a job … it’s a continuing source of pride. “Retirement isn’t even a flicker of a thought in my head. Like I said, this is my calling,” reports Albus, “Our doors will remain open until we don’t have any more customers.” Although the demand for custom hats may not be as high as it was in the past, hat makers continue to make an honest living on the merit of their skill and craftsmanship alone. That’s because, like the cowboy himself, today’s hat maker is resilient — with a determined passion for his craft you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere outside of the Lone Star State.

LIFE

TRAIL DRIVE p. 44 ★ EATS & DRINKS p. 52 ★ DEEP IN THE ART p. 60 ★ HAPPENINGS p.63

HORN REBECCA BRIDGES

of

PLENTY “Bridle Bit Bull” (2009) by Joe Barrington

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LIFE TRAIL DRIVE

“Though Silent, He Speaks”

HISTORIC GROVE: The 19thcentury cemetery at Acton is a treasure trove of grave symbols (as well as site of smallest of Texas’s designated historic sites, the grave of Elizabeth Crockett).

Understanding symbols in the historic cemeteries of Texas TUI SNIDER

ANYONE WHO explores the back roads of Texas will pass by interesting historic graveyards. While visitors can find a great deal of pleasure simply in reading names, dates and epitaphs, they can also decipher the messages ancestors left behind through their use of religious and social symbols.

In the 21st century, the meaning behind many of these symbols has been forgotten.

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WEATHERFORD •

While symbols still appear on gravestones and monuments in modern cemeteries, they tend to be more literal than in earlier eras. In a historic graveyard, a squirrel holding an acorn, for example, would have symbolized spiritual striving and meditation. But the same statue in a modern burial ground probably just means someone thought squirrels were cute.

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FORT WORTH • GRANBURY

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PHOTOS COURTESY TUI SNIDER

A

by

Here are a few brief examples of common symbols you may find in the historic cemeteries of Texas.

in general. When carved on a headstone, roses nearly always have three leaves representing the holy trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Fraternal handshake — When you see a handshake on a grave marker, the gender of the deceased might be indicated by the cuffs on their garments. If the cuffs appear to depict two males, the handshake likely stands for fraternal brotherhood. If one of them has their index finger extended, it means the departed was a member of the Masons.

Hand holding a rose — A rose in full bloom most likely represents a woman in the full bloom of adulthood. If the hand holds a rosebud, it stands for a youngster.

ROSE IN HAND: What meaning can you derive from the downward-pointing hand clutching a rose?

Marital handshake — A handshake depicting cuffs that appear obviously male and female represents a married couple.

Hand pointing up — A hand depicted with a finger pointing upwards indicates the direction of heaven, where the deceased is presumed to have been destined.

Hand pointing down — The hand of God reaching down from the heavens often implies sudden death.

Rose — Not only do roses represent earthly passion (just think how many are given at Valentine’s Day), but they also stand for heavenly perfection.

Roses are associated with the Virgin Mary, who was sometimes called “the rose without thorns,” and they have become associated with women

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Tree stones — Tree stones symbolize the tree of life. In Texas, these eye-catching monuments were often erected by members of the Woodmen of the World fraternal order and bear the Latin phrase Dum tacet clamat — “Though silent, he speaks.”

Oak leaf and acorns — While historic tombstones feature a variety of plants, the oak leaf and acorn are quite common. As symbols, they stand for longevity, patience, faith, power, endurance and strength. The acorn in particular represents humble beginnings.

Urns — Greek-style urns were a popular cemetery motif during the Victorian era. They symbolize the idea of the mortal body being reduced to its barest elements as the soul ascends to heaven.

Wreath — The circular shape of a wreath stands for eternal memory and immortality. Ancient Greeks and Romans often crowned award–winning poets, athletes and soldiers with wreaths, so this symbol also indicates victory. As a graveyard symbol, wreaths stand for victory over death.

For a more in-depth descriptions of historic cemetery symbols, read more in Tui Snider’s Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards (2017).

VISIT FORT WORTH fortworth.com VISIT WEATHERFORD weatherford-chamber.com VISIT GRANBURY visitgranbury.com

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TRAIL DRIVE

Día de los Muertos celebrations come to life across Texas

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KATARINA BROWN

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS may be celebrated across the United States, but few places celebrate this Mexican holiday like Texas. Here, the Day of the Dead has kept its Mexican roots while embracing the Texan community. The holiday, which focuses on honoring family and friends who’ve died and helping them on their spiritual journey, has found new life in Texans’ lives.

“This holiday really resonates with people.

It’s not just a festival,” says Michelle Smythe, executive director of K Space Contemporary in Corpus Christi. “There’s that spiritual part to it — the reunion with deceased loved ones that makes it something special.”

Smythe is just one organizer behind the many Día de los Muertos events that occur across Texas. While there are consistencies — the building of altars, music and dance, and, of course, the remembrance of loved ones lost — each celebration is unique to its city. In fact, statewide, how

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people participate in Día de los Muertos is just as colorful and varied as the famed sugar skulls from the holiday itself.

Austin While the capital city boasts an array of Día de los Muertos festivities to choose from, Viva La Vida Fest, put on by the Mexic-Arte Museum, is the largest and longest-running celebration in Austin.

The event is packed with artistic offerings. “For us the holiday is a celebration of the arts,” says MexicArte development associate Paloma Mayorga.

This year, the festival, scheduled for Oct. 28, will draw special attention to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, known for her self-portraits, and honor her memory through a float and related exhibits. Admission to the event is free, and with food, artist demos, live music and a Grand Procession to top it all off, the celebration should do its heritage justice.

LUBBOCK • EL PASO •

• DENTON AUSTIN • • HOUSTON • CORPUS CHRISTI • PORT ISABEL

VISIT AUSTIN austintx.org VISIT HOUSTON visithoustontexas.com VISIT SAN ANTONIO visitsanantonio.com VISIT LUBBOCK visitlubbock.org VISIT DENTON discoverdenton.com VISIT CORPUS CHRISTI visitcorpuschristitx.org VISIT EL PASO visitelpaso.com VISIT PORT ISABEL portisabelchamber.com

VALERIE BATES

Day of the Dead

a special architectural project honoring Day of the Dead. However, to know what the surprise project will be, you’ll have to come out to the free event Oct. 28 and see for yourself.

Houston In a city as diverse as Houston, it’s no surprise the Lawndale Art Center exhibits over 250 interpretations of contemporary Mexican folk art for its Día de los Muertos celebration.

Chock-full of art and good will, the Houston festivities honor its living community by working with at-risk and low-income schools to educate students about Mexican culture.

El Paso One of the only festivals in the state to honor the Mexican tradition that places Día de los Muertos in the cemetery, El Paso combines the spooky with the sacred with ghost tours and fortune tellers.

Exhibits and altars are also set up to give more insight into the holiday and the ancestors it honors.

Surrounded by loved ones of years gone by, the community at this Day of the Dead celebration is palpable and welcoming for any guest who wishes to participate.

San Antonio For San Antonio, even if you don’t go seeking out Día de los Muertos, there’s a high probability you’ll find it anyway. With processions throughout the city, along with thousands of people in traditional dress and live music, honoring the dead feels a lot like celebrating life here.

If you’re looking for a specific event to plan for, Día de los Muertos at La Villita will run Oct. 28 and 29 with free workshops for children and the largest open-altar exhibition in the city.

Lubbock A relatively young festival in only its third year, the Día de Los Muertos Celebración embraces its youthful reputation. “The youth and the kids are a significant part of this event,” says festival organizer Christy Martinez-Garcia. “It instills the hope that they’ll continue on these traditions.”

While the festival does offer a children’s area that boasts cultural art projects and a cakedecorating contest sure to appease any small sweet tooths, activities for all ages abound. A best-decorated car contest, traditional and modern music and local artists are just a few of the options available to guests.

The Celebración will be held on Oct. 29, and entrance is discounted if you come in costume. “The best part is that we get to showcase culture,” says Martinez-Garcia. “Our main mission is strengthening families and building communities.”

involve so much of the community in the festival itself.”

This year, that means inviting ballet folklorico dancers, lucha libre wrestlers and 24 food vendors to come out and make this the largest celebration in Corpus Christi to date. Alongside a piñata competition and live music, Del Mar College will also join for the third year to unveil

Port Isabel Día de los Muertos gets its Rio Grande Valley representation in Port Isabel. Here, the traditions of the Day of the Dead and Halloween appear to blend and create a mash-up festival full of fun and culture.

“In Mexico, Día de los Muertos is a very private event,” says Valerie Bates, marketing director of the City of Port Isabel. “Here, we’ve turned it into more of a community gathering.”

This blending of cultures and people is celebrated with a costume contest, food, dance, and cultural exhibits at the local Treasures of the Gulf Museum.

VALERIE BATES

Denton Denton’s Day of the Dead proves it’s another city unafraid to embrace its varying cultural traditions.

Here, you’ll find sugar skull makeup on celebrants as they run through the pumpkin patch or participate in the salsa cook-off.

There’s really no shortage of things to do, and while most of it is uncommon to Día de los Muertos practices, who can say no to a coffin race?

Corpus Christi Celebrating its 10th year of the Día de los Muertos festival, the fun keeps growing.

Originally taking up just one block, Corpus Christi’s Day of the Dead celebration now spans 10 days, and festival organizers don’t shy away from filling that new space with new ideas.

“I think what keeps visitors coming back is that we’re adding something new every year,” says organizer Michelle Smythe. “We also FA L L 2 0 1 7

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TRAIL DRIVE SHELL SHOCK: Lea’s That 2,000Yard Stare is on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg.

DON’T MISS El Paso Museum of Art 1 Arts Festival Plaza El Paso, TX 79901 (915) 532-1707 elpasoartmuseum.org Seymour Post Office 210 N. Washington Seymour, TX 76380 (800) 275-8777 Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum 100 Texas Ranger Trail Waco, Texas 76706 (254) 750-8631 texasranger.org

Blazing a Trail The art of El Paso’s famous son dots the landscape of the trail named for him JILL CAMPBELL JORDAN

according to Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Robert Caro, is “an unsung genius of our time who made it purely on the quality of his work.” To the people of El Paso, he’s a homegrown treasure as a muralist, novelist, illustrator, portraitist, landscapist, historian and war correspondent.

Now, his work has been formally recognized by the state. Legislation was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2017, establishing the first artist heritage trail, the Tom Lea Trail, based on Italy’s Piero della Francesca Trail.

The Tom Lea Trail takes you through a large

TOM LEA,

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swath of Texas across 12 Texas cities: Austin, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, Fredericksburg, Galveston, Hebbronville, Kingsville, Odessa, Seymour, Sweetwater and Waco.

Lea’s most viewed works may very well be the murals located in public buildings painted in the 1930s. He competed for these projects under the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts, and they can be found across the United States. “The job I worked on the hardest, and learned the most while doing, and took the most pleasure in doing,” Lea noted, “was the Pass of the North mural for the federal courthouse in El

VISIT ELPASO visitelpaso.com VISIT FREDERICKSBURG visitfredericksburgtx.com VISIT WACO wacoheartoftexas.com

COURTESY TOM LEA INSTITUTE

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COURTESY TOM LEA INSTITUTE

MAKING A SCENE: In Comanches (top), the expansive scene depicts three Comanche warriors racing across the prairie in a 1942 painting by Lea that now hangs in the Seymour Post Office. Meanwhile, Lea created Stampede (bottom), featuring Texas longhorns, in 1940. It hangs in the Ellen Noël Art Museum in Odessa.

Paso.” Other public projects can be found in the post offices in Odessa and Seymour.

Lea’s hometown of El Paso has the largest collection of his work at various sites around town.

He sold most of his works to private collectors, so when the El Paso Museum decided to open a Tom Lea Gallery, a call was sent out for individuals to share his works with the public.

Today the El Paso Museum of Art is the home of the Tom Lea Gallery where several of his works are on display. The museum owns over 130 works by Lea, which are rotated every two years.

As for other trail locations that feature Lea’s art, the Texas Ranger Museum Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco is home to Yonder’s Fort Fisher and Here’s a Recruit. This depiction of a young man out on the untamed frontier is a great addition to the museum’s collection. And could there be a higher honor for a Texan than to have their work displayed in the state capitol in Austin? It’s the permanent home to Ranger Escort West of the Pecos, but this isn’t the only Tom Lea painting to hang in these hallowed halls. When George W. Bush was governor of Texas, Rio Grande hung is

his office. This painting also went with him to the Oval Office at the White House.

In the picturesque Hill Country, hanging in the National Museum of the Pacific War is a reproduction of That 2,000-Yard Stare. This painting gives visitors a glimpse into the bloody beaches of Peleliu.

The sketch for this painting is just one of many he created during the four years as an eye-witness artist correspondent for Life magazine during World War II. In 2015 and 2016, the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin featured an exhibit, Tom Lea: Chronicler of 20th Century America. “Illustrations, paintings, murals and writings together uniquely emphasize Lea’s contributions to American art, his inspirations, and often the people he knew and loved,” the museum noted. “His work ultimately influenced how audiences viewed landscapes as diverse as Pacific battlegrounds and the American Southwest.”

Take time to visit the website for the Tom Lea Institute and learn more about the Tom Lea Trail and the life of this noteworthy Texan.

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LIFE EATS & DRINKS

HOTBED OF TEX-MEX: What is now MesoMaya Comida Y Copas was once Maria Luna’s Tortilla Factory — next door to El Fenix.

Birthplace of Tex-Mex The popular cuisine’s roots are in Dallas’ Little Mexico neighborhood

converted his small cafe to a restaurant in 1918 near his Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas, he couldn’t have imagined his fusion of Anglo and Tejano recipes would begin a revolution that a century later would be known internationally as Tex-Mex cuisine.

His legacy lives today in El Fenix, the oldest chain of Mexican restaurants in the United States, whose flagship store stands less than a half mile from the original location in downtown Dallas.

The eatery’s menu fea-

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PATTY BUSHART

1601 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 747-1121 elfenix.com

HOURS

tures carefully crafted recipes, perfected and passed down through generations.

There are Martinez Family Favorites such as the simple Miguelito Plate and the namesake El Fenix Dinner, a fiesta of enchiladas, tacos and tamales with chili con carne, loaded with traditional sides to satisfy the heartiest of appetites.

But Martinez wasn’t the only enterprising resident from the nearby barrio. Maria Luna, a young widowed mother of two, established an empire of her own and in 1938 moved her humble tortilla

business into a newly constructed, Spanish-inspired building next door to the popular El Fenix. Maria Luna’s Tortilla Factory remained in the location nearly 70 years before moving to larger facilities.

Today the Dallas Historic Landmark building is home to a new genre of Mexican food and culture, MesoMaya Comida Y Copas, with recipes reminiscent of central and southern Mexican cuisine. Their tortillas are hand-ground, an homage to local history, and the creative blend of herbs and

spices, which executive chef Nico Sanchez uses to create his homemade adobos and salsas is culinario perfección. House specialty — and guest favorite — the Carne Budin Azteca is an exquisite serving of seared beef tenderloin cubes, gold potatoes, black beans, arugula and queso fresco in a rich chile guajillo sauce.

MesoMaya has four DFW Metroplex locations; El Fenix has 23 restaurants throughout north-central Texas and, more recently, in Oklahoma.

Wed.–Sat. 11 am–10 pm Sun.–Mon. 11 am–9 pm

Meso Maya Comida Y Copas 1611 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 484-6555 mesomaya.com

HOURS

Sun.–Thu. 11 am–10 pm Sat.–Sun. 11 am–11 pm

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COURTESY PATTY BUSHART

W WHEN Miguel Martinez

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El Fenix Mexican Restaurant

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EATS & DRINKS

THEY’LL DRINK TO THAT: 903 Brewers was honored at the Great American Beer Festival for its aged beer.

Beer Blast

DON’T MISS

J

JEREMY and Natalie Roberts recall the night they were enjoying a few beers when the topic of opening their own brewery came up.

To that point, they’d been home brewers — and did plenty of research visiting breweries in their spare time — but becoming professional brewers wasn’t in their plans.

But on this night, Natalie threw her support behind the idea, and that’s all Jeremy needed to voice his enthusiasm. There was, however, one problem: Natalie was joking.

“I did have to re-sell her on the idea,” Jeremy admits, and, once that was accomplished, he started work on a busi-

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JILL CAMPBELL JORDAN

ness plan for what would eventually become 903 Brewers, opened in June 2013 in Historic Downtown Sherman.

Jeremy, the head brewer, has spent years developing and testing different brews. This effort hasn’t been in vain since his offerings have garnered 903 some impressive awards.

Most recently, 903 was named 2017’s winner at the Texas Rural Challenge conference in Waco, but the most prestigious award came in 2015, when its Sasquatch Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout took home a silver medal from the Great American Beer Festival in the aged beer category.

The brewery is a gathering place for both locals and visitors alike, because who wants to drink beer alone? Wednesday through Saturday the doors of the brewery are wide open for beer, food and fun.

On Wednesday, Trivia Night starts the week off when teams of enthusiasts go head to head in a friendly game. Thursday, meanwhile, is Game Night, where patrons can enjoy a lively match of cornhole toss of ping pong.

On Fridays, kick back and enjoy the brews and local epicurean delights, and, on Saturday, Tour and Tasting is a way to sample the current beers on tap, and, as a bonus, there’s

always a surprise guest beer. This is a kid- and petfriendly gathering that often includes live music or a special event.

903 Brewers has beers for every occasion and season.

The fall is an ideal time to turn to one of the stouts like the award-winning Sasquatch. How could you go wrong with a brew that’s rich and creamy because of the milk sugar, chocolate malt and cocoa nibs?

Crackin’ Up is a seasonal pecan porter that’s infused with a classic Texas ingredient. Would eating pecan pie with this be too much?

For a full listing of offerings, check out 903’s website.

The Sherman Museum 301 S. Walnut St. Sherman, TX 75090 (903) 893-7623 theshermanmuseum.org Eisenhower Birthplace 609 S. Lamar Ave. Denison, TX 75021 (903) 465-8908 Eisenhower Veterans Monument Loy Lake Park 1019 RC Vaughn Rd. Denison, TX 75020

903 Brewers 1718 S. Elm St. Sherman, TX 75090 (214) 243-8090 903brewers.com

VISIT SHERMAN shermantx.org

SHERMAN

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COURTESY 903 BREWERS

At Sherman’s 903 Brewers, the Sasquatch is stout

EATS & DRINKS

THEIR CUP OF TEA: Watermelon Mills Coffeeshop attracts visitors from near and far to Mount Vernon’s charming courthouse square.

DON’T MISS

Watermelon Mills anchors a hospitality renaissance along the Bankhead Highway

H

HALF A century ago, Mount

Vernon locals stopped in at the corner of Houston and Main for a cut and a bit of conversation. Nowadays they still stop in for the conversation — but it’s a cup of coffee, instead of a haircut, that accompanies it.

Watermelon Mills Coffeehouse opened in fall 2016 in the former barbershop on Mount Vernon’s historic court-

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Watermelon Mills Coffee Shop

BARBARA BRANNON

house square, part of a downtown renaissance in this Main Street city along the Bankhead Highway. “It’s our historic buildings that create a sense of place and tell the story of our past,” explains Main Street manager Carolyn Teague.

“Whether you’re sitting in a barber chair that cradled thousands of small boys for their first haircut, sharing a beer and pizza in a building

that was reportedly the site of the first Cesarean birth in Texas, visiting a hundredyear-old depot with a working blacksmith shop or having brunch where there used to be a hardware store, all of the destinations make for a rich heritage tourism experience.”

Watermelon Mills founder Shannon Ostertag and her husband, retired NBA player Greg Ostertag,

Steve-O’s Pizza and Pub 114 E. Main St. Mount Vernon, TX 75457 (903) 270-2515 facebook.com/ SteveOsPizzaandPub

understand how a place’s distinctive history creates that kind of rich experience.

When they first reached out to the previous owners about purchasing the building, they were oblivious to its past. “We had no idea that it used to be a barbershop,” Shannon says. “It was called the Watermelon Building, and we just thought to ourselves, ‘Well that’s a silly name!’”

100 Houston St. Mount Vernon, TX 75457 (903) 270-2511 watermelonmills.com

VISIT MOUNT VERNON

mountvernonmainstreet.com

DRIVE BANKHEAD HIGHWAY: THE BROADWAY OF AMERICA

facebook.com/TheBankheadHighway

MOUNT VERNON

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FROM LEFT: COURTESY BARBARA BRANNON; COURTESY SHANNON OSTERTAG

Brewing Up Conversation

ML Edwards & Co 103 Kaufman St. Mount Vernon, TX 75457 (903) 270-2516 facebook.com/mledwardsco

ORIGINAL BEAN COUNTER: William Cullen Mills (born July 28, 1910) served in the U.S. Army, then came home to farm, work the oilfields and serve as a security guard before opening Watermelon’s Hair Corner at age 50.

Turns out the appellation was that of barber and Mount Vernon native William Cullen “Watermelon” Mills, whose nickname resulted from a youthful escapade involving a theft from a farmer’s field — and the sheriff. The grown-up Mills, Shannon notes, was as fond of coffee as he was of casual chat, and she recognized the building would be the perfect place for people to gather and connect once again.

Watermelon Mills Coffeehouse is one of several destinations in Mount Vernon’s picturesque Plaza District where residents and visitors can enjoy a bit of refreshment. The ML Edwards & Co hardware store reopened on Valentine’s Day 2017 as a retail space focusing on home goods, antiques and locally sourced food, wine and craft beer, with a private event space upstairs and a Bistro 1916 cafe named for the building’s year of creation, which coincided with the birth of the Bankhead Highway.

Steve-O’s Pizza and Pub at 114 Main St. serves up lunch and dinner in a historic building, and, according to Carolyn Teague, the Chophouse on Bankhead will open this fall in the historic Hill Building.

Those who drive the Bankhead join a steady stream of travelers eager for the authentic Texas experience — and a little caffeine.

“We’ve seen everything,” says Shannon Ostertag, “from a couple from the Netherlands with a craving for pour-over–style coffee to the women in their adorable fixed-up trailers to the car club with historic vehicles traveling cross-county.

Watermelon’s mutual love for coffee, community and conversation made him the embodiment of what a coffee shop is all about.”

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EATS & DRINKS

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Austin Eastciders offers a different take on the traditional beverage

AUSTIN EASTCIDERS loves a new flavor release; it’s a good excuse for a party.

This April the company, founded in 2013, threw its release party for Blood Orange Cider at Easy Tiger on 6th Street in downtown Austin, and 1,500 people came out to try the citrus cider for the first time. “When your community gives you that kind of feedback, you’ve got to keep on doing it,” says Dave Rule, vice president of marketing. True to his word, the company plans to release another new flavor next spring.

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RILEY WELCH

Things are certainly looking up for the brand, which is also available in several states and major cities outside of Texas, like New York, Boston and Nashville.

In June 2016, the company opened a new cidery in southeast Austin.

This location is considerably larger than the storage container that had previously served as Eastciders’ office space.

The expanded facility has an open office room for the company’s 56 employees with high ceilings and a hand-painted mural that reads, “How do you like

them apples?” in Eastciders’ easily recognizable script.

(In July, the company was granted a trademark for the branding slogan “How do you like them apples?” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.) The rest of the building includes a room for weekly team lunches, spaces for quality testing and a warehouse where the cider is made, canned and packaged.

This location isn’t open for the public, but luckily for cider lovers, Austin Eastciders is building a public cidery and taproom in East Austin at their old

location this November. The cidery will offer food, special cider blends they’re testing and their core five flavors: Original, Texas Honey, Hopped, Pineapple and their newest offering, Blood Orange.

At Eastciders, the cider goes easy on the sweet, using specific types of bittersweet apples from abroad mixed with American dessert apples.

Before Prohibition, cider was one of the most popular beverages in America. But unlike most cider today, it was made with cider apples.

These apples are slightly

AUSTIN

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Austin Eastciders 4007 Commercial Center Dr. Austin, TX 78744 (512) 220-2815 austineastciders.com

VISIT AUSTIN austintexas.org

PHOTOS COURTESY AUSTIN EASTCIDERS

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NOT YOUR TYPICAL CIDER: The secret to Eastciders’ popularity? The cider isn’t too sweet — thanks to the bittersweet apples used.

bitter and dry compared with the sweeter apple we’re accustomed to eating.

Post-Prohibition, the orchards used in cider production died off, so when cider made its comeback in America, it was made with “eating” apples. But making cider with dessert and culinary apples “would be like going to the store and buying grapes to make wine,” Rule explains. So the company took a different tack.

“We encounter people who don’t like cider because it’s too sweet,” Rule adds, “and we say, ‘This is different — it’s like a prosecco [Italian white wine].’”

With a fruit juice and yeast base, it really is a wine.

Eastciders will give you a dry, less sweet flavor than a typical, modern American cider, and that’s key to its appeal.

Austin Eastciders makes a drink that’s versatile.

While you can sip it on its own, bartenders around Texas have already taken to using the cider in cocktails.

Texas Honey Cider and bourbon has quickly become a simple classic, and more elaborate “cocktails in cans” — drinks made with the can as a shaker — are also becoming staples anywhere Eastciders is sold.

Beyond the beverage, Eastciders supports the community and helps connect people through experiences and cider. Whether it’s donating cases to a local art gallery show or recommending an employee’s band for an opening set, Austin Eastciders is there to help. People get to experience the cider at the same time they discover new music or learn about a new product. At the very least they’re usually in a fun environment with people they like, which is what Austin Eastciders is aiming for.

After all, it’s a good excuse for a party.

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DEEP IN THE ART

STUDIO ART: Joe Barrington’s workspace is as compelling as his sculptures.

Hammering It Out, Cuss Words Included

Joe Barrington transforms steel into sculpture in his Throckmorton studio LORETTA FULTON

hammer, his favorite, on the inside of his left arm attests and hammers.” to that. “I always have one handy that way,” he jokes.

Those are the tools of the trade With hammer and steel, Barrington turns out according to Joe Barrington. Not pieces that grace the campus of Texas Tech unusual for a carpenter or maybe a University in Lubbock, the Old Jail Art plumber, but Barrington is a renowned sculp• Center in Albany, various locations in tor who works out of his Red Star Studio, THROCKMORTON Abilene, art museums, galleries, city spaces which adjoins his home in Throckmorton, and even a private residence in Vermont. located 70 miles northeast of Abilene.

“Artists like Joe are a dream for museums,”

Of those three necessities for his job, the hammer notes Rebecca Bridges, director of programming may be the most important. A tattoo of a ball-peen LAMPS, CUSS WORDS

Red Star Studio 130 S. Minter Ave. Throckmorton, TX 76483 (940) 849-3023

Red Star Studio 2 218 South Main Albany, TX 76430 (940) 862-3023 redstarstudio.com

VISIT THROCKMORTON visitthrockmorton.com

VISIT ALBANY albanytexas.com

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COURTESY REBECCA BRIDGES

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COURTESY REBECCA BRIDGES

METAL HEAD: (clockwise from left) Barrington welding in his studio; “Messenger Looking Back,” 2012; “Desert Mule Deer Skull,” 1999. “I was naive enough to think I could do it when I got out,” Barrington says of believing he could be a successful sculptor right out of college.

and interpretation for the Grace Museum in Abilene. Barrington and the artists he works with are true professionals, Bridges says. Their goal is to create art and get it before the public. They show up at a venue with their artwork and tools necessary to display it.

Barrington can sculpt just about anything that pops into his creative mind, but animals are a favorite, from a 23-foot-tall longhorn that stands majestically on ranch land just west of Throckmorton to an 18-foot-long English bulldog sculpted for a city park in Houston.

After graduating from Throckmorton High in 1974, Barrington wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He knew he didn’t want to be a welder after working most his life in his dad’s welding shop.

He loved drawing and had talent, but it took an art professor at Midwestern State University to

recognize Barrington’s gift — though it didn’t sound that way at first.

“You need to find something else to do,” the professor said after glimpsing one of Barrington’s first drawings. But before Barrington could protest, the professor offered a suggestion. “You need to be in the three-dimensional classes,” he said, not the printmaking class Barrington was in.

That was all it took. Barrington combined the fabricating skills he learned in his dad’s welding shop with his schooling and artistic instincts to become what he is today. But that took time.

After earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1974, Barrington eventually ended up in Throckmorton to again work with his dad. But the love of art kept tugging, and he eventually gave up welding for full-time sculpting.

Today, Barrington creates imaginative works

of art while also promoting something dear to his heart. Following his father’s lead, Barrington is a strong advocate of taking care of the environment. From carrying a trash bag on walks around town to using recycled metals and rubber tires in his work, Barrington spreads his message.

He was commissioned to sculpt a blind salamander and patch of Texas wild rice, both endangered, for the city of San Marcos. Ideas for commissioned pieces — and offers — never run out for Barrington.

His home — an old car dealership he converted into living space with the feel of a rustic cabin — and the adjoining shop always show signs of work in progress. And the projects are endless. “There’s always one hanging out there,” he says.

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INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION

LAKES TRAIL

Expect to see and interact with a sample of the old West cowboy lifestyle. Cowboys, steers, horses, wagons, strolling cowboy musicians and gunfighter reenactments are just some of the Westernthemed action you might see on Main Street every Saturday afternoon.

Early Pioneer Days EARLY

TROPICAL TRAIL REGION

September

Buddy’s Birthday Bash LUBBOCK

Sept. 7 Buddy Holly Center 1801 Crickets Ave. (806) 775-3560 buddyhollycenter.org

COURTESY VISITLUFKIN.COM

Musical events and activities for the whole family, in honor of Lubbock’s most famous son, the late Buddy Holly.

The Latino Cultural Center hosts a pictorial and artifact exhibit that traces the rhythms, beat and soul of Latino music from the early 1900s, curated by the Dallas Mexican American Historical League. Musica, the soundtrack of the Mexican American Experience in Dallas, welcomes singer, musician and actor Trini López Sept. 23 to share his experience growing up in the Little Mexico barrio of Dallas.

Musica! Our Rhythm, Our Heart, Our Soul

Cowboys on Main

DALLAS

BANDERA

Sept. 8–Oct. 15 Latino Cultural Center 2600 Live Oak St. (214) 671-0045 lcc.dallasculture.org

Sept. 15–17 Early City Park (325) 649-9317 earlychamber.com/texas Take it back to the days of old with a festival featuring a softball and baseball tournament, as well as a carnival, 5K race, fireworks show, BBQ cookoff, kids’ area, vendors and a food court. Country singer Wade Bowen will headline the entertainment that includes local favorites Boone Cook

MOUNTAIN TRAIL

PECOS TRAIL

and the Remains and 10 Mile Crossing.

16 de Septiembre Fiestas PECOS

Sept. 15–17 Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church 620 E. 4th St. (432) 445-2309 visitpecos.com

PLAINS TRAIL

TROPICAL TRAIL

Honor the men of the Dawson Massacre and Mier Expedition of 1842 and 1843.

Enjoy pioneer craft demonstrations, historic music presentation, reenactors, musket and cannon salutes, a historic flag display, a guest speaker, a ceremonial wreath-laying ceremony and much more.

Texas State Forest Festival

¡Vivan los buenos tiempos!

Come enjoy vendors, live music, dancing, food and more.

LUFKIN

Texas Heroes Day

Enjoy the 33rd Annual Texas State Forest Festival in the heart of the Pineywoods in East Texas. The event is a five-day festival full of events for the whole family.

This year’s festival features the Southern Hushpuppy

LA GRANGE

Sept. 16 Monument Hill State Park (979) 968-5658 tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/ monument-hill-kreischebrewery

Sept. 20–24 George H. Henderson Jr. Exposition Center 1200 Ellen Trout Dr. (936) 637-3976 TexasStateForestFestival.com

Sept. 9, 16, 23 & 30 Main Street (830) 796-3781 banderacowboycapital.com

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Championships, a petting zoo, giant carnival, lumberjack show, concerts, local entertainment, specialty acts and more.

nominee Deana Carter headlines the entertainment.

Plano Balloon Festival PLANO

Taste of Art SALADO

West Texas Book Festival ABILENE

Sept. 21–23 Various venues (325) 676-6025 abilenetx.com/apl/BookFest Don’t miss this celebration of authors and books at the annual festival that connects attendees with a host of literary activities.

Texas Reds Steak & Grape Festival BRYAN

Sept. 22–24 Downtown Bryan (979) 822-4920 texasredsfestival.com This year’s festival features more than 25 of Texas’ most popular wineries, as well as craft beer breweries, live music, a steak cook-off, artisans, food vendors and the popular Kids Zone. Grammy

Sept. 22–23 (254) 718-2030 salado.com Artists from across the nation work in various mediums — including plein air painting — throughout the village to capture the outdoor sights and scenes of historic Salado and its landscape. Activities include a quick draw competition, where artists will complete a painting from start to finish within two hours. The event concludes with a Canvas, Castings and Cocktails reception at the Pennington Compound, where guests can raise a toast to the artists, celebrate the winners of the Plein Air Paint-Out and quick draw competitions, enjoy good food along the banks of Salado Creek and participate in the auction of the winning paintings and the sale of fresh paintings.

Sept. 22–24 Oak Point Park (972) 867-7566 planoballoonfest.org

Celebrate 38 years of ballooning in Plano. It’s an action-packed weekend with skydivers, concerts, a spectacular fireworks show, kids’ activities, an enormous variety of food to tempt your taste buds, merchandise and handmade products — and, of course, the incredible hot air balloons. Listen to the roar of burners and watch the colorful balloons set against the backdrop of the dark night sky in the Balloon Glow.

WestFest MARATHON

Sept. 22–24 Post Park (432) 386-5414 visitbigbend.com/events Come visit one of Marathon’s most popular events, the WestFest Cabrito Cook-off and Dance! A full weekend

of cooking and activities is planned for the whole family. Entry fees benefit the Marathon Volunteer Fire Department and other local charities.

BisonFest (Texas State Bison Music Festival) QUITAQUE

Sept. 23 Main Street bisonfest.com An all-day music event featuring some of Texas’ greatest Americana and country music artists — including the Randy Rogers Band, Zac Wilkerson & the Wayward Souls, and Mark Powell & Lariat — all to benefit the Texas State Bison Herd Restoration Project at Caprock Canyons State Park.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. with booths lining Quitaque’s quaint Main Street, featuring art, crafts, food and more.

Comanche Pow Wow

(325) 356-3233 comanchechamber.org/ pow-wow/

The premier event of Comanche, the Pow Wow offers fun for the whole family with one of the largest antique car shows in the area, live music, a statesanctioned BBQ cook-off featuring the best BBQ in the county, shopping from hundreds of local vendors and artisans, and a photography and art exhibit.

Round Top Antiques Fair CARMINE

Sept. 25–30 Big Red Barn Event Center (512) 237-4747 roundtoptexasantiques.com The Original Round Top Antiques Fair invites visitors to join us in celebrating its 50th year — just five miles north of the Round Top Square in Carmine.

COMANCHE

State Fair of Texas

Sept. 23–24 Comanche City Park

DALLAS

State Fair of Texas

Sept. 29–Oct. 22 Fairpark (214) 565-9931 bigtex.com The longest-running fair in the nation with 24 consecutive days full of Texas fun.

You’ll be treated to unlimited shows, live music, exhibits, food, games and rides.

October

Corks & Caps Oct. 7 Depot Plaza (325) 646-9535. brownwoodchamber.org Enjoy tastings of beer and wine from breweries and wineries from across the country.

A variety of food trucks will also be on hand to offer food

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COURTESY ROBERT HENSLEY

BROWNWOOD

and desserts for purchase.

Relax and enjoy these great tastes with live music.

Ride 4 Trails TERLINGUA

Oct. 13–14 Big Bend Resorts & Adventures Indian Head Road (432) 371-2218 ride4trails.com Established in 1997 by some Big Bend National Park employees, the 20th annual ride continues as a benefit for the maintenance of hiking trails in the park. Registration is $40 per person.

Turkeyfest

Kerrville Chalk Festival

Settlers’ Reunion beans and cornbread dinner, followed by bingo and prizes under the Cedar Street tent on the square.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY KERRVILLE CHALK FESTIVAL; COURTESY TEXAS CLAY FESTIVAL; WIKIPEDIA

CUERO

Kerrville Chalk Festival

FallFest

Frontier Days

KERRVILLE

CLIFTON

FREDERICKSBURG

Oct. 14–15 Peterson Plaza kerrvillechalk.org

Oct. 21 Downtown (254) 675-8337

Oct. 20–21 Fort Martin Scott 1606 E. Main St. (830) 217-3200 ftmartinscott.org

Oct. 13–15 U.S. 87 and Broadway (361) 275-2112 turkeyfest.org

Family fun at a three-day, small-town festival in the Turkey Capital of the World — featuring the Great Gobbler Gallop turkey race, the Turkeyfest Parade, the Turkey Trot 5K and a BBQ Cook-Off. Music by Aaron Watson, Zane Williams, Shenandoah and others.

Living history event featuring military, frontier lawmen, Native Americans and civilians representing the fort’s active time period — with special events for children.

Twilight Tour AMARILLO

Oct. 21 Llano Cemetery – Pantheon Mausoleum 27th and Arthur (806) 418-9445 llanocemetery.org

Country Day on the Hill CEDAR HILL

Oct. 14 Historic Downtown (469) 272-2902 cedarhillcountryday.com A grand parade will kick off the day-long event with free live music, competitions, games and demonstrations to accompany food and craft vendors. The 80th annual fair is preceded Friday night by the Old

Country Day on the Hill parade

Large-scale artworks on concrete by experienced and first-time artists from around Texas, live music and interesting food. The festival will present more than 50 local artists, experienced street painters, children, youth, and even the general public, who’ll be given an opportunity of artistic expression and a venue to perform.

visitclifton.org/page/fall-fest. aspx This annual event includes shopping, entertainment, a children’s area, food vendors, art show and car show. It’s a great time of year to see the natural beauty of Clifton and the surrounding area.

Historic Llano Cemetery is very much alive with the memories of people and families who helped shape Amarillo, the Republic of Texas, and the nation, and the annual Twilight Tour is an excellent opportunity to learn more in this scenic, historic setting. Enter at 34th Street gate.

Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering & Western Swing Festival FORT WORTH

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Oct. 27–29 Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District (817) 444-5502 redsteagallcowboygathering. com The nation’s premier Western heritage event has been voted Best Gathering and Best Family Event by the readers of American Cowboy magazine.

Texas Clay Festival GRUENE Oct. 28–29 The Barn Pottery (830) 833-2860 texasclayfestival.com

honors U.S. veterans both past and present with an exhibit featuring photos, artifacts and memorabilia submitted by local families.

There are hundreds of photos and other items dating back to the Civil War.

Terlingua International Chili Cookoff TERLINGUA

Nov. 1–4 Behind the White’s Store FM 170 & S. County Rd. (817) 653-0988 abowlofred.com/index.htm

The Terlingua International Chili Championship is an

includes storytellers, musicians, delicious food, arts & crafts vendors, a children’s area, petting zoo, living history exhibits and more.

World’s Championship Shrimp Cook-Off PORT ISABEL

At one of the longest-running birding festivals in the country — now in its 24th year — birders will flock to Harlingen to see some of the 500-plus species of birds recorded in the Rio Grande Valley. Field trips with professional guides, a large trade show, wellknown speakers, socials and children’s activities make this festival one of the best.

Nov. 4 (956) 943-2262 portisabelchamber.com/ Events/ShrimpCookOff.aspx The 24th annual cook-off for this Gulf delicacy includes dozens of contestants and thousands of attendees who are treated to world-famous shrimp recipes. The festival includes great food and a variety of vendors, live music, activities for kids of all ages, original artwork, gifts and collectibles.

Heritage Syrup Festival

The magical story comes to life the minute the train departs the Palestine Depot for the journey to the North Pole. Enveloped by the motion picture soundtrack, passengers relive the magic of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express as they are whisked away. Once guests are aboard, chefs serve hot chocolate and cookies as they recite the classic children’s book. (The adventure is even more fun when families and friends show up in their pajamas!)

HENDERSON

Nov. 11 (866) 650-5529 visithenderson.com Henderson’s Syrup Festival, which began 1989, is always celebrated the second Saturday in November from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This unique fall festival is centered on the making of sugarcane syrup.

Ranch Hand Festival KINGSVILLE

Nov. 17–18 Downtown ranchhandfestival.com Kingsville’s Ranch Hand Festival, always held

Texas Clay Festival

Featuring the work of over 60 Texas potters and clay artists, the festival offers the opportunity to view and purchase a wide variety of pottery, from traditional to sculptural, by the top clay artists in the state. Watch and learn as demonstrations are held in four tents throughout both days.

annual event held on a remote ranch in Terlingua.

Hailed as the “granddaddy of all chili cook-offs,” this festival is a must for die-hard chili enthusiasts. Although everyone is welcome to attend the event, cooks must have qualified and receive an invitation to compete in this serious chili competition.

November Storyfest GEORGE WEST

Each year, the Crockett County Museum in Ozona

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Nov. 3–5 301 Houston St. (361) 449-2481 georgeweststoryfest.org Since 1989, the art and tradition of storytelling has been celebrated around the Live Oak County Courthouse square in downtown George West, the Storytelling Capital of Texas. This Texas tradition

Heritage Syrup Festival

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival HARLINGEN

Nov. 8–12 Municipal Auditorium 1204 Fair Park Blvd.

(209) 227-4823 rgvbf.org

The Polar Express Train Ride PALESTINE

Nov. 11–Dec. 27 Palestine Depot (855) 632-7729 texasstaterailroad.net

the weekend before Thanksgiving, honors the city’s Texas ranching heritage featuring food, live music, cooking demonstrations, art, storytelling, book signings by local authors and more. Local museums, artists, businesses, community organizations, vendors and the university

COURTESY TEXAS CLAY FESTIVAL;

Remembering Our Crockett County Veterans OZONA Nov. 1–Dec. 7 Crockett County Museum 408 11th St. (325) 392-2837 ozonamuseum.com

surprises. Enjoy ice skating under the festive lights and sounds of Christmas in the Square at Skate the Square outdoor ice rink. The same snow machines used by Disney create a winter wonderland on the sidewalks of the Square. The festival draws more than 675,000 visitors annually.

Lighting of the Star on Gail Mountain GAIL

Nov. 24 facebook.com/lightsforgail Dress warmly, bring your binoculars, arrive early in downtown Gail and follow the crowd for a fun evening of festivities to begin the holiday season.

North Pole Flyer Train Ride CEDAR PARK

Nov. 25–26 Austin Train Station 401 E. Whitestone Blvd (512) 477-8468 austinsteamtrain.org Children of all ages enjoy the North Pole Flyer train ride.

This two-hour excursion on a real train features a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot cocoa and Christmas cookies. Each car is decorated for the season where passengers enjoy a live reading of the North Pole Flyer book — the railroad’s own Christmas Story.

Christmas Light Fest The Polar Express Train

work together to provide cowboy-themed entertainment. The events also kicks off Kingsville’s La Posada holiday celebration.

Ranch Hand Breakfast KINGSVILLE

Nov. 18 King Ranch TX Hwy. 141 (800) 333-5032 ranchhandfestival.com Park downtown, take the free shuttle bus to the King Ranch and enjoy a heapin’ plate of eggs, refried beans, biscuits ’n’ gravy, sausage, tortillas, coffee and juice. Watch team roping demonstrations, reenactors, musical entertainment, poetry and storytelling.

Christmas Light Fest BOERNE

Nov. 23–Dec. 31 Don Strange Ranch (210) 434-2340 sanantoniochristmaslightsfest. com

Visitors can enjoy the most dazzling family entertainment in the San Antonio area.

Overflowing with Hill Country holiday fun, Christmas Light Fest features holiday light displays at a historic ranch just 20 minutes outside of San Antonio. Usually reserved for private events, the ranch opens its gates to the public for everyone to enjoy the drive-through experience.

The 125-acre historic Don Strange Ranch is a real working longhorn ranch just 20 minutes from La Cantera off IH-10 West in Boerne, making Christmas Light Fest easy to enjoy from San Antonio or the Hill Country.

Christmas in the Square FRISCO

Nov. 24–Dec. 31 (469) 633-7117 Frisco Square friscosquare.com Featuring the largest choreographed holiday lights and music show in North Texas, Christmas in the Square returns for its 13th year, full of established favorites and new

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December

Christmas at Old Fort Concho SAN ANGELO

Dec. 1–3 Fort Concho National Historic Site 630 S. Oakes St. (325) 481-2646 fortconcho.com

Visit Fort Concho’s largest annual event as the 40 acres and 24 buildings at the landmark are filled with shopping, entertainment, food and beverage, displays, living history, period entertainment, children’s workshops and many special events.

Dickens on the Strand GALVESTON

Dec. 1–3 (409) 765-7834 galvestonhistory.org/events/ dickens-on-the-strand With a nod to the ghost of Dickens past and an eye toward the future, Galveston’s world-famous Victorian holiday festival returns for another weekend. The annual holiday street festival, based on 19thcentury Victorian London, features parades, nonstop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainer

Candlelight Christmas WEST COLUMBIA

Dec. 2 Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site (979) 345-4656 thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/ varner-hogg-plantation-statehistoric-site Step back in time and tour the plantation house decorated in the style of a mid-1800s Texas Christmas. See the feather tree, learn about toys popular for gift-giving during this period, and view

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the dining room table set for a sumptuous holiday feast. Relax outside and enjoy the beverage of the season, wassail, and Christmas cookies. Victorian Santa will also be available for photos.

Tour historic homes decorated for the holidays and a one-room schoolhouse with docents in period costumes.

30th Annual DeerFest OZONA Dec. 2 Crockett County Fair Park Convention Center (325) 277-9345 ozona.com A community-wide appreciation banquet for hunters.

Attendees are fed a meal of chicken-fried deer, turkey, axis deer sausage, deer chili, deer tamales and brisket.

Rockport-Fulton Tour of Historic Homes ROCKPORT / FULTON

Dec. 2–3 (361) 727-9214 aransashistorycenter.org

in the settlement of the state at this annual festival. A 19thcentury timeline of entertainers and artisans invites adults and children alike to learn about Texas’ early history. The living history timeline will span from 1820s buck skinners to 1890s cavalry, soldiers and

Chirstmas at the Fort

Christmas at the Fort GROESBECK

Dec. 7–10 Old Fort Parker 866 Park Rd. 35 (254) 729-5253 oldfortparker.org Introduce your family to Texas history at this stockade fort that played a unique role

cowboy gunfighters. Artisans will demonstrate glass blowing, blacksmithing, knife making, wood carving, pioneer cooking, cotton combing, beading, crocheting, spinning, weaving and soap making.

Historic-era reproduction gifts are available for purchase.

FROM TOP: ALLEN SHEFFIELD/FLICKR; COURTESY CHRISTMAS AT THE FORT; WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Galveston’s Dickens on the Strand

LEGACY

A LINE OF FORTS p. 70 ★ ANITA HOLT EISENHAUER p. 76 ★ WEST TEXAS LIBRARIES p. 78

REMAINS OF AN

ERA

DERRICK BIRDSALL

Fort Griffin State Historic Site

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LEGACY HISTORIES

A

LINE OF

Forts on the

WAY O U T

WEST

Forts Concho, Griffin and Richardson are celebrating their sesquicentennials

by TIM CHANDLER photos by DERRICK BIRDSALL

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O

NE-HUNDRED-FIFTY, years ago, in 1867, the

South was in the middle of reconstruction following the Civil War, with Texas placed in the Fifth Military District with Louisiana. As the farthest state west along the frontier, Texas became the jumping-off spot for settlers, cattle drovers, stages, buffalo hunters and others on their way west. To provide protection for economic and military interests in the Lone Star State, the U.S. Army began a line of forts situated a two-day-ride apart along this frontier. It was here that the cities and towns of today’s Big Country and Concho Valley regions sprang up.

This year, three of these military posts observe their sesquicentennials: Fort Richardson, Fort Griffin and Fort Concho, catalysts of present-day Jacksboro, Albany and San Angelo. Since their outset, these forts and communities have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship within their respective social and cultural spheres. The three posts share many traits. Each was an offshoot of another military post moved due to lack of water; each was established in December 1867; each was a last supply stop for westbound travelers. And many of the same colorful characters and military commanders spent time in all three locations.

Jack County in 1867 It must have been quite a sight for anyone traversing Jack County between the town of Jacksboro and Fort Richardson during the years the fort was built. Billeting 500 military personnel and more than 150 civilian employees, Richardson was at the time the largest military post in the United States. Jacksboro, by contrast, was small, mostly shacks and dirt streets lined with 27 saloons and brothels such as Mollie McCabe’s Palace of Beautiful Sin. With few diversions, the soldiers spent a good deal of their time and money at these establishments. As one Jacksboro resident wrote, “I am not exaggerating when I say I have seen the time when I could have walked on soldiers lying drunk along the road … and not touch the ground.”

Present-day Jack County judge Mitchell Davenport, an experienced reenactor in living history events along the Texas Forts Trail, portrays two different characters from Fort Richardson’s early days: James Dozier, a military scout, and Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, the man described by Gen. U.S. Grant as “one of its most promising young officers.”

Dozier describes Fort Richardson as “a wild and wooly place on the

edge of the frontier and a pretty rough edge at that.” The largest Army and Indian conflict in the area occurred in 1870 in Jack County when an army mail hack was attacked by a large Indian force led by Chief Kicking Bird, who baited a 6th Cavalry detachment from Fort Richardson into an ambush. In a two-day battle the army unit led by Capt. Curwen Boyd McLellan, an experienced Indian fighter, conducted a retreat safely back to the fort. Afterwards 13 of his men were awarded the Medal of Honor for courage under fire, the largest number ever bestowed for a single battle.

Today Jacksboro is a crossroads of economic development in North Texas, with a special event planned in November to commemorate the fort’s 150th anniversary. Lynda Pack, director of the Jacksboro Economic Development Corporation, says Fort Richardson is just as important to the economy these days as it was Fort Richardson State Park, in 1867. Originally built for protection Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway and to bring order, Fort Richardson 228 State Park Road 61 also brought people and businesses Jacksboro, TX 76458 from around the state and country each (940) 567-3506 year during the five years the post was HOURS being built. The letting of contracts Open daily 8 am–5 pm once a year sparked an annual boom for the town, while today heritage tourism VISIT JACKSBORO has a similarly beneficial effect. jacksborochamber.com

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there. He notes the economic importance of the Fort Griffin and “The Flat” Farther down the road is Fort Griffin, another fort both in the past and present. Frank Conrad 1867 army post sharing some of the same his- and Charles Rath ran a trading post at what became the town of Fort Griffin tory, players and qualities of that was, Abercrombie says, “the its sister establishment to the Wal-mart of the 1870s. It gennorth. Eric Abercrombie, proFort Griffin State erated over $4,000 of revenue gram specialist and educator Historic Site in one day, $2,500 of that in for the fort, says most visi1701 US Hwy. 283 powder and ammo for the bufAlbany, TX 76430 tors are already familiar with (325) 762-3592 falo hunters alone” (in an era characters like Doc Holliday, VisitFortGriffin.com when a can of corn sold for 30 Lottie Deno and Big Nose to 50 cents). During its heyday, Kate, who frequented the Flat, HOURS 8 am–4:30 pm daily Fort Griffin was as large as Fort a shantytown that flourished Closed Thanksgiving Day, Worth, with an equal measure below the hilltop fort.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, of crime and vice, thanks to the

Abercrombie fills in the New Year’s Eve, and Flat. Over a 12-year period 35 New Year’s Day rest of the story about the fort men were publicly killed there, bringing buffalo hunters to the VISIT ALBANY prompting historian Carl Coke area, and what life was like for albanytexas.com Rister to claim that “the revolver the enlisted men who served

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THENTIC TEX AS AUAU THENTIC TEXAS

REMNANTS: (from top) Chimneys and foundations of enlisted men’s barracks now dot the landscape of Fort Griffin (above); powder magazine at Fort Griffin.

Opposite page: Bakery at Fort Griffin (top); a soldier’s closet at Fort Concho (bottom).

settled more differences than the judge” and that “straight shooting could promote long life more than fresh air and sunshine.”

The buffalo hunters did plenty of straight shooting, including killing more than 700 bison on one day. With hides fetching two dollars apiece, business was good, eventually bringing 1,500 hunting crews to the fort and nearly wiping out the Southern Plains herd in a few years.

As the buffalo disappeared the Indians became ever more agitated, and battles with the Army and the settlers continued through the 1870s until the fort was closed in 1881.

Life at Fort Griffin was rough, with the men living in small wooden huts unshielded from either heat or cold and subsisting on a diet mostly of bacon, beans and molasses broken occasionally by plum pudding and stewed dried apples. So important were the 600 loaves of bread baked daily at the fort that, when at one point the post baker deserted, the entire contingent of cavalry was sent to fetch him back.

Today Fort Griffin is a popular attraction, bringing visitors to Albany along the old Butterfield Stage route between Jacksboro to the north and Fort Concho to the south. Home to the Bee Hive restaurant (named for the original saloon at the Flat), Albany also boasts the Old Jail Museum and Art Center, displaying a worldclass collection of works by masters including Calder, Picasso, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec.

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rant of the same name, recall the legacy of Miss live and work,” says Bluthardt. “Concerts, camps, Hattie’s. Recent renovations in the downtown special events and art exhibits are just some of the area uncovered tunnels linking the original bor- attractions we host.”

Another thread condello with two of the town’s necting these three forts businesses of the era.

Fort Concho National was the posting of the most

According to Bob Historic Landmark highly regarded Indian fightBluthardt, director of Fort 630 S. Oakes St. er on the frontier, Ranald Concho, the city’s economic, San Angelo, TX 76903 (325) 481-2646 S. Mackenzie. Stationed cultural and social fortunes fortconcho.com at Fort Concho after stints were closely tied to the at Richardson and Griffin, presence of the army from HOURS Mackenzie was instrumental the start. Today 60,000 to Mon.–Sat. 9 am–5 pm Sun. 1 pm–5 pm in ending the Indian wars.

70,000 visitors a year come Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Another notable stationed at to the fort from around the Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Concho was Gen. Benjamin world and all 50 states, he and New Year’s Day Grierson, whose Civil War says, bringing a richness and VISIT SAN ANGELO accomplishments were porvariety to San Angelo. “We discoversanangelo.com trayed by John Wayne in The believe what we do makes Horse Soldiers, a 1959 John San Angelo a fun place to

COURTESY TXDOT

A Fort on the Concho Farther south at the confluence of the Concho, Middle Concho and South Concho Rivers and two creeks is the city of San Angelo, which owns the largest and best-preserved army fort from that era, Fort Concho. Several years in the building, Fort Concho became the focal point of U.S. Army operations on the North Texas frontier. It offered protection for settlers and stages, and it provided good business for local civilian contractors who cut prairie grass from as far away as 40 miles to sell as hay to the military, while other enterprising merchants supplied mesquite wood and beef. Like Griffin and Richardson, Fort Concho attracted more exotic establishments such as Miss Hattie’s, a “ladies of the evening parlor house and saloon” where soldiers and civilians alike were entertained. Today a museum in downtown San Angelo, along with a restau-

FORT CONCHO DAYS: (clockwise from top left) Cavalry reenactors rest in front of the fort; table set for dinner in an officer’s quarters; enlisted men’s barracks; set up for a game of checkers. Opposite page: enlisted men’s barracks.

Ford film. Grierson’s wife, Alice, is equally well known for her voluminous collection of letters written during her time at Concho and collected in the fort’s archives as a research project for a new exhibit.

The women of Fort Concho regularly organized hops or dances, and the wife of post surgeon

James W. Buell wrote of one such occasion. “We went to a little dance Friday evening at General Grierson’s and I nearly killed myself with laughing,” she noted. “It was a regular frontier dance with the most ridiculous quadrilles, and everyone danced.”

After the Army When the army left Fort Concho in 1899, San Angelo continued to grow as a trading center.

Over the years the fort’s buildings were put to various uses, with the commissary becoming a warehouse, the officer’s mess hall a mattress factory, and one of the barracks a hotel. In 1935 the city took over a history museum started by San Angelo resident Ginevra Wood Carson and began acquiring land and restoring the buildings.

Since the fort’s designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1961, improvements and restora-

tion have continued.

Today Fort Concho hosts frequent events for a wide range of constituents, from the meetings of five different historical agencies to participation in the local summer Kids Eat Free lunch program. “Our presence gives us a reason to provide for our community,” Bluthardt notes.

“The biggest challenge for all history museums is how to get people interested in history. For us to remain relevant we have to be open to working with a wide variety of events and programs. We have to be creative.”

The challenge faced by these three one-time frontier forts when first built was how to secure an untamed land while forging partnerships with local enterprise. One hundred fifty years later, the mission continues, as each contributes significantly to its community and economy today.

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LEGACY TEXAS ORIGINAL

Anita H O LT

Eisenhauer

ANITA HOLT EISENHAUER was born in

Amarillo, Potter County, the daughter and granddaughter of farmers and ranchers. Her grandfather gave the land for the 1903 Holt School in Hutchinson County, a two-room school that was in service until 1935, and the Holt Cemetery.

Her father served as a Hutchinson County Commissioner.

After graduating from Spearman High School in Hansford County, Eisenhauer went to the University of Texas, majoring in geography. It was there that she met her husband, Gene Eisenhauer. Gene and his brother, who were general contractors specializing in school construction mostly in Corpus Christi, also had interests in farming and ranching in Jim Wells, Duval and McMullen Counties. Anita earned a master’s degree in history from Texas A & I University in Kingsville and taught history in Corpus Christi.

Eisenhauer’s guiding principles — stewardship and the biblical admonition to honor one’s father and mother — shepherd her passion and the breadth of her activities. Along with a continuous involvement in her family’s various ranching interests, she went into the antique business, gradually building a career as an antique appraiser, ultimately achieving senior designation by the American Society of Appraisers.

She tirelessly gathers, records and retells her family’s stories fleshed out by thorough

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by RICK STRYKER stewardship of correspondence handed down through the family and meticulous research from public data repositories. She’s researched historical markers for both Hutchinson and Nueces Counties. Her diverse interests and activities include memberships in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy and the American Association of University Women. And she’s been active and served in leadership posts in these and other heritage organizations.

She’s a member and past president of the Nueces County Historical Society and chair of the Historical Commission (1986–1996 and 2005– present) and was given the John Ben Shepperd Award for Outstanding Historical Commission Chairman by the Texas Historical Commission.

Her leadership in historic preservation efforts in Nueces County is characterized by calm and steady perseverance in the face of the vacillating interest of elected leaders and public indifference.

To achieve historic preservation goals, she seizes opportunities to recruit people with unique skills and interests and matches them RESTORATION STATION: Eisenhauer (bottom photo) is determined to see the Nueces County courthouse (shown in 1914 in top photo) renovated.

Recently, a developer has expressed interest in preserving the structure.

FROM TOP: COURTESY CORPUS CHRISTI MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY; COURTESY BILL EISENHAUER

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Nueces County’s voice for historic preservation

with fulfillment opportunities. A reflection of her accomplishments is the large number of historical markers installed on her watch that recognize diverse places, people and events important to the community. The Nueces County Historical Commission ranks 21st out of Texas’ 254 counties in the number of historical markers and enjoys an admirable record for obtaining recognition by the Texas Historical Commission through receipt of annual Distinguished Service Awards.

Her unique skills and abilities can be seen in her involvement with the prolonged effort to preserve the 1914 courthouse, last used by the county in 1974. Although the obvious derelict condition of the courthouse has long defined Nueces County’s apparent indifference to historic preservation, the persistence of the County Historical Commission and the Texas Historical Commission in insisting on its preservation has recently paid off with a hopeful

plan for adaptive reuse by a developer.

A similar extended effort working through the City of Corpus Christi on the preservation of and public programming for Old Bayview Cemetery is also apparently paying off: the city has recently expressed interest in taking steps to better protect the last resting place of esteemed early residents and soldiers who died in an 1845 Mexican War steamship disaster.

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LEGACY ARCHIVE

Beyond BOOKS West Texas libraries offer adventure, answers and astronomical views

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by STEPHEN SIWINSKI S FALL SETTLES IN, Texans of all ages are left with the fading

memories of sun-drenched Texas days, star-filled Lone Star nights, and a longing for the out-of-the-ordinary occurrences that seem to pair so well with the lazy, hazy days of summer.

The fun and discovery doesn’t have to stop when the days start getting shorter, though — your library card is the key to jumpstarting your next great adventure.

The Texas Library Association and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission have compiled a list of six dynamic West Texas libraries — from one of the smallest public libraries in the state to an academic/research library nestled in the McDonald Observatory — that invite Texans to check out the powerful programming, rich resources and creative communities popping up at libraries across the region.

SAN ANGELO

BARBARA BRANNON; TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

STEAM Central at Tom Green County Library The Tom Green County Library recently received a $75,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, awarded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Funds from this grant fueled the creativity behind STEAM Central, a state-of-the-art maker space located in the basement of the Stephens Central Library.

(Visitors are sure to be wowed by the Central Library’s new home in a creatively renovated downtown department store!)

Library staff partner with local organizations, area colleges and invested advocates to bring innovative programming and projects to this hub of community connection.

MIDLAND

Midland Public Library knitting and adult coloring groups Midland Public Library has been praised for its vision of what a library of the future can offer. Cutting-edge technology plugged into an engaging environment space offers libraries across Texas (and nationally) an example of the library as an exciting destination that supports civic engagement, economic development and lifelong

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learning and discovery. For those looking to unplug, Midland Public Library also offers a variety of ways community members can sync up through once old/now modern pastimes, including a knitting group and adult coloring sessions.

These close-knit and colorful cliques provide a welcome repose from the stresses of a screenfilled, Wi-Fi world and offer patrons a chance to truly connect — no password required.

FORT DAVIS

University of Texas McDonald Observatory Library This specialized library located in the base of the Otto Struve dome, home of the 82-inch telescope perched high over Fort Davis, serves primarily the staff of the observatory, visiting astronomers and members of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas. Stargazing students and select researchers have access to a variety of print and online resources focused mainly on astronomy and related fields. Highlights from the collection include hand-drawn maps of constellations, planets and other celestial celebrities, and historic images from the construction of the observatory that are truly out of this world.

set up telescopes for hands-on training in astrophotography as they party with the planets.

EL PASO

El Paso Public Library

MARATHON

Marathon Public Library Nestled in one of the last outposts on the edge of Big Bend country is a small library with some big ideas. Library director Elizabeth Holt oversees the carefully curated collection at this cozy 720-square-foot branch. In addition to the onsite physical collection of books, magazines and other circulating items (including a set of cake pans patrons can borrow to bake their next mouth-watering masterpiece), patrons also have access to more than 80,000 e-books. Somehow Holt finds the space to host tinkering workshops, local history nights, book clubs, 3D printing sessions, yoga classes and more in the friendly confines of her pint-sized public library. As a bonus, Marathon Public Library is smack-dab in the middle of one of the darkest and starriest skies in the nation. When the sun goes down, Holt enlists the help of local astronomy buffs to

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Out in the westernmost Texas town of El Paso, green-thumbed patrons can get back to their literal roots. Seed libraries are places that share or lend plant seeds. Urban farmers can “check out” seeds to grow themselves, and return the loan with seeds to the library once they’ve harvested the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor to share with others. The program provides an alternative to genetically modified seeds, increases biodiversity and plant resilience, and reconnects El Paso residents with their food systems. The library offers classes and partners with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension El Paso Master Gardeners to share best practices and time-tested tricks.

EL PASO

University of Texas at El Paso image collections The University of Texas at El Paso provides innovative services, programs and resources that support the school’s mission of education, research, scholarship and community service. The library is home to a range of print and electronic information resources that meet the unique needs of its users in the multicultural university and the U.S.–Mexico border communities. For instance, the C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department includes the Chicano Collection, the Judaica Collection, the S. L. A. Marshall Military History Collection and the Southwest and Border Studies Collection, as well as collections of art and rare books. These spectacularly unusual collections help paint a colorful depiction of the people that call the El Paso region home.

No matter what region of the state you’re visiting, most of Texas’ public, university and specialized libraries welcome travelers as well as registered patrons. And they’re great resources for local culture and history. Stop in to read up, power up and soak up the heritage of these vitally important institutions along your journey.

Tom Green County Public Library Stephens Central Library 33 West Beauregard St. San Angelo, TX 76903 (325) 655-7321 tgclibrary.com

Midland Centennial Library 2503 Loop 250 Frontage Rd. Midland, TX 79701 (432) 742-7400 co.midland.tx.us/lib

University of Texas McDonald Observatory Library 3640 Dark Sky Dr. Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 426-3640 mcdonaldobservatory.org

Marathon Public Library 106 NE 3rd St., Marathon, TX 79842 (432) 386-4136 marathonpubliclibrary.org

El Paso Public Library (Main) 501 N. Oregon St. El Paso, TX 79901 (915) 543-5440 elpasolibrary.org

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LI T T LE J OE HE RNÁNDE Z H T H E CO WB OY HA T H LITTLE ME XICO’ S P I KE P A RK

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