Cross Timbers Trails Your Guide to the Eight Counties of the Cross Timbers Area
Volume 4, Issue 1
Spring 2015
Hico’s Sweet Spot
Ghostly Inn Gets Major Makeover
Wiseman House Chocolates perfect cure for a sweet tooth
Renovations give new face to Baker Hotel
From Farm To Table Small town farms making a comeback in the Cross Timbers
Saving the Scimitars Once on the brink of extinction, Fossil Rim’s Scimitar-Horned Oryx are being reintroduced to the wild.
Making an impact. STudEnTS anticipated higher future income of $3.40 for each dollar invested in education, an annual rate of return of 14.2%. REgiOn
receives $512.1 annual added income —equivalent to creating 8,393 new jobs
TExaS receives a present value of $4.4
billion in added income during students’
working lives, and communities will benefit $470 million in reduced crime, lower unemployment, increased health and well-being.
TaxpayERS gain $8.40 for each tax dollar invested due to reduced demand for government services, and increased taxes and output from student careers and employers.
Explore Tarleton. Experience the difference.
| Fort Worth | Midlothian | Waco | Online (800) 687-4878 | www.tarleton.edu/learnmore
Stephenville
What’s Inside Photo by Cameron Cook
5
Letter from the Editor
6
Ancient Ancestors
14
H2O for Hood
8
Ghostly Inn Gets Major Makeover
16
Saving the Scimitars
28
Refined Dining at Rough Creek
10
The Legacy of ‘U’
20
Texas’ Newest State Park
30
Hamilton’s Best Kept Secret
12
Spin Doctor
22
From Farm To Table
32
Hico’s Sweet Spot
26
A Family Devoted to Food
34
Cross Timbers by the Numbers
Cover photo of Adam Eyres, hoofstock coordinator at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Courtesy of Fossil Rim.
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Letter from the Editor
Harley Brown Editor-in-Chief
Sara Gann Art Director
Hello, and welcome back to the seventh issue of the Cross Timbers Trails. With the help of our new facilities, additional workers and staff writers, this issue was a breeze! I’m so thankful for all the opportunities Tarleton State University is providing me and others by allowing us to work on such an enlightening magazine. Each semester I realize how blessed I am to work under such incredible supervisors and in a positive work environment. After working with the Texan News Service and Cross Timbers Trails, I know my possibilities after graduation are endless. I hope this magazine serves you well with an inside look into the Cross Timbers region, which consists of the surrounding eight counties: Bosque, Comanche, Erath, Eastland, Hamilton, Hood, Palo Pinto and Somervell. For those who aren’t the type to read an entire magazine at once, we have tried to make the navigation of this magazine as reader-friendly as possible. We have provided tabs at the bottom of each page that lists the county for the story you are reading. In this edition, you will learn that you can fulfill your sweet tooth cravings at Wiseman’s House of Chocolates and burn off those calories consumed at Palo Pinto’s newest state park. You can also read about the unique creations that Corky Underwood is coming up with in Somervell County, and Cliff Conway’s unusual occupation in Comanche! I hope you enjoy reading about the Cross Timbers through the eyes of Tarleton student journalists. I can’t thank you enough for being a reader of the Cross Timbers Trails. Should you have any recommendations for how we can continue to improve our magazine or story ideas for future issues, please contact me at editor@crosstimberstrails.com. Happy reading!
Ashley Ford Managing Editor
Copy Editors and Fact Checkers Alejandra Arreguin Andy Barton Kiauna Brand Azia Branson Jack Cochran Darhyl Eubank Leanne Flores Denise Harroff Stephanie Jones Bethany Kyle
Dominique Martin Jordan McCrory Emily Miller Megan Peterson Jasmine Sullivan Branique Tompkins Katy Tonkin Samantha Townsend Alyssa Urbanek Tammy Wiederhold
Photographers Shelby Clayton Cameron Cook Ashley Ford Ariel Hall Denise Harroff Sara Honeycutt
Ansley Bartley Victoria O’Neal Justin Pack Kelsey Poynor Wendy Rape
Advisors Kathryn Jones-Malone
The Horn Shelter has such prominences in the archaeological record primarily because the two skeletons with a variety of burial goods. Photo courtesy of the Bosque Museum.
Ancient Ancestors By Morgan Little Bosque County encompasses about 1,000 square miles of natural beauty, with limestone hills, streams and the wooded areas that give the county its name – “bosque” is Spanish for woodlands. Almost 18,000 people call it home today, but this area has been occupied by humans since the end of the Ice Age. More than 11,000 years ago they traveled over to North America in search of food. Two of them – a man and a young girl – didn’t make it any farther. Their burial site, discovered more than 40 years ago, marked some of the oldest human remains found in North America. In 1970 archaeologist Albert Redder and Frank Watt came across a rock shelter that looked out over the Brazos River. After further exploration, they discovered this hole-in the-wall to be a burial site now called the Horn Shelter. Native American Indians had been thought to be the area’s first inhabitants. However, after almost 50 years of excavation, research determined that was not the case.
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The remains found in the burial site were those of a Paleoamerican man and young girl. Paleoamericans are believed to have been small bands of nomadic hunter-gathers who migrated to take advantage of seasonal food supply. Bosque County is home to one of only 13 Paleoamerican burial sites in America to have skeletal remains. While finding the remains was historic and interesting, unearthing the goods that were buried along with the two Paleoamericans has revealed the story of an ancient culture. According to the Horn Shelter Exhibit at the Bosque Museum, the man and young girl could have been of some higher rank or importance in their band due to the fact that they had items buried with them. Both man and child were placed in fetal position next to each other. The man had three turtle shells stacked under his head, one covering his face and one under his left hip. The young girl’s head touched the three shells. With the exception of their heads, their bodies
were covered with 19 limestone slabs to resemble that of a tortoise’s protective shell. Along with the shell, the duo was buried with objects that led historians to believe the man could have been a “healer.” These objects included two antler billets, a three-inch square of fine ocher -- a type of iron ore-- a long slender tool made of deer bone, a flint knife, four pendants made from perforated teeth of a coyote, bird claws from a Swainson’s hawk, 80 small seashell beads, a small bone needle, deer antler shaft and other items. Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution examined the man’s skull and concluded that “Horn Shelter Man” could not be related to American Indians. Researchers estimated the site dated to 11,200 years ago.
“This makes the adult male skeleton found at the Horn Shelter the first known inhabitant of Bosque County,” the Bosque Museum said on its website. While the remains and artifacts have been shipped to be further studied, the Bosque Museum has recreated the shelter and exhibits replicas of the burial goods and the skull of the man and young child. You can also watch a fact-filled video, see the realistic facial statue of the man as well as enjoy the other exhibits the museum has to offer. The Bosque Museum, located at 301 S. Ave. Q in Clifton, is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission rate varying. Find more information at www.bosquemuseum.org.
The excavation site. Photo courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin.
Bosque Museum Horn Shelter exhibit. Photo courtesy of the Bosque Museum.
This facial reconstruction of the Horn Shelter Man was derived from a reproduction of the adult male’s skull. The facial reconstruction was carried out by artist Amanda Danning with consultation by physical anthropologist Dr. Douglas Owsley. The replica of the skull was crafted by physical anthropologist Dr. James Chatters.
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Ghostly inn gets major makeover Story By Harley Brown Photos By Cameron COok
After nearly 42 years of being out of business, the “haunted� Baker Hotel has planned to make a comeback. The stunning 14-story hotel that towers over the heart of Mineral Wells has been a victim to vandalism and trespassing for years due to lack of property management and security. However, thanks to members of the Baker Hotel Renovation Team, that is soon to change.
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In 2007, a group of city officials from Mineral Wells brought George Horne, owner of the Baker Hotel, to Mineral Wells to allow him to see just how much damage the hotel had suffered. After an extensive tour, city leaders proposed an offer to Horne to allow them sole rights to the hotel. After months of negotiation regarding the price, city officials were able to come to
an agreement to purchase the hotel and begin renovations to bring the Baker Hotel back to life. The first two members of the Baker Hotel Renovation Team were Laird Fairchild, a principal with Hunter Chase Capital Partners, and Chad Patton, vice president and financial advisor with Bank of America, Merrill Lynch. Fairchild and Patton allowed the $20
The Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells was the first skyscraper built outside a major metro area. During its heyday, the Baker hosted celebrities such as Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Roy Rogers, Marlene Dietrich and President Lyndon Johnson.
million renovation project to finally be put in motion. “Our vision for the new renovated Baker Hotel is to honor the rich past of the hotel while celebrating a new beginning,” the Baker Hotel Renovation Team stated. Since 2009, Fairchild and Patton were able to add five additional partners to the project. Fairchild and Patton both have real estate experience and were able to come up with a nontraditional method to fund such a large project. Aside from the state and federal funding, the Baker Hotel Renovation Team has looked into the EB-5 Visa Program. The EB-5 program would allow foreigners to invest in a United States project or business and in return receive retention for residency and job creations in the United States. The Baker Hotel, which was initially open from 1929 to 1972, held 450 rooms. The new renovations are scaling that number down to 150, with 20,000 square feet of the hotel designated for meetings and conferences. With the additional space, the hotel is also designed to host up to three weddings at a time. “The goal of the project team is to create a four-star destination spa and convention center,” stated Mineral Wells Mayor Mike Allen.
The hotel lobby, Rose Room, Baker Suite and the Presidential Suite are all planned to be restored to their former grandeur, along with the addition of 11,000 square feet for retail space, a modern spa, health/fitness center and a coffee shop and diner that can seat around 80 people. The total estimated cost of restoration to the hotel is around $55 million. Upon receiving all the necessary funding, the restoration process should take around two years. The rates can be expected to be around $160 a night, expecting around a 70 percent occupancy. Allen believes the reopening of the hotel will draw in guests from all over the U.S. and beyond while also stimulating the growth of business and attractions. “I believe that the eventual renovation and opening of the Baker Hotel will have a wide reaching effect on Mineral Wells and the surrounding areas,” said Allen. “I can already see that just the belief of the citizens of Mineral Wells in the Baker Hotel opening again has given our citizens new hope and an energetic faith in the future of Mineral Wells.”
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The Legacy of “U” Corky Underwood creates quirky art
Photo by Denise Harroff
Story By Kate Murphy
Photo by Sara Gann
Photo courtesy of giantu.com
At the top of Chalk Mountain west of Glen Rose, drivers can glimpse from the road a huge red object jutting high above the trees. It’s a contrast to the cedar-covered limestone hills and an invention of self-styled artist Corky Underwood. Underwood said that some folks have described the big red “U” as a giant magnet to attract aliens. Another person said it was a billboard. Guinness World Records said it has no category for the giant sculpture, a “U” made of military surplus material and painted red, because it is so “colossal.” Underwood constructed the “U” over three months in 2013. It’s so large it is anchored by 75,000 pounds of ballast and stands 40 feet tall, measures 35 feet long and is 8 feet wide. “It is my legacy,” Underwood explained. With no sons and no one to carry on the last name of Underwood, the “U” is a symbol for Underwood himself. Underwood is the operational manager at Rental Equipment Contractor Supply, a heavy equipment rental business in Glen Rose. Wearing a black felt cowboy hat and button-down pink shirt, Underwood explained how he became an inventor. The question is not what has he invented but instead what hasn’t he invented. Not only does Underwood rent out heavy equipment, but he also is the inventor of one of the pieces, called the “Bayonet Breaker.” When a fertilizer plant exploded and decimated the town of West in 2013, Underwood donated one of these machines to the town to help out with the reconstruction after the disaster. The giant “U” isn’t just an object sitting there, “it is art,” Underwood said. He didn’t consider it to be art when he created it, however, until a good friend pronounced it as such. The “frame” on his work of art is the land itself and
the vegetation. Underwood doesn’t just have this one piece of art, though. As you drive into the entrance of his ranch you will see a black metal dinosaur. Inside the ranch is a shrimp boat in his lake, two planes, a jet commander and who knows what else. Underwood considers all of these to be art. He currently is working on two other pieces that he has designed -- “Snake Eyes” and “The Carrot.” Underwood said Snake Eyes is going to be two giant dice with the snake eyes facing the sky. The Carrot is going to be a shipping container with a large carrot shoved through it. “My art medium is ocean shipping containers,” Underwood explained. With roots in Glen Rose, Underwood recalled he came from a broken family and when he was 10 years old he watched many movies to escape from reality. One particular movie that stood out to him was “Godzilla.” A line from the film, “Godzilla never retreats,” stuck with him. At that moment Underwood adopted that saying and made it his own. “I have no reverse,” is his motto. Curious viewers do, however, judging from the number of vehicles that stop when they see the “U” and back up on the highway shoulder to get a better look at it. Underwood has erected a sign describing the “U.” But he leaves its meaning up to the individual viewer. Inside is another surprise – Underwood placed a time capsule there. But he said he hopes the “U” is never torn down, but remains on top of the mountain, striking wonder in those who see it like a Godzilla of imagination and art.
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Spin Doctor Comanche’s “Windmill Man,” Cliff Conway, has weathered winds of change in his business Story By Chance Bragg Photo By Justin Pack
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liff Conway makes his living off the wind – or, to be more specific, the machines that harvest windpower. Working out of a shop that Conway built himself in July 1977, the 59-year-old has been selling, repairing and servicing windmills for 31 years. One look around the shop that sits on the southside of U.S. Highway 377 shows the passion that Conway has for his profession. The grounds are neatly organized with blades, towers and heads of old windmills that he is working on and sells. Even with advancements in today’s technology, Conway has managed to hang his hat on these water-producing predecessors to the super-sized windmill turbines of today. The green energy market has been in a constant state of growth since the 1990s. Texas is home to six of the top 10 largest wind farms in America, so it was only a matter of time until they made their way into Central Texas. Comanche County was selected as the site of the new Logan’s Gap Wind Farm because of the wind patterns and its strategic location in the power grid that will transport the electrical power. The wind farm’s construction will take eight to 12 months and 200 to 300 workers to complete. The construction phase of the project will create an estimated $70 million boost to the local economy. The farm would produce enough energy to power 60,000 American households. Pattern Energy has already contracted with Walmart, which will purchase almost 60 percent of the energy produced by the farm for the next 10 years. But not everyone is so eager to see this project take root so close to home. Opponents of the project say that they are troubled by citizens’ lack of knowledge about the project. A coalition from Brown County called “Won’t Feel Like Home Any More” said they are afraid that the construction project may eventually enter their county. They voice concerns over the ecological impact and they believe it will negatively affect the land value of surrounding properties. “I guess if I wasn’t getting anything out of it and it
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was right out my front door I might be aggravated,” Conway joked. “There’s a Brown County group trying to stop this one, they’re just complaining, they don’t have a leg to stand on. This thing here is going to be a long-term thing, it will be a good deal. There will come a time instead of having to raise taxes every year, there will come a time where they won’t have to.” Conway said the big wind turbines fascinate him because of their size. But he loves to work on old windmills, too. He spins a 10-foot Aermotor head that he has mounted outside his shop. Conway got into the windmill business through his mother’s cousin Elmer Dee Wilson, who showed him how to work on windmills. He now rebuilds around 20 windmills a year and is a walking guide to everything windmill. He said on average he sells five to 10 new windmills a year. The windmill business gives him just enough work to keep him occupied without getting too snowed under, he added. Conway performs 90 percent of his work by himself. The white-haired man demonstrates his agility as he ascends the ladder of the windmill towers. He assembles, moves and salvages windmills with the help of his white Ford F-250 pickup. Conway explained that his truck has been with him the whole time he has been in the windmill business. He hand-built carts made from car axles so that he can shuffle windmill towers around the shop grounds with ease. This is just another way he has adapted his skill of welding to help him in his windmill business. Most of the windmills that Conway sells are for
providing water to livestock. He also sells spare parts of the windmills as antiques or wall decorations. People like to hang the wheels or tails of the windmills up as a rustic decoration. Conway noted that the more rust the better and that people also like to see bullet holes in old tails. He recalled one windmill that was used for a whole different reason than harnessing wind. A customer approached him and said that her father suffered from Alzheimer’s. She explained that every time they were traveling by a particular windmill, he would ask to stop and watch the windmill spin. She asked if Conway would build one in her backyard so that her father could sit on the back porch and have the similar enjoyment at home. He shortened the tower of the windmill and installed a water pump to simulate the windmill pump-
ing water into a trough. “That little windmill was the best baby-sitter she said they had ever found. Four or five hours a day he would sit there and watch it,” Conway said. “It totally soothed him and eased his mind.” Conway, who is not showing near the wear and tear that some of his windmills do, now ponders who will take over his profession after he is done. “I’m hoping to find somebody to do this when I’m gone,” he said. “It’s a niche and a dying art; there’s not too many people doing it. “There is always going to be a need for a windmill no matter what happens.” Conway concluded. “It’s just something that people like.”
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H2O For Hood How low can it go?
Story By Ashley Ford Photos By Justin Pack
A buoy indicating a swimming area lies beached near a public dock.
Locals and tourists of Granbury thrive off the lake as it not only is used for recreation, but also brings in new residents, tourism and business. Water from the lake is diverted for municipal use and for steam-electric cooling, benefiting the city. Usually, Lake Granbury is filled with boats, fishermen, Jet Skis and other water sports. But unfortunately, the lake took a turn for the worst, dropping significantly putting businesses out of work and leaving residents upset. The lake level has fluctuated through the past three years and over time the community has begun accepting this loss and adapting to the lower lake levels. According to Texas water data, in September 2014 the lake was 61 percent full. Three months later, the lake had dropped 8.5 percent. The Granbury area suffers from exceptional drought but only three inches of rain is needed to ease the severe drought conditions, according to the Brazos River Authority. Lake Granbury was not built with tax dollars but was financed entirely with revenues from the sale of water. The principal revenues used to finance the project were and continue to be from Luminant, operator of the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in nearby Glen Rose, for steam-electric cooling. Members of Save Lake Granbury say they find this interesting because “the people who manage
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and control the water depend on the sale of water they are supposed to protect.” The Brazos River Authority raised eyebrows in Granbury when it presented Permit #5851 in 2013. This permit would authorize the BRA to divert water from the Brazos River and its tributaries – more than 1 million acrefeet a year. An estimated 421,449 acre-feet of that amount is known as “firm water,” and up to 670,000 acre-feet/year is “interruptible water.” Firm water is the amount necessary to fully supply an area with water during a repeat of the most severe drought on record. Interruptible water is available for sale a specific time. This water is available based on the amount of water in reservoir storage. The questions raised by concerned residents and Save Lake Granbury are why would the BRA want to take all that firm water and interruptible water, and for what purpose? And how is Granbury supposed to deal with it? Lower lake levels affect businesses on and off the lake. The people who only came to stay two months out of the year no longer come because there is not much of a lake anymore. Tanner Taft, owner of Stumpy’s Lakeside Grill, holds a more optimistic view, and focuses on how his business can adapt to the water changes and still obtain the restaurant’s and store’s value. Taft said they do not need water to operate, but when there is water, they are so much busier. “For the longest time all the customers would talk
about was how low the lake is,” he said. Recently, though, Taft has noticed higher spirits and how people are beginning to accept the lower lake level and are a little more used to it. Instead of reminiscing on the good ol’ days of occupied docks and strong sales, Taft devised a plan to not allow his business to sink into what’s left of the lake., Stumpy’s not only is a shopping and dining spot, but also has had a gas pump for boats. That helped bring in additional service one family at a time. “Now, the gas pump can go a year without seeing a single boat,” Taft said Stumpy’s also had a Sea-Doo dealership and service department. This brought in higher dollars and more attraction for the business. Stumpy’s can also house more than 60 boats at its docks, but only 20 of the docks have been accessible for the past three years. Stumpy’s last really good year was 2012, Taft said; after then, its sales dropped 30 percent. Sales have gotten better since then but still have not met the 2012 mark, he added. Taft’s plan included getting rid of the Sea-Doo dealership, cutting labor and combining the store and restaurant. Not only was the labor cut in the dealership and service shop, but also from inside the gift shop and restaurant. “This allows me to run a tighter ship,” Taft said. He also knocked down the wall that separated the gift shop from the restaurant, creating a clear path connecting the two. By demolishing the wall and moving the register to the front, Taft said, sales increased 50 to 60 percent. Even though Taft believes the lake will come back, he added it would be a matter of months before it went back down again. “We are 100 percent efficient, just not at our full potential,” he said. With Taft focusing on the next step, he said he does not blame anyone, including the BRA, for the lake level. Drought, evaporation and how the community uses the water all affect the lake. “We are adapting so we do not have to rely on the lake,” he said. Taft believes people are still going to come to Granbury. Maybe fewer of them will come for the lake, but the city still offers shopping, dining and attractions, Taft pointed out. “The way Granbury is evolving is not in hope for the lake to come back; they know this area is growing,” he said. “People from the DFW area will come to Granbury no matter what level the lake is at.” “For Sale” signs are a common sight on lakefront properties where boat docks now hang high above the water. Many property owners are upset that they are paying higher taxes for lake access, but don’t have much of a lake anymore. That has caused their property values to fall. Some residents cannot sell their homes for what they paid for them. Dave McKenna, a four-year resident, said what drew him to his property was that his family could be on the lake in 10 minutes from their dinner table. “I would go out
there on my dock, have my satellite radio set up, listen to baseball games, lay in my hammock and watch the boats go by,” McKenna said. “It was a really neat place to go spend time.” He added: “Once I figured out how to drive a boat, I fell in love with it and the kids liked it. We got to hang out with the kids and their friends hours at a time. A good family thing.” McKenna calls himself “spoiled” by having a dock in his backyard. Now with the water so low, it’s nearly impossible for any of the residents to use their docks. His wife, Kristina McKenna, added, “We are still sour, I regret now that we have a house on the lake instead a house with a pool because now the kids have nothing.” One problem they ran into is they can’t sell the house for what they bought it for. “I’m pretty sure its value has dropped 10 to 15 percent,” McKenna said. Even though the McKennas are not looking to move, they are not getting the full use of the property. “In the little bit I’ve read in the paper, the attitude of the BRA is that it’s their lake, they built it, they own the water, they are appointed by the governor to do what they see fit with the water, so that’s what they’re are doing,” McKenna said. “The lake was built by the BRA for use in the state of Texas, not to be used recreationally.” “I’d like to see the water rise some and reach some level of equilibrium to where we could adjust our dock then we could start to use it again,” Kristina. McKenna added, “but honestly with all the stumps in the lake it’s scary. You really need a lot of water in this thing to work.” The McKennas plan to stay in Granbury even though they are only left with a view of the lake. “Granbury turned out fine, the kids did great in high school and who knows, the lake might come back,” McKenna said. Things are growing in Granbury even though the lake isn’t.”
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Adam Eyres (pictured above) plans to take a group of the oryx back to their native Chad this summer. Photo courtesy of Fossil Rim.
Saving the Scimitars Once near extinction, Scimitar-Horned Oryx are getting a second chance thanks to Fossil Rim conservation. By Azia Branson
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oated in dust with half a day’s work behind him, Adam Eyres welcomed me to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center west of Glen Rose. As Fossil Rim’s hoofstock curator, he is in charge of animals with hooves. Within the last 10 years he has been working especially close with magnificent creatures crowned with horns that curve from their ears to their backs -- the Scimitar-Horned Oryx. We hopped in his truck and Eyres took me on the scenic route to see the “Scimitars,” as he called them. These oryx went extinct in the wild about 15 years ago, but they have been doing just fine at Fossil Rim. The Scimitars are native to Chad, Africa, but have been present at Fossil Rim since 1985. Currently, 25 Scimitars call Fossil Rim their home, but over the last 20 or 30 years the wildlife conservation center has bred over 100. For the first time, Fossil Rim this year will send some of its Scimitars back to Africa to reintroduce them to their native habitat. There will be a few stops along the way. “In Abu Dhabi they are building what they are calling the ‘World Herd,’” Eyres said. “They already have a lot of Scimitars in Abu Dhabi, now they’re trying to bring in animals from the United States and Europe to enhance their gene pool. From that herd they will select animals to go to Chad.” The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, or EAD, has been working with the Sahara Conservation Fund, the government of Chad and other organizations to get ready for the reintroduction of Scimitars into Chad. Eyres has been working closely with the Sahara Conservation Fund and the EAD to help with the efforts through his work and knowledge of the Scimitars at Fossil Rim. He has worked at Fossil Rim since 1989 and has been involved in the Sahara Conservation Fund since its founding. “This is a big project,” Eyres explained. “We’re going to have up to 500 animals released over the five-year period.” The organizations plan to bring Scimitars back into the wild in Chad 25 to 50 at a time, with the hope of taking two shipments
a year. Eyres has traveled to Chad twice and Abu Dhabi three times in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He said he is very excited and hopeful about the reintroduction effort and thinks it’s very important for others to be excited as well, especially those who are familiar with the Scimitars. “The older residents of Chad remember Scimitars and this is why timing is so critical because these are the guys who need to help make this happen,” he said. “In another 10 or 20 years no one will have known Scimitars in the wild, so it won’t be as important to them. They won’t think, ‘Oh yeah, we miss that.’” In the United States and Texas specifically, hunting has become a way to conserve the animal, unlike in their natural habitat of Chad where overhunting and civil unrest led to their extinction. Some ranches are very good at taking exotic animals, breeding them and making sure that the people who want to hunt them are hunting the correct ones. In January 2012, the CBS news program “60 Minutes” aired an episode about the Scimitars and conservation efforts and interviewed Fossil Rim Executive Director Pat Condy. He explained how exotic game ranches and the trophy-hunting business in Texas have helped save the Scimitars, as well as many other exotic animals. With reintroducing these animals into their natural habitat, what will it take to stop them from going extinct in the wild again? “That’s the big unknown,” Eyres said. “They went extinct because they were all killed by man. For these guys, the habitat is still good, the habitat is great. Their problem was, where they lived, was pretty human free until there was civil war around Chad and Libya, and you ended up with a bunch of soldiers and refugees and just people out where there wouldn’t normally be people and those people needed to eat, they needed to survive and the Scimitars lost.” The EAD funding makes this project interesting because they will be able to monitor the animals very closely. The animals will wear different GPS collars and staff visiting the reserve can check in on the animals.
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Although this is not the first time a reintroduction has taken place, if this project is successful, there is an opportunity to continue these efforts with other extinct exotic animals, or at least have a lot of new research to work with. Eyres will be traveling to Africa once again in October 2015. He hopes to fly to Abu Dhabi and help fly the Scimitars to Chad. He then hopes to be a part of the “sending out” process and plans to stay there for a week or two to watch the habituation. Eyres said he doesn’t think the reintroduction will be that shocking to the animals. “I don’t think they’ve domesticated, but it will be a little bit interesting to see because they will have to figure out where to go for food and where to go for water,” Eyres said. It’s amazing to watch these animals travel so effortlessly while never separating from one another. The Scimitars move around as a herd; the only time they are not all together is when a mother is with her newborn baby. The moms usually tuck their babies for a few weeks before bringing them out to the rest of the herd. Another unique thing about the personality of the herds is that the male Scimitars do not get along well so Fossil Rim does not keep two adult males on their land at one time. Once the males grow up, they find ranches or people interested in helping the conservation of the animals
to give them to. When sending the Scimitars back into Chad, they hope to send out one male with a group of five to 10 females, then wait and send out another group the same way. Cruising around Fossil Rim and chatting about Scimitars, Eyres told me about his relationship with them. “It’s funny—I’ve worked with animals all of my professional career and there are those who think animals should have value based on what we think is valuable,” Eyres said. “You know tiger bone has some quality, rhino horn has some quality…if the animal doesn’t have some quality to us, why should we save it? I have always been of the intrinsic value of that they’re here, they’re cool, what gives us the right to drive them to extinction??” Eyres continued: “The thing, not necessarily a good thing, but the thing that makes them stand out [is], here’s a large mega-vertebrate that went extinct in our lifetime, that’s saying something—when we can stand by and say, wow, did anyone even notice? All of a sudden there aren’t any and we don’t notice for 10 years. So that is one of the things that really makes you think—what’s next? Could you imagine waking up one day and there being no white-tail deer?” No, and I can’t imagine living in a world without the magnificent Scimitar-Horned Oryx, either.
Scimitar-Horned Oryx have done well in captivity, but have been extinct in the wild. Photos courtesy of Fossil Rim.
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About Scimitar-Horned Oryx Scientific Name Oryx dammah Status Extinct in the wild Habitat Semi-desert habitat transition area of Sahara between true desert (Sahara) & the savanna (Sahel) woodland zones Predators Man, lion, leopard, hyena, hunting dogs
Food Grasses, acacia pods, shrubs, succulent bulbs, wild melons, cucumbers, tubers, fruits & leaves
Gestation Period 8 months Offspring 1 calf Birth Season
Originally Native To Northern Africa Characteristics Antelope with long curving horns to 36 inches on both sexes
March-October Lifespan Wild: ? Captivity: 20 years Social Behavior Nomadic herds 10-30 females and young led by a dominant male
SOURCE: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
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Bluebells are among the wildflowers found at the new Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. Photos courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
A view of the rugged landscape.
The ruins of a stone oven.
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Take a hike – or kayak or bike -at Texas’ newest state park
Kayaking, camping and hiking are just some of the activities that visitors can expect when the new Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, the 56th state park for Texas, opens in a few years. The property was acquired in 2011 after the sale of Eagle Mountain Lake State Park in Fort Worth. The new state park will be located in southeast Stephens and southwest Palo Pinto counties just north of Interstate 20. The city of Strawn will be used as the gateway location into the park, which covers over 4,000 acres. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department last year approved to accept a donation of the Palo Pinto County tracts that make up 120 acres surrounding Lake Tucker, which was built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. This Story By Jennifer Cunningham gives the park access to the nearby lake, although the city of Strawn will still oversee the dam and spillway structure. A lot goes into planning a new state park and Palo Pinto Mountains is still in the early planning stage. The first thing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had to consider when deciding what to do with this new park and land was to find out whether there was a need for it. Park officials started by figuring out what 8.8 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex might want and to see how best to accommodate them. “It’s a nice size park, and it is only six miles off of an interstate highway,” noted John Ferguson, the park’s superintendent. “This park is a great representative of the Cross Timbers area, and the park offers a great variety.” Activities that the park plans to offer include equestrian trails, hiking, nature trails, mountain biking trails and birding. The park will have 90 acres of the lake and plans to offer canoeing, kayaking and fishing. As Ferguson said, “There is something for almost every park user.” He added the most significant finding from public comments was that there would not be a strong need for primitive tent sites, but that more RV and cabin sites were desired. The park has been soliciting public comments on its Facebook page and during public use meetings. The park has a tentative opening date of 2018. Planners are waiting to hear if the 2015 Texas Legislature grants the money needed to start construction. Ferguson said surveys currently are underway on the park property, including botanical, archeological and mammal studies. The goal of the surveys is to make sure park construction would not hurt any endangered plants, mammals or historical sites like Indian graveyards. This will include checking the equestrian trails to make sure no fecal matter will run into the water. Ferguson added that the new park likely will bring some new jobs to the area. “I anticipate a dozen jobs for the park,” he said, including at least 10 full-time employees when the park is completed. The new park also is expected to boost tourism in Strawn. Last year public meetings about the park were held in Strawn. One attendee, Tricia Hopkins, commented on the park’s Facebook page that it was “a good meeting… hope you stick to the plan for minimum bldg. and leave nature to be enjoyed!” Those are the plans. As the City of Strawn posted on its park website, “We have the property, it is protected and it is not going away. And someday we will have the money to develop it.” Right now the park is open to groups upon request with Ferguson at 254-210-3015. The park has already offered multiple group events to nearby communities and plans to offer special events until the property is open to the public. For updates on future events and the park’s progress, visit the Facebook page, “Palo Pinto Mountains State Park.”
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From Farm to Table By Wendy Rape A new trend has been gaining in popularity where people have started embracing the small farm again. Consumers are becoming more interested in knowing where their food comes from, how it is produced and buying it at its freshest. Food such as produce can travel for several days on a truck before it ever reaches the store shelves. Because of this, produce has to be picked before it’s ready where it will then ripen in shipment instead of on the vine. Many consumers and farmers also are focusing on more sustainable, healthier farming practices.
The farm-to-table movement “encourages people to swap over-processed, modified foods for local, natural and unaltered produce, dairy and meats,� according to greenliving.about.com. The movement is about getting back to the way it used to be when everyone had their own gardens or purchased vegetables from the local farmer and bought eggs from the neighbor down the road. When I was growing up this is the way we lived. My dad is a farmer and we raised our own beef. We always had a garden and my grandmother raised chickens and sold her eggs to people in the community.
Photo by Ariel Hall
Photo by Sara Honeycutt
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Smile and Say ‘Cheese’
One of the local dairy farms in this area trying to make such a difference is Veldhuizen Cheese owned by Stuart and Connie Veldhuizen and located near Dublin. They and their seven children have all worked in the business at one time or another. The farm consists of 180 acres where they raise Jersey and Guernsey cows that graze in the open pastures. The dairy uses sustainable practices by not putting chemicals on the land or using any antibiotics or hormones on the cattle. The Veldhuizens moved to Texas from Minnesota in 1990 and ran a commercial dairy, but they soon realized they wanted to do something a little different. After a short break from the dairy industry, they came up with the idea of selling cheese and raw milk, which is milk in a natural state and not pasteurized. In 2002 they opened to the public where they also sell yogurt and ground beef. The dairy and store today is a full-time business. “When we started it was so different that I don’t know if anybody thought we would survive doing this,” Connie said. She added that she feels that the community embraces and supports their business. “We have our local customers that come in weekly for milk and whatever else, and we have people who are traveling who come to visit us from the Metroplex or Abilene or Brownwood or all over,” she explained. “We make a product they enjoy and they come and tell us they enjoy it.” Some of their products end up in local restaurants such as Rough Creek Lodge outside Glen Rose that uses their cheeses and “Let’s Eat” in Bluff Dale, which uses their cream in some of the dishes. They also sell some of their products to some higher-end restaurants in Dallas and Austin. The Veldhuizens were asked to participate a farmto-table event where a meal prepared with all local foods is served on a large farm table full of people. Their cheeses were served at the event, one of which was in Dallas and the other in Austin. “We would love to do a farm-to- table dinner around here soon…one out here at the farm, right here,” Connie said. People who make an effort to come and buy their products are “more committed to a healthier lifestyle,” she added. “They want their food in as a natural state as possible with less processing. Even though they have to go out of their way, they are more willing to do that and to pay a little extra. I wish there were more places like ours.”
Veldhuizen Cheese raises its own dairy cattle and ages its cheeses in a “cheese cave.” Photos by Sara Honeycutt
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Ripe for a Change Mark and Sherri Littlejohn, owners of Littlejohn Produce, have been providing Stephenville and the surrounding communities with fresh homegrown produce and beef for over 15 years. They are well known for their watermelon and cantaloupe, but especially their tomatoes. Before the Littlejohns ever decided to open a farmers market they were commercially growing watermelons and cantaloupes in Gustine and selling to businesses all across the United States. They had a market at their farm for a short time until one day Sherri had an idea. She grew up in Stephenville and said to Mark, “You know, Stephenville doesn’t have anything produce-wise.” She was a hairdresser at the time and sold her beauty shop to open the farmers market in Stephenville. The Littlejohns first opened across from Jake and Dorothy’s Café and then moved to their current location on Lingleville Road. They only planned to be a seasonal farmers market but now they are open year round. They grow and sell all their own produce without pesticides or insecticides and raise their own beef that they also sell at the market. They also sell garden flowers, pecans, watermelons, canta-
Photo by Ansley Bartley
loupe, okra, squash, onions, cucumbers, black-eyed peas, green beans, onions and other items. “Our tomatoes are probably our No. 1 seller as far as produce,” Sherri said. “I have people who come in here and that is all they are coming in here for.” One year when they were all out of their fresh tomatoes, Mark gave everyone a voucher for two pounds of fresh tomatoes and those customers did come back and redeem the vouchers for fresh tomatoes. Every Wednesday and Saturday in the summer, you will find Sherri at the local Glen Rose farmers market on the square selling her fresh watermelons and cantaloupe. She loads up her big pickup overflowing with melons. “I go and drop down the tailgate and everybody is in a panic because they think all the watermelons are going to fall out, but I’ve gotten that down to an art,” she said. People often will be waiting on her and she usually sells completely out by the end of the day. “I laugh and I grin when I talk about it because those people over there in Glen Rose are just precious and wonderful,” Sherri said. Owning a local business in the Stephenville community also has been “wonderful,” Sherri said, with many loyal local customers.
Photo by Kelsey Poynor
Photo by Victoria O’Neal
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Arison Farms raises its flock of chickens without chemicals and uses sustainable practices. Liza Grace (right) checks out the chicken coop. Photos by Wendy Rape
A Chicken and Egg Situation Another local farm is Arison Farms in Granbury run by owners Aaron and Allison Arison. They raise non-soy, non-GMO (genetically modified) eggs. Aaron works as an X-ray technician and Allison works as a nurse. They find time to raise their daughter Liza Grace as well as tend to their flock of over 200 chickens. Their farm sits on eight acres on the outskirts of Granbury. Aaron and Allison were both raised in Arlington and did not know much about farming before they decided to make the move to the country. They said they both loved the outdoors and when they began gardening, Allison decided that “we wanted to eat better and have a more sustainable way of life.”
When they started out four years ago, though, they almost quit. The couple had invested $500 to purchase 25 chickens, built a chicken coop and fence, only to come home one evening and find all but eight of the chickens missing. “If we didn’t already have the chicken coop and the fence built, we probably would have just given up” Allison said. They decided to re-invest and buy more chickens and now they are really glad that they did. Arison Farms does not use chemicals and tries to use sustainable practices, as well as rotating the chickens around the farm to fertilize the grass and soil. They currently sell their eggs to a few locals but they mainly sell to a co-op in Arlington as well as to farmers markets. In the fall, Arison Farms offers a pumpkin patch where people can come out and pick their own pumpkin from the patch. They said they had a really good turnout last year and hope
to have another batch of pumpkins come this fall. In the Cross Timbers area, many towns have farmers markets where locals can sell their vegetables, fruit, honey and other items. In Glen Rose, for example, the western side of the courthouse square is reserved for farmers. On weekends they regularly set up and offer fresh peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, onions and whatever is in season. Local farms are on the rise and the benefits outweigh paying the higher prices for food, at least for some consumers. It may not be something people can pay for every week but it does do a lot of good in many ways. It helps boost the local economy, it offers a fresh alternative to grocery stores and brings awareness of where our food actually comes from and how it is produced – naturally.
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Riverhouse Grill: A Family Devoted to Food Story and Photos by Ashley Ford As you walk up the wooden steps into the two-story white Victorian house, you’re greeted at the screen door with a smile. Families and couples chatter in the dining room as you wait to be seated. The elegant and soft lighting create a homey feel. It’s a nice night and you and your date are seated upstairs on the screened-in balcony. Welcome to the Riverhouse Grill located blocks from downtown Glen Rose. Outside it looks like a private home, but inside the dining rooms are filled with tables where patrons can enjoy food prepared by owner and Chef Milan Jr. Olejnik. The house was shipped and put together in 1903
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for banker C.A. Milam, his wife and baby daughter. Milam often went out of town for business. During that time there were two living quarters outside that housed the butler and maid who helped take care of the house and family while the husband was away. Now, two concrete slabs remain where the housing quarters once stood. Olejnik hopes to create a parking lot where the slabs are. One day while the husband was out of town, a tornado swept down the street, killing the wife and daughter, who was found in the Paluxy River not far from the house. After the tornado hit, the street gained the nickname Cyclone Alley. After the destruction, Milam rebuilt the house. These days, as you walk up to the house from the street, the name “MILAM” is engraved into the cement. Since Olejnik’s family bought the house six years ago, they have done minimal renovations and focused more on painting and decorating. Recent remodel to the back of the house has taken place to expand the kitchen. Even though they have expanded the kitchen, “it’s a tight fit,” Milan Jr. said, especially “when you’ve got knifes and hot stuff and constantly saying, “behind you, behind you!’ If you want a knife in the back, then don’t say anything at all.” The Olejniks kept the original windows with ripples in the glass. The house was purchased and the restaurant originally run by Milan’s father, Milan Olejnik Sr., a man very familiar with the hospitality industry and five-star cuisine. Moving to the United States from Czechoslovakia, Milan Sr. worked for many restaurants and hotels, including Rough Creek Lodge nearby. Milan Jr. said his father “does it because he cares and he doesn’t want to let people down; he’s from the old school where people go above and beyond.” When Riverhouse Grill opened, it was designed to be family owned and operated, “It’s nice because it’s the same person greeting you and cooking for you,” Milan Jr. added. His fiancee, Kelli Peebles, said, “When people are coming in we want to show them that we really appreciate them. We want them to feel very welcomed when they walk through the door and that they are our guests, that’s is how we train our servers too. When we see people walking up, we want to try and hold the door for them, or if there is a lady we pull her seat out and try to serve the lady first.” Recently, the house has been left in the hands of Milan Jr. as owner and head chef and Peebles, as manager of the front of the house. Even though Milan Sr. is not around as often, his son is able to continue his father’s vision of the restaurant. His mother, Mary, also contributes her personal
touch by decorating the tall artificial tree in the main dining room according to the season. When walking in the house, you’ll notice the two main dining areas where guests are usually seated. If there is a slight overflow or if guests want something more intimate, they can sit in a smaller room located in the back of the house. This is known as the “Wine Room” due to its wine bar. Some nights the Wine Room is used as a waiting area so guests can enjoy a glass of wine while they wait. On busier nights the whole house is open instead of just the first floor. Upstairs you will find four rooms, including the upstairs screened-in balcony. The Red Room, named after its red walls, seats six to eight people. This room looks more like a traditional dining room rather than a room with multiple tables. The screened-in balcony seats up to 30 people. Sunlight beams through the surrounding windows, making it a pleasant spot for Sunday brunch. Also, upstairs is the Cowboy Room that is named for its Western theme and is decorated with brass, brown tones, stars, and mounted longhorns. This room sits up to 20 people. The fourth dining area, the Bird Room, decorated with the stuffed birds, seats six to eight people. When Milan Jr. took over as owner a year ago he moved to the back of the house as head chef. He stepped into the kitchen with no experience behind him, not even from his own kitchen at home. Even though he may not call himself a chef, he has racked up the hours critiquing recipes, researching and experimenting. “I did a ton of research, I’d pick a few and would try it out. And once I feel confident I’d put it on the menu. Sometimes, though, a call home to mom also is necessary” said Milan Jr.
Riverhouse Grill purchases meats, fresh salmon, fresh fruits and vegetables weekly. “We do get a lot of fruits and vegetables locally and we also have an herb garden behind the house where we grow rosemary, mint, basil, and cilantro,” he said. If a sauce won’t come together or something has not been consistent, Milan Jr. won’t serve it. “I always wants to be able to provide my best work to my guests,” Milan Jr. added. With a limited menu of four entrée items for lunch and five entrée items for dinner, the focus is on quality rather than quantity. The menu also offers appetizers, salads and a handful of homemade desserts. Riverhouse Grill also has a kid’s menu. On busier days, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter, a special menu is available. With five-star food and a beautiful setting, casual attire also is surprisingly acceptable. As Kelli said, “Come in your flip flops, be comfortable. We welcome whoever the guests are. Our house is your house.” Riverhouse Grill is located at 210 SW Barnard St. in Glen Rose, Texas. Feel free to dine in Wednesday through Saturday 11-2 for lunch and 5-9 for dinner, also, Sunday brunch is available 11-2pm. Walk ins are welcome but for that guaranteed seat call (254) 898-8514. The best time to dine is during the spring and summer so guests can soak in the full experience of enjoying sunny skies on the wrap-around porch while treating themselves to entrees such as pork chops served with a Jack Daniels glaze. Guests may want to make reservations for that guaranteed spot, but they are not necessary.
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Photos courtesy of Rough Creek Lodge
Refined Dining at Rough Creek By Ashley Ford Rough Creek Lodge and Resort is a place where you can get away while still feeling close to home. Not only is Rough Creek Lodge an ideal vacation spot, but also a setting for conference meetings, team building, weddings, hunting birds to big game, family activities, spa time and gourmet dining. Chef Gerard Thompson, a nationally known chef, received glowing reviews by Zagat Survey, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and Food & Wine magazines, and recently was awarded a perfect score from the North American Restaurant Association. Thompson, who born in New Jersey, did not envision himself as an executive chef of white tablecloth dining as he grew up mostly on TV dinners. Eventually, Thompson’s family made their way to Texas while he attended high school in San Antonio. During his adolescent years, Thompson’s part-time job of washing dishes at a restaurant redirected his interests. It was not the scrubbing of plate after plate, but what happened behind the scenes of the kitchen that caught his eye. Soon, the kitchen manager noticed his interest and began feeding him small tasks. Thompson was promoted to food prep. Two years later, during his senior year of high school, he was finally cooking. Thompson continued to cook part-time while attending the University of San Antonio, but found college a bore. Instead, he enrolled in the cooking
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program at St. Phillips Community College. That was “before cooking was fashionable,” Thompson added. Thompson said working at the Crockett Hotel in San Antonio as an apprentice was another eye-opening experience. “The chef there was really great when teaching me how to create nice dishes, how to break down animals, and encouraged me to eat out and try more cuisines so I could learn different tastes of other chefs,” Thompson recalled. “There really is no secret, it’s all been done before, it’s just a matter of doing it a different way.” Thompson found work all over the United States and even Puerto Rico cooking for hotels and resorts. During his career, he searched for more challenging jobs and landed his first executive chef position in California at a small resort. He and his wife at the time wanted to live in a more conservative area to raise their son, so the family moved to Texas. Rough Creek was not even built yet, but Thompson interviewed and was hired as executive chef and director of food and beverage. When creating the dining side of the resort, Thompson had envisioned white tablecloth, five-star dining, regiment service and upscale cuisine. When Rough Creek had first opened it was mainly used for conferences and hunting, but now the resort also attracts guests seeking leisure and family fun. The menu changes daily because on any given day Rough Creek might host conferences as well as leisure guests. “So for those conferences, those guys are not here to dine, they are good with a hot ham three-cheese sandwich,” Thompson said. “Then, you’ve got mom and three kids and they want something along the same lines, but then you also
have the couple celebrating their anniversary and they want roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. So we have to change the menu to relate to each market segment.” The chef also keeps in mind that repeat guests and current guests are eating there day after day and rotates the menu, which isn’t large. “We do about five appetizers and five or six entrees and three desserts, “ Thompson said. “It’s the only way you can keep everything fresh. If we had a huge menu then we would be throwing away a bunch of food every day.” Rough Creek’s food has been described as “rustic American.” What that really means, Thompson said, is “we are buying the freshest American products. We very seldom ever sell a fish that is imported. We buy everything from the United States. Like this weekend we bought shrimp from Hawaii, we had Hawaiian tuna, Maine sea scallops and earlier we had Great Lakes white fish. All our meat comes from Chicago, Linz’s meats, and we work with some local growers and people that sells us eggs. “ Lately, guests are really into comfort foods so Thompson will take a dish such as mac and cheese and put his spin on it. Thompson will do a goat cheese pancetta mac and cheese, or instead with blue cheese and bacon, or with shrimp, goat cheese and roasted tomatoes. The chef also works with game. “We do get South Texas antelope on occasion and wild boar, but we don’t get too crazy, nothing like bear!” Thompson said. He also likes to eat healthy so he tends to cook that way. “I don’t use a lot of butters and creams and oil and stuff, so I don’t want to do that to my guests,” he explained. The major influence in the kitchen when setting the menu is the season. The restaurant will buy what’s fresh
and seasonal in meat and produce. As Thompson put it, “What grows together goes together.” The staff will sit down and see what all they have to work with and then create the menu. In the kitchen, they do everything themselves. “The kids that want to learn how to cook love to work here,” Thompson said. “We do a lot that most places don’t. We buy a whole fish and teach them how to gut the fish, clean the fish, scale the fish, skin the fish, filet the fish… we teach them everything.” Everything is made from scratch in the Rough Creek kitchen, from potato chips to hummus to soups, sauces and ice cream. “We make our own bread, and I tell the bakers to put a little bit of love in it,” Thompson said. The chef is by the cooks’ sides coordinating, orchestrating and assisting when needed. “I always say if the people care about what they’re cooking and the people they are cooking for, it’s always going to taste and look good.” Thompson will sometimes go around the dining room introducing himself to guests, mingling or asking guests for opinion about the food. Contact with the guests is very important to Thompson to give them a more personable feel and respect. Also, guests’ comments about the service and food are sent straight to Thompson’s phone to get feedback or so he can respond to a guest himself. Service is as important to Rough Creek as the food. “The taste of the roast is only as good as the hand shake of the host,” as Thompson said. “Guest recognition is what separates us from other chain restaurants and resorts” In his almost 18 years at Rough Creek, Chef Thompson has created his best work of his career. The combination of brilliantly configured dishes and service keeps guests in awe and coming back for more.
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Sweet gems of rock candy glitter in jars.
Hamilton’s Best Kept Secret Story By Morgan Little Photos By Shelby Clayton
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What started as a small roadside produce stand in 1961 has evolved into a must-see family friendly “mini mall” for anyone traveling along U.S. Highway 281 three miles north of Hamilton -- the Dutchman’s Hidden Valley Country Store. The Dutchman’s has been in the Wenzel family for the past several decades. Ronny Wenzel, who operates a bison ranch nearby, was the previous owner. Now it’s owned by Kara and Dan Chorenziak, Wenzel’s daughter and son-in-law. Inside, you can meander through 10 rooms brimming with merchandise from homemade chocolate to fashionable jewelry to a large selection of bread, cheese, jerky and much, much more. A smiling face awaits customers behind a glass case loaded down with homemade chocolates. To the right is a wall of salt water taffy spilling over into barrels on the floor. To left are a series of displays with greeting cards, fun gadgets like extendable fly swatters and mood rings, scarfs, jewelry and clothes, with some tea sets and chess sets scattered in between. This leads you to the back of the room sprinkled with an assortment of baby gifts. Here you begin to smell an array of scents that lead you to shelves of candles and on into a room full of dining room sets, dressers and a garden tree swing hanging from the wall. You can circle around to a back room where two long steel table tops are covered with whatever candy is being made
Bottles of gourmet dressings, sauces and jams line the shelves at Dutchman’s. Below, the mind-boggling variety of old-fashioned salt water taffy tempts those with a sweet tooth.
at the time and walls lined with bags of homemade hard candy, peanut brittle and chocolate-covered pretzels. The smell of fresh-out-of-the-oven homemade bread rests on tables to cool beckons customers. They step up to the counter and order from a large selection of sausages and cheese. A deli offers a wide selection of bison and elk products. The Chorenziaks have owned the Dutchman for about 14 years and started to sell bison when the demand increased, buying their supply from Wenzel. Their products are free of any antibiotics and growth hormones and range from ground meat to steaks. Customers include locals, people from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and even visitors from Europe. “Everyone seems to enjoy coming. Costumers
will say ‘I have been driving by it for 20 years but I never stopped and now I did and it was so worth it,’” Dan said. “I get to see generations of customers come in. People that grew up coming in here and now they bring their kids and grandkids. It’s really exciting to see that this place really means a lot and see the excitement that is shared between generations.” Dutchman’s is a destination in itself. You will find plenty to explore between the walls of this fun, assorted shop. The store is open six days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Wednesday) and can be found on Facebook and online at dutchmans-hiddenvalley.com.
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LaDonne and Kevin Wenzel, owners of Wiseman House Chocolates.
Hico’s Sweet Spot By Harley Brown
The blue Victorian home is a landmark for chocoholics. Photos Courtesy of Wiseman House Chocolates.
At the intersection of State Highway 6 and U.S.
Highway 281, a pale blue Victorian home with a sign that reads “Wiseman Chocolates” stands just beyond the highway. Wiseman House Chocolates has been leaving taste buds wanting more since 1996 in the small town of Hico and beyond. Owners Kevin and LaDonne Wenzel produce what is thought by some to be the best chocolate in Texas. After trial and error, and the school of hard knocks, Kevin traveled to Pennsylvania for two weeks for intensive studies at a five generation family-owned chocolate company. He also attended a French pastries school in Chicago for follow-up classes, a week at a time in different years focusing on different French techniques. Kevin was mostly self-taught when it came to making chocolates and convections, with extra training to understand tempering chocolates. “[The classes] gave me the basics and helped me solve the problems I had in the kitchen,” Wenzel said. The Wenzels chose Hico to start their business because they have five generations of family there. But when it came to the location of Wiseman House Chocolates, Kevin gives the credit to his father, Ronny, who owned Dutchman’s Hidden Valley Store for years and operates a bison ranch in Hamilton County. “My father said the intersection of highways 6 and 281 would keep me in business, and it has,” Kevin said. “Twenty percent of business is local customers while 70 percent comes from travelers on the highway. It makes a huge difference.” Kevin came from a background of painting and drawing, but knew he was too hungry to paint all his life. With the suggestion of his father, Kevin purchased the home at the intersection so he could sell his paintings and chocolate. Wenzel came from a family of entrepreneurs; as children they helped build houses and make candies and sausages. They kept that family tradition going. Kevin’s brother, Kent, at Wenzel’s Lonestar Meat Co. in downtown Hamilton, while his sister Kara and her husband took over Dutchman’s Hidden Valley (see related story on page 30). Kevin shared his recipe for almond toffee with his sister, and to this day it is still used at Dutchman’s Hidden Valley. So what sets Wiseman’s chocolate apart from the rest? “We keep it simple,” Kevin said. “We are a handcrafted, local chocolate company using the highest quality ingredients available.” Wiseman House Chocolates uses chocolate from Venezuela and Belgium and natural flavors from fruit and coffee beans, all combined with liqueurs and spices to create a rich flavor with a smooth texture. Their best seller is the Wild Woman Truffle, which is made of two kinds of Belgian dark chocolate, with a whipped cream ganache. The Wenzels are currently in the process of getting
a gluten-free certification for the entire facility. However, they don’t use any ingredients known to contain gluten in their kitchen, as chocolate is naturally gluten free. Any grains used, such as the crisped rice in their Peanut Butter Meltaways, are non-GMO (genetically modified organism). As of now, the only two items that may contain a trace of gluten in them are the Pecan Crunchies and Peanut Butter Meltaways. The Wenzels said they treasure their customers, and even offer shipping to reach a wider customer base. Kevin estimated about 10 percent of their customers come from online orders alone. There are many different shipping options, from ground shipping to next day air. The farthest their chocolate has ever reached was Paris, France. Wiseman House Chocolates has shipped chocolate overseas to Afghanistan for the soldiers as well. Kevin’s chocolates have received recognition in Texas Monthly, Texas Highways and even on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. For more information about their chocolates, visit their website at www.wisemanhousechocolates.com.
Kevin Wenzel and his crew work their magic.
Hamilton - 33
Erath Hood 23 People from 23 foreign countries visited Granbury last year.
1,230 ft. Height of Comanche Peak in Hood County, one of the region’s highest landmarks.
Hamilton $216,00 The value of the gold James Hamilton, a South Carolina governor, invested in financing Texas’ battle for independence from Mexico. Hamilton County is named for him.
$512 million
38
Annual economic impact of Tarleton State University on the region, equivalent to 8,393 new jobs.
Number of summer camps offered in Erath County
1,000
100 Million
Number of animals at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, including 50 species of native and non-native animals.
Age of dinosaur tracks found at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Somervell County.
Erath County has 27 more sunny days than the U.S. average.
Somervell
Cross Timbers 1 Number of nuclear plants in the Cross Timbers. That, of course, is the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant outside Glen Rose.
16,949 Number of veterans in the Cross Timbers
6,325 Total square miles in the eight-county area; Erath is the largest with 1,083 square miles, Somervell is the smallest with 186.5.
Eastland
Palo Pinto
52
400
Eastland County holds the record in the Cross Timbers for the number of tornadoes between 1954 and 2007. The longest path, in 2001, was 50 miles, but it was only 2 yards wide.
27
Number of mineral wells in 1920 around the town of Mineral Wells, once billed as “the South’s greatest health resort.”
Cross Timbers By The Numbers Compiled by Kasey Burgan, Candy Carpenter, Shelby Clayton, Lauren Herndon, Wendy Rape, Mark Smith and Renee Warner.
Comanche 1851 Year one of the first settlements in Comanche County, Indian Creek, was founded.
Bosque 4 Number of courthouses built in Bosque County over the years. Restoration on the current one, built in 1886 in Victorian Both style, was completed in 2007.
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