Hello, Glenn ~ I am trying to identify 2 unused real photo postcards (circa 1910) that feature beautiful horses ("Flambeau" on one, "Resultal" on the other) with their trainers. The horses' names and "T.O. Ranch" were handwritten on the negatives before the photos were developed (unidentified photographer). One horse appears to possibly be a quarter horse, but the other is much larger.
Do you have information on the T.O. Ranch that would indicate they had racehorses or show horses? Any further information on the T.O. would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time!
Lori Kimball
Lori,
I have no doubt the T. O. Ranch had race horses. For many years, the ranch was the principal broker of cattle and horses coming out of Mexico during the Mexican revolution. Pancho Villa kept his armies going by stripping the haciendas of Chihuahua of their vast herds. It has been estimated that between 1910 and 1920 some one-million head of cattle were sold across the Texas border many times for as little as $5 a head. The cattle and horses were often exchanged for guns and ammunition. When President Woodrow Wilson placed an arms embargo on Villa, the going rate for ammunition rose to $1 per round. Five shots for every cow but do not underestimate the quality of the livestock. An example of this is the Terrazas hacienda. The Terrazas were not only the largest landowners in Mexico but in all of Latin America. They had magnificent horses and some of the finest cattle of the day. For more on this search my blog archive for T. O. Ranch. Gj
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H. O. (sic) Robertson is the person responsible for the murder of my grandfather, Rodrigo Barragan and his friend, Febronio Calanche. Robertson was a cold blooded killer, worked the border as a river rider, was deputized as a Texas Ranger and when his friend, Joe Sitter was killed, he took revenged by killing every Mexican he came in contact with, to include the above named and also my uncle Anestacio Segura.
I pray that someday, someone will publish the real truth of who these people really were. Recently the Texas Ranger Association put a headstone on Joe Sitter's grave in Valentine, TX to "honor" his service as a Texas Ranger. This story appeared in the Marfa big Bend Sentinel, you could probably contact Marfa paper and view in their archives.
Ron Segura
Ron,
You are not alone in your assessment of Texas Ranger Horace L. Robertson. Candelaria merchant and Justice of the Peace wrote the following account after investigating the murder of Barragan and Calanche in 1914.
“I have always felt sure it was Robertson who shot to death Barragan and Calanche or ordered it done. Robertson as he came up the river was still boss of the T. O. Ranch and the men with him were his cowboys and under his control. Anyway if he neither did the killing himself, nor ordered it done, he sanctioned, or acquiesced in and there is no use to deny it—the foul deed. The following are the known facts in the case.”
“Barragan and Calanche were hunting a lost bull in the dry pasture between our ranch and the river. Our ranch, at that time, was owned by Calanche."
(This ranch is today known as the Circle Dug Ranch see http://circledugranch.com/ for more. Be sure and click on the history link.)
Kilpatrick continued,"Robertson and his men camped on the edge of this dry pasture near the trail leading to Calanche’s ranch house the night of the same day the two Mexicans were hunting the lost bull. Two days later when Barragan and Calanche failed to show up, Mexican trackers went to hunt for them. Their trail was stuck and followed into Robertson’s camp. From the camp there were only two trails-one made by the main body of Robertson’s men going on up the river; the other made by three or four horsemen going up a small arroyo. Following this later trail the dead bodies of the two men were found. Upon the head of each were piled his saddle blanket, cartridge belt and gun.”
“The only possible interpretation of these facts is that Barragan and Calanche while on their way late in the evening to the latter’s ranch rode into Robertson’s camp when they were tied up,--the trackers declared there was evidence of this, until the next morning. After breakfast, the main body of the gang went on up the river. Two or three remained behind, took Barragan and Calanche six or seven hundred yards up the arroyo and shot them to death. The killers then-for there was their trail cut across (sic) and joined the main body.”
“Now, Robertson knew of Calanche, and that he did not have a spotless reputation among some of the stockmen, and he was not unaware that Calanche had once been indicted for the alleged theft of a calf. But doubtless he didn’t care to remember the old Mexican came clear (sic). This is why, I believe Robertson killed him, had him killed or consented to his killing. Barragan was shot merely because he was with Calanche, the once indicted calf stealer. Here Robertson was shown up in what seemed to be his true colors. All he wanted was some accusation, suspicion or former indictment and then he would rashly proceed either to manufacture evidence or to just kill the supposed thief. Yet no investigation was ever made of this most wanton and cruel slaying of three innocent Mexican citizens: Holy Jesus! And we call this a Christian land and one of law and order where God still reigns. Forty years ago before the fundamentalist church people struck Presidio County so outrageous an affair would have received serious attention. But now with her villages and towns full of school houses, places of worship and halls of justice, would be assassins and cold blooded murders go scot free.”
Kilpatrick felt very strongly about the murders and went so far as to appear before a Presidio County Grand Jury and as he put it “begged for an indictment” that never came.
Several years ago, members of the Calanche family from El Paso located the graves of Barragan and Calanche on the Texas side of the Rio Grande just up river a short distance from the Los Fresnos, Chihuahua crossing north of Candelaria in Presidio County.
I am at present working on a manuscript detailing these murders by Ranger Robertson. Robertson was later tried in El Paso for killing Joe Sitters son, Walter Sitters. A few years after the trial, Robertson was shot to death in the Texas Panhandle. The book will also have a chapter on Joe Sitters and his vendetta to kill Chico Cano, which ended in his own death in 1915. I share your frustration with the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame because they seem to do their best to glorify the bloody deeds of many of these old rangers.
Ron, are you also related to Leno Barragan of Candelaria? I also have found some interesting things about him and plan to include it in my forthcoming book titled, "More Little Known History Of The Texas Big Bend: Documented Chronicles Of Apaches, Comanches, Frontiersmen, Outlaws And Lawmen".
Gj
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I am researching my mysterious ancestor named Lewis Gardner. He was born c. 1810 SC, migrated to GA where he married, fathered children, and farmed. He then migrated to MS where he owned a farm. His wife divorced him and he went to Texas after the Civil War. Lewis lived in Houston County for a time and spent his last years in Johnson County, Texas.
He probably got remarried, but family lore says that Lewis had a reputation as a bad man and that he was later supposedly killed by horse thieves at a place pronounced 'Natchez' near Brownsville, Texas.
Do you know of a place pronounced 'Natchez' near Brownsville?
Would you know of any Brownsville newspapers from about 1865 - 1880?
Any note of a mysterious gunfighter named Lewis Gardner in south Texas?
He was said to have been involved in a gunfight near the King Ranch and was also said to have been ambushed and supposedly killed in a gunfight while transporting horses to Louisiana to be sold.
Their was also supposed to have been a postcard of him taken at Brownsville, Texas.
Thank you,
Corey Gardner
Corey,
I did a little digging on this one and here is what I found. Ancestry.com shows a Lewis Gardner, son of John Gardner born in 1810 in South Carolina. He died in 1880 in Dallas County, Texas. Not sure if this is your ancestor but might be. The Handbook of Texas has nothing on Nachez, Texas near Brownsville. I think you might want to spend some time doing research on this at the Barker Texas History Center at U.T. in Austin. Search their excellent vertical files and see what you find. The Barker Center also has the most complete collection of Texas Newspapers on microfilm available and should have Brownsville newspapers for that time period. Also, search King Ranch and see if you can’t find something about the gunfight. I know there are several books on the King Ranch but do not have any in my library. The Barker should have this also. Good luck and let us know what you find about your gunfighter of South Texas. Gj
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On Friday, August 24, 2007, 03:42 PM, Gary Owen wrote:
Since the last post, I have done a little more thinking about what I remember of those episodes. Senor Luna was a somewhat enigmatic chap, dis-appearing for long stretches, and then suddenly reappearing, often to the accompaniment of some level of stress for somebody. It was not like he just subsided into obscurity and went about his affairs un-noticed. You always noticed the presence of Senor Luna. I either never knew, or have forgotten, just how Senor Luna sustained himself. I know that he, being a dual citizen, spent some time across the river with his elderly mother.
It may be that he had other relatives elsewhere on this side of the river who looked after him for some of the time. I doubt he was periodically institutionalized--considering the grief that would have attended that. Senor Luna's troubles with Mexican officialdom reached a crisis one day, I believe in the early spring of '67. Some of us were at the B.P. office one day when the phone rang and it was the custom people down at the bridge calling us to get down there quickly.
They said that the Commandante of the Mexican Army garrison across the river had an American citizen in chains and that we had to take him off their hands or they were going to have to shoot him or something. I suppose it was the bit about an "American" citizen that threw me off, that plus the fact that many weeks had passed since the hotel encounter. I went down there expecting to see some crazed tourist who had gone berserk in Mexico somehow, and was being expelled. When we got to the border crossing, it was only a few minutes until some Mexican army vehicles came racing across the bridge and slid to a stop in the dirt.
Out of the back of one of them, they dragged a very disheveled and oddly subdued (though visibly enraged) Senor Luna, bound hand and foot in chains and manacles. The commandante had him unchained and said something to the effect that he was now our problem. We knew that we had to get him away quickly to avoid an unfortunate incident of some sort, but how to get him into a vehicle was not a simple matter. Someone, knowing his quirk about the Attorney General, told him that the AG already had heard about this and was coming to intercede ---personally, and that the meeting was arranged for the next day in Marfa and we were instructed to escort him there.
This was right up his alley, and we opened the rear door to put him in the back. That seemed to offend him, and he insisted that a guest of the AG was entitled to ride in front. With that a couple of the others got in the car, and away they went for the county tank in marfa 67 miles away. When they got there the trick was to get him in a cell, so they told him that the AG had instructed them to keep Senor Luna in a carefully guarded secure location until his arrival the following day.
That worked well enough and seemed to mollify him. Several weeks passed, and one evening I was standing on a street in greater downtown Presidio when Senor Luna appeared. It was apparent that he recognized me, as he made straight for me, and began inquiring as to my well being. He was without his crutch, so I expressed some pleasure at his recovery from his injury. We stood there as he talked, all the while I was hoping the subject of the Attorny General would not come up, fearing it might remind him of the recent deceptions that landed him in the slammer in Marfa.
In a few moments he strolled away, limping slightly into the gathering dusk of a Rio Grande spring evening. I never saw Senor Luna again. Shortly I found myself in the army, bound for southeast Asia, and when that was done other matters were such that I never went back until 20 years later just for a day. That short time I spent in the Big Bend area was the most formative time of my life. The land, the people, all of it, have lived in my memory more vividly than even the war. For these 40 years I have wondered what ever became of Senor Luna.
I am hoping that some other old Presidio hand will read this who knows and can pass it along to me. One amusing aside to all this. Some time later,after the army,I was watching the film"The Wild Bunch" with Ernest Borgnine and William Holden. When the Mexican General Mapache appeared I had the momentary idea that they had somehow wound up with the Commandante of the Ojinaga army garrison playing a bit part in thair movie, because he looked just like him. Probably that movie would be as near to what that time along the border was really like as we can get to today. An interesting mix of the old and the modern.
More later, G.Owen
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Here is more from Gary Owen remembering his days in the 1960's with the Border Patrol. Gj
All this remembrance of Nate Fuller and my time in Presidio has made me think of many things I saw in that time 40 years ago.There were many interesting characters in residence in Presidio then,and I suppose that a certain amount of eccentricity would be a result of(requirement for?) living there for long.
Of all the odd souls I came to know there,one of the more memorable has to be "Senor Luna"I never knew if that was really his name,or merely a reflection of his frequent state of mind. My first awareness of Senor Luna came early on,when we were picking around outside Presidio doing a little sign cutting for any one heading out for the interior.We observed this really big footprint--I mean Shaquille O'neil big.The old hand observed- "Oh ,that's just Senor Luna,youll get to know him eventually".
Well,time went by and I gave it no more thought.Then one evening I was sitting at the Hotel Bar in Ojinaga enjoying a Tecate,and idly watching a "Lady of the Evening" plying her trade with a couple of guys from up north somewhere.It was cool weather then,and the door opened and in hobbles this very large individual wearing a greatcoat,and using a really stout wooden crutch.
He comes over and plops down on the stool next to me and with no introduction and only a few pleasantries,begins extolling the charms of "Maria Elena" across the way and inquires as to whether I would like an introduction.Not wishing to be impolite I replied that while her charms were indeed considerable(NOT)I thought she was profitably engaged for the evening,and that it would be rude to intrude upon the arrangements.Another time perhaps. That seemed to satisfy him and conversation turned briefly to more mundane matters.He spoke pretty good English,and at first all seemed normal.Then his conversation became increasingly erratic as he discussed his dis-satisfaction with his treatment at the hands of the local constabulary.After a few minutes he started spraying spittle and appeared increasingly angry.
I was starting to eye the door when he said something that let me know he was getting really unstable.He said he had to be in Presidio the next day for a meeting with the Attorney General!Now,I didn't know who exactly he had in mind,but I was pretty certain the the attorney general(Ramsey Clarke I think)didn't even know there was such a place as Presidio,let alone how to get there.The more he said the madder he seemed to get,and the more worried I got.Here was this huge person,red-eyed spitting mad,armed with a crutch that would have made a seviceable battering ram,and what's worse--between me and the door.
I was young and feisty in those days,but I knew there was no profit in argument with the likes of this guy.I told him that if the attorney general was due in Presidio the next day I had to immediately get back across the river and make preparations for his arrival----and with that I bolted out the door,and straight for the border.
The next day I recounted my strange encounter,and was told--"Well,you've finally made the acquaintance of "Senor Luna".It seemed that because of some accident of birth coupled with some peculiarity of immigration law,Senor Luna enjoyed dual citizenship.His elderly mother lived in Ojinaga.But Senor Luna came and went as he pleased.For some reason he was on really bad terms with the police in Mexico,and had evidently gotten the best of them at times.It got bad enough that they resolved that at the next outbreak they would just shoot him,which they did.Whether by design or lousy aim,they only succeeded in wounding him in the leg,hence the crutch. While Senor Luna appeared considerably irked by that,I got the impression that he was most peeved by what he consided to be the attorney general's inadequate concern for his grievance.
That was not my last encounter with Senor Luna.There was a further violent episode in Senor Luna's stormy relationship with officialdom that resulted in his forcible expulsion by the Mexican Army.That will wait for another installment in the Luna saga---more later. G.Owen
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This just came from Kirby Warnock about his Border Bandits film. Gj
Just a note that we've been invited to screen BORDER BANDITS at some
theaters in Texas in September. We'll be in Austin, San Antonio and Mission
September 13-15.
All details are on our Web site at www.borderbanditsmovie.com
I will be at every screening to take questions and comments from the
audience.
Come on out, and please bring your friends who don't believe this story.
They are the folks I want in the audience.
For a good idea of what takes place at these theater screenings, read Joe
Nick Patoski's account on his blog:
http://www.joenickp.com/notes/pivot/entry.php?id=24
Joe Nick is a former senior editor at Texas Monthly and has seen the good,
the bad and the ugly.
See you there!!!
"Ride to the sound of the guns, boys!"
KW
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Here is an email question from Rolando Romo
about Quanah Parker coming to the Big Bend to buy peyote.
I am a history graduate student at Texas A&M International University and I am working on a thesis of John Richard Parker, Uncle to Quanah Parker.
I came across an internet site in which you are quoting from historian, Barry Scobee. In the article, Scobee states that Quanah and two companions stayed at the Hotel Limpia in the Big Bend Area in 1894. They were looking for peyote.
John Richard Parker was visited by Quanah Parker and two companions at his ranch in Mexico. During his stay at the ranch, Quanah was given a potion that included peyote to assist curing him from a deep wound from a bull's gash. Quanah then went back to Cache, Oklahoma.
I would very much like to have as many details of Quanah's visit at Hotel Limpia in order to obtain more information. I have not been able to get a date or geographic place name for John Richard Parker's ranch in Mexico. I am following all possible leads. If you can be of any help, it would be appreciated.
Is there a museum or library that would have the guest registers for Hotel Olympia?
Thank you,
Rolando Romo
Rolando,
I got the information about Quanah in Fort Davis from a newspaper article clipping. Sadly, there the article is undated and I do not know what newspaper it came from. Presumable it was probably sometime in the 1920’s or 30’s. As for old Limpia Hotel registration books suggest you contact the Limpia Hotel. They might well have documation of Quanah’s visit. Also, you might want to check the Arhives of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University, they have Scobee papers, see http://libit.sulross.edu/archives/. For more on Hotel Limpia see: http://www.hotellimpia.com/
Gj
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I just finished reading Joe Klein’s insightful book titled “Woody Guthrie: A Life” published by Dell Publishing. It is not a new work but simply the most definitive book I have found about the life the legendary folksong writer and political activist Woody Guthrie. Klein’s volume is more than a biography; it is a rich, well-written portrait to be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in Texas history as well as those wanting to better understand Guthrie’s tremendous influence on folk music.
In 1931, nineteen-year-old Woody packed his bags and set out from Oklahoma to Texas. He arrived in the panhandle oil boomtown of Pampa just in time for the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Since I was born and grew up in Pampa, I found the story of Woody’s life in my hometown fascinating. It is only in the last few years that Pampa has embraced Woody Guthrie. When I was growing up in Pampa during the 1950’s and 60’s Woody’s unequaled contributions to folk music were completely swept under the table because of his political leanings. These days Pampa celebrates Woody and that fact for a decade, Woody called Pampa home. Today, you can drive the Woody Guthrie Memorial Highway or take the Woody Guthrie walking tour in Pampa. You can hear musicians at the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center of Pampa, Texas. A magnificent 150 foot long sculpture of Woody’s classic song “This Land Is Your Land” by Rusty Neef can be seen near the M. K. Brown Civic Auditorium.
For more on Woody and Pampa, check out these links:
http://www.pampachamber.com/woody_guthr ... g_tour.htm
http://www.woodyguthrie.org/biography/biography2.htm
http://www.woodyguthrie-pampatx.org/about.aspx
Gj
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"In my comments on the photo in"Chronicles of the Big Bend",I referred to it as Company "B"in 1918,and it is so identified in the caption.I believe this to be an error,as I have the same photo from the Moody Texas ranger library identifying it as a photo of company "A"in 1918.They are all identified with Jerry Gray(Capt.)second from the left and Nathan Fuller fourth from the right.None of the other names are the same as those discharged by the Governor.This is evidently taken after the disbanding of Company "B"in June of that year. I have some enlistment records for N.N.Fuller indicating that he joined the Ranger service in on May 15,1916 in Company "B",J.M.fox,Captain.He was listed as being 27 years and 3 mos.of age.His next period of enlistment began on twe1th of July in 1918,and still in Company "B",but there is no signature on the form for the Captain or any other designation of the company.Next,there is a form signed by James A.Harley,Adjutant General,State of Texas commissioning Nathan N.Fuller as a private in the Texas Ranger Force,dated Sept.10,1918.The next enlistment record is dated June the 20th,1919 and signed Jerry Grey,CaptainCo."A".Captain Gray's remarks were that he was a good ranger.The final record is dated Aug.22,1922also signed by Jerry Grey,Capt;Co."A".I also have some payroll records dated sept.1917 which list Co."B" as consisting of: CaptainJ.M.Fox,Sgt.H.c.Trollinger,Pvts.A.G.Beard,N.N.Fuller,H.G.Holden,Boon Oliphant,and A.H.woelber.Barker,Herman Weaver and Cole must have become members between Sept 1917 and Jan. of 1918,as Oliphant was the only one listed as present then. It is evient that the fact was that Nate Fuller was not actually present during the Porvenir matter,and I have wrongly remembered his comment that the investigator insisted that he was .It is more likely that he insisted that Nate would have known who was given that C."B" was so small during that period.I suspect that his comment to the investigator was a reflection of his usual reticence,and desire not to implicate anyone in matters not personally known to him.I remember one conversation I had with him in which he remarked that he was several times contacted by magazine people(True West,Frontier Times,etc.) to get him to tell his story.He said he always refused,as he knew very well that he wouldn't recognize what actually got printed. The fact that he reenlisted in what was still being referred to as Co."B" in July of 1918,but with no Captain's signature evidently reflects the turmoil following the Porvenir massacre and the Govenor's actions in response."
Gary,
Think you are right, there seems to be no evidence that Fuller personally took part in the massacre but he must have known the details. Harris and Sadler show Fuller's service dates as a regular ranger from May 15, 1916 to Feb. 11, 1920. Gj
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I read your post about the passing of the last witness to the Porvenir massacre with great interest. My own life was touched in a small way by those tragic and desperate times. I was a border patrolman for a short time (1966-67) stationed in Presidio. I got to know an old Texas Ranger named Nate Fuller. It was not easy to get him to talk, but when he did it was always interesting. I remember once he told me about being questioned in regard to an incident that happened up the river one time,but cannot recall that he ever referred to it as "Porvenir ",but it was a long time ago. In reading all your posts I know that that was what he was talking about. It must have been the Canales Investigation that led to his being interviewed about the deaths of those men that night. I very distinctly remember that old Nate got somewhat agitated when talking about it and recall pretty much what he said. As I recall, he related it this way, and at times seemed to be reliving it: He said he was running a saloon at Shafter(evidently out of the Rangers) when someone pulled up in front in a model-t and got out with a typewriter. He said he was with the government and was there to find out what Nate knew about the incident of those men being shot that night. Nate said at first"I don't know nothing about it!" Then the investigator replied that he already knew full well that Nate was up there that night along with several other members of Company "B", along with some ranchers and soldiers. At that point Nate replied (and this stuck in my memory 40 years)"Well all I know is that some lead got to flying around that night, and those boys got in front of some of it!" Nate was 80 when I knew him, but he was still quick as a bird. I later learned that he died in '69 of complications following prostate surgery. There is a picture of Company "B" on page 33 of "Chronicles of the Big Bend".Nate is 4th from the right astride a black and white mount, wearing a bandolier and a Colt Peacemaker that appears to be nickel plated with a ivory grip. He looks to be someone you would do well not to get cross-threaded with too seriously. Even at 80 we could tell he wasn't someone to trifle with. I haven’t any access to the Canales Report, and don’t want to download 1600 pages on my computer. I was wondering if you might have any further knowledge the you could share concerning whether, and what, old Nate's actual history in regards to this might be. Nate Fuller is one of the most unforgettable characters ever to touch my life, and my brief personal experience in the Big Bend country was one of the formative events of all. I was drafted into the VietNam war, and subsequent events precluded my getting to live there anymore. I have come to the conclusion that there is a magic chemical in the earth in that land which, once ingested, forever transforms your innermost being and never lets go. It has haunted me all these years. I plan to go back in October of this year and revisit it all again. Regards, G. Owen
G. Owen,
Thanks for your comments. First I have seen about Ranger Fuller being present at Porvenir. In June 1918, Texas Governor Hobby disbanded Company B and fired A. C. Barker, Max Herman, Bud Weaver, Allen Cole and Boone Oliphant. Captain Fox resigned claiming he had been discharged for political reasons. None of the rangers faced criminal charges for the killings. If you haven’t read it, see my chapter on the massacre in “Little Known History Of The Texas Big Bend.” Also, Harris and Sadler write about the massacre in “The Texas Rangers And The Mexican Revolution.” They mention Ranger Fuller on page 489. Also be sure and see Robert M. Utley’s “Lone Star Lawmen” for more on the massacre.
Gj
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According to the Associated Press, some 1½ miles of recently constructed border barriers near Columbus, New Mexico will have to be removed because they were mistakenly placed on the Mexican side of the border. It could cost as much as $35 million to correct the mistake. In March, U.S. officials discovered that the mile and ½ section protruded between one to six feet into Mexican territory. Mexico is insisting the barriers be moved. Gj
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It seems that the fabled Yellow Rose of Texas may have actually existed and the story has some truth to it. At least according to Kent Biffle of the Dallas Morning News that is. For those not familiar with the story of the Yellow Rose, she was a “Mulatta girl” by the name of Emily who kept Santa Anna occupied in his tent when the Texans attacked at the battle of San Jacinto in April 1836. Biffle cites an unpublished and forgotten essay titled “Texas In 1842” written by an English travel writer by the name of William Bollaert. Bollaert who wrote, “The Battle of San jacinto was probably lost to the Mexicans, owning to the influence of a Mulatta Girl (Emily) belonging to Col. Morgan who was closeted in the tent with General Santa Anna, at the time the cry was made ‘the ememy, they come!’ and detained Santa Anna so long that order could not be restored readily again.” Gj
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January 5, 1947. El Paso Times. “Captain John R. Hughes, whose life as a Texas Ranger in the gun-toting days sounds like a movie scenario and earned him the title of “Border Boss” was found dead today at the age of 92 Tuesday night in Austin, Texas, a bullet through the roof of his mouth. Justice of the Peace Mace Thurman of Austin ruled in his inquest that the death was a suicide”.
“The body of the famous veteran of early day law enforcement was found in a garage at rear of his Austin home. A United Press dispatch said that Hughes ended his life with a .45 caliber Colt revolver, the type the Rangers packed in the pioneer days of the Southwest”.
“Hughes had been in poor health for some time, but last week he made a brief appearance in the House and the Senate where resolutions were adapted lauding his career. Hughes was well known through out west Texas and southern New Mexico for his work with the Rangers along the border. He was a tall, handsome man, a deadly shot and an excellent horseman”.
“In 1896, he was sent by the Texas governor to El Paso to stop the famous boxing match between Bob Fitzsimmons and Pete Maher. He seceded temporarily, but the fighters and their band took a train to Judge Roy Bean’s headquarters at Langtry, Texas, across the border where the fight was staged.”
Hughes could only watch the fight through his binoculars from Texas. The El Paso Times said it was the only time he failed to get his man. Captain John Hughes was the last of the old ranger captains before the desent of the force and its leadeship into the years of politics and corruption at the beginning of the new 20th century. John Hughes truely deserves to be well remembered. Gj
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Hello Mr Justice,
I am writing to you as a shot in the dark. I was told a story by and uncle years ago regarding my grandfather(Jose Valdez) and how he and his brother(Mercedes Valdez) were reunited after many years. They were separated after their mother's death and did not have knowledge of each other until they met as adults. Anyway, here is the story as I remember it.
My grandfather lived on a ranch on the border of TX/MEX in Chihuaha(probably in the Pilares area where my mom was born). There had been several cattle killed by a mountain lion so my grandfather, uncles and several other men set out to track and kill this lion. In the process, the lion was cornered inside a hole and the solution to get to him was that my grandfather would go in with a pistol to try and kill the lion. At about the halfway point one of the other men found another opening to the whole above where the original entrance was and preceded to drop a rock down the hole. This caused the lion to try and exit through the first hole running directly in the direction of my grandfather. As my grandfather stated to me, he had only one option and that was to lay as flat as possible and fired the pistol a couple of times as the lion passed over him. The shots proved to be on target, killing the lion.
Somehow, this story reached a man who wrote short stories of the West and published them in a little publication popular in those days. This particular publication was in circulation in Hawaii and read by my grandfather's brother. He did some research to verify that this was his brother. Mercedes had left Mexico and became fairly wealthy over the years. This whole thing lead him back to Mexico to see his brother(must have been late 50's). Mercedes brought my grandfather and his family to the U.S.(Van Horn) where he purchased a couple of lots and a house for my grandfather. Our family still owns this property with both my grandparents having passed away. My grandfather and his brother corresponded for years through letters that I would translate and write for my grandfather. The last letter we received was to let us know that Mercedes had passed away. Don't know if he left anything to my grandfather since we never heard from his family again.
Anyway, the whole reason I am contacting you is, that I have wanted to find this story or publication that brought the two brothers together. So any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Efrain Gonzales
Efrain,
I think you might be talking about True West or Old West Magazine. The University of Texas in Austin has a complete collection of these magazines.
See http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00 ... 0055.html. Also, the Haley Memorial Library in Midland has many of these magazines, see http://www.haleylibrary.com/. I believe the Haley has a index of articles which should be most helpful. Good luck! Gj
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According to the Associated Press, some 200 miles of steel vehicle barriers resembling those built by the Nazis on the beaches of Normandy during World War II are being constructed in Arizona’s Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park. The steel barriers are designed to block roads used by drug smugglers driving vehicles across the border. There are already some 80 miles of vehicle barriers currently in use along the U. S.-Mexican border.
Closer to home in Texas, the Border Patrol has informed Texas Parks and Wildlife that wildlife refuges in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties will soon have approximately 82 miles of border fences because they are located on lands owned by the federal government. These areas include the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and the Santa Anna Wildlife Refuge. No studies of the impact on wildlife have been performed and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service was only given a few days to respond to the plans.
Reuters is reporting that U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Augilar said Wednesday that he expects the United States will have "operational control" of the U.S.-Mexican border by 2013. According to Augilar, there are presently plans to put up 370 miles of fence along the border. In addition, by the end of next year, the number of Border Patrol agents will increase from 13,500 to 18,300. Gj
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According to U.S. Border Patrol chief David Agular, a new high tech virtual wall will soon be operating along the U.S. Mexican border. The pricey new system manufactured by the Boeing Company will be composed of hundreds of interconnected 98 foot tall mobile towers that contain ground sensing radar, cameras, lights, data access points and radio communications equipment. The system of towers is known as SBI or the Secure Border Initiative and is designed to detect persons attempting to illegally enter the United States. Agular has said that the system is so effective that it will, “detect and classify more than 95 per cent of illegal entries within with the virtual wall”. On the Arizona border some 28 miles of the SBI system is scheduled to be in operation by the end of May. According to the Associated Press, SBIs should be in operation in New Mexico and parts of Texas within a year.
The SBI system will replace aging Viet Nam era ground sensor equipment that could be easily set off by livestock. The SBI system will transmit images and data to Border Patrol agents’ laptop computers hopefully eliminating troublesome false alarms. See http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/200 ... 4b_pr.html for a photo of one of the new towers. Gj
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Juan Bonilla Flores, the last living survivor of the Porvenir massacre, died at his home in Odessa, Texas Sunday, March 25th. 2007. Born June 25, 1905, Mr. Flores lived to the age of 101 years. The son of Longino and Juanita Flores, Juan grew up along the Texas-Mexican border in the Big Bend feeling equally at home in western Presidio County as well as in Chihuahua.
In 1913, Juan’s father, Longino, worked as foreman of a project to extend and widen an irrigation ditch from the Rio Grande to the Porvenir Ranch community. The prospect of farming and ginning cotton watered by the Rio Grande brought hopes of better times to the tiny remote village of Porvenir. Hawkeye Townsend constructed a cotton gin built from the timbers of the Rio Grande Northern Railroad at Porvenir. Harry Warren taught school in Porvenir. Longino Flores worked as a sharecropper and built a home for his family at Porvenir.
Porvenir is located on the Rio Grande, a short distance upriver from Pilares, Chihuahua in northwest Presidio County, Texas. Ironically, though the town’s name means future in Spanish, Porvenir offered no future to the some 140 Mexicans living there in 1918. They scratched out a subsistence living by farming and raising goats and cattle. Many of them came to Porvenir from Chihuahua to escape a bloody decade long civil war as Pancho Villa and his adversaries made death a common occurrence.
When he was 12 years old in January 1918, Juan Flores witnessed the execution- murder of his father and fourteen other Porvenir men and boys at the hands of Texas Rangers, troopers of the U. S. Eighth Cavalry and rancher vigilantes. It was a horror young Juan carried with him the rest of his life. He had terrible nightmares most of his life sometimes awaking his family with his screams in the night. For many years, Juan never told anyone about he had witnessed at Porvenir. Then, at the age of 95, Juan finally told his family about the massacre he had witnessed more than eighty years previous.
In 2000, Rhode Island documentary producer Gode Davis traveled to Texas with a production crew to at last film Juan telling his story of Porvenir and the massacre. Davis is producing a film titled, “American Lynching: A Strange And Bitter Fruit.” For more information on Gode Davis and “American Lynching”: http://www.newenglandfilm.com/news/arch ... davis.htm.
The American Lynching wesite is: http://www.americanlynching.com/main.html.
At this time, I had the great privilege of meeting Juan Flores and his family who graciously allowed me to sit in on the filming in Odessa at their home. The living room of Flores home in west Odessa was quickly transformed into a cramped, make shift television studio filled with television camera, sound and lighting equipment not to mention people. Quite a number of the Flores family members, many from out of town, attended and we all crowded together to hear and document what Juan Flores had to say.
The old gentleman came into the room and took a seat under the lights wearing a fine new cowboy hat dressed in his best. He spoke only in Spanish to the hushed listeners with a clear voice. He told of being led out of Porvenir in the middle of the night with his father and the others. According to Juan, Evans Means chose the place of execution. It was a logical site for a firing squad. It is located south of Porvenir and has a rocky hill forming a deadly trap from which no one could escape. None did. It is not the place Joyce Means has claimed as the murder site for years.
As Mr. Flores told the story, he kept his composure much better than his listeners. When he finished there was literally not a dry eye in the place including mine. He said he hoped that by telling the story his nightmares would go away. Hopefully he was able to spend his last years without being tormented any more.
After completing the taping in Odessa, we a traveled to Porvenir. Mr. Flores showed us where the village once stood and down the road the spot where the men were shot. All during the filming, a small Border Patrol flew what seemed to be endless circles over us. We had obviously set off their border sensors. Gode had previously called the Border Patrol in Marfa to notify them that we would be filming in Porvenir but only got a warning in response to not film any Border Patrol activities or our cameras and tapes would be confiscated. They also said we would be arrested if found driving on the river road at night and not to cross the river and return.
At the location of the killings, Mr. Flores sat in a lawn chair watching as everyone gave the place a though looking over. At the place, we found numerous spent casings, some on the surface. There were 1914 dated 30.06 casings but one find really stood out. It was a U. S. Army 1916 12 gauge brass cased trench gun case. This is not something a bird hunter use. It was designed by the U. S. Army to kill men, developed to clear trenches in World War I. The brass case was used to assure it would fire in the muddy trenches. Each round contained 00 buck shot and is also known as a riot gun.
Some accounts of the Porvenir massacre mention how mutilated the corpses were. One writer attributed the terrible wounds to the fact that the rangers used “dum dum” bullets or bullets that had been cut off at the end to make the front of the projectile flat and do more damage. Perhaps these severe wounds came from the use of trench guns by the cavalry troopers that night.
Although Corporal Robert F. Keil, an Eighth Cavalry trooper present the night of the Porvenir massacre states that the cavalry took no part in the massacre, this is disputed by Juan Flores. And the presence of U. S. Army ammunition the place where the Porvenir men were shot supports what Juan Flores said. Flores clearly implicates the participation of the U. S. Army in the killings a fact the Bob Keil spent most of his life trying to cover up.
It is certainly my hope and I am sure many others that one-day the Juan Flores story will be fully told. May he rest in peace and the Porvenir massacre not be forgotten. Gj
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Whatever happened to the town of Chisos, Texas, and the quicksilver mine? My grandfather used to work there about 1914-1920 or so. Are there any book on the area.
Thanks
George R Brown
George,
The Chisos Mining Company Camp was located at Terlingua in Brewster County. See http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/onl ... hnt13.html for a brief histoy. You will probably want to read Kenneth Baxter Ragsdale's fine book, "Quicksilver: Terlingua and the Chisos Mining Company" published by Texas A & M University Press. Terlingua is no longer a ghost town today being a poplular tourist attraction. Check out http://www.terlinguatx.com/. Gj
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I can’t tell you how many times I have driven by the Burro Lady in the Big Bend over the years. You would see here everywhere in the Big Bend along side the road with her burro and big hat. Sometimes she would be camped out but mostly always seemed to be on the move. I even remember seeing her along I-10 in El Paso once. She used to go upriver from Candelaria camping along the way in some very remote out of the way places. I never knew her name until today when I read that the Burro Lady is no more. Her name is Judy Ann Magers and she was 65 years old. The Border Patrol found Magers' body not far from Sierra Blanca Friday appairently not long after she had died. For more on the Burro Lady see: http://www.marfatx.com/uploadedfiles/burrolady2107.html
Gj
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In January 1918 a heavily armed group of Texas Rangers, ranchmen and members a troop of U.S. Cavalry descended upon the tiny community of Porvenir, Texas on the Mexican border in western Presidio County. After rounding up the inhabitants of the village and searching their homes, the vigilantes selected fifteen Mexican boys and men ranging in age from 16 to 72 years and marched them off into the darkness. A short distance from Porvenir, the prisoners were lined up against a rock bluff and shot to death. In January 1919, the Porvenir massacre came under the scrutiny of the Texas House and Senate Investigation of the State Ranger Force. The following is a sworn statement taken from Rosenda Mega describing the massacre.
According to the transcript, Rosenda Mega was 47 years old and an American citizen born in Fort Davis, Texas. “That he was at Candelaria, Texas, on January 25, 1918, where he heard that on the 24th of said month, had been perpetrated on the El Porvenir Ranch, by a party of armed men, composed of about 40 individuals, consisting of American soldiers, Rangers, and Texas ranchmen, at about one o’clock on the morning of January 24th, who proceeded to take from their homes, all the inhabitants of Porvenir, and after they had been gotten together, about 30 in number, they were taken about on-fourth mile below said ranch without any explanation of the cause, and without asking anything, and after arriving there, they were told they could return to their homes, with the exception of Eutemio Gonzales, Roman Nieves, and Manual Fierro, who they took away as prisoners and held them two days in the mountains, making terrible threats, but allowing them at last to return to Porvenir, Tesas where on the last day of the assault, the first named two were killed, and where Manual Fierro was saved, because he was not in Porvenir on January 28th.”
“He (Mega) was then asked under his oath, according to law what he knew about the assault and people killed at Povenir. He went to Porvenir where the families of the victims told him that about one or two o’clock AM of that day, an armed group assaulted them on the 24th and they also made another assault about one or two A.M. on January 28th, in the number of about 40 men, the same being soldiers, Rangers, and Texas ranchmen. That as soon as the ranch was surrounded, the rangers proceeded to take the inhabitants from their houses, and from that number selected 15 and took them about one-quarter mile from said ranch, and then in a very cowardly manner, and without examining any of them, shot them. On January 29th, permission was obtained from the military commander at Candelaria, Texas, and also from Colonel Eduardo Porcallo of Porvenir, Mexico, to pass the dead bodies of the victums to the Mexican side for burial, which was done in the company of the friends and families of the victims.”
"The bodies were found about one-quarter mile below Porvenir, Texas on the ground in a parallel line and had wounds in bodies, and also a shot in the head of each one, the bullets passing through the heads of many of them (sic). Their bodies were examined, and that in life, the names were as follows: Manuel Morales, Antonio Casteneda, Pedro Herrera, Biviano Herrera, Sibriano Herrera, Ramon Nieves, Longinio Flores, Tiburcio Jaquez, Alberto Garcia, Macadonio Huerta, Ambrocia Hernanez, Sieapio, Jiminez, Juan Jiminez, Pedro Jiminez, and Eutemio Gonzales. Longinio Flores, one of those killed was my father-in-law, and in whom I had great faith, and with whom I have traded for many years. Being asked if he knew where the inhabitants of Porvenir had participated in the assault upon the Brite Ranch, and hand not been in connivance with any of the bandits that had operated on the frontier, and that they were people living by their hones and work, as can be testified to by and American school teacher Enrique N. (Harry Warren), and another American citizen by the name of John Bill (John Bailey), who resides near Porvenir, Texas and that all having in their homes necessary gain for their families, also their work and domestic animals, and that some of the had been a long time in the United States, and had about one section of land sown with wheat. Being all that he could say, this declarations was terminated by the Judge and witnesses assisting, signing same, but not by this witness, as he could not write.”
For more on the Porvenir massacre, see Chapter 8 in my “Little Known History Of The Texas Big Bend”. Order online: http://www.rimrockpress.com/
Gj
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The Harry Ransom Center located on the University of Texas Austin campus is celebrating its first fifty years of existence this year. The Ransom Center is a remarkable facility filled with countless thousands of historical treasures ranging from one of five Gutenberg Bibles in the world to the first photograph ever made. The center has an amazing archive including probably the finest nineteenth and twentieth century collection of Texas photographs anywhere. This includes the Big Bend photos made by the “Matthew Brady” of the Big Bend, W. D. Smithers. The Smithers Collection contains nearly 3,000 photographs made by Smithers and other photographers from original negatives and glass plates. Other notable holdings include a first edition of “Leaves Of Grass” signed by Walt Whitman and Scarlett O’Hara’s “Gone With The Wind” movie dress. The center is said to be one of the world’s most significant collections of arts and letters and it truly is. For more about the Ransom Center see: http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/
Gj
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Eleven years after Neeley’s fine study of Quanah Parker comes Jack K. Selden’s “Return: The Parker Story”. Published by Clacton Press, this 311 page hardcover book, ISBN-13:978-0-9659898-2-4, details the story of the Parker family, the kidnapping of Quanah’s mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, and her tragic life and death. Although I don’t know him personally, Jack was a fellow contributing writer for the new “Handbook Of Texas” published by the Texas State Historical Association and has written for several Texas newspapers and magazines. He also has appeared on the History Channel. Selden’s expertise in writing history is plainly demonstrated in the Parker story. When I read the Neeley book, I thought it to be the definitive work on Quanah but thanks to Seldon’s excellent effort, I know now that both books need to be read to fully grasp the whole story of Quanah Parker, his mother’s family and their prominent place in Texas history. Seldon’s telling of the Parkers reads like a who’s who of Texas past including Stephen F. Austin, Sul Ross, Sam Houston and his friend Issac Parker. Seldon clearly demonstrates James Parker’s unrelenting determination to find Cynthia Ann and free her that inspired John Wayne’s classic character in the film, “The Searchers”. Read this book and you will want to again see the movie. In addition, Seldon who married into the Parker family, details the long rift and reunion between the Quanah’s Oklahoma family and the Texas Parkers. This is a book who anyone interested in Texas history should not overlook. “Return: The Parker Story is available from Clacton Press at www.clactonpress.com. Gj
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SALAZAR AND OROZCO WILL RESIST ATTACK BY REBELS
“PRESIDIO, TEXAS (Via United States Army Telephone to Marfa) Special Wire to the El Paso Times, December 9, 1913, 12 Midnight. It is generally believed here that the federals expect and attack here and are preparing to resist.”
“If they have any artillery, none of it has been brought to Ojinaga unless it came in since dark. There is great activity here tonight and judging from campfires stretching many miles to the northward and westward, troops are being rushed into position as fast as they come up from the rear and some are being sent out from Ojinaga.”
“The commanders of the American forces, while maintaining a rigid guard, profess not to be alarmed by the latest developments. Nothing can be heard across the river direct as all passes are refused by guards posted by General Salazar and General Orozco.”
REFUGEES ARE STREAMING IN
“PRESIDIO, TEXAS (Via United States Army Telephone to Marfa) Special Wire to the El Paso Times, December 9, 1913, 10 p.m. In order to be able to cope with any emergency that might possible arise because of the presence of so many troops and disorganized and disheartened civilians across the river, another troop of cavalry was ordered from Marfa tonight to reinforce the Presidio garrison.”
“Thus far, there has been no disorder, the few refugees who have crossed being too tired and too intent on getting to places of safety and comfort to be anything but grateful for the attentions that are being showered upon them after they reach the American side of the river.”
“Up to this hour, fewer than 100 civilian refugees have reached Presidio among them to two sons of General Jose Ynez Salazar who will leave in the morning for Marfa to take the train for El Paso.”
“Susana Perez and her children who live in El Paso and who were visiting in Chihuahua when General Villa captured Juarez, cutting off escape to the border by rail and who came overland with the refugee caravan were permitted to cross tonight and they too will leave in the morning for their El Paso home.”
“General Luis Terrazas and his family arrived in Ojinaga this afternoon. They are well and in good physical condition despite their long and perilous journey, having traveled by automobile and being supplied with heavy clothing. They will be permitted to cross to Presidio some time tomorrow. Directly following them into Ojinaga were the Creels, Lujans, Cultrys and other ‘royal’ families of Chihuahua. They all traveled in one party, guarded in front and rear by a specially delegated guard of regular federal troops. They expected to be permitted to cross the river as soon as they arrived, but for some reason, only known by the powers that be, they are being held in Ojinaga overnight.”
“The main refugee party is beginning to arrive in Ojinaga by hundreds and animated by a hope that they will be permitted to cross the river as soon as they arrive, it is probable that they will continue to stream into the little Mexican town all night rather that spend another in the open in the desert. Including the soldiers, it is estimated that 4,000 or 5,000 are crowded into the adobe huts and jacals of the little Mexican town giving it the largest population it has ever seen or will ever have again.”
PICTURE IS PITIFUL
“The people composing it are from every walk in life, are of all ages, all conditions, and in the main makeup a picture that is pitiful in the extreme. Owning to the confusion, it is almost impossible to get details of the long trek. All are suffering more or less. In the main, they tell the same tale, one of hardship and mental distress. When asked why they left their more or less comfortable homes in Chihuahua, they all say that they were led to believe that when the city fell into the hands of General Villa’s soldiers, it would be looted and burned and those who had remained while it was a federal strong hold would be executed or at least imprisoned and otherwise made to pay heavily for their devotion to their homes.”
WOMEN AND CHILDREN WALK
“Women and children who have all their lives been used to comfort, many of them to luxury, have walked the entire distance from Chihuahua to Ojinaga, many of them reaching that point barefoot and in rags, having hardships which they never dreamed of in their happier days.”
MANY DIE ON JOURNEY
“Many deaths occurred while the journey was being made, but as no one was delegated to keep a list of those who perished, no accurate estimate has been made or probably ever will be made of the total number of victims of the order to evacuate the state capitol. From those already encamped it is learned that the total number of deaths will probably reach 75 but that is a mere guess.”
FACING A FAMINE
“Refugees will have to be kept on the move if they are not to suffer from famine, even after the port is opened to them on Wednesday morning. Presidio is filled to overflowing now and the chances to get something to eat or a bed to sleep on are absolutely nil. Twenty-five men arrived from Marfa Tuesday. They forgot to bring their blankets with them and had to sit up all night Tuesday night around campfires, in the open, not being able to find a bed, a blanket or a roof to spread it under in either town.”
IMMIGRATION MEN OPEN “OFFICE”
“The immigration men and others connected with the United States government who will assist in getting the crowd of refuges across the river have build an ‘office’ on the banks of the river in the form of a corral, into which all refugees will be herded as fast as they reach the American side, while they are waiting to be questioned and indexed before being given permission to pass on into the interior. The office equipment consists of a desk made of a dry goods box turned upside down and soap boxes for chairs.”
The El Paso Times correspondent who wrote this article is unknown. This may have been written either by Luther Barnard or Bertram B. Caddle. Both of these fine journalists were staff correspondents who worked for the El Paso Times in those years writing many of their stories about the Mexican Revolution from the Big Bend. Gj
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On Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 05:52 PM, John Smith wrote:
"From where was the marker moved? Looking at the aerial maps it appears that the road was moved when it was paved effectively placing the marker on the other side of FM 170. The USGS shows the marker correctly (presuming the green square next to the cemetery)near the road on the east side of FM 170."
John,
Until about six months ago, the marker was located on the west side of F.M. 170. Presently, the marker is on the east side of the highway not far from the cemetery. It should be said that the original location of the marker is located on private property and was only placed at a spot thought, in the 1930's, to be the approximate location of the Julimes mission. Since the mission remained in operation only for a very short time before the priests fled for their lives, the precise location of the mission may never be known. Gj
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Here is an email that just came in from Lupe Rodriguez:
"Per the query below a Contreras gang was stealing silver from the Shafter mine. According to an article originally published in Old West magazine Vol. 34 (Summer 1998): 10-14, it was the Antonio Carrasco gang. Which is correct?"
Lupe,
I checked in my copy of "Border Boss: Captain John R. Hughes-Texas Ranger" by Jack Martin and on page 108, Martin states that it was indeed Antonio Carrasco his bunch and not the "Conteras gang" as KW stated in his question below. Thanks for your keen observation. Gj
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