Tag Archives: Handbook of Texas
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The Wild Ram of the Mountains
Okay, show of hands. How many of you knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (better known as the Mormons) played a prominent role in the settlement of the Texas Hill Country? Don’t feel bad; I had … Continue reading
Posted in More
Tagged Bandera TX, Civil War, Fredericksburg TX, German Texans, Gillespie County, Handbook of Texas, Lyman Wight, Mormons, Sam Houston, Texas Hill Country
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Three white Stetson hats: the joy of limitation
Let’s face it: we are not culturally conditioned to look kindly upon constraints. Every day bombards us with messages urging us to maximize our enjoyments, super-size our servings, and prolong our erections. Limitations, we’re told, are for losers. I, on … Continue reading
Christian Althaus and the gift of perspective
For all of my whingeing about the difficulties of adjusting to life in Texas, even after thirty years here, I know I’ve had it pretty easy, especially compared to the nineteenth-century settlers who endured almost unimaginable hardships while trying to … Continue reading
Memorial Day: remembering Mamaw
Last Monday was Memorial Day, which Heather and I acknowledged by visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg on our way out for a quick visit to Madroño Ranch. If you haven’t been there yet, I can … Continue reading
"The Blackest Crime in Texas Warfare"
Our usual route from Austin to Madroño Ranch takes us through Johnson City to Fredericksburg via Highway 290, and then down Highway 16 through Kerrville to the turnoff opposite the Medina Children’s Home. Every time I pass the sign for … Continue reading
Stonewall: permission to dig
There must be a story behind the sign at the front gate of the Stonewall Community Cemetery—I mean, who digs a new grave in a cemetery without permission?—but I don’t know it. Even though I wrote the entry on Stonewall … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Civil War, Handbook of Texas, Israel Nunez, Lyndon Johnson, nineteenth century, peaches, Pedernales River, Stonewall TX
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Thanks, Miz Hatfield
Bandera County, and the field of Texas history, lost a good one when Dorothy “Dot” Ferguson Hatfield passed away in late September at her home in Medina. Probably not many of you know who she was, but over the last … Continue reading