JUNE Star

North Texas Star
June 2013
INSIDE:
Outdoors Along the Brazos
Chasing Our Tales
Legend and Lore of Big Foot (Wallace)
Grandmas Trunk
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North Texas Star
4
OUTDOORS ALONG THE BRAZOS
By Don Price
7
CHASING OUR TALES
By Sue Seibert
15
GRANDMAS TRUNK
By Wynelle Catlin
9
By Jim Dillard
LEGEND AND LORE OF BIG FOOT
(WALLACE)
The following article appeared in the Thursday,
November 2, 1967, issue of the Mineral Wells Index. It
has been paraphrased.
He was still wet behind the ears. This young boy
first started with M.V. Smith, the Palo Pinto
County surveyor at that time. Transportation then
was in a Model T Ford.
Being only 12 years old, the boy started by help-
ing Mr. Smith and his crew, with whom he worked
by carrying their lunch pails and water jugs from
the car to the field.
Later, he handled the stakes, rods, and
lines and finally the transit. With 10 years
of apprenticeship, the boy [now grown]
developed into a full-fledged surveyor and
has stayed with this one challenging voca-
tion all his adult life. His name is Alec
Price.
That was 54 years ago. Mr. Price, who
will be 66 years old in December, 1967,
said, "I've been doing this one thing all my
life, and I still find the work interesting, a
challenge, too."
Mr. Price holds a Professional Engineer's
License and is also licensed by the State of
Texas to survey anywhere within its
boundaries.
A short time ago [mid 1960s] Mr. Price
surveyed the future shoreline of the new
City of Mineral Wells water supply [filled
in 1966], the then-to-be-built Lake Palo
Pinto.
His survey took in over 40 miles of shore-
line. After completing the survey, Mr. Price
checked his marks, only to find himself 3/4
of an inch off.
"If you are going to do precise work, you
have to have precise equipment," he said.
"No man is better than his equipment is. This tran-
sit cost $836.87 plus tripod, accessories, chain
saws, rods, everything else you might need to fin-
ish the job."
There are perhaps only a few men who know the
terrain of Palo Pinto County as Alec Price knows
it, unless it be the Government Trapper, Herman
Royal, who lives a bit south of the Lone Camp set-
tlement, the geographical center of the trapping
area that Mr. Royal is responsible for. Herman
Royal has but to glance at a coyote's tracks, and he
can tell you what the coyote is thinking, a bobcat,
too.
Anyone who knows these two men, having
spent most of their lives outdoors, will probably
agree that both Alec Price and trapper Royal know
the terrain of this Palo Pinto Mountains country
better than most [an understatement]. You'll not
likely confuse either man when reminiscing about
the rolling landscape.
No sooner had he finished a survey of a 36-acre
tract of land on the historic Oakes Crossing Road
than Mr. Price decided to take a break, to talk and
reflect on the days of the past. "The frontiersmen
who built our limestone and sandstone fences
drew $12 to $15 a month, plus room and board
and tobacco. They worked from sunup till sun-
down."
This information was told to the county survey-
or by the late George Metcalf for whom Mecalf
Gap on Highway 180 is named, 10 miles west of
where Palo Pinto is located, just as you enter the
"gap" in the Palo Pinto Mountains.
As far as the stockmen were concerned, Mr.
Price said panthers were reasonably common in
this country when settlers began their westward
expansion, and the big cats were a menace to
calves, sheep and goats.
Several ranchers would band together to have
drives with the help of both dogs and lever action
Winchesters, killing or driving out the devil cats,
as they were sometimes called.
The big cats had many aliases: some
common names were puma, panther,
painter, cougar, mountain lion and cata-
mount. They were also called unprintable
names when a rancher had had enough of
those devil cats.
"Henry Wade killed a panther in
Crawford Hollow," Joe Taylor said in a
1964 personal interview. Joe Taylor, of
Palo Pinto town, had hunted, fished,
trapped, and gathered Indian artifacts his
entire lifetime. He picked the spot on the
Brazos River for the Boy Scouts' Worth
Ranch in 1929.
After a pause, Joe added, "Orace
McClure caught one [a lion] at the mouth
of Eagle Creek, but he had to use his best
dogs to catch that one."
One of the catamounts was dropped
with a lever action Winchster 25-20, shot
by James Clayton Howard of Lone Camp
in 1935, in the rugged Brazos River terrain
east of that settlement.
About thirty years ago a government
trapper was working his traps west of
Strawn near the Stephens County line
when reports started coming in: big cou-
gar spotted several times on the Copeland
Ranch.
The panther was finally killed by Trapper Jessie
James, son of Hollis James of Mineral Wells, some-
time in the early to mid-1980s, a big cat between
six and seven feet, tip-to-tip.
Later, Jessie James retired, hung up his trapper's
license, to become a barber in Rudy's shop on S.E.
6th Avenue in Mineral Wells.
As recently as the year 2000 a female puma was
spotted several times by park rangers and campers
Continued on page 6
SURVEYING A WOODLOT
Outdoors Along the Brazos
By Don Price
STORIES & SNIPPETS
Continued from page 4
in Lake Mineral Wells State Park, even once on the rail-trail. Fully grown,
she was observed sometimes with cubs; however, there have been no recent
sightings.
Buffalo thrived in Palo Pinto County until the late 1860s. "North of Kyle
Mountain, close to where Henry McClure lives, the last three buffaloes were
killed," Joe Taylor said in a 1964 interview.
Bears were encountered frequently by frontiersmen. According to Palo
Pinto County Surveyor Alec Price during a 1964 personal interview, "My
daddy, John Price, killed several bears, mountain lions and a few antelope in
the county."
We also learned that John Price [according to his son] killed the last known
bear on Antelope Mountain, which is located north of the old Cantey Cafe/
bus stop ruins on Dodson Prairie, about eight miles west of Palo Pinto town.
Alec Price, in his own right, is a descendant of Palo Pinto County pioneers;
his grandfather, the late I.W. Price, was the first district clerk of Palo Pinto
County.
If you just happen to be in the "back forty" and notice a red International
Truck of 1953 vintage with an odometer reading above 72,276 [third time
around], you know it wouldn't hurt one bit if you'd pause long enough to
say something cheerful to a leatheryskinned outdoorsman, a man who is
very happy with his work, Palo Pinto County Surveyor Alec Price.
Chasing Our Tales
Thursday, January 22, 1942
JUDY GARLAND TO APPEAR AT
CAMP WOLTERS
Camp Wolters offcers and selectees were all in
a dither today when it was announced that the
glamorous Judy Garland was to make appear-
ances at the camp on January 30 to 31. Yes, her
husband, Dave Rose, is coming along.
Just how many times Miss Garland will appear
while at the camp is not known, but it was stated
that she would appear at one of the post theatres
and at the hospital barracks.
She will doubtless appear at the Presidents
Birthday Ball at the camp.
Miss Garland and Rose are making a tour of
several Army camps, one of which is lucky Camp Wolters.
MISTER CAN YOU SPARE DIME FOR DEFENSE STAMP
Heres what your dime can do: If invested in a ten cent stamp it will buy three
rounds of ammunitionmaybe the lucky bullet that would end Herr Hitler
fve of those dimes will buy a days rations for a soldier, and remember that an
Army marches on its stomach. Defense stamps are the new high explosive being
manufactured by the civilians of America.
A $50 bond ($37.50 to you) will buy a Springfeld rife: a $100 bond will pur-
chase a Garandsurely there are a lot of folks who will lend $18.75 at almost
three per cent interest for an Army pistol.
All these dimes and dollars can buy a complete blitz on the JIGsJapan, Italy
and Germany for short.
Publishers note: Yes, the Wizard of Oz gal, movie star, visited Mineral Wells. In fact,
it was not uncommon, I believe, for her to be seen rubbing shoulders with other elites at
the Baker Hotel. This little town was tall cotton in those days.
This series of pieces from the past is meant to remind us of this areas unique
history. The material comes from old issues maintained at the Index offce and is
presented pretty much as it appeared in print. These papers are quite yellowed
and brittle, deteriorating from age. By publishing these pieces perhaps we can
keep them in play in the digital world for years to come. For clarity, some punctu-
ation issues have been addressed. Hopefully you will enjoy these tiny windows to
the past. Feedback is appreciated and will be shared. E-mail publisher@mineral-
wellsindex.com or send your letter to Mineral Wells Index, P.O. Box 370, Mineral
Wells, Texas 76068, attention publisher. You may also drop it by our offce at 300
S.E. 1st. St. in Mineral Wells. Thanks for reading!
Vickey Shaw, vickeyshaw@
live.com, posted a query which
read: I am looking for infor-
mation for Jessie W. West. He
was born in 1853 Mississippi
and died 1933, and is buried in
Graford, Palo Pinto County,
Texas. He was married to
Mollie Lyles. Who were his
parents? I am his great-grand-
daughter.
I thought I would try to discover this informa-
tion for her, and immediately I ran into a road
block. It seems Jessie (also spelled Jesse) W. West
was indeed born in Mississippi on July 9, 1853,
and died on May 4, 1933, at the age of 80. So now
we have the full dates, right?
We go from there to discover that his wife,
whom he married in 1875, was Mary Mollie
Caroline Lyles. These dates (1853-1933) appear on
her tombstone, and they are the same years as her
husband, although not the same days or months.
Mollie was in all probability her nickname.
Then it all goes fuzzy. In one statement I find
his parents were Shadrach Nelson West and
Penelopy Penny Moody, with no further infor-
mation given.
In another his mother appears to be Lucy
Elizabeth Rogers, born in 1841 in Mississippi,
which would have made her 12 when she gave
birth to him, which, of course, is possible. In this
account, her husband was Osborn West, who died
in Louisiana.
A list of children of Shadrach and Penny
includes Cynthia A. West McNeme (1876-1956),
Effie Udora West Shields (1878-1972), William
Franklin West (1885-1973), and John Layfette West
(1886-1959), but another list of children names
Cinthia A., Mattie, Effie, Edward, William Willie
Franklin, John Lafayette, James, Benjamin P,
Jannie, and Pennie. Where is Jesse?
And, when I go to another source for informa-
tion on Penelope, I do not find a Jesse West
among her children. I find Joseph J., George
Washington, Edward, James Wilson, Benjamin
Franklin, James Nelson, William Jasper, Sarah
Ann, Allifair, Robert J., Ailsey, and Mary Jane. So
where is Jesse?
On this timeline, Jesse West is cited to have been
born in Covington County, Miss., but by 1870 he
was a resident of Limestone County, Texas, and it
is possible he married Mollie in either Limestone
or Lee counties, but by 1880 he was a resident of
Lee County, Texas. In 1900 he was living in Luna,
Freestone County, Texas, and by 1910 he was a resi-
dent of Palo Pinto County, and from 1920 until his
death he lived in Graford, Texas.
One cousin noted the following, There is not
any proof at this time that Shadrach and Penney
West were Jessie's parents. The only time you see
him with them is on the 1870 census. Where was
Jessie in 1860? Also, much research is needed to see
where Osborn and Lucey Rogers West come in. As
Jessie's parents, look at their birth dates. Osborn
was born in 1840; Lucey in 1841. That would make
them 12 and 13 years of age when Jessie was born.
Not impossible, but not
likely.
So I looked some more.
I found Jesse once again,
birth, death, marriage,
but this time his father is
supposed to be Osborn
West who died in
Caldwell Parish, La., and
his mother is said to be
Lucy Elizabeth Rogers
who was born in
Covington County, Miss.,
in 1841, and died in
Texas in 1888. This time
his daughter, Cynthia/
Cinthia, is called
Chisthenea.
Now we know this is
the same man, but 100+
years can certainly
change the facts some!
And most certainly can
change family tales!
If Jesse is the child of
Penelope Moody West,
here are some interesting tales about her. It is
rumored that she was orphaned at a young age,
and there is the claim that she is buried in an
unmarked grave in Greenbrier Cemetery near
Nocona in Montague County, Texas, as this is
where she and Shadrach West settled.
I also found this quote from a granddaughter of
Jesse, Penelope Moody West was born December
28, 1805, in South Carolina and died January 20,
1871, in Texas. She was the wife of Shadrack
Nelson West. Her dates on her memorial are actu-
ally the dates for her husband.
Now that sounds familiar, doesnt it, since Jesse
and Marys years of birth and death are the same.
Not impossible, but interesting.
Of Shadrach I found that he was the son of
William West and was born in South Carolina on
Feb. 14, 1802. He and Penny had 17 children, 14 of
whom lived to adulthood. This information was
from Sam West in Muldrow, Okla. Other burial
information says, Karen West Scott states in her
Genealogy and Family History of the William
Nelson West Family that it
Continued on page 8
Chasing Our Tales
By Sue Seibert
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is believed that Shadrach was buried in Robinson
Cemetery near Nocona, Montague County, Texas.
Both Shadrach and Penelope are listed in the
Robinson Cemetery in the Montague County, Texas,
Cemetery survey book by Loftin and Loftin, which
lists both of them in Robinson Cemetery. Sam West,
who wrote his book on the West Family in 1955, has
written two letters stating that he had been to
Shadrach's grave and had picked a rose from a
bush at his gravesite in 1901. With information, it is
very likely that Robinson Cemetery is the correct
burial site.
However, I have not found a listing for these
graves.
If I had to pick the parents of Jesse from the two
pairs listed, I believe I would travel down the
Osborn and Lucy Rogers West line, as I think, from
what little evidence we have, that they are the more
likely parents. Lucy was born in Mississippi as was
her mother.
While I find that Lucy moved with Osborn first
to Louisiana in 1860, she appears to have re-mar-
ried after his death, and moved with her new hus-
band, Absalom P. Davis, residing in Robertson
County, Texas, in 1880. She lived eight more years,
although I find no record for either Lucy or
Abasioms death or burial.
So we have a mystery. Including Jesse, we have
23 members of the West family buried in the
Graford Cemetery in Palo Pinto County, and I am
hoping that one of their descendants can put us on
the trail of Jesses parents. Do you know one of the
Wests of Palo Pinto County? If so, ask them if they
have information, and if they do to please contact
me.
Shadrach West
T
here are few men in the annals of early-
day Texas history who could rival the
exploits and notoriety of Big Foot
Wallace (1817-1899.) Any attempt to separate
myths and legends written or passed on through
stories told about him from reality only adds to
the mystique of one of Texas most endearing
folk heroes. Although he was a prolific story-
teller and prone to embellish some of his experi-
ences, the actual known facts about his life,
adventures, and service to Texas during frontier
times are enough to qualify him for Texas-icon
status. It would be hard to find a man who
cheated death more than Wallace and who lived
to tell about it. What started out as a quest to
avenge the death of his brother and cousin at
the Goliad Massacre in 1836 would lead him on
a lifetime of unequalled adventure during the
evolution of Texas.
He was born William Alexander Anderson
Wallace in Lexington, Rockbridge County, Va.,
on April 3, 1817, the son of Andrew and Jane
Ann (Blair) Wallace. He weighed 13 pounds at
birth and according to his nurse could kick
harder and yell louder than any other child she
had ever seen. He was one of six brothers, three
sisters and one half-sister. His Celtic linage can
be traced to Sir William Wallace, regent of
Scotland and leader of the Scottish Army in the
war against King Edward of England, and to
Robert Bruce through his grandmother Elizabeth
Bruce. William spent much of his first 20 years
near Lexington where his father
operated a large fruit orchard.
When not working or in school,
he pursued his favorite pastimes
of hunting and fishing.
In his prime Wallace was a
large man for his time standing
6 feet 2 inches tall in his mocca-
sins and weighing 240 lbs. He
had long arms, large hands and
thick, black curly hair. As a
youth Wallace honed his skill as
a marksman while hunting in
the woods around Lexington
and also became a proficient
fisherman. He would use those
talents to his advantage
throughout his lifetime in fron-
tier Texas.
As revolutionary events began
to unfold in Texas during 1836,
many young men in Virginia and other southern
states, including his brother, Samuel, and cous-
in, William Wallace, departed to join the cause
against the oppressive Mexican government.
They joined the Georgia Battalion and wound
up under the command of Col. James Fannin at
Goliad along with two other Wallace relatives.
When news reached home that they had been
among those executed during the Goliad
Massacre, William determined to go to Texas
and exact his revenge on the Mexicans. At the
age of 19, he left Virginia and journeyed to New
Orleans and from there to Galveston where he
arrived on Oct. 5, 1836.
Originally traveling to Bastrop and staying for
a short time, he soon moved to the area around
present LaGrange where only a few people had
begun to settle. There he rented land and
attempted farming, but his constant absence to
chase hostile Indians and hunt wild game made
that enterprise unsuccessful. In John C. Duvals
book The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace: The
Texas Ranger and Hunter, published in 1870,
Duval chronicled many of Wallaces adventures
based on personal inter-
views with him. Duval
was a contemporary of
Wallace and one of the
few men that escaped the
Massacre at Goliad and
also served with Wallace
as a Texas Ranger under
Capt. John Coffee Hayes. He became a writer
and like Wallace was prone to embellish events
and people in his writings during the era of the
dime novel.
According to an account in Duvals book
which he said was based on Wallaces jour-
nal, Wallace joined with a surveying party of
16 men during mid October 1837 and trav-
eled to the upper Brazos River region to sur-
vey lands along Palo Pinto Creek. The group
consisted of 10 men to guard the party, one
surveyor, two chainmen, one marker, a hunt-
er and a cook. They lived on deer, antelope,
bison, bear and whatever other game and fish
they could acquire during the trip, plus
pecans and honey from bee trees. He men-
tioned several known landmarks in his jour-
nal including Cowhouse Creek (present
Coryell and Hamilton County), Leon River
and Armstrongs Creek (?) (Comanche and
Erath County) on the route to Palo Pinto
Creek.
On Oct. 21, 1837, the group struck the Leon
Continued on page 10
Legend and Lore of Big Foot (Wallace)
By Jim Dillard
Big Foot Wallace
River opposite the mouth of Armstrongs Creek
(Comanche County) and began travel up that
stream to its source. They arrived on the south
prong of Palo Pinto Creek and on Oct. 23 went
into camp there to rest and prepare for their sur-
veying work. Although they had seen much
Indian sign on the trip, none had been encoun-
tered. On the following day while some of the
men fished, picked up pecans or lolled around
camp, Wallace decided to explore the surround-
ings. He left with his rifle and ascended a nearby
sugar-loaf hill to get a view of the countryside.
After descending the hill and locating a grove of
pecan trees, he sat down to eat a few nuts. That
was when he saw 12 or 15 Indians riding in his
direction. Knowing he would likely be seen if he
remained where he was, Wallace began his retreat.
He had covered only a short distance when they
spotted him and the chase was on. Wallace outdis-
tanced them but they continued to look for him.
One unsuspecting Indian came within 20 steps of
him and met his demise from a blast of Wallaces
gun. Wallace was able to elude the other Indians
but became disoriented and unable to relocate his
camp. He would spend several weeks wandering
through unfamiliar country and living off the land
to survive.
At one point he slipped on loose rocks and badly
sprained his ankle, requiring him to hold up in an
overhang cave for several weeks. He remained
there with a dog he had found at an abandoned
Indian camp (named him Comanche) until Nov.
20, when his foot healed sufficiently to permit trav-
el. As he retreated back toward the frontier settle-
ments, he was captured somewhere along the way
by a band of Indians. He tells of nearly being put
to death but saved by an old squaw and her son,
Black Wolf, who protected him from the others.
He remained with these Indians for about three
months before they permitted him to return to his
people. (Not sure I believe this account of Big
Foot Wallace in Palo Pinto County as written by
Duval in his book, but it makes good reading and
has become a part of local folklore.)
In 1838 Wallace made a visit to San Antonio
where he stayed until the following year, exploring
the surrounding country and visiting the site of the
massacre at the Alamo. Indian raids in San
Antonio were common during that time when
many of its citizens were either captured or killed.
In 1839 when he learned that the new capitol of
the Republic of Texas would be located at Waterloo
(later the name was changed to Austin in honor of
Texas patriot Stephen F. Austin) on the Colorado
River, Wallace went there to seek his fortune. He
soon became employed by a contractor to hew logs
with a broad-ax for a salary of $200 per month plus
board. Two months later he began rafting cedar
logs from the hills up the Colorado River to Austin
where they were in great demand.
He and a partner named William Fox rented a
house together in Austin
and hauled rock for use
in the construction of
homes. Wallace also
used his skill as a hunter
to kill buffalo, deer, tur-
key, bear, and other
game in the vicinity of
Austin which he sold as
meat to people who did
not hunt or were afraid
to leave town because of
the Indian menace.
It was while Wallace
was in Austin that the
infamous Indian known
as Bigfoot made fre-
quent raids in the com-
munity and surrounding
region killing settlers
and stealing horses and
other property. It was
recorded that he was 6
foot 8 inches tall and his
footprint measured 14
inches. There was clear
evidence of his nighttime
raids by the large dis-
tinctive footprints he left.
Wallace was called upon
on many occasions to
track the Indian but was never able to kill him.
From those events Wallace acquired his lifelong
moniker of Big Foot Wallace, but not because he
had large feet. When interviewed by A. J. Sowell,
Wallace said he could comfortably wear a shoe
No. 9-1/2 or 10s. The big foot Indian would
later be killed on the headwaters of the Llano River
by Wallaces friend, Westfall.
In 1840, Wallace joined a ranger unit being
formed in San Antonio under the leadership of
Capt. John Coffee Hayes to protect citizens in the
region from Indian raids and the lawless element
that lurked in the surrounding hills. For the next
two years they were actively engaged in pursuit of
Indians, bandits and horse thieves in and around
San Antonio. On Aug. 12, 1840, Hayes company
of rangers, which included Wallace, participated in
the Battle of Plum Creek near present Lockhart,
Texas. A large raiding party of Comanches return-
ing from a devastating raid on the port town of
Linnville, Texas, were intercepted near present
Lockhart, Texas, along Plum Creek and fought in a
running gun battle, scattering them back to their
camps.
In the fall of 1842, General Adrian Woll led a
force of 1,500 Mexican troops into Texas and cap-
tured San Antonio. Captain Hayes, Wallace and
most of the other rangers were out on various
patrols and were not present when General Woll
and his army made their surprise raid into the
town on the foggy morning of Sept. 15, 1842. To
repel the invaders, volunteers began gathering
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around Gonzales, Seguin and other outlying communities.
Seven miles east of San Antonio at Salado Creek the forces assembled and
sent a detachment of 36 rangers, including Big Foot Wallace, to draw Woll and
his army out of San Antonio to fight. Succeeding in their mission, most of the
Mexican army moved out of the city and engaged the Texans in a battle along
Salado Creek. One company of 52 men led by Capt. Nicholas Dawson was sur-
rounded and most were either killed or captured. The Mexican army was ulti-
mately defeated, and although the Texans pursued the retreating Mexican force,
they were unable to overtake and destroy them before they crossed the Rio
Grande to safety.
Not content with the Mexicans retreat following their raids into Texas during
October 1842, President Sam Houston authorized the organization of a force of
volunteers, rangers and militia under the leadership of Alexander Somervell to
invade Mexico and take the fight to them on their own soil. Big Foot Wallace,
who had continued to serve in Captain Hayes ranger unit, joined approximate-
ly 700 other men for the expedition. They left San Antonio on Nov. 10 and
headed for the Rio Grande. After the capture of Laredo and Guerrero,
Somervell feared disaster if the expedition continued into Mexico and ordered
his men to disband and return to their homes by way of Gonzales. However,
only 189 of the remaining force returned with Somervell and around 300 men,
including Big Foot Wallace, decided to continue on into Mexico with William S.
Fisher as their leader.
During a punitive strike on the Mexican town of Meir, a fierce and bloody
battle was fought against an overwhelming force of Mexican regular troops,
and on Dec. 26, 1842, all the Texans not killed surrendered to General Ampudia.
Wallace survived the battle and along with the other captives was marched
through Matamoros, Monterrey and Saltillo to imprisonment at the Hacienda
Salado. Other Texans who had been captured in San Antonio, during the Santa
Fe Expedition and from the Salado Creek Battle, were also imprisoned there
when they arrived. An escape was eventually made by the entire group,
including Wallace. Many starved as they traversed the dry deserts and moun-
tains during their futile attempt to reach the Rio Grande. One hundred seven-
ty-six escapees were captured and returned to Salado.
Gen. Lopez de Santa Anna ordered that all the escapees be executed, but the
order was later modified by intervention of the British ministries in Mexico
City. In a compromise, it was decided that only one in 10 men would die, to be
determined by the drawing one of 17 black beans placed in a jar with 159 white
beans. Wallace was lucky enough to draw a white bean and was spared the fir-
ing squad. William Eastland, for whom Eastland County is named, drew the
first black bean and was the only officer killed during the Black Bean affair.
The remainder of the prisoners were marched to Mexico City where they were
forced to do hard labor for several months. They were then marched to the
Perote Prison near Vera Cruz where they endured extreme hardships and pri-
vations. Although many died and some made their escape from the prison, the
final 105 men were released on Sept. 16, 1844. Wallace had once again cheated
death and lived to tell about it.
The released prisoners were given one dollar each to pay their expenses to
leave the country. Wallace and many of the others made their way to Vera Cruz
where they found a condemned ship that would take them free of charge to
New Orleans. Yellow fever was rampant in the city and before leaving they all
became infected. By the time they arrived at their destination they had recov-
ered and were able to eat. Wallace made his way back to Texas through
Galveston and traveled back to LaGrange by ox wagon. A short time later he
returned to San Antonio with a cattle drive and settled on the Medina River on
land granted his brother by the Republic of Texas for his service during the rev-
olution. There he built a cabin and lived the solitary life of a hunter.
Wallace once again enlisted and served under Captain Hayes as a ranger
while living on the Medina and later served gallantly with him during the
Mexican War of 1846-1848 including fighting around Monterrey and the storm-
ing of the Bishops Palace there. After the war he was sent back to Texas for
frontier defense duty and when his term of service ended returned to his land
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on the Medina. He continued to scout for Indians when called upon by local
residents and caught runaway slaves that came through his area for which he
was paid rewards by their owners upon their return.
In 1850 Wallace obtained a contract to carry the mail from San Antonio to El
Paso 600 miles to the west. He did this for several years and had many scrapes
and fights with Native Americans in that vast uninhabited region of West
Texas. After that adventure he returned to his home on the Medina, but since
more and more people were moving into the region, he pulled up stakes and
moved to an isolated spot on Chicon Creek east of the Hondo River, 5 miles
from the present town of Devine, Texas, where he built a cabin. Even there he
was often called upon by settlers to help pursue raiding bands of Indians that
still plagued the region.
While former Texas Ranger Peter Hansborough Bell was governor of Texas
(1849-1853,) he commissioned Wallace to raise his own company of rangers for
the protection of southwest Texas against Indians and border bandits. During
the Civil War he remained on the frontier and served in the Southern Frontier
District to protect settlers from Indian depredations and the lawless element
that flourished throughout southwest Texas.
In his later years, Big Foot Wallace spent much of his time in Frio County in
the vicinity of the small village of Bigfoot located 40 miles southwest of San
Antonio near Devine, Texas. He never married. William Alexander Anderson
Wallace (a.k.a Big Foot Wallace) died of pneumonia on Jan. 7, 1899, and was
buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
The writings by A. J. Sowell and John C. Duval portrayed Wallace as the
Daniel Boone of Texas and turned his exploits into legendary feats that both
young and old of the time could aspire to. He became a folk hero during his
time and to this day the legends and mystique of the real Big Foot continue
to stalk the hills and canyons of southwest Texas.
References: Life of Big Foot Wallace, by A. J. Sowell; The Adventures of Big-Foot
Wallace: The Texas Ranger and Hunter, by John C. Duval; Frontier Defense in the
Civil War, by David Paul Smith; Savage Frontier; Volume II 1838-1839: Rangers,
Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas, by Stephen L. Moore, Handbook of Texas Online,
and many other Internet sites.
Grandmas Trunk
G
randmas trunk sits snugly in a corner by
the fireplace in my home.
For many, many years, it sat in a corner
by the fireplace in Grandmas log cabin home.
It was always there in its snug corner and I never
thought to ask Grandma where or when she got
the trunk.
Many times, in her day, young women were
given a trunk to begin storing items in preparation
for marriage and beginning their own household.
But I dont think her father got the trunk for
her. He had a reputation for being a mean
and miserly man.
And the trunk would have been a bit costly. Its
a larger embossed tin humpback with curved
wooden slats anchored with decorative brass fas-
teners. The upright slats on the sides also feature
the brass fasteners, as do the corners of the trunk.
When opened a three-compartment tray lifts out to
expose a flowered wallpaper-lined interior.
I think Grandmas childhood sweetheart got the
trunk for her during their brief marriage. Grandma
didnt talk about personal matters so were not
sure how he died, but we think he was killed by an
unruly horse.
Grandma was born Dec. 24, 1865, near Sulphur
Springs and was there during her teenage mar-
riage. Later, she married a Mr. Lockhart and the
trunk came with her to Jack County where three
little girls were born to them.
Lockhart was a horse trader and the trunk went
with them to Indian Territory where he sold horses
to the Native American inhabitants. One day he
left home with a herd of horses to be sold or traded
and Grandma never heard from him again. Was he
robbed and killed? Or did he have a fatal accident
and there was no one to bring the news back.
Grandma came back to Jack County but left one
of the little girls buried there, though Little
Berthas dress came back in the trunk, where it
remained throughout Grandmas lifetime.
We never knew much about Grandmas life for
the next few years, but we think she lived in a cov-
ered wagon with the youngsters and took odd jobs
wherever she could find them to clothe and
Grandmas Trunk
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A
Place
in Time
JUNE 1, 1963
Camp Wolters redesignated Fort Wolters, a permanent military installation.
JUNE 2, 1875
Comanche Chief Quanah Parker arrives at Fort Sill with 407 followers and 1,500
horses. His surender effectively end the Red River War of North Texas.
JUNE 8, 1871
Kiowa Chiefs Satanta, Satank and Big Tree leave Fort Sill to stand trial for mur-
der in Jacksboro, Texas. The charges arose from killings perpetrated during the
Warren Wagontrain Raid on May 18, 1871. The three chiefs were accused of
leading the incursion into North Texas.
JUNE 11, 1899
Mary Whatley Clarke newspaper editor and reporter, western historian, and
author is born at Palo Pinto. Her rst book, "The Palo Pinto Story," was pub-
lished in 1956 and recounted the history of her home county.
JUNE 22, 1876
James Crittenden Son publishes the rst issue of the Palo Pinto County Star,
the rst newspaper in the county. The weekly newspaper's slogan was: "Let
Justice Be Done Though the Heavens Fall."
support them. The trunk, a necessity for traveling
in those days, kept their clothing and bedding
clean and dust free, and held Grandmas Bible and
personal possessions.
But we do know that several years later, she was
at Mr. Powells farm in Young County ready to
join the cotton-picking crew.
Mr. Powells wife had died and he had a family
of grown children. Despite the difference in their
ages, he and Grandma decided to get mar-
ried. And their family increased. A boy and a girl.
They bought and moved into a log cabin on a
hill in Jack County just south of Squaw Mountain,
which could be seen from the backyard.
The family increased again twins, a boy and a
girl. My mother was the girl.
The cabin was a nice size for the time peri-
od. Lean-to kitchen and a roofed porch across the
front of a large room with tiny narrow stairs
which led to a half-wall attic where the children
slept. The large room was Grandma and
Grandpas bedroom as well as parlor if visitors
came and where the family congregated in bad
weather after chores were all done. In good weath-
er, they sat on the front porch.
(The restored cabin is on the grounds of Jack
County Museum in Jacksboro and visitors can
climb the narrow stairs to the attic.)
There were now six children in the household
and the boys were growing. Grandpa closed in
half the front porch to make a 6 x 8-foot bedroom
for them. One year the schoolteacher boarded
with them, sharing the boys tiny space.
The trunk was in its corner by the fireplace
when Grandpa got sick with pneumonia and died
in his bed.
Mama remembered that when it was dreary
weather and it was too miserable to stay outside
after the chores were done, she and her twin
brother sat atop the trunk and played their games.
After Grandpa died, Grandma took over the
farming chores, with the help of the boys, while
the girls did household and barnyard chores.
Two of her older sisters had married and
moved away by the time Mama was 16 and ready
to be courted. On a dreary fall day, my father
came calling. The family all congregated in the
room which served as parlor. And Mama and
Daddy sat atop the trunk. Daddy proposed that
they get married and they did.
Daddy was a great tease and storyteller. And
was known to embroider stories a bit. Sometimes
when he had an audience, mostly of family, he
said that they got married in the JPs office in the
Jacksboro courthouse. As soon as the vows were
said, Mama went to the restroom, took off her cor-
set, rolled it up and carried it around under her
arm.
Every time Daddy told this story, which he did
until his death at 84, Mama would roll her eyes
and say an exasperated Oh, George!
But we noticed she never denied it.
The trunk stayed in its corner in the cabin
through Grandmas illness and death, then went
to a nieces house in Dallas. The niece wanted
Mama to have it and I took her down there to
claim it. Then Mama passed the trunk along to
me.

It sits snugly in a corner by the fireplace in my
living room.
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P
alo Pinto County has long been a ranchers delight
with plenty of good grass and fresh water sources.
From the days of Charles Goodnight and Oliver
Loving's trail drives to the present, this place has been a
ranching place. The Texas Frontier Trails presents an
annual event, honoring Palo Pinto County resident
Charles Goodnight, along with many ranches, individuals
and activities that shaped this countys ranching heritage.
At last year's event, chuck wagon cooks competed from
prizes for each of their main dishes and trimmings.
R
epresenting the Goode Ranch Chuck Wagon,
Dianne McSparrans dutch-oven cooked peach
cobbler didnt last long at last year's event, once
attendees began sampling. At the TFT event, cooks doled
out variations of meat, buscuits, vegetables, desserts and
coffee, all made above or in an open fire.
Photos by Libby Cluett
T
he chuck wagons used on cattle drives resembled
Smith's vintage 1890 freight wagon, which he
brought to this year's TFT event. This wagon was
made in Wisconsin and has the original, extra-spoked
wheels for carrying extra weight.
W
hether serving cowboys long ago or county resi-
dents today, making a Dutch Oven meal
requires talent. At this year's Texas Forts Tour
Goodnight Roundup, local cowboy chef Alan Smith dem-
onstrated and served up customers with an authentic
chuck wagon meal, cooked in cast iron ware over flames.
A
nother annual event is the Red Steagall Cowboy
Gathering Annual Trail Ride and Wagon Train,
which has come through Mineral Wells. The 2013
cowboy gathering is scheduled for Oct. 25-27, and the
wagon train/trail ride precedes it.
A
fter camping out in Mineral Wells, wagons and
riders parade through town, making their way to
the Fort Worth Stockyards for the Red Steagall
Cowboy Gathering in October.
A
nother way to experience Palo Pinto County his-
tory is through steeping back in time at the Old
Jail Museum Complex. In addition to the sand-
stone county jail building, the museum includes log cab-
ins, a stone fort, farm apparatus and a welcome center
with gift shop and exhibits.
I
nside the log cabin homes at the Palo Pinto County
Historical Association's Old Jail Museum Complex,
visitors will see early furnishings that help set the
tone of living in the late 1800s.
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