Vol
21 No. 7 - April, 1944
Contents of this
volume:
Historic Bandera Pass
By J. Marvin Hunter
Ten miles north of the town of
Bandera, Texas, is historic Bandera
Pass, a great gash in the Guadalupe
Mountains, through which for centuries
men have passed—Indian hunting parties,
prospectors, conquistadors, missionaries,
emigrants, stage coaches, United
States troopers, ox and mule-drawn
wagon trains, even camel caravans.
Much colorful history clusters about
silent, rugged, alluring old Bandera
Pass; there are legends and traditions
of Indian battles, tragedies, narrow
escapes, and even tales of buried
treasure hidden in ravines there
to prevent it from falling into
the hands of robbers. Here is the
story.
Mentions: Henderson Yoakum *
offices of St. Denis * the Natchez
* Lake Teztuco * Tlascalans * Z.
T. Fulmore * the San Saba Mission
* the old Manchaca * Captain Jack
Hays * A. J. Sowell * Ben Highsmith
* the Plum Creek battle * Leon Creek
* a Ranger named Sam Luckey * Sgt.
Kit Ackland * Tom Galbreath, James
Dunn (Red), Sam Luckey * Sam Walker,
Kit Ackland, P. H. Bell, Ben McCulloch,
Ad. Gillespie, Sam Luckey, Tom Galbreath,
James Dunn, George Neill, Mike Chevallier
* Sam Walker * Capt. Thomas W. Turner,
old frontiersman, trail driver,
and scout, of Kerrville Texas *
The Old Rock School House At
Merrelltown
Account written by Mrs. George
H. Shanholtzer of Round Rock who
was one of the early teachers of
the school. Here is good, early
Travis county Texas history.
Mentions: Captain Nelson Merrell
* L. S. Woodward, Esq * the Kemps,
McNeeses, Rodgers, Brattons, Fords,
Dillinghams, Womacks, Wards, Thorps,
Joneses, Ravens, Webers, Kitchens,
Penningtons, Hamiltons, Studen,
Starnes, Kings, Woodwards, Parkers,
Robeys, Smiths, Colliers, Thompsons,
Gaults, Blairs, Ashers, Davis, Kittens,
Fastens, McGees, Mclntyres, Armstrongs,
Baines, Ashes, Stramhlers *
Henry Castro And His Colony
By August Santleben
Lengthy and in-depth account
of establishment, early development,
original settlers of the town of
Castroville on the Medina River
25 miles west of San Antonio and
of early hostile Indian depredations
in the area.
Mentions: Louis Huth * Antonio
Lockmars * San Pedro Creek * Soledad
Street * G. S. Bourgois * David
Morgan * Louis Haas * Rev. Bishop
Odin * Rev. Abbe Oge * Mr. John
James * Jean Batiste Lecompt, Joseph
Haguelin, N. Rosee, Theodore Gentil,
Auguste Fretelliere, J. S. Bourgois,
Zavier Young, Louis Huth, George
Cupples, Charles Gonibund, J. Fairue,
N. Forgeaux, P. Boilot, C. Chapois,
J. Maeles, Leopold Menetrier Michel
Simon, Theophile Mercier, Anthony
Goly, Louis Graff, G. L. Haas, Joseph
Bader, Bertold Bartz, Charles de
Montel, Sax Gaspard, J. Ulrich Zurcher,
George Spani * Addicks * Rev. Father
Dubuis * Rev. Mr. Offinger * August
Kamp (Kempf), * Hichling * C. Villemain
* Mr. Crust * Mr. Dardie * Dr. Hoffman
* Judge Noonan and Colonel Upson
* Thomas B. McCall * John McMullen
*
Troublesome Times In Texas
Related by J. K. P. Yeary.
Account deals with the experiences
of J. K. P. Yeary, long-time Collin
county settler and resident who
speaks of first-hand accounts of
Indian fights and tragedies of his
life.
Mentions: W. S. Adair * Walter
Yeary * Sugar Hill * Farmersville
* Collin McKinney * Uncle Mart Harvick
* Generals Cooper, Price and Gann
* Cane Hill, Ark * General Blount
* General Price * General Steele
* Mr. McCoy, on Fish Creek * George
Hobbs * John Hobbs *
Some War Horses In The Civil
War
By J. Marvin Hunter
According to the official records
in the War Department at Washington,
825,766 horses fought in the American
Civil War under the Union flag.
Vouchers show that these horses
cost $125,864,915, or an average
of $140. The Confederate records
cannot be found, but it is estimated
that there were proportionately
as many horses under the Stars and
Bars, thus leaving a million and
a half horses in the fighting army.
These old war horses have never
been given their true recognition
in history. There were many noble
animals among them, with an intelligence
and understanding of warfare that
seemed at times almost human. Here
is the story.
Mentions: General Grant warhorse
Cincinnati * the famous racing thoroughbred
Lexington * Admiral Ammen * a little
black pony named Jeff Davis * Grant's
famous Kangaroo * Traveler * Major
Brown * Lucy Long * Gen. "Jeb" Stuart
* Old Sorrell * Old Jack * Governor
Letcher * Thomas Buchanan Reed *
General Sheridan * Sheridan's Ride
* the famous Black Hawk stock. *
Kearny's brown steed, Bayard * Edmund
C. Stedman * Seven Pines * General
Pope * Fair Oaks where Decatur *
General Albert Sidney Johnston *
Fireeater * Highfly * Verdiersville,
Va * Fitzhugh Lee * Israel Putnam
* Horse Neck * General John B. Gordon
* the battle of Cedar Creek * Louis
Napoleon * General Hooker * Mambrino
* General Hooker * Lookout * General
Thomas * Billy *
The First Wedding In San Marcos
Ada Rylander
Account of The wedding of Miss
Sarah Pitts and Mr. Wilson Randle
- the first wedding in San Marcos
and an account of the tragedies
that attended the event.
Mentions: William C. Pitts, the
father of Miss Sarah, and his brother,
John D. Pitts * Thomas McGehee *
"Wilsey" Randle * the town of Seguin
* George McGehee, John McGehee and
Alex McGehee * Mr. and Mrs. Clay
Cheatham * Mrs. Captain Jim Storey
* Mr. and Mrs. Young, parents of
Mrs. Ed J. L. Green * Major Lindsey
* Minerva McGehee * Popey Pitts
* Mrs. Jas. L. Moore * Ann McGehee
* Gordon and William King * Rev.
Mordicai Yell * General Ben McCulloch
* Mrs. Anna Kyle * Robert Kyle *
Wm. Pitts Rylander * Mrs. Kyle *
Old Chinese Gongs In Frontier
Times Museum
Mentions: Louisa Gordon * Dr.
T. F. Hung * The Han Dynasty *
The Fierce Apache Indians
By J. Marvin
Hunter
Of the various Indian tribes
that inhabited Texas in the early
days, none were more fierce and
warlike than the Apache. The Comanches,
Kiowas, Lipans and Kickapoos were
the more recent tribes to depredate
as far south as San Antonio and
Austin, but only occasionally did
the Apaches make their raids down
into this section, for their strongholds
were in Arizona and New Mexico,
and they had to travel a long way
to make raids into South Texas.
Here is the account of the feared
of all Native American tribes.
Mentions: Dr. Frederick W. Hodge
* Onate * Qucrechos * the Vaqueros
of Renavides * Jicarillas and Mescaleros
* Chiricahua * Cochise * Vittorio
* Mimbenos, Mogollones, and Mescaleros
* Ojo Caliente * Tularosa * Ojo
Caliente * the Ojo Caliente band
* San Carlos * Tres Castitles *
Victorio was succeeded by Nana *
Chihuahua *
Was The Bowie Mine Found?
By J. Marvin Hunter
On October 15, 1896, there appeared
in the St. Louis Globe Democrat
an article written by James Bee,
telling about the finding of a mine
in Menard county, Texas, by a man
named Frank Hobson. This account
is Mr. Bee's article as it appeared
in the Globe Democrat.
Mentions: the Couer d'Alene country
* Lost Cabin Mine * the legend of
El Dorado * the Golden City of Manoa
* Frank Hobson *
CAPT. J. B. DUNN DEAD.
Account of the death of Captain
James B. Dunn at Dallas, March 1st,
1944. A native of Navarro county,
Dunn was reared by his grandparents
in Washington county and lived there
until his early thirties when he
moved to Brown county to enter stock
farming. He was active in that work
until 80 years old when he retired
and moved to Dallas.
Mentions: Sam Gilliland of Coleman
* Mrs. Walter Woodward * Claud McClellan
* Mrs. Bland Smith of Silver Valley
* Miss Wilder Dunn and Miss Flossie
Dunn of Dallas * Mrs. Blanche Mauldin
of Pearsall * Temple Dunn of Brookesmith
* Coleman Overby * Grove Hill Cemetery
* Mrs. Robert M. Keeney of Pittsburgh
*
