Vol 15 No. 09 - June 1938

The Lofty Courage Of A Pioneer Mother

Account of Mr. and Mrs. John Burleson, who lived in San Angelo, Texas, and relates in this article their many experiences on the frontier.

Mentions: living on Dowdy's Creek in Brown county * Rob Roby * Bev Burleson * Burleson's Creek * San Saba * the McMillan Setlement * Hanna Settlement, Richland * the present site of Goldthwaite * Miss Penelope Williams * Captain Williams * Baby Head, Llano county * Cherokee Creek, in San Saba county * the Cherokee Settlement * Tom Murray

Logan Van Deveer Was A Hero

This is the vivid story of Logan Van Deveer, at one tme owner of the townsite of the city of Austin, and who rescued from the Indians the fairest belle of San Antonio, whom he afterward married. Van Deveer was a hero of San Jacinto's bloody battlefield. The story also tells of a terrific fight with Indians in Burnet county. It is a story for all Texans to know, a story historically authentic and taken from historical records.

Mentions: a beautiful girl, Mariel King * Captain Howard * Mr. Putman, at that time Texas' most famous shot * Captain W. H. Magill and Colonel Noah Smithwick * Yellow Wolf * Smithwick's Mill * Captain Magill * Sherrard's Cave * Longhorn Cavern * Backbone Valley, ten miles from Burnet * John R. Cook *

Old Fort Duncan: A Frontier Post

By Colonel M. L. Crimmins.

Very detailed description and account of the old historic Fort Duncan, near the center of Eagle Pass, Maverick county, Texas.

Mentions: the Government paid John Twohig, the San Antonio banker, $130 per month up until the time that the lease expired January 1, 1876 * Major General Worth * Captain Sidney Burbank * General Wool * Paquache * San Juan Crossing * Colonel Thompson Morris * Assistant Surgeon W. R. Steinmetz * Piedras Negras (Black Rock), * Villa de Fuentes *

Looking Back From Eighty-Three Years

Perspectives of a good man, Uncle Bill Kellis, long-time editor and owner of the Sterling City (Texas) NewsRecord. a hearty Texan who lived a good life and in this article, recounts the joys, struggles, heartaches.

On A Mexican Mustang Through Texas

By ALEX E. SWEET and J. ARMOY KNOX

This is part of a serial account of two daring adventurers who colorfully describe their exciting and sometimes humorous happenings on their trip through the wilds and wiles of Texas during the 1870's.

(Continued from Last. Month)

Mentions: Williams & Schwazenbergen's * Mr. and Mrs. O'Lafferty * the G. H. & S. A. Railroad * East Bernard * Brobdingag * Dick Swiveller * Eagle Lake *

How The Indians Traveled

by Col. R. T. Dodge.

The Indian travels by instinct. Under no other hypothesis can we understand the marvelous journeys prolonged to months, and even years, made by individual Indians; or the ease or certainty with which, when tired of wandering, they made their way over the "trackless wastes" of the broad continent to the spot which they recognize as home. With no knowledge of astronomy, or geography, or of the compass, the Indian performs feats of traveling for which a white man requires all three. To him there is no north, no south. This article, written in 1892 is far closer to the perspectives and observations of the pioneers as they marveled at this unique phenomena of the Indian's travel instincts. The account recites incredible and marvelous journeys made by Indians.

Mentions: Brady's Creek in Texas * Doctor Matthews, in his "Ethnology of the Hidatsa Indians," * the Hidatsa village * the Delawares * John Connor * Fort Martin Scott, in Texas * Black Beaver, the friend and guide of General (then Captain) Marcy * the Uncompagre *

Fort McKavett Was A Frontier Post

Fort McKavett, frontier outpost in Menard county near the Schleicher county line, established in 1852, abandoned by order of General Twiggs in 1860, was reoccupied by troops on April 1, 1868, continuing the drama that marked the early developments in the building of a West Texas empire. Here is the story of the old fort.

Mentions: Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie of the 24th Infantry * Menardville * the San Saba * Denison, Texas * Coglin's stagestand * P. S. McGeeney *

Samuel Maverick In Perote Prison

This article is a speech made by Hon. Maury Maverick of Texas, in Congress on Monday, March 28th, 1938. It recites the bitter story of the Perote prisoners, taken in San Antonio by General Woll in 1842. This speech was taken from the Congressional Record.

Mentions: Mr. T. C. Thompson * Samuel Augustus Maverick * Jose Maria Bocaitegra * John W. Smith * Ben Milam * Mary Ann Adams, of Tuscaloosa, Ala * General Woll, a Frenchman and professional soldier * Hon. Waddy Thompson, of South Carolina * T. C. Thompson * Jose Maria Bocanegra * Col. Oamarco * Judge Eaves the Amercan Charge * Captain Guzman * Lieutenant Hartstone * Lieutenant Mora * Captain Bonilla *

Daring Ride From Ft. Mason To Pike's Peak

By H. G. Rust.

In the fall of 1858, while stationed at Fort Mason, Texas, I was detailed to go alone and carry dispatches of great importance to General Albert Sidney Johnston, who with his command, was supposed to be either at Fort Leavenworth or on the march from that post to Utah. I never learned just why a dispatch for that General should have to come from Washington to San Antonio and thence via Ft. Mason, and across a vast stretch of intervening wilderness, infested by hostile tribes of Indians, in order to reach General Johnston. And I never could tell why I was chosen to perform this Herculean and highly dangerous task. When an important duty was to be performed, an undertaking that required courage, endurance and experience, it was usually the custom to call for volunteers, but in this instance this custom was ignored, and I was ordered to prepare for the journey. The commandant of the post gave me implicit instructions and said he would send an escort with me if I so requested, but I preferred going alone, since one man, well mounted, stood a better showing to get through the wilderness unobserved than a small body of men. So begins the account of this dangerous mission.

Further Mentions: the prairies between where Brady and Melvin now stands * General Van Dorn * Camp Colorado * Santa Anna Mountain * Ballinger * Fort Leavenworth * Indianola, Texas * a great battle with the Indians on the Canadian river * Captain Sul Ross * Fitzhugh Lee * a man by the name of Burns * Camp Radminski * a redheaded Irishman by the name of Terry Griffin * Castroville *

Uncle Ed Cosper Tells Experiences

Uncle Ed Cosper is an old Texas frontiersman, who lived also at Duncan, Arizona. In this article, he offers a sketch of some of his own experiences, in Texas and in Arizona.

Mentions: born in Randolph county, Alabama, December 2, 1852 * a Methodist preacher named Smith * Toles Cosper, my brother * Rusk county, Texas * Miss Azalee Carmichael * Ensone county * we went still farther west, and settled in Taylor county, close to Buffalo Gap * R. C. Stanford * Miss Olney * Solomonville * Safford * Ash Peak * J. L. T. Wa * Mr. Merrill and his daughter * Duncan * Globe *

Muzzle-Loadings

Mentions: Hon. A. B. Reagan, postmaster at Brady * Berta Hart Nance, of Tucson, Arizona * J. W. Finley of Norwood, Colorado * Ben Highsmith * Geo. R. Highsmith * Carrollton, Mo * Mrs. J. A. Miller, of Bandera * Augustus Koch * San Pedro Creek * W. A. (Ike) Davis * the old Kerrville News *

Let's Know Texas And Texans

BY WILL H. MAYES 

Mentions: Torrey's Trading House * Towashes * Tehuacana * Indianola * Port Lavaca * Ysleta * Plum Creek Battle * Plum Creek, near Lockhart * Vicente Cordova * the "Butterfield Route," * John Butterfield and associates * the "Horsehead Route." * the "Old Military Route * Robert Morris Coleman * Coleman's Blockhouse * Marten's Wells * the Regulator and Moderator War in Shelby county * Joseph Goodbread * Shelbyville * Fort Bliss