Vol 25 No. 10 - July 1948

Origin and Development of the Santa Fe Trade

This article is taken from "Commerce of the Prairies" a book published in 1844 by Josiah Gregg, himself a Santa Fe trader, who made eight expeditions across the great Western Plains in 1831-1841. At this period all of that region tributary to Santa Fe was known as Northern Mexico, and was a most inviting field for commerce).

Mentions: * James Pursley * Captain Pike * a French Creole by the name of La Lande * Kaskaskia * Morrison * Pursley * Messrs. McKnight, Beard, Chambers * McKnight * Captain Becknell of Missouri * Colonel Cooper * Taos * Colonel Marmaduk * Mr. Storrs * Colonel Benton * McNess and Monroe * Chouteau's Island * Major Riley * Major Riley * Sand Creek * Captain Wharton *

Vengeance on the Frontier

R. H. Williams, an English soldier of fortune and adventurer, came to Texas in 1861, joined the Confederate army, saw much service during the four years of internecine strife, and after the Civil War ended he joined a Texas Ranger company and was quite active on the frontier. He returned to England in 1868, and forty years later wrote a very interesting book, "With the Border Ruffians." It is from this book that the following story is derived.

Mentions: * A man named French * Jim and Dick French * two inoffensive Mexicans were basely murdered on the Leona Creek * a man named Simons, who owned a ranch some fifteen miles down the creek * Hiram Minshul * Sol Chiff * a man named McConnel * McConnel's ranch * Hay's ranch * Stokes * Matamoras * Asa Minshul

Indian Trailers Catch A Thief

W. W. Mills

The author describes an event that occurred in 1865 when he lived in a house at the corner of San Francisco and Chihuahua Streets, in El Paso with his brother, E. A. Mills, and a negro servant.

Mentions: * the Pierson hotel * a noted thief of Juarez *

'Pioneer Adventures' Is Story of West

Article describes the book "Pioneer Adventures," by Frank Gray – a West Texas history seen through the eyes of a fun-loving, youthful pioneer in the days when the longhorn was the cow of the West Texas range and on the night of every full moon the red man stole out of the Guadalupe Mountains to take horses from the sleeping ranchers. Mentions:* San Saba County * Middle Concho * Emma and Bell *

Frontier Life on Red River

“When Florence Jordon was just entering her teens, in the year 1877, her step-father, Jesse Listen, and her mother moved with their family from New Berlin, Illinois, to Texas. They landed at Clarksville, on the Red River, but settled on a plantation at the pioneer town "Alby," which was located some eighteen miles from Clarksville at Haley's Landing. Some two miles above there was another landing called Silver's Landing. The town that grew up around it was called Silverburg. It was named for the man who owned the plantation.”

“These landings on the Red River, served the settlers in the capacity that our railroad depots do us to-day. Each of these hamlets had store or commissary where supplies were obtained and from where the pro-ducts of the locality were shipped.”

“The settlers huddled their homes around these stores, and just beyond the turnrow, long rows of Negro cabins were seen ; these were homes for the slaves, who worked the plantations. After the slaves were freed they eventually went South. Then owners of the plantations hired Indians from the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to pick cotton and help harvest other crops. They pitched their tepees near the white settlers and were usually friendly, but Florence once had a hand to hand combat with a squaw one day: although, neither of them were seriously injured, yet Florence Jordon and her two half-brothers, the Listen boys, did not feel secure until harvest time was over and the Indians had taken their wigwams and returned to their reservation.”

“Florence and her two young brothers attended a little one-teacher school called "Boggy." because of its location near a boggy marsh...”