2018-05-20: Exploring and Geocaching in the Historic Town of Mason, Texas

On this weeks long drive from Killeen to Fort Stockton, I spent most of the day exploring and geocaching in the historic town of Mason, Texas.

One of the first settlers in the area was William. S. Gamel in 1846. Fort Mason was established in 1851 and settlers were attracted by the protection that the fort provided from Indians. Germans moved into the area from Fredericksburg and even soldiers settled the town after their discharge. In 1858 the town received mail as well as the fort's supplies from San Antonio. The post office opened in town and the name was changed from Fort Mason to Mason that same year.

In the 1870's Mason County was the scene of a violent feud between German settlers and Anglo ranchers. Known as the "Hoo-Doo" War or the Mason County War - it was a nasty business of many killings with no one ever standing trial.

Mason became a stage stop after the war and it never did get a railroad - usually a very important milestone to a developing town. In 1923 Mason was the largest "city" in Texas without a railroad.

My first stop and geocache was at the Gooch Cemetery (GC1NVFD). There are over 2600 burials in the Old and New sections combined. I couldn't find any information on Benjamin Gooch other than he was born in 1790 in North Carolina. The inscription on his headstone reads: "Christian Patriot, Pioneer in Texas, Under Four Flags, 1834-1872." I can only assume that he was the initial donor of land used for the cemetery.

One burial of interest is that of Adolph Korn. Eleven-year-old Adolph Korn was tending sheep on New Year’s Day, 1870, when three Apache warriors came up to him on horseback. One of the warriors grabbed Adolph, hit him over the head with a gun barrel, pulled him onto his horse, and rode away. That was the last his family saw of him until three years later, when a band of Comanches, who had received the boy in a trade with his abductors, surrendered him to government authorities November 14, 1872, at Fort Sill, Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

He lived with the Comanches for only a few years but was "Indianized" by the experience. After being returned to his family, Adolph never again became completely comfortable with "white" civilization. He withdrew from his family and the community and lived in a cave for a number of years. His last years were spent with his sister Johanna spending most of his time outside, eating raw meat, sleeping outdoors, and avoiding contact with people.

And then there's Private Walton Tart. With the inscription of Texas PVT 636 TD BN and died December 12, 1944 at age 24, I can only assume he was killed in action though I could not find any additional information to verify that.

One more that caught my attention.

The next geocache brought me to the Seaquist Home and the Broad Street Bridge (GC1NVFK). Construction began on the Seaquist Home in 1887 by the Rev. Thomas Broad. In 1891, Banker E. M. Reynolds acquired and enlarged the house. The architect, Richard E. Grosse, also did the ornate stone cutting and woodcarving. Property was then sold to Oscar E. Seaquist in 1919, a Swedish immigrant, who finished the ornate house. This beautiful landmark still owned and occupied by his family. Exemplifying fine workmanship and materials, the house features a third-floor ballroom.

On the same street at the north corner of the property is the Broad Street Bridge. In 1914, the citizens of Mason petitioned the county commissioners court for a reliable means of crossing Comanche Creek, which separated north and south Mason. Initial construction bids were deemed too high and a second petition was presented in 1917. Because Mason had no railroad to transport large pre-fabricated building materials, the Alamo Construction Company crafted the bridge of reinforced concrete on site in 1918. Perhaps the last concrete truss bridge to remain in Texas, the Broad Street Bridge continued to support vehicular and pedestrian traffic in Mason until recently when bollards were installed to block cars from crossing.

Next up is a statue outside the Mason Library honoring its hometown author Fred Gibson (GC1195B). If you're as old as I am, you probably remember reading or watching the movie "Old Yeller" in grade school. The author Fred Gibson was born here in Mason, Texas.

Making my way back to the town square, I stop at the Mason County Jail. A good example of a small, nineteenth-century jail, this structure was built in 1894 from the brown sandstone available in the nearby hills. The ground floor of the county's third jail includes living quarters for the sheriff, while the jail cells are located on the second floor. The modified Romanesque revival building features a massive entry arch, segmental arches over the windows, and a central tower.

My next geocache was at the Old Mason Grammar School (GC13165). Located near Gamel Springs on the grounds of Fort Mason and constructed in 1887. Builder August Brockmann used stones from the former Fort, which were originally quarried on this hill. The school served Mason until 1952, with curriculum including music and German. In the 1960's, the building was used as a library, museum, and youth center. Now it is just the museum and senior center.

Old wagon behind the old school.

German immigrant Anna Mebus (1843-1925) came to Texas in 1858 and married her merchant cousin, Karl Martin (1828-1879). After his death she continued to operate their Mason store and post office, and by the 1880s was handling the cash of area ranchers. In 1901 she helped establish and became president of The Commercial Bank, opened with $3,000 capital. Before a bank building was acquired in 1903, cash was taken home at night. Her sons, Charles (1861-1940) and Max (1863-1941), served as bank officers and helped coin the bank's motto, Safety-Service-Silence. The family operated the bank until 1958.

Sitting proud in the center of the square is the Mason County Courthouse. Constructed in 1909, this is the third courthouse to serve the people of Mason County. Commissioners Court probably met in other locations until the first courthouse was built in 1872. It burned in 1877 and was replaced that year by a second red sandstone building. That one caught fire in 1900. Designed by E. C. Hosford, this Beaux Arts style third courthouse features a center dome and clock tower, gable front porticoes, with two story Doric columns and rusticated stonework with contrasting stone lintels.

Now off to visit the towns namesake. Fort Mason (GC181Q3) is situated near a spring long used by Indians; built of stone quarried from post hill. The Fort helped protect Texas frontier from Indians. Colonel Robert E. Lee, stationed in Texas 2 years, commanded Fort Mason from February 1860 to February 1861. Here he made his decision as to his part in the Civil War, saying: "If the Union is dissolved,... I shall return to my native state and... save in defense... draw my sword on none". He left Fort Mason February 13, 1861. In wartime he remembered "the enemy never sees the backs of Texans".

The fort was abandoned in 1969. The native stone buildings, which once numbered 25 were spirited away (stone by stone) to reappear in town, transformed into residences. In the mid 1970's the pattern was reversed when local citizens rebuilt a former officer’s quarters from the well-used rock.

On my way out of town, I stopped at the Crosby Cemetery and my next geocache (GC1NVFP). The first burial ground for the citizens of Mason and Koocksville, this cemetery traces its history to the 1850's. The oldest documented burial is that of Kate Lemburg, who died in 1856. Also interred here is Mason County's first sheriff, Thomas Milligan (1810-1860). The Crosby family purchased the property surrounding the cemetery in 1866, and it has been known as Crosby Cemetery since that time. Those buried in the cemetery include members of the Crosby and other pioneer families. It stands as a reflection of the area's heritage.

My last geocache of the day was on the outskirts of Mason in what used to be the town of Koocksville (GC1195E). The towns namesake(s) were William and Minna Koock who opened a store in their log house just after the Civil War. Due to its proximity to Mason, the Koocks never saw the need to apply for a post office. Koock's store became a stop for cattle buyers from more western counties.

The log store/ residence was rebuilt as a large stone structure in 1883. The building's second floor served as a community center and a place to hold civic meetings. The town thrived after the Civil War and the new prosperity made Koock a banker as well as a storekeeper. Koock later built a large flour mill and gin on his property but it was torn down and the stone cannibalized to build the VFD building in Mason. Koockvsille did have its own school at one point.

A decline in cattle and sheep prices sent the town into a slump, but when William Koock was killed in a riding accident (1890) his family moved into Mason and eventually sold the businesses (1899). Without the driving force of William Koock, the town would've become a ghost, but it's nearness to Mason has caused it to evolve into part of that city.

While driving the rural backroads of Texas, you never know what you're gonna see.

Just one more stop to make. Last week I mentioned stopping by Gamel Cemetery. I also mentioned William Gamel at the start of this blog as one of the earliest settlers in Mason County, moving here from Georgia. This land was a part of his homestead and you'll find his grave among those here. The oldest known burial is from 1883.

You have to cross this creek to get to the cemetery. Last week it was dry. This week there was a little bit of water there. I did manage to hide a cache there too (GC7Q19Q).

That's it for this week. The rest of the drive was straight through to Fort Stockton and getting ready for work tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

2017-11-24: A Quick Visit to the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Alamo, and the San Fernando Cathedral

Welcome back again to AwayWeGo's Adventure Blog. This week we had some relatives in visiting from Florida for Thanksgiving. So today we thought we'd take a drive down to San Antonio, Texas using the Riverwalk to burn off some of those calories we ate yesterday!

The earliest civilian colonists of San Antonio were a group of pioneers from the Canary Islands. They formed the first organized civil government in Texas and founded the village of San Fernando de Bexar in 1731. Following a sea and land voyage of over a year, these weary travelers arrived at the Presidio (Fort) of San Antonio early on March 9, 1731. Totaling 56 persons, they had emigrated to Texas from the Spanish Canary Islands near Africa, by order of King Philip V.

On July 2nd, they began to lay out a villa choosing a site on the west side of the Plaza de Las Yslas (present day Main Plaza) for the church and a site on the east side for the Casa Real (government building). On July 19, the Captain of the Presidio, Juan Antonio de Almazan, read to the islanders the decree of the viceroy naming them and their descendants "Hijos Dalgo" (Persons of Nobility).

The heads of the 16 families who settled in San Antonio were: Juan Leal Goraz, Juan Curbelo, Juan Leal, Antonio Santos, Jose Padron, Manuel de Nis, Vicente Alvarez Travieso, Salvador Rodriguez, Jose Leal, Juan Delgado, Jose Cabrera, Juan Rodriguez Granadillo, Francisco de Arocha, Antonio Rodriguez, Lorenzo and Martin de Armas, and Felipe and Jose Antonio Perez.

Upon arriving late morning it was pretty busy as you can imagine being a holiday weekend. We found a parking spot a few blocks away from The Alamo. Before we got too far, I spent a few minutes on my phone studying Google maps to get a good sense of where I was so I could find the car again!

Our first stop and my only Geocache for the day was at The Alamo (GC7B6P3). And it was a virtual cache, so all I had to do to claim a find was take a photo of me with the Alamo in the background. Yeah, that's me. Most everyone has heard of the Alamo and that there was a battle there. But probably not much more than that. So, here's a history lesson.

Originally built in 1744, The Alamo Mission in San Antonio commonly called "The Alamo" is one of the early Spanish missions in Texas. Originally built to educate local American Indians after their conversion to Christianity. Later secularized in 1793, then abandoned. Around 10 years later it became a fortress and home to the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras military unit. It's believed they are the ones who named it "The Alamo".

In December of 1835, Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos surrendered The Alamo to the Texican Army following the Siege of Bexar. A small number of Texicans held the fort but were eventually "removed" on March 6, 1836. The Battle of the Alamo lasted 13 days from February 23 to March 6, 1836. Many of the buildings surrounding the fortress were torn down in the years to follow. William B Travis and James Bowie shared command of The Alamo during the siege. Over the next five years The Alamo was used to garrison soldiers for Mexican and Texican armies but was eventually abandoned.

After Texas joined the United States the US Army began renting the facility to use as a quartermaster's depot in 1849. Once the nearby Fort Sam Houston was established in 1876 the army left The Alamo. The chapel was sold to the State of Texas which began to conduct tours but did not begin to restore it. Other buildings were sold off to a mercantile company which operated them as a wholesale grocery store. In 1895 restoration projects began under the newly formed "The Daughter of the Republic of Texas". In 1905 the DRT convinced the state legislature to purchase the remaining buildings and to name them the permanent custodians of the site. They were the custodians of the site until 2015 when Texas Land Commissioner George P Bush officially removed control of the Alamo to the Texas General Land Office.

The big controversy of today is the relocating of the Alamo Cenotaph monument pictured here. The city wants to redesign Alamo Plaza to accommodate the huge number of tourists it receives annually. The 60-foot tall monument built to recognize the 100th anniversary of the battle currently sits out in front of the historic mission. The redesign plan is for it to be moved 500 feet to the south, repaired, and correct some errors with the names. Also, the streets will be closed off giving more room for a courtyard representing a more historical configuration. A lot of people are not too happy about the plan though.

Whatever happens, all I know is this is the second time here at the Alamo and I still have yet to go inside due to the LONG lines of tourists! Maybe next time... 

We continued along the Riverwalk enjoying the sights, sounds, and the smell of the many restaurants along the way.  Some of the areas were blocked off as they were in setup mode along the route with chairs and such. Seems as though there was going to be Christmas Parade on the river later that evening. 

While the entire Riverwalk area ventures further off in different areas, it is a river of course, the main downtown section forms an east-west rectangle. The Alamo is on the northeast corner. On the west side is the San Fernando Cathedral. The site for the Church of San Fernando was selected on July 2, 1731, when Juan Antonio Pérez de Almazán, captain of the Presidio of San Antonio, laid out a central square for the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, as San Antonio was then called. He followed the instructions by the Spanish government for the newly arrived Canary Islanders. The church was to be located on the west side of the square, which may still be considered the center of San Antonio. Before and during the construction of the town's parish church, the fifty-five immigrants and the presidial families attended services at the presidial chapel or at San Antonio de Valero Mission.

Although information is contradictory, the cornerstone for the first attempt to build a stone church was laid most likely on May 11, 1738. In 1748 the viceroy approved a donation of 12,000 pesos to complete the church. With funds secured, two artisans from San Luis Potosí, Gerónimo de Ibarra (a master stonemason) and Felipe de Santiago (a stonecutter), were hired to continue the project. Ibarra razed the earlier construction and enlarged the dimensions of the building. He completed the church in 1755. Joining Old World and New World saints, the congregation chose Our Lady of Candlemas and Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe as patrons in addition to the town's official patron, San Fernando, or King Fernando III of Spain, who was canonized in 1671. By the end of the eighteenth century the parish served by the church had grown considerably, to a population of over 1,000. The church acquired vessels, mission records, and parishioners after the nearby San Antonio de Valero Mission was secularized in 1793 and the four downriver missions in 1824.

The church suffered setbacks in the early nineteenth century, however; it was damaged by a flood in 1819 and a fire in 1828. Significant rebuilding was carried out in 1829–30, and the church continued to serve as an important religious and social center. In 1831 James Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi there. Several times during the Texas Revolution the church served secular purposes. Mexican cannons stood on its roof during the siege of Bexar. After that battle the Texans flew a flag of victory from it. Antonio López de Santa Anna not only used the church as a lookout but ordered a red flag flown there to signal that the Texans at the Alamo would be shown no mercy. In 1889 Juan N. Seguín said the Alamo heroes were buried there, but they are almost certainly not.

Caught in tumult, by 1840 the church of San Fernando had fallen into a terrible state of disrepair. One observer noted that half of its roof was gone and that swallows and bats flew about inside. Essential repairs were carried out by the new church administration that took over that year. Extensive renovation was planned in 1851 but not begun until 1868. Under the direction of architect François P. Giraud, the original bell tower and part of the nave were razed. Giraud's new design included a Gothic Revival nave, triple entrance portals, a gable roof, and twin bell towers and buttresses. In 1872 the original dome fell. By 1873 the old dirt floor and most of the limestone rubble walls mortared with goat milk were gone. Although the second bell tower was not completed until 1902, the new church was consecrated in October 1873. With the formation of the Diocese of San Antonio in 1874, the church was designated a cathedral.

The cathedral underwent another major restoration in the mid-1970s. Repairs were also made in preparation for Pope John Paul II's visit of September 13, 1987. The cathedral is a large and busy parish church and episcopal see, where about 400 baptisms, seventy funerals, and sixty marriages are performed annually. Many services are in Spanish. In 1993 Archbishop Patrick F. Flores was pastor of San Fernando.

Just inside and to the left of the cathedral entrance, is a marble sarcophagus and plaque with these words: "Here lie the remains of Travis, Crockett, Bowie, and other Alamo Heroes. The Archdiocese of San Antonio erected this memorial May 11 A. D. 1938. R.I.P. Formally buried in the sanctuary of the old San Fernando Church. Exhumed July 28, 1936, exposed to public view for a year, entombed May 11, 1938.

Still a mystery nearly 200 years later, as to if these are indeed the remains of those Texas Heroes. After the fall of the Alamo in 1836, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna ordered that the bodies of the Texans be burned in outdoor crematories. So there were three separate funeral pyres for somewhere between 189 and 250 Alamo Defenders. The bodies were layered between, cut wood, tree branches and kindling, in 10 feet by 70 feet stacks, and set on fire. Texas leader Juan Seguin took ashes from two of the pyres, put them in urns and buried them under the old cathedral floor.

Finishing our loop around the Riverwalk, some of the younger of the group who weren't all that interested in the historic aspects of San Antonio got to be getting a little cranky. So we made our way back to the car and started the long drive back home. So that was our day around San Antonio. I hope to come back soon as there is much more to see.

2017-10-29: An Old Spanish Fort, A Ghost Town, and Baby Head Cemetery

Today is Sunday which means our time at the house in Killeen is coming to an end. Gotta make the 360+ mile drive back to West Texas and get ready for work tomorrow. And of course we'll be making a few stops to Geocache along the way. 

Our first stop in the Texas Hill Country of Llano County was because of an unusual name. A Texas ghost town by the name of Babyhead and the Baby Head Cemetery (GC51AGX). From the historical marker: "According to local oral tradition, the name "Babyhead" was given to the mountain in this area in the 1850's, when a small child was killed by Indians and its remains left on the mountain. A local creek also carried the name, and a pioneer community founded in the 1870's became known as Baby Head. The oldest documented grave here is that of another child, Jodie May McKneely, who died on New Year's Day 1884. The cemetery is the last physical reminder of the Baby Head community, which once boasted numerous homes, farms, and businesses."

There are other stories and theories and to this day no one really knows the truth. If you are as curious as I was, you can find out more at The Mystery at Babyhead Mountain by Dale Fry.

Continuing westbound on Highway 29, the next caching county needed was Mason County. We stopped in the historic small town of Art, Texas (GC6KP9A). Not exactly a ghost town but not really much of a town in size. Interestingly though it still has a post office with a population that's always been in the teens and twenties.

Heinrich Conrad Kothmann (1798-1881) and his wife Ilse Katherine Pahlmann (1810-1905) and their family sailed from Germany to Indianola, Texas in 1845. Among the first families to settle in Fredericksburg, the Kothmanns were issued a 640-acre land grant in Mason County in 1848. In 1856 they moved again and were among the first immigrant families in this area called Willow Creek. A trained cabinetmaker and musician, Kothmann began ranching and acquired another 640-acre tract of land. Located on their former homestead, the Kothmann Cemetery is all that remains of the original ranch site. It contains only five graves, all of Kothmann family members.

Along with a few other German families, a log church was built in 1958. In 1875, they raised a stone church which also served as a school. Otto Plehwe purchased a newly established general store from J. A. Hoerster in 1886. Plehwe thought the area needed a post office as well as a store and the government agreed. Postal officials even went with Plehwe’s suggested name, one the new post master thought had a nice ring to it: Plehweville. However, not an easy name to remember or pronounce, many residents were happy with it and many letters would get lost by the postal service.

In 1890, a new larger Methodist Episcopal Church was erected and is still in use to this day. The stone building was still used for school up until 1945 when the rural schools were consolidated to Mason. By 1920, Eli Dechart had taken over as store owner and post master of Plehweville. He recommended the new name for the post office of Plehweville, Texas be Art, Texas – Art being the last three letters of Dechart. The government agreed and Plehweville became Art.

One thing I forgot to do was get a photo.

The next Geocache was in Menard County, the ghost town of Hext (GC5AD72).  It was known as Maringo (Marengo) when the area was settled in the 1870s, but residents changed the name to Hext in the late 1890s in honor of Joseph Robert Hext. A local post office was established in 1897 with Ennis Stark as postmaster. In 1914 the community had a cotton gin, a hotel, two general stores, and 125 residents. A Church of Christ had been organized in 1904, and a Baptist church was established in 1916. By the mid-1920s, population estimates for the community had fallen to forty; they rose to sixty in the late 1940s and remained at that level through the mid-1980s. The community reported sixty-four residents in 1988. In 2000 the population was seventy- three. Today the postmaster stated that the post office serves 49 residents through its boxes and route deliveries. It is one of the smallest in Texas. At one time Hext had a school.

Also in Menard County is the Presidio de San Saba (GC6P54K). Once known as Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas, a fortress constructed in 1757 by a Spanish force led by Captain Don Diego Ortiz Parilla. The presidio, which was subsidized by the Spanish crown, had a threefold purpose: to protect the nearby Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, to assess the validity of rumors of rich silver deposits in the area, and to guard the Spanish frontier against the threat of Indian encroachment. Both in physical size and number of troops, the Presidio was the largest and most important military installation in Texas for its time.  The fort's companion site of the Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá was built a few miles downstream.
The presidio and its accompanying mission were the first place that Europeans in Texas came into conflict with the Comanche Indians and found that Plains Indians, mounted on Spanish horses and armed with French guns, constituted a fighting force superior to that of the Spanish colonials. The course of history was changed at the Mission and Presidio; eventually, the Spanish withdrew from the frontier creating other lines of defense along the Rio Grande. The Presidio only lasted another decade and a half, abandoned by decree of the Viceroy of New Spain in 1772. Over one hundred and fifty years later, the 1936 Texas Centennial Commission contracted the reconstruction of the Presidio in an effort to recapture the region’s past, and the northwest portion of the Presidio rose once again. Today, Menard is helping to preserve and interpret the archeological remains that surround this community. Travelers may observe the ruins of the Presidio reconstruction where archeologists have spent several years uncovering artifacts pertaining to the site and the Spanish Colonial period in Texas.

Our final stops for the day were in Schleicher County in the town of Eldorado, Texas. One cache was at the Eldorado Cemetery (GC27D82) and by the Courthouse and Old Jail in the town square (GC163MG). County Courthouse marker: Constructed in 1923-24, this courthouse replaced an earlier building on this site which burned in 1917. Designed by noted architect Henry T. Phelps of San Antonio, the 3-story Classical Revival structure features four half-round giant order Doric columns which support a large entablature. Native stone for the building was obtained from nearby quarries. The 1905 Schleicher County Jail was built with limestone by T.S Hodges. Built with a gallows, that was never used, the jail was vacated in the early 1960's.

It was a beautiful day. We got to see some interesting places and learn more about Texas history. Thanks for reading about our adventures.

2017-10-13: Cemeteries, a Tank, a Mexican Fort, and a Giant Teapot

Hello again and welcome back. So we spent the last two days moving into the house in Killeen. Now it's time for some fun and exploring. Today's Geocaching adventure has us driving around east central Texas to pick up some new counties.

Our first stop was down in Bastrop County and a town called McDade. There we grabbed a virtual cache (GCFF19) and a cemetery cache (GC41K67). McDade was founded in 1869 in the expectation of the arrival of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The town was named after James W. McDade who may have had something to do with the railroad. In the early days it was also called Tie Town or Tie City because ties and logs for the railroad were stored there.

When you think of the wild west and gunfights, you usually think about Tombstone and Deadwood. But this little known town of McDade, Texas experienced more shootings, lynchings, stabbings and assassinations between 1875 and 1884 than Tombstone and Deadwood combined! They need to make a movie about the outlaws and vigilantes there. But I encourage you to read more about the town at Texas Escapes.

One more quick roadside cache in McDade (GC6K3KY) then we continue down US-290 towards Washington County. There we stop for a quick Cowboy Wine cache (GC2QX0G) at a winery, but no time for tasting. Gotta keep moving. Then another picnic area cache along Mill Creek (GCNNDN).

Now over in Grimes County in the town of Navasota we find our next 5 geocaches. The first was called Real American Hero (GC23PZ6). March 23, 1999 the United States Department of the Army delivered a model M-60ATTS tank serial number 3757-A to this site. The M-60 combat tank equipped with a 105 mm cannon was deployed in the Vietnam and Desert Storm wars. This tank is dedicated to all members of the VFW Post 4006. The marker is dedicated in memory of Chief Bos n' Mate Sam Corolla Ret. USN who was instrumental in acquiring this tank.

Also in Navasota is the Oakland Cemetery and our next three geocaches (GC23PZY, GC23PZK, GC6KY3J). One of the celebrity burials is that of a musician, Mance Lipscomb Sr (1895-1976). His father taught him the basics of fiddling and was self-taught the guitar. Developed a distinctive finger-picking style that complemented his singing style. Lipscomb was "discovered" in 1960 at age 65. He saw his first album, and first recording, Texas Songster, released a year later. His music and life have been well documented on film, appearing in several 1960s and 1970s blues documentaries including The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1968), Blues Like Showers of Rain (1970), A Well Spent Life (1971), and Out of the Black Into the Blues (1972).

Our last geocache in town was a quick park and grab hidden at and placed by the Navasota Police Department (GC77NVV). Before heading out of town, we had to make one more stop. There wasn't a cache there. But when the town is home to the world's largest teapot you just have to pay a visit. Located next to Martha's Bloomers, a plant and garden nursery, it's a free stop for a photo opp.

Continuing north on TX-6, we arrive in Brazos County and the town of College Station. We had a quick stop at an A-maze-ing virtual cache (GCDB0A). What's the difference between a maze and a labyrinth? A maze is a complex branching (multicursal) puzzle that includes choices of path and direction, may have multiple entrances and exits, and dead ends. A labyrinth is unicursal i.e. has only a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center then back out the same way, with only one entry/exit point. So is this a maze or a labyrinth? Neither, it's a virtual cache!

Not too far away was a gadget cache (GC5CRV6). Gadget caches are a lot of fun, but can also be frustrating. They're usually easy to find, as this one was. But there's always a brain teasing challenge to figure out how to get them open! Fortunately I have encountered one of these before so it was fairly easy.

Our next Geocache was over in Burleson County at a historical marker for Fort Tenoxtitlan (GC1J60X). Founded by Mexico as a bulwark against Anglo-American immigration, this fort and its nearby city were twice proposed for the capital of Texas. Alarmed by the influx of Anglo settlers into Texas, Mexico in 1830 sought to erect a line of forts to keep out the intruders. The ancient Aztec name for Mexico City (originally pronounced "Ten-ox-teet-lan") was given this site; it means "prickly pear place". So hopeful of the fort's success was the military commandant of the region that he envisioned it as the capital of Texas. But Anglo immigration did not cease. Instead it thrived on the friendship of the local soldiers and incoming pioneers. The colonizer Sterling C. Robertson introduced scores of settlers.

In 1832 the soldiers were withdrawn and the fort finally defaulted to the Anglos. Subsequently it was a supply center and mustering point for expeditions against the Indians. During its brief life many Texas patriots lived here, including 5 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, a martyr of the Alamo siege, and 7 soldiers of the Battle of San Jacinto. Tenoxtitlan was again suggested for the capital of Texas during the Republic, but Austin won out. In 1841, after many Indian raids, the site was abandoned.

Unfortunately, there's nothing left of the fort to see.

We finished off the day with one last cemetery cache but unfortunately it had been muggled and we had to log a DNF. It was a fun day with lots to see. But time to get back to the new house and relax.

2017-08-19 Geocaching Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle

Welcome back to our Geocaching Adventures blog. Sorry for the delay in this post. Hopefully I'll be getting caught up with my writing soon.

On this weekend back in August, we had first made a stop in Lubbock, Texas for a visit to a cardiologist there. Afterwards we made our way up to Amarillo where we would stay for two nights while we Geocached and explored the Texas Panhandle. The goal was to go Geocaching in the ten remaining counties to finish the area.

County #1 Carson: While in Amarillo last year we had visited the famous Cadillac Ranch. This time  around we made a stop at our first cache and the lessor known Bug Ranch (GCDB98) on the east side of town. The Bug Ranch is the unsuccessful 2002 marketing idea of the Crutchfield Family for their Trading Post and Ranch. The five VW Beetles, closed trading post and motel are now just a place for tourists to get a photo opp and leave their spray painted signature behind. So I've seen the Cadillac Ranch, the Airstream Ranch down in Florida, and now the Bug Ranch. Are there any more?

Continuing eastbound on I-40/US-66, our next stop was a two-fer virtual (GC8B0E) and a traditional (GC68M62) cache in Groom, TX. As a former trucker, I had passed by this 190 foot tall cross and a couple of others like it throughout the country. 
If the huge cross wasn't enough, there are 12 prayer stations with 12 life-sized statues depicting various stages of Jesus' life. And further off to one side are more life-sized statues of the Lord's supper, Golgotha and the three crosses, and a cave representing the empty tomb. And finally a visitors center and gift shop.

What was supposed to be a quick stop, a few photos and go, turned into over an hour of looking, reflecting, and browsing the store. If you're ever driving down the highway and come upon one of the amazing crosses around the country, be sure to take the time and stop.

County #2 Wheeler: Getting back on track and two counties over, we stopped in Lela, TX to travel back in time a little. Originally called Story when it was established in 1902, a postmaster changed it the following year to Lela in honor of his wife's sister. By 1906 a nearby town became the center of trade and attention drawing residents and businesses away from Lela. The post office closed in 1976 and the school in 1992. The town's population has only grown from 50 in the 1940's to just over a hundred today. But it does contain two Geocaches: at the Old Lela Cemetery (GC61X3E) and the old red brick schoolhouse (GC2XZ1P).

County #3 Collingsworth: We then headed south on FM 1547 into a new county and another ghost town. Near the Salt Fork of the Red River in northwestern Collingsworth County. The town of Dozier was on the Rocking Chair Ranch until the ranch ceased to exist. Post office was granted in 1904 with the Dozier school district being organized five years later when a schoolhouse was built. The school's location changed several times until a larger building was constructed in 1913. This school lasted until 1929, when a brick school was built. By 1930 the population of Dozier was 60 and it somehow increased during the Great Depression to 100 by 1940. There's a historical marker there (GC245QN) but the school building itself has recently collapsed. As for the cemetery, it is still in use to this day and has over 400 permanent residents.

Over to US-83 and turning back to the north, I make a quick stop for an easy guard rail cache (GC21677). Back into Wheeler County and the town of Shamrock at the intersections of US-83, US-66, and I-40. Shamrock is the nearby town that boomed taking away from Lela that I mentioned earlier. The first cache I stopped for there brought us to a huge mural on the side of a building. Crossroads of Highways (GC2167E) highlights the towns history.

Another in the town of Shamrock is the Get Your Kicks! cache (GC1Q175). Going back to the famous Route 66 days, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn's unique design and architecture were the inspiration for the body shop owned by the character Ramone in the animated movie "Cars."

There were two more caches in the NW corner of Wheeler County that I couldn't pass up. The first was at the Mobeetie Cemetery and called Wild West: Miss Mollie's Love (GC5EPXK). Mobeetie Cemetery is the first known established cemetery in the Texas Panhandle. It was born of necessity, established as a final resting place for those whose journey ended in Mobeetie, which evolved from an 1875 hunters camp and nearby army post. Over the course of time, some of the grave markers have been destroyed by both tornadoes and natural decay. The oldest gravestone is dated May 2, 1882. Other burials include outlaws, accused horse thieves, those killed by a 1898 tornado, ladies of the evening and the infant daughter of Temple Lea Houston. In addition it is the final resting place for the famed Texas Ranger Captain G.W. Arrington.

The cache is named for Miss Mollie Brennan. Her original marker has since long been destroyed or decayed, a memorial headstone is placed in the vicinity. It reads: Killed January 24, 1876, in a gunfight in Mobeetie, she was a young blue eyed, black haired beauty Lady Gay Saloon girl. She jumped in front of Bat Masterson and saved his life in the fight between Bat and Corporal Melvin A. King of Fort Elliot. This fight is where Bat received his leg wound and started using his famous cane. (Mobeetie was then Sweetwater City.) She was about the first one buried in this cemetery somewhere near this marker.

The other cache is at the Mobeetie Jail Museum (GC2GYFX). Mobeetie was as rank a place as any fancier of rankness could ever want. Gamblers, prostitutes and gunfighters turned Mobeetie from Hidetown into a frontier Sodom and Gomorra. Pioneer Panhandle cattleman Charles Goodnight described the town as "patronized by outlaws, thieves, cut-throats and buffalo hunters, with a large percentage of prostitutes."Temple Lea Houston, Sam Houston's youngest son, wrote his wife that Mobeetie was "a baldheaded whiskey town with few virtuous women."

If you enjoy history as much as I and are intrigued by the previous paragraph, I encourage you to read more about Mobeetie's history following these links: Texas Escapes, a Bald-Headed Whisky Town, and Judge vs Marshal.

County #4 Roberts: Gotta keep moving along and up to Miami, TX in Roberts County for our next trio of geocaches. First was the Emerson No. 1 cache (GC3GQ1H) at the Miami Railroad Depot and Roberts County Museum. Miami supposedly derives its name from an Indian word meaning "sweetheart." The first settler on this site was Marion Armstrong, who in 1879 erected a half-dugout stagecoach stand near Red Deer Creek on the mail route from Mobeetie and Fort Elliott to Las Vegas, New Mexico. The town was platted in 1887 by B. H. Eldridge on the proposed route of the Southern Kansas (later Panhandle and Santa Fe) Railway. Samuel Edge and Mark Huselby purchased several lots and formed the Miami Townsite Company. Supplies for the railroad-construction crews were furnished by daily stages from Mobeetie. By 1888 Miami had 250 inhabitants and three hotels, three grocery stores, two saloons and a cafe, two livery stables, a post office, a mercantile store, a drugstore, and a tin shop. When Roberts County was organized in January 1889, Miami was chosen as county seat. The election, however, was declared fraudulent in December, and Parnell, twenty-five miles northwest, was the legal seat of county government until Miami won another election in November 1898. The present courthouse was built in 1913 to replace an earlier wooden structure.

The next two caches in Miami are located at the cemetery (GC5R93X, GC5R93C). The earliest cemetery in the town of Miami was established shortly after 1887 when the Southern Kansas Branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was extended through Miami. The earliest known burial is that of early pioneer William T. Lard who died on December 6, 1888 and was reinterred here prior to 1900.

County #5 Hemphill: Continuing up US-60 across the line into Hemphill County for a quick roadside cache. In the Shadow of the Giants (GCJZ0E) takes you to an area surrounded by oil wells with a huge dinosaur looking over them from the top of the hill. Because dinosaurs make the oil deep down in their underground factory right?

A few miles up the road stopping at the cemetery in Canadian, TX for the Hammer & Anvil cache (GC69PMF). After a bit of searching, we came up empty handed and had to log a DNF.

County #6 Lipscomb: Ugh, too much sightseeing and gotta make up time. Fortunately the next cache (GC117XQ) is a quick roadside stop cutting across the SW corner of Lipscomb County.

County #7 Ochiltree: Yay! Next over into Ochiltree County and another quick Cache and Dash (GC500DK) geocache at a picnic area.

County #8 Hansford: Now heading westbound on TX-15, we arrived at the Hansford County Cemetery (GC6BJJW) for our next geocache. It's the first burial ground set aside in this county. The earliest grave was that of Mrs Alfie P. McGee who died in 1890. Also buried here are the Cator Brothers, founders of Zulu Stockade, and the Wright Brothers, not the flyers but early ranchers. It was the only official cemetery in the county until 1928 and is still in use today. We didn't take time to look around though. Just grabbed the cache and drove on.

Getting late and running out of time, we turn south on TX-136 heading back to the hotel in Amarillo. The final two of the ten counties I needed will have to wait another day.

On the way back I still stopped for two more cemetery caches. I already had those counties so they won't count. Land for the establishment of Lieb Cemetery (GC5P1RG) was donated by Will Blakey and W.O. Jarvis in the spring of 1902. A meeting was held for the purpose of building a schoolhouse. Plans were made and lumber was hauled by wagon from Channing. Completion of the school was in April 1903. A two month school term was held that spring. Classes were held at Lieb until 1929, when the district was consolidated with two new districts, Pringle and Morse. The school building mentioned on the marker is now a community building for meetings of farmers in the area and sets adjacent to the cemetery.

That last one for the day was the Unknown Cemetery (GC5EPY6) located out in the farm land. There were just a few headstones of which only one could be barely legible. The headstone reads: N W Reeder 1827 1896. Neither the previous cache owner nor the current cache owner could find any information on the pioneer cemetery. And I checked the Findagrave website with the name listed above and came up empty as well. You can see from the photo below that if you didn't already know there was a cemetery there you wouldn't realize it.

So after a long day of caching and driving over 400 miles around the Texas panhandle, we made it back to the hotel in Amarillo with 20 caches and 8 new counties. Tomorrow we head back home down to West Texas.