Traces of Tx (today)

[Shakey Jake]

From Facebook Traces of TX group:
"James “Big Jim” Patterson was born on the 4th July 1847 during his family’s migration from Mississippi to Texas via the Choctaw Trail. The Patterson men were much taller than average and none more so than Big Jim who reached an astounding 8ft 4in. The family settled in the Ark-La-Tex region owning land in both current day Brightstar, Arkansas and Bloomburg, Texas where they would farm the land and eventually invest in numerous local businesses including the Bloomburg State Bank, built in 1916 and still standing today as Cass County’s tallest commercial building. Some time in the late 1870’s the family made a trip Jefferson, which at one time was Texas’ busiest port, for goods and supplies. At that time Jefferson happened to be hosting the Sells Brothers Circus and Big Jim was noticed by one of the brothers and asked to join as their “World’s Tallest Man.” He traveled the World with Sells Brothers including visits to Australia and Hawaii, performing for paying crowds and privately held functions hosted by royal family members. While in Australia the paparazzi hounded Jim and they wrote numerous articles about the “Great American Giant.” Big Jim was a handsome and well-proportioned man and when a “World’s Tallest Woman” could not be found to hire, Jim would don a dress and wig to fill the role.
Jim constantly wrote letters home discussing his travels and the relationships formed with fellow circus performers but was mostly fond of his fellow “freaks” such as Unzi the Aboriginal Albino and three-legged man George Lippert. In his letters home he mentions how the business was “filthy lucrative” for them as they could make additional money to their salaries by signing autographs and posing for pictures. He also complained about the exorbitant cost of women’s dresses however when money for such items were needed, he would simply visit the performer’s “treasure wagon” for an advance. During Winter months Big Jim would travel between the Sells Brothers headquarters known as Sellsville in Columbus, Ohio and Bloomburg to visit family and friends. At home he was treated like a movie star, constantly acquiescing to requests for photos and autographs. He would not visit home empty handed and often showed up with elaborate gifts for the family from exotic food like oysters and pineapples to wooden organs which he gave to each of his loving nieces.
By 1895 Big Jim was ready to settle down and the Kansas City Southern railroad had just laid tracks through downtown Bloomburg, the city boomed for a while. Big Jim would invest in many local businesses and lend money to friends and family, often taking repayment in the form of poultry or livestock or whatever borrowers could afford to part with. Jim built and died in Bloomburg’s largest home on Halloween night 1920 and would be buried in Brightstar’s Olive Branch Cemetery alongside most of his other family members. His obituary was printed in newspapers throughout the United States where he was referred to as the tallest Texan on record however the local paper simply stated, “the big man from Bloomburg was over Saturday.”
Thank you, B.E.. What an interesting life Big Jim led. His hands are huge!

[Shakey Jake]

I found this picture on the University of North Texas digital library. It's a picture of taken of the "Long X ranch at Kent 1891". You can see the Davis mountains in the background. The picture does not name the river pictured but my oh, my isn't the detail great for it's age! Here's a bit of information gleaned from the TSHA website:
In 1868 George Thomas and William David Reynolds formed a partnership establishing the Long X as their official brand. In 1871 they moved their herd of longhorn cattle to Bent County, Colorado, where they established their Point of Rocks Ranch. By 1875 drought and the defeat of the hostile Indian tribes prompted the Reynolds brothers to move their base of operations back to Texas. Their ventures prospered over the next several years through cattle drives to Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Canada, enabling them to establish ranches in Haskell, Shackelford, and Throckmorton counties. By 1884 their partnership had been incorporated as the Reynolds Cattle Company. In 1895 the Reynolds Company acquired 232,000 acres in Jeff Davis County on which it established its Kent Ranch. At one time or another the corporation owned extensive ranchlands in Culberson and eight other Texas counties, as well as in New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, and North Dakota. One of the last large properties, acquired in the 1920s, was the purchase of the former Rita Blanca Division of the XIT Ranch, plus adjacent lands in Hartley County near Dalhart, totaling 64,000 acres. George Thomas Reynolds died on March 5, 1925, in Fort Worth and was buried in Albany. He was survived by his widow and one adopted daughter. At the time of his death, the Reynolds Cattle Company had approximately 330,000 acres of ranchland in the Davis Mountains of Texas, 70,000 acres in Throckmorton, Haskell, and Shackelford counties, and 64,000 acres in the Panhandle near Dalhart. Reynolds was one of the founders of the Bloys Camp Meeting.
To see the original in a larger format go here(you can use the "zoom" feature): https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531 ... hotographs

[Shakey Jake]

Here's another fine picture from the same collection. This picture was taken on the LFD Ranch which is in New Mexico however the owner, G.W. Littlefield was a Texan who made a fortune in ranching. More can be found on Littlefield here:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent ... washington
There isn't any captioning of a year on the photo but just has "LFD Catching Horses". Here's the link to the photo if you want to use the "zoom" feature to get more detail: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531 ... hotographs

[Shakey Jake]

I did a post on Dan Blocker (Hoss) a while back. This morning I came across this picture from the UNT digital library of the main characters on Bonanza. What does it have to do with Texas? I don't know but it's a fine picture. It appears that it was folded in half at one point which is a shame.

[Shakey Jake]

Per TSHA:
On this date in 1859, William and Maria Clara Menger opened their hotel, now a landmark, on Alamo Plaza in San Antonio. In partnership with Charles Philip Degen, William Menger also operated a brewery on the site. Maria Menger had owned and operated a boarding house in San Antonio in the early 1850s. The hotel is one of the best-known lodging houses in Texas. Its guests have included O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. The building has been remodeled many times and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Menger continues to serve as a center for meetings and other social affairs.

My wife and I have stayed in the Menger several times while attending the TMEA and TBA conventions in San Antonio. We like staying in the old historic section. The historic section is said to be haunted. Robyn and I have never experienced that while spending time there. They DO have a marvelous restaurant that haunts me when I'm there! I can't stop thinking about all the savory offerings! The link is to a news report of the haunting. There are others that you can look at that are much lengthier if you desire on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1sdecaLPqI

[cooperhawk]

My late Father loved that show. He had a fleet of semis and the folks in our small town decided to refer to him as "Ben" and my younger brother, (who was a big boy), as "Hoss". The truck yard was of course the "Ponderosa", and when I heard about it I thought of course that I would be "Adam", but no, I was "Little Joe".

That's a great picture.

[Mike_S]

I am on page five of this thread - OUTSTANDING!

This is so cool, and I am so glad you are doing this!

[Mike_S]

Finally finished just now - amazing cool stuff you have here! Keep it coming!

[Shakey Jake]

On this date in 1882, building commissioners Nimrod Norton and Joseph Lee turned the first shovelful of dirt for the present Texas Capitol. Construction was financed by the sale of three million acres of public land in the Panhandle, under the auspices of the XIT Ranch (X=10 in Texas because it covered all or part of ten counties). The main building material is red granite from Granite Mountain, west of Austin. The Renaissance Revival structure, for which the Capitol in Washington was the model, was dedicated in 1888. The total cost was $3.75 million. The cost of restoration in the 1990s was $200 million.

[Shakey Jake]

I thought about posting this picture earlier and didn't. She has ties to my alma mater, TCU. LInda Loftis was Miss Texas back in 1961 and was third runner-up is the Miss America pageant that year. I suppose this picture was taken for a publicity flier or such for her Miss Texas duities. Here's a bit more information about Linda from the TCU magazine in 2011:
When Linda Loftis took the stage for her classical vocal rendition of “Sempre Libera,” the Cowtown resident aced the talent competition. But that’s not the only accolade the accomplished songstress added to her list: Linda also was named Miss Photogenic, third runner-up to Miss America and was the first Texan to advance to the top five at the national pageant since 1942.
“Being Miss Texas in 1961 was an amazing experience,” she says. “I performed at more than 200 appearances, including singing the national anthem on horseback at the Fort Worth Rodeo, the first Van Cliburn Piano Competition, Fort Worth Pops and the opening of the LBJ Library in Austin.”
Linda continued that momentum as a successful and highly regarded stage actress. She performed on Broadway, in opera, musical summer stock and commercials. Additionally, Linda was named “Best Actress” by Casa Mañana Musicals.
After completing her doctorate in educational administration at Baylor University, Linda served as a teacher and administrator in public and private education. She also cofounded Faith Christian School in Grapevine, working there until 2007.
Following retirement from educational administration in 2007, Linda now enjoys the “ranch life” near Bryan, Texas, where she raises horses with husband Olan Tobias, a retired veterinarian. They have a son and a daughter.