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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 7, 2020 7:39:44 GMT -5
 “Well, Texas is swiftly becoming modernized to suit the standards of big business; very seldom you even hear any of the old range songs any more – ‘Sam Bass’, ‘The Killing of Jesse James’, . . .’” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, December 1930 I am pretty sure "The Killing of Jesse James" is "The Ballad of Jesse James," which has also just been called, "Jesse James."
The Ballad of Jesse JamesJesse James was a lad that killed many a man, He robbed the Glendale train, He stole from the rich and he gave to the poor, He'd a hand and a heart and a brain. Chorus: Well Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life, Three children, [now] they were brave, Well that dirty little coward that shot Mr. [Mister] Howard, He laid poor Jesse [Has laid Jesse James] in his grave. Well it was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward, I wonder how he feels, For he ate of Jesse's bread and he slept in Jesse's bed, And he laid poor Jesse in his grave. Jesse was a man, a friend to the poor, He'd never rob a mother or a child, There never was a man with the law in his hand, That could take Jesse James alive. Jesse was a man, a friend to the poor, He'd never see a man suffer pain, And with his brother Frank he robbed the Chicago bank, And stopped the Glendale train. It was on a Saturday night and the moon was shining bright, They robbed the Glendale train, And people they did say o'er many miles away It was those outlaws, they're Frank and Jesse James Now the people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's death, And wondered how he ever came to fall Robert Ford, it was a fact, he shot Jesse in the back While Jesse hung a picture on the wall Now Jesse went to rest with his hand on his breast, The devil will be upon his knee. He was born one day in the County Clay, And he came from a solitary race. |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 8, 2020 8:12:03 GMT -5
 “Well, Texas is swiftly becoming modernized to suit the standards of big business; very seldom you even hear any of the old range songs any more – ‘Sam Bass’, ‘The Killing of Jesse James’, ‘The Old Chisholm Trail’ . . ." —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, December 1930 Although I already did "The Old Chisholm Trail," I didn't do lyrics. Here is a more modern version of the song by Randy Travis. The Old Chisholm TrailWell, come along boys and listen to my tale I'll tell you all my troubles on the ol' Chisholm Trail Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. I started up the trail October twenty-third Started up the trail with the U-2 herd Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. On a ten dollar horse and a forty dollar saddle Started out punchin' them long horn cattle Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. With my seat in the saddle and my hand on the horn I'm the best dang cowboy that was ever born Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. It's cloudy in the west and lookin' like rain And my danged old slicker's in the wagon again Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. The wind began to blow and the rain began to fall And it looked like we were gonna lose 'em all Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. No chaps, no slickers and it's pouring rain I swear I'll never night herd again Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. I cripple on my horse and I don't know how Roping these long horn U-2 cows Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. Well, I went to the boss to draw my roll And the boss had me fugured nine dollars in the hole Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. Well, me and the boss we had a little spat So I hit him in the face with my ten gallon hat Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. The boss said to me, ''Well, I'll fire you Not only you but the whole darn crew.'' Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. I'll sell my horse, I'll sell my saddle And you can drive all your long horn cattle Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea. Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea, youpy yea Come a-ti yi youpy, youpy yea |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 9, 2020 6:50:02 GMT -5
 “Well, Texas is swiftly becoming modernized to suit the standards of big business; very seldom you even hear any of the old range songs any more – ‘Sam Bass’, ‘The Killing of Jesse James’, ‘The Old Chisholm Trail’, ‘Utah Charlie’,. . .’” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, December 1930 I have never seen this song called "Utah Charlie," but I am pretty sure the song Howard was referring to was the old song "Utah Carl," also called "Utah Carroll" or "Utah Carol." For instance, Arlo Guthrie recorded it as "Utah Carroll," while Marty Robbins recorded it as "Utah Carol." Another version recorded in the 1950s, called it "Utah Carroll's Last Ride." Don't let the title fool you, this is definitely a Texas song. Since Marty Robbins made this song pretty popular, I'll go with his lyrics and recording: Utah Carol And now my friends you've asked me what makes me sad and still And why my brow is darkened like the clouds upon the hill Run in your ponies closer and I'll tell to you my tale Of Utah Carol my partner and his last ride on the trail We rode the range together and rode it side by side I loved him like a brother, and I wept when Utah died We were rounding up one morning when work was almost done When on his side the cattle started on a frightened run Underneath the saddle that the boss's daughter rode Utah that very morning had placed a bright red robe So the saddle might ride easy for Lenore his little friend And it was this red blanket that brought him to his end The blanket was now dragging behind her on the ground The frightened cattle saw it and charged it with a bound Lenore then saw her danger and turned her pony's face And leaning in the saddle tied the blanket to its place But in leaning lost her balance, fell in front of that wild tide "Lay still Lenore I'm coming" were the words that Utah cried His faithful pony saw her and reached her in a bound I thought he'd been successful, and raised her from the ground But the weight upon the saddle had not been felt before His backcinch snapped like thunder and he fell by Lenore Picking up the blanket he swung it over his head And started cross the prairie, "Lay still Lenore" he said When he got the stampede turned and saved Lenore his friend He turned to face the cattle and meet his fatal end His six gun flashed like lightning, the report rang loud and clear As the cattle rushed and killed him he dropped the leading steer On his funeral morning I heard the preacher say I hope we'll all meet Utah at the roundup far away Then they wrapped him in a blanket that saved his little friend And it was this red blanket that brought him to his end |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 10, 2020 7:35:55 GMT -5
 “Well, Texas is swiftly becoming modernized to suit the standards of big business; very seldom you even hear any of the old range songs any more – ‘Sam Bass’, ‘The Killing of Jesse James’, ‘The Old Chisholm Trail’, ‘Utah Charlie’, ‘San Antonio’ . . .” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, December 1930 There have been a lot of songs about San Antonio, but I am fairly certain the song Howard is referring to is the one recorded by Billy Murray in 1907 titled, "San Antonio," which has also been called the "Cowboy Song." The song was widely popular when released and Howard more than likely heard it on one of his many trips to San Antonio -- obviously it became a favorite for his favorite Texas city. Unlike the other songs noted, this one was not derived from a cattle drive, old time cowboy song, but was created by Billy Murray himself. He had toured with vaudeville shows and eventually took to recording songs, having a number of popular hits. This just happened to be one of them. It also happened to come out not long after the widely popular book The Log of a Cowboy, which is a well written book about early cattle drives in Texas. While everyone believes the book was non-fiction, in actuality, it was only based on the author's experiences in the early cattle drives, but the story itself is fiction--so, historical fiction, Howard's favorite type of tales. Like the book, the song is believed to have been a real cowboy song, but it was only a "modern" popular tune. San AntonioJust as the moon was peeping over the hill After the work was through There sat a cowboy and his partner Bill Cowboy was feeling blue Bill says: come down pal Down into town pal Big time for me and you Don't mind your old gal You know its cold pal If what you say is true Where is she now Bill cried And his partner just replied San Antonio, Antonio She hopped up on a pony and ran away with Tony If you see her just let me know And I'll meet you in San Antonio You know that pony that she rode away That horse belongs to me So do the trinkets that she stowed away I was the big mark E I won't resent it I might have spent it Plunging with Faro Jack If she's not happy there with her chappie Tell her i'll take her back No tender foot like him Could love her like her boy Jim San Antonio, Antonio She hopped up on a pony and ran away with Tony If you see her just let me know And I'll meet you in San Antonio |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 10, 2020 16:25:44 GMT -5
  “Well, Texas is swiftly becoming modernized to suit the standards of big business; very seldom you even hear any of the old range songs any more – ‘Sam Bass’, ‘The Killing of Jesse James’, ‘The Old Chisholm Trail’, ‘Utah Charlie’, ‘San Antonio’, ‘The Ranger.’” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, December 1930 The last song on the list of the "old range songs" that Howard mentions is "The Ranger." I could find no song called "The Ranger" (at least no traditional songs, I did find a newer "The Ranger" song and "The Ranger Fight Song"). so I am thinking it is most likely "The Texas Rangers." The earliest recording of the song I could find was a the Library of Congress from 1942, however, all of the information on the song seems to suggest this was a cattle drive song from the cowboy era. I also found this song on a number of collections that were about "old range songs," as Howard called them. So, here are the lyrics and one of the recordings of this last song on the list: The Texas RangersCome all ye Texas Rangers wherever you may be. I'll tell you of some troubles that happened unto me. My name is nothing extra, so that I will not tell. And here's to all you Rangers, I'm sure I wish you well. Was at the age of seventeen I joined the jolly band. We marched round San Antonio down to the Ryo Grande. Our Captain, he informed us, perhaps he thought it right. Before we reach the station boys, you'll surely have to fight. And when the bugle sounded our Captain gave command. To arms, to arms he shouted, and by your horses stand. I saw the smoke ascending; it seemed to reach the sky. And then the thought it struck me, my time had come to die. I saw the Indians coming; I heard them give a yell. My feelings at that moment no human tongue can tell. I saw their glittering lances, their arrows 'round me flew. And all my strength had left me, and all my courage too. We fought for nine hours fully, before the strife was o'er. The likes of dead and wounded, I never saw before. And when the sun had risen, and the Indians they had fled. We loaded up our rifles and counted up our dead. And all of us were wounded, our noble Captain slain. The sun was shining sadly across that bloody plain. Sixteen, the brave Rangers that never roamed the west, Were buried by their comrades with arrows in their breast. And now my song is ended, I guess I've sung enough. The life of any Ranger you see is very tough. And if you have a Mother that don't want you to roam. I'd advise you by experience, you'd better stay at home |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 10, 2020 16:37:46 GMT -5
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 11, 2020 11:00:03 GMT -5
 Despite what has become his iconic picture, here is Robert E. Howard’s view on his hat: “I recently made the biggest concession in the way of wearing apparel I ever made in my life, when I consented to wear one of these damned narrow-brimmed hats . . . I detest the things . . . I don’t know why people in this country ever adopted them. They serve no practical purpose in this region. They won’t stay on in a sand- storm, they don’t shade one from the sun, and I believe a man could have a sun-stroke wearing one. They’re all right in cities where there’s no wind, or sun or anything else natural, but for an open country the only head-gear is a broad-brimmed Stetson.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, September/October 1934 He also used a colorful colloquialism about the Stetson a few months before: “The fact remains that I got on a roaring drunk, the biggest I’d been on in year . . . We hit Brownwood some time before midnight and I couldn’t have hit the floor with a Stetson hat.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, July 1934 Although the Stetson itself has become an American icon, it was a Texas icon first. |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 14, 2020 7:55:04 GMT -5
 "There have not been, in years, sandstorms such as the country used to know. As more and more of the Panhandle and upland plains are being put in cultivation, the drift of the sand is checked to some extent. I remember how they used to come up - sometimes suddenly, with driving clouds, a spatter of rain, and then a gust of wind-swept dust that swept the skies clean of all else. But often their coming was somewhat in this fashion: The sun would rise red and hot, in a clear breathless sky. There were no clouds, but a sort of breathless tenseness. Even in the early morning, the scanty flowers wilted with the heat, and the young leaves drooped on their stalk. Then the wind began to rise, in fitful gusts that rose and ceased suddenly. In the northwest a long low black line appeared, that grew with appalling speed. It rose steadily, seeming to climb into the sky, though its lower edge never left the earth. At first it seemed like a hideous black cloud. On it swept, towering higher and higher; now it reared its awesome crest hundreds of feet in height, and was like a black tidal-wave - an onrushing basaltic wall, stretching from east to west - a black wall five hundred feet high and ten miles long. Black dots whirled above it, which were quickly seen to be buzzards and birds of prey, flying hard before it. Now it loomed half-way to the zenith, and an awesome roar filled the air. Yet suddenly the terror of it was gone; it was no longer black but reddish-brown, and then with a rush and roar, the sand-particles were whirling past, and the wind was howling through your hair, and the sand-storm was on. It might last for days, sinking to a whisper at night, perhaps, to roar with renewed vigor at dawn. There would be no clouds, only driving, pelting, whistling sand - sand - sand! which found rest in your eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, hair; which filtered through window frames in steady streams, and sifted under doors until a passing foot left a clear imprint. You found sand in your bed, in your clothes, your shoes, your food. When you opened your mouth to curse it, you felt grit between your teeth. At midday you could look unwinking into the sun, which hung like a pale yellow ball in a reddish flying drift. At night you might glimpse a few stars high in the dim hazy sky, lent a strange alien silver by the dust-laden atmosphere, or a moon, surrounded by a pale yellowish glow, might glimmer through. For a day or so after the wind had ceased blowing, the dust still veiled the skies, lending everything a strange unnatural quality, an aspect of illusion and witchery." -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, May 24, 1932
Although Howard did not describe the Black Sunday Dust Storm that occurred on April 14, 1935, by the time it reached Cross Plains, it was dying out and may have looked like just any "ordinary" dust storm of that era. I say ordinary in quotes because Howard describes a typical dust storm to Lovecraft above in his gripping style. Having experienced these types of sandstorms during Operation Desert Storm, I can attest that Howard's description is dead on.
The following is a brief weather history report about the Black Sunday storm:
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 15, 2020 18:11:18 GMT -5
 "Then there was the case of Lord Adair. The Irish lord had made some big investments in the cattle business - beef was being exploited in Texas then as oil and farm products were later and the British companies were dipping their hands in the pot - and he and his wife were visiting the famous Goodnight ranch on the range of the South Paladuro. Goodnight was the nobleman’s partner. Goodnight and his waddies were out on the round-up and he sent Cape Willingham, one of his vaqueros, into the ranch for the mail. Willingham was a real man - later sheriff of thirteen Panhandle counties at once; and those are big counties. He was in my opinion the best sheriff Texas ever had, for he kept Tascosa from becoming another Dodge City, and maintained the maximum of order with the minimum amount of bloodshed; therein he differed from Wild Bill Hickok who never arrested a man if he had the slightest excuse for killing him. Cape came into the dining room of the big log ranch-house, dusty and sweaty from the branding-pens, with his bandanna and chaps on, and naturally Mrs. Good- night set him a plate. At this Lord Adair, who was eating with his wife at the table, went into a fine British fury. He was not going to eat with hired hands, not he! Mrs. Goodnight answered with some surprize that she and her husband always ate with the punchers. But the Lord would not be pacified; he bellowed with outraged pride, and insisted on finishing his meal, with his wife, at another table. Naturally that didn’t please Cape very much. As far as manhood went, he was so far above this monocled Irish monkey that there was no comparison. But I doubt if Cape thought of that. He was not conceited. But he had been insulted, and the men of that day didn’t meekly swallow insults. A short time later the Goodnight men started the drive to Dodge City, and Lord Adair accompanied them. No, I’ll take that back. Adair didn’t go up the trail; I doubt if he could have stood the grind, even in a wagon. He merely went to the camp where the steers were being held after the round-up. It started raining and a blizzard began to blow, and along about one o’clock one morning Cape Willingham came in from his night-herd guard, and saw the tipi under which his Lordship was snoozing. He piled his lariat over the top of the tent and dashed off into the night with it. The next thing was Lord Adair scudding for the mess-wagon in his night-shirt through the sleet and freezing wind, screeching like a locomotive. They say he exhibited hysteria and seemed extremely upset. He demanded that Willingham be fired ( the usual vengeance of his type) and probably was pacified somewhat when he saw Goodnight pay Cape off, and Cape head for Tascosa. He didn’t know that Cape was being given a vacation with pay." -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, January 1934
Caleb Berg (Cape) Willingham (1853-1925), early Panhandle rancher and lawman, was born on April 8, 1853, in Georgia. He moved to Atascosa County, Texas, at the age of twenty-one, and in 1875 began working for Charles Goodnight in Pueblo County, Colorado. Goodnight established the JA Ranch at Palo Duro Canyon in 1877 and sent for Willingham and his bride, Mary Marguerite (Mayes), to assist him.
Willingham stayed with the JA until 1879, when he joined the LX outfit to do "a little detective work for them in regard to some stolen cattle." While working at the LX he and Marion Armstrong took charge of the "Star Route," the newly surveyed United States mail line from Fort Elliott to Las Vegas, New Mexico. As riders and drivers for that line, sometimes called the Lightning Express, Willingham and Armstrong often traveled night and day, changing mounts at each station. When Oldham County was organized in 1880, Willingham was elected its first sheriff and brought several desperadoes to justice. After losing a reelection bid to J. H. (Jim) East in 1882, Willingham moved to Mobeetie, where he ran the Cattle Exchange Saloon. By then his family included two sons and three daughters. In 1883 J. M. Coburn, founder of the Hansford Land and Cattle Company, hired Willingham at a generous salary, as manager of the Turkey Track Ranch. Willingham's reputation as a lawman and his abilities as a cowman turned the Turkey Track into a successful ranching enterprise. The family moved into the former Quarter Circle T Ranch headquarters house and later into a wooden frame house Willingham constructed nearby. Willingham was among the ranchers involved in the grass lease fight in 1886–87. In November 1886 he charged the brothers John and George Leverton with cattle theft. Although evidence was hazy, the charge led to the attempted arrest and shooting of John Leverton by Wheeler County sheriff George W. Arrington. Leverton's widow subsequently filed murder charges against Arrington and Willingham. Both were acquitted at the trial held in Mobeetie the following year. Willingham continued to supervise the Turkey Track for nearly two decades, raising racehorses, game chickens, and hounds to keep wolves away from the cattle. His children attended school first in Mobeetie and later in Canadian, after the family bought a house there. In 1893 Willingham bought a portion of the old John Chisum ranch on the Pecos River near Roswell, New Mexico, and commuted for a time between both properties before selling the Panhandle holdings to Mart Cunningham and moving his family to the New Mexico ranch. Willingham remained with the Hansford Company until he resigned in 1903. He subsequently worked as a cattle commissioner in El Paso and ranched in Mexico.
During his last years he moved to Ajo, Arizona, where he died on January 18, 1925. He was buried in the Ajo Cemetery.
Source: Handbook of Texas Online, H. Allen Anderson, "WILLINGHAM, CALEB BERG [CAPE]," accessed April 15, 2020, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwiaa.
See also his Find-A-Grave page here: www.findagrave.com/memorial/86031385/caleb-berg-willingham
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 17, 2020 15:09:49 GMT -5
 "Lady Adair had more sense than her husband; she survived him by many years, becoming known as the Cow Queen of the Panhandle, and was respected and liked by everyone. She wasn’t a snob like he was, and thought it not beneath her dignity to eat with the men who worked for her." -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, January 1934 The previous post's letter continued with the above mention of Cornelia Adair. Here is what the Texas State Historical Association has to say about her life: "Cornelia Wadsworth Adair, (1837-1921) darist and rancher, the second of the six children of Gen. James Samuel and Mary Craig (Wharton) Wadsworth, was born on April 6, 1837, in Philadelphia. She spent her early years at Hartford House, her father's country estate near Geneseo, New York. In 1855 the family left for a two-year sojourn in France and England. Soon after their return in 1857 Cornelia married Montgomery Ritchie, a grandson of Harrison Otis of Boston. Two sons were born to them. Her father and her husband died in 1864. The widowed Cornelia took her two small sons to Paris, where the older son died a few years later. "In 1867, while attending a ball in New York City given in honor of Congressman J. C. Hughes, Cornelia Ritchie met broker John G. Adair of Ireland. They were married in 1869 and afterward divided their time between America and their estates in England and Ireland. In the fall of 1874 they left Ireland to see the American West and to experience a buffalo hunt along the South Platte River in Nebraska and northeastern Colorado. Her brother had served as an aide to Philip H. Sheridan, and Cornelia Adair probably used the general's influence to obtain a military escort under Col. Richard Irving Dodge to accompany the party, which departed from Sydney Barracks in Nebraska Territory. She kept a detailed diary of the two-month journey, which included attending a council of cavalry officers and Oglala Sioux, near the South Platte. In 1918 she had it published. "In the summer of 1877, when her husband and Charles Goodnight formed a partnership to found the JA Ranch, Cornelia accompanied the party from Pueblo, Colorado, to the new ranch headquarters Goodnight had established in Armstrong County, Texas. Because the Adairs lived at the ranch only sporadically, Goodnight became its manager and, under orders from Cornelia Adair, paid high salaries for experienced, law-abiding ranchhands. After Adair died in 1885, Cornelia became Goodnight's partner. In 1887 she traded a second ranch for his one-third interest in the JA, a share that comprised 336,000 acres, 48,000 cattle, assorted mules, horses, and equipment, and rights to the JA brand. Although she was a naturalized British subject and spent most of her time in Ireland, Cornelia Adair also maintained a home in Clarendon and contributed generously to various civic projects in the vicinity of the JA Ranch, which by 1917 covered half a million acres. She provided funds to build the Adair Hospital and the first YMCA building in Clarendon and strongly supported that community's Episcopal church. She also vigorously promoted the Boy Scout movement since she knew Lord Baden-Powell and many other of its British organizers. She died on September 22, 1921, and was buried next to her husband in Ireland. In 1984 the Adairs' Glenveagh Castle, which sheltered Belgian refugees during World War I, became an Irish national park." Source: Handbook of Texas Online, Nancy Baker Jones, "ADAIR, CORNELIA WADSWORTH," accessed April 17, 2020, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad02. Here is also a link to a nice website about the JA Ranch covering its history from Lady Adair onward with lot of photos: www.ranches.org/ja_ranch_and_montie_ritchie.html |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 20, 2020 13:47:05 GMT -5
 "I visited one of the oldest and more picturesque of these colonies a week or so ago – Fredericksburg, in Gillespie County, about 158 south of here. There is only one kind of wine my mother cares much about, and that is the port bottled by Ludwig Borauer at his winery in Fredericksburg, so I went to the town to get some of it. It is fine wine, the best I ever drank anywhere, though I believe his tokay suits my taste just a bit better than the other. Anyway, the Fredericksburg wine is far superior to any of the California wine we get here." -Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, April 15, 1936
Even toward the end, Howard was defending the great state of Texas. Fredericksburg is a beautiful town, one my wife and I like to visit often. It is a great place for a weekend stay as there are a lot of interesting shops, nice bed and breakfast places to stay, and some entertaining shows and events - especially in the fall when they have the beer festival. Enchanted Rock, which inspired Howard to write the poem "Cimmeria" is also just north of the town.
As I am a beer drink who detests the taste of wine, I thought it might be fun to raise the issue Howard concludes with here: that Texas wines are better than California wines.
Having been to the Messina Hof Winery near College Station, I learned that certain parts of Texas have the perfect soil for growing wine grapes. Although Texas does not produce as much wine as California, they have become competitive--wine loving relatives from California reluctantly had to admit that the Texas wines were good.
According to the Texas Wine Lovers, here are 10 reasons Texas wines are unique: txwinelover.com/2018/01/top-10-reasons-texas-wines-unique-vs-napa-valley/
Conde Naste had an article on Texas Wines: www.cntraveler.com/story/why-texas-is-americas-most-underrated-wine-destination
And apparently Texas wines win in many of the national and international competitions for wine, including in competitions held in California.
Sadly, I could find no information about Hester Howard's favorite winery still being in existence. |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 21, 2020 14:42:12 GMT -5
  “Anyway, the Fredericksburg wine is far superior to any of the California wine we get here, just as Texas oranges and grape fruit are superior to anything grown in California, or Florida either, for that matter.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, April 15, 1936 “In the west, along the mouth of the Rio Grande, citrus fruit raising’s the main occupation, and the finest oranges in the world are grown there.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, May 1935 Not only did Howard think Texas wines were better, but so too the oranges and grapefruits (In regard to the latter, the Ruby Red grapefruits really are phenomenal!). Texas has had a fairly lengthy history with the orange, but the grapefruit in Texas came about during Howard's lifetime. Here is a brief history of both: "Farmers have been growing oranges in Texas for more than a century now. The famous fruit arrived in the Lone Star State at the end of the nineteenth century. And although they are not a top orange producer, Texas oranges are some of the most sought after on the market today. Let us take a brief look back at the origins of Texas oranges. "The orange is one of the oldest fruits on earth. Most historians believe that it was first grown in ancient China four thousand years ago. Then, during the age of exploration, the orange became a favorite fruit of European explorers who spread the orange all over the globe. "Orange seeds were brought to America sometime during the 16th century. The story goes that it may very well have been the famous Spanish explorer, Ponce del Leon, who brought the orange to Florida. Though we may never know the truth, we do know that it was a big hit in the Sunshine State. "Orchards and orange groves have been flourishing in Florida for several centuries. But it wasn't until the early nineteenth century that the commercial orange industry got up and running. Years later, the orange was introduced to Texas. Because the orange grows best in a subtropical environment, oranges were relegated to a region of South Texas known as the Rio Grande Valley. "At about the same time, the grapefruit arrived in Texas. Since the orange was a proven winner in Florida, Texas orange crops were much larger than grapefruit crops. But when a simple mutation was discovered in an orchard in 1929, the Texas grapefruit industry was born. "What did this mean for Texas oranges? Because oranges were inextricably linked to Florida, the Lone Star State needed a similar association. In the end, they hitched their proverbial wagon to the grapefruit and it worked out quite well in the end. Texas became the unofficial grapefruit capital of the world for a decade before Florida overtook them in production. "As for Texas oranges, the state became the country's third largest producer. But they are a distant third. At present, Texas only grows about two percent of the oranges in America, while Florida supplies more than two-thirds of the tangy fruit. One explanation for this huge discrepancy is simple geography. Florida has more than one hundred thousand acres on which to plant oranges, while Texas oranges are cultivated on less than twenty thousand acres of land." Source: www.pittmandavis.com/blog/the-history-of-texas-oranges/ |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 22, 2020 7:36:24 GMT -5
 “I've been going through Fredericksburg, off and on, for many years, and I don't think it's changed a bit. My friend, Tyson, and I . . . I seem to remember, when we stopped at a beer joint a few miles out for another drink, of using my scanty knowledge of German to convince the barman that I was a Prussian, and I must have succeeded, somehow, for he immediately thawed out and deluged me with a flood of conversation, directed mainly at the Mexican brewers who bring down the price of beer, and the three of us had an enjoyable time guzzling Texas Pride and cussing the corporations. I don’t know when I ever had a more hilarious souse. It didn't last long; I was sober by the time we got into West Texas again, but it was a peach while it lasted. A sordid statement, no doubt; but in the interests of honesty I must admit that of all the so-called pleasures of life, drink, food and women are about the only ones I find completely satisfying. And that includes the intellectual joys.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, April 15, 1936 I figured after a posting on Texas wines, I needed to follow up with a posting on Texas beers. Here is an anecdote that REH shared with Derleth. What is ironic is that, while Howard was drinking his Texas Pride and "cussing the corporations," he was actually drinking a corporate beer made by the Pearl Brewing Company in San Antonio. Pearl had a long history in Texas and after Prohibition it produced an off-shoot of its Pearl beer: Texas Pride, the lager beer that was "smooth and satisfying." The Pearl Brewery closed its doors in 2001, caught up in the vagaries of changing American tastes. Here is an interesting article titled "Tapped Out" from the Texas Monthly in 2001 detailing the history of Pearl Brewing in Texas that also talks about Texas Pride: www.texasmonthly.com/articles/tapped-out/ |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 23, 2020 8:17:18 GMT -5
 "Of course, I havn't tried it all, but that's been my experience so far. I’ve drunk only Prima, Budweiser, Pearl, Old Heidelberg, Schlitz, Rheingold, Savoy, Sterling, Blue Ribbon, Fox, Country Club, Atlas Special, Jax, and Superior." -Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, December 1933 Continuing the theme of beer, a favorite topic of mine, I thought I would share a little about the Pearl Brewery, one of the beers Howard listed as having consumed. Here is what the Texas Handbook had to say about the brewery: "The Pearl Brewing Company in San Antonio traces its beginnings to brewer Jaroslav B. Behloradsky, who arrived in San Antonio by the early 1880s and opened his City Brewery and began producing a lager beer in 1884. Behloradsky’s City Brewery was sold, and businessmen Oscar Bergstrom, Frederick Hartz, and brewer Otto Koehler took control of the brewery by early 1887 and drew up a new charter as the San Antonio Brewing Association (1887–1918). The Pearl name reportedly came from a German brewmaster that had thought that the bubbles in a freshly-poured glass of beer resembled pearls. He called them "Perlen." Though many histories of Pearl have stated that the San Antonio Brewing Association purchased the formula and name from the Kaiser-Beck Brewery in Bremen, Germany, author Jeremy Banas has written that Otto Koehler may have secured the name and formula from another source—possibly the A. Griesedieck Brewing Company in St. Louis in 1886. Koehler had previously worked for Griesedieck. "Brewer Otto Koehler was among the men who organized the San Antonio Brewing Association, and Koehler served as president from 1902 until his death in 1914. The beer originally debuted in the Alamo City as XXX Pearl Beer. The designation of XXX was a long-accepted symbol of the highest quality of brew by European monasteries. A new brewhouse was constructed in 1894, and the building became a symbolic feature of San Antonio industry. Otto Koehler, who had managed the Lone Star Brewery in San Antonio, became the president and manager of the San Antonio Brewing Association. In 1902 the officers were Otto Koehler, president; Otto Wahrmund, vice president; and J. J. Stevens, secretary. Under Koehler's direction the original pioneer brewery was replaced by a larger modern establishment. Production was gradually increased to 6,000 barrels per year. In 1889 five 135-barrel tanks were installed by the Pfaudler Company, and by 1916 Pearl was the largest brewery in Texas with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per year. "Koehler remained president until his death in 1914. His wife, Emma, succeeded him as the chief executive. The San Antonio Brewing Association was the only brewery in San Antonio to survive prohibition, due in large part to the hard work and determination of Emma Koehler. Mrs. Koehler kept it going during those lean years by producing near beer, bottling soft drinks, entering the commercial ice and creamery businesses, and operating an advertising sign company. Within fifteen minutes after prohibition ended in Texas on September 15, 1933, 100 trucks and twenty-five boxcars loaded with Pearl beer rolled out of the brewery grounds. In 1952 the San Antonio Brewing Association changed its corporate name to the Pearl Brewing Company in an effort to more closely associate itself with its product. "Pearl acquired the Goetz Brewing Company of St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1961 and merged with the Southdown Corporation of Houston in 1970. The acquisitions allowed Pearl to move into national markets, and in its heyday, Pearl beer was nationally-known and distributed across the United States. Pearl then expanded its product line by buying the formula and label to Jax beer, a popular New Orleans product. In 1978 Paul Kalmanovitz, owner of S&P Company out of Mill Valley, California, acquired Pearl Brewing Company. Kalmanovitz later acquired some of the assets of Pabst Brewing Company by 1985, and Pabst took over Pearl operations. In 1981 Pearl’s 1.8 million barrels of beer were distributed in forty-five states, and the company employed 535 people at its San Antonio facility. In 1995 the employee force stood at 350, and production stood at 1.1 million barrels of beer. With changing tastes in a highly-competitive market, Pabst initiated cost-saving measures and halted its own production. The Pearl brewery closed in June 2001, and Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth contracted with Pabst to take over the production of Pearl and Lone Star brand beers. In the 2010s Pearl beer was still sold in regional markets in Texas." Source: tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/dipgx |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Apr 24, 2020 7:01:24 GMT -5
 “Of course, I haven't tried it all, but that's been my experience so far. I’ve drunk only Prima, Budweiser, Pearl, Old Heidelberg, Schlitz, Rheingold, Savoy, Sterling, Blue Ribbon, Fox, Country Club, Atlas Special, Jax, and Superior. None of it was as good as the Sabinas I used to drink in Old Mexico. I understand that company is going to move their brewery to San Antonio, and I hope they do. That was mighty good stuff.” —Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, December 1933 Mr. Karl “Kelly” Haeglin was an American brewer out of Kansas. When Prohibition loomed large, he began looking for a place to continue making beer. He discovered a lot of bad beer in Mexico, but soon learned that Sabinas, Mexico, had clean water, so he began tentatively moving there. When Prohibition shut down his brewery in Kansas, he moved the whole family south of the border. Haeglin soon had the Sabinas Brewery up and running and selling what appears to have been Howard’s favorite beer. Haeglin’s move south all seemed like a really great idea, at least that was until July 26, 1920. That was the day he became the last person to be kidnapped by Pancho Villa and held for ransom! After that little ordeal and growing problems with the Mexican government, he decided to leave Mexico and move back to America to San Antonio, Texas. When Prohibition ended in 1933, as Howard understood, he began constructing a new brewery under the name Sabinas Brewing Company at 600 Lone Star Boulevard. It opened in 1934 and continued to make the beer Howard loved. In some ways, Haeglin was late to the game, especially when Pearl Brewery had beer ready to deliver just after Midnight when Prohibition ended. The brewery limped along until 1939. The company then operated under name to the Champion Brewing Company until 1940, at which time it was purchased by the Muchlebach Brewing Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The company re-branded itself as the Lone Star Brewing Company and began officially producing Lone Star Beer that year. The brewery was acquired by Olympia Brewing Co. in 1976, which was bought by Wisconsin’s G. Heileman. Stroh's then bought up Heileman and closed the Lone Star brewery in 1996. Pabst bought the Lone Star brand in 1999 and began making it at the Pearl Brewery until it too was shuttered in 2001. Pearl beer and Lone Star are now made by the Pabst Brewing Company. Sabinas beer no longer exists. |
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