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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 7, 2020 10:50:40 GMT -5
  “One time I remember I visited the old Santa Gertruda Rancho (Captain King’s South Texas hacienda) and there remembered I’d carelessly left my Kodiak at the little town of Bishop a good many miles away.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, January 1931 A few years back, I made a comment to someone who owned a King Ranch Ford truck about the famous Captain King, and their reply was, "Yep, the King Ranch Ford is pretty famous." It seems the history of named things is often lost over time. There truly is a King Ranch, the largest ranch in the United States; today encompassing 825,000 acres. It remains a working ranch to this day, and it is still available for tours: king-ranch.com/visit/our-tours/Here is a professionally developed video on the History of the Ranch: |
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Post by charleshelm on Jul 7, 2020 21:11:56 GMT -5
Had a blowout outside Bishop coming back form South Padre once. Hot day...
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 8, 2020 10:25:15 GMT -5
Had a blowout outside Bishop coming back form South Padre once. Hot day... Must be something about that town . . . |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 8, 2020 10:30:24 GMT -5
 “When I went up on the Plains last fall, I took along my Kodak for the purpose of securing some snap-shots for you, of the Caprock and the canyons—and it was cloudy and rainy practically all the time. Of all the pictures I took, not one was any account at all.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, January 1931 Cameras were certainly finicky things back then. Remember when you used to take a roll of film and had to wait for it to be developed? Or how you took pictures sparingly because you didn't want to waste film or have what happened to Bob happen to you? I digress. After Palo Duro Canyon (which is awesome!), the next best place to visit with similar land formations is Caprock Canyon. Some like Caprock better as it is less crowded. If you go to Palo Duro Canyon in January when it is around freezing, like I did this past January, it's not crowded at all! Here is a video about Howard's "Caprock and the canyons": |
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Post by Von K on Jul 8, 2020 15:53:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the continuing updates linefacedscrivener, I always enjoy checking out your thread.
I'm currently reading the autobiography of Cole Younger and he devotes a small chapter in it to Belle Starr. No more than three or four anecdotes worth but interesting perspective none the less.
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 9, 2020 12:21:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the continuing updates linefacedscrivener, I always enjoy checking out your thread. I'm currently reading the autobiography of Cole Younger and he devotes a small chapter in it to Belle Starr. No more than three or four anecdotes worth but interesting perspective none the less. Thanks Von. Glad you like the thread. Interesting about the Cole Younger autobiography. I've only read bits and pieces of it doing research, but I'll have to check out the Belle Starr reference. |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 9, 2020 12:43:02 GMT -5
 “One feature that the older houses of the Southwest had - after log-cabin days - was the porch. Almost invariably there were deep, wide porches, front and back; sometimes one porch which went clear around the house. These were necessary for coolness; milk and ollas of water were kept there where the breeze could blow on them and at the same time remain in the shade. And people sat there and rested in the evening. But now porches are vanishing. People don’t sit on them like they used to; they’re out gadding about.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, February 1931 The Sociologist Robert Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, talks about the decline of social capital over the latter half of the Twentieth Century. Bowling is a metaphor for the decline of people doing things together, like bowling in leagues, and preferring to "bowl alone." There have been many different aspects of this phenomenon in our lives, but this is one that Howard identified in 1931! Throughout the 20th century, America has seen the front porch decline and the backyard patio increase. In the second half of the century, the backyard patio became the backyard deck, and the front porch shrank in size, until homes built, mostly beginning about 1980, no longer even featured a front porch. Think of the loss of social capital. People sitting out on a front porch can wave hello to those walking on the sidewalks or streets, whereas someone in their backyard is usually hidden away behind fences. It is not just the decline in an architectural feature, but that feature's disappearance creates a loss of social capital, or, put more simply, a loss of community. Do you think our sense of community in America is getting stronger or weaker? And what do I mean by community? If you have ever been involved in a tragedy, like a hurricane or flood, I am sure you experienced true community - when people came out of the woodwork to help each other even if they didn't know one another, regardless of all of the divisive issues we see today (race, gender, class, etc.). |
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Post by Char-Vell on Jul 9, 2020 12:47:51 GMT -5
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 9, 2020 13:03:49 GMT -5
Too funny! I looked at the Wikipedia page - Howard would have liked the Celtic link. That aspect of the olla I did not know. |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 14, 2020 12:36:55 GMT -5
 “Old ranch houses used to have a wide open hall running through them - or rather the house itself as divided into two parts connected by a roofed hallway open on both sides. Generally the family slept in one part of the house and cooked and ate in the other part.” —Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, January 1931 This was an old style of building in the South, with some believing it had its origins in the Appalachian Mountains. There are lots of historic Dogtrot Cabins in Texas, including near where I live at the Sam Houston Museum. I once visited the house in which President Herbert Hoover grew up and, it too, was a Dogtrot House. I have even seen some new homes use this style, with one having the dogtrot portion so large you could drive a car through it and there were garage doors on both ends to close it up during storms and winter--any they actually used it mainly for their dogs. Howard is correct; they were often divided between living quarters and the kitchen/dining area, often for safety purposes. Here is a short video on the Dogtrot cabins: |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 23, 2020 12:34:48 GMT -5
   "I didn't have the opportunity to do any writing, even to answer letters, during that time, and since coming home I've been so busy catching up with work of all sorts, writing and otherwise, that I haven't had time to do anything else." -Robert E. Howard to August Derleth, June 1935
My wife and I took a trip to Reserve, New Mexico to see our youngest son who has a summer job there with the Forest Service. On the way out and back, we drove through Cross Plains, Texas, and Lincoln, NM - obviously two locations well connected to Howard. We stopped at the Howard House both times and could see the reason for the call for donations as the house could use a little TLC.
I would encourage those of you who are able, to send a little donation their way to help with the upkeep of the Robert E. Howard home - getting it ready for Howard Days 2021!
Here is the donation information from the REH Days Facebook page:
"The Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains is getting some maintenance work done right now. As we were skunked for Howard Days this year, why not donate some of that Howard Days money you were going to spend there and help out Project Pride?
"You can PayPal money to: ProjPride@yahoo.com or send a check to Project Pride, PO Box 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443." |
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 24, 2020 11:38:16 GMT -5
 "I’m writing this letter only some two hundred thirty-odd miles from my home town, yet its like being in a different state, so much difference exists in climate, topography and inhabitants. Its spring here, with birds chirping, roses and smaller flowers in bloom, deep fresh grass, palm trees, banana trees, date and fig trees adding to the effect. Only the Mexicans hurry here, ordinarily; the white people go leisurely. Tomorrow begins a week-long fete marking the opening of the old Spanish governor’s palace, closed and vacant for generations. Thousands are expected; Cardinal Patrick Hayes of New York is to be the special speaker. San Antonio’s strong for fiestas, fetes, bailes, etc. -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, February 1931 "This week they’re holding the formal opening of the Spanish governor’s palace, built 1749 and Cardinal Patrick Hayes came all the way from New York to bless it. I got a big kick out of going through the place – it looks just like scenes from swash-buckling movies. I wouldnt be surprized to see Douglas Fairbanks came bounding into the patio with his rapier and jack-boots." -Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, March 1931 "I’m glad you found some of the Texas material of interest. Yes, the old Governor’s Palace in San Antonio is most interesting, having been restored with the utmost care; it has the atmosphere, somehow. To add to the interest, the woman in charge is a direct descendent of the Canary Islanders who, arriving in San Antonio de Bexar in the early 17’s, practically created the city; it was then only a cluster of missions and a military post. If anyone has a background of inherited traditions, she has, for her people have lived in, and governed the city since its birth; her brother was mayor for years. The changing fortune of the city is somehow symbolized in her, for only in her eyes does she show her Latin strain, just as San Antonio becomes yearly more and more Americanized and modernized." -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, August 1931 "I found the governor’s palace more interesting. It has been made a museum, and contains many relics of early Indian life, of Spanish conquest times, and of Mexican and American pioneer days. It is an old building, dating back to about 1608. It was occupied for a while by Indians, who drove the Spaniards out, but were in turn driven out by them. It contains many relics of the Pueblo Indians, but I’ll be frank to admit that I’ve never been able to work up much interest regarding those people. Neither their peculiar civilization and culture, nor their tragic fate stimulates my imagination very much. I am much more interested in their barbaric conquerors - the Navajos, Apaches and Comanches. Nor am I particularly interested in the Spanish era of the country; my intense interest begins only with the American invasion." -Robert E. Howard to H.P. Lovecraft, July 1935 I was supposed to attend a conference in late March in San Antonio and I was planning to tour the Old Governor's Palace. Obviously, the conference was cancelled and I haven't made my way to San Antonio since the virus blow up. Still, I thought I would go ahead and post a little something about it. The National Geographic Society named it "the most beautiful building in San Antonio." Originally constructed in between 1722 and 1749, the building was primarily the residence of the presidio captain; only later did it become the home of the Spanish governors. What is of historical interest is that Howard was there for the grand opening of the museum. In addition, the Douglas Fairbanks' movie he is most likely referring to is the part-talkie movie The Iron Mask (1929), which Howard saw. Here is a quick video to give you an idea of what the palace looks like: |
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Post by Char-Vell on Jul 24, 2020 15:00:49 GMT -5
What Virus blow up was Howard referring to?
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Post by linefacedscrivener on Jul 25, 2020 12:07:37 GMT -5
What Virus blow up was Howard referring to? No, that was just me referring to the current situation. My conference was canceled because of the Coronavirus, so I wasn't able to go to San Antonio as planned and visit the Old Governor's Palace. It does make me wonder about Howard and the 1919 Pandemic. The family moved to Cross Plains that year and took a trip to New Orleans around May. More than any place, that would have been the location to have seen the Pandemic's impact, yet I see no mention of it in his letters. |
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Post by Char-Vell on Jul 25, 2020 17:19:04 GMT -5
What Virus blow up was Howard referring to? No, that was just me referring to the current situation. My conference was canceled because of the Coronavirus, so I wasn't able to go to San Antonio as planned and visit the Old Governor's Palace. It does make me wonder about Howard and the 1919 Pandemic. The family moved to Cross Plains that year and took a trip to New Orleans around May. More than any place, that would have been the location to have seen the Pandemic's impact, yet I see no mention of it in his letters. Oops. My reading comprehension skill was not up to snuff. |
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