Tag Archives: train depots

Back to Texas

Posted on by kathousekelli70

We lit out for Texas this morning after a hearty Cracker Barrel breakfast. Got to say the bacon at this one was better than yesterday’s. 

We headed toward Pecos, Odessa, Midland via the beautiful Franklin Mountains State Park and Castner Range. It’s a steep incline/decline at 5244ft (still only half the height of some of the mountains we’ve been on in Colorado and only just a couple hundred feet shorter than our highest mountain in Australia) but the roads are perfect.

Lots of inland travel and into Texas, traveling the 180 through Carlsbad Caverns National Park, back up to 5700ft through Guadalupe Mountains National Park and passed the Butterfield Trail Marker.

The Butterfield Overland Trail (or Oxbow Route) traversed through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It was pre Civil War mail and passenger stagecoach route operating between 1858 and 1861.

What a hell of a trip during that time over this sort of terrain in all sorts of weather!

Cross country slight trip into New Mexico and back into the Texas panhandle we are back in oil and gas land through Orla – a very productive area.

On to Pecos where we stopped again and caught the damaged historic railroad  depot, Judge Roy Bean’s, Jersey Lily and the gravesite of ‘gentleman gunfighter’ Clay Allison.

Keep heading East through oil fields of Barstow and on into Odessa.

Quick stop at the Indian store for Jack – picked up a poker chip – checked out the bikes.

From here we went to Midland again and this time got to visit the Bush Family Home. A State Historic site in Midland, Texas.

The original home was built in 1939 for Mildred Etheridge and features the original knotty pine walls and floors.

After a few moves around in 1948-1950 the Bush’s settled in Midland during his oil times prior to politics.

The Bush’s, George H. W and Barbara were associated with cancer research during and after their daughter Robin’s death due to Leukemia, with baseball which George W. had a love for also.

George W. had a love for baseball and Roy Rogers. He eventually had a part ownership in the Texas Rangers baseball team.

The house is still going under preservation and getting it back to period correct interior. There were so many fun ‘ancient’ things like the refrigerator, bakelite phone, uranium glass and more.

Thanks Chase for his exceptional guided tour!

A stay in Midland again before moving to Novice tomorrow.

Night!

Kat x

End Of Trail

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Day 1 – Thursday

It’s hot hot hot in the Arizona desert and we were on the late wave starting at 2 pm. Shooting stages 5, 6, 7 & 8 for the start.

Stage 5 – The Rough Rider Saloon

Line is: I’m getting dizzy!

Finishing shotgun
On to pistol
Start rifle
Then on to shotgun

Stage 6 – graveyard rundown

Line is: Are they dead yet?

Start rifle, on to 2 shotgun, run down to finish with pistol.

Stage 7 – Colorado Cattleman’s Association

Line is: I want to make a deposit

Start holding money bag in hand.

Stage 8 – Dodge City Depot

Line is: they’re getting restless!

Continuous Nevada sweep with pistols, move and repeat with rifle, finish with shotgun

We finished the day and headed for the swap meet, couple of drinks, then home to clean and get ready for the next.

Day 2 – Friday

It’s still hot and dry but on the middle wave starting at 11am, slightly more pleasant than the afternoon wave.

It’s also RED shirt Friday – Remember Everyone Deployed. So a sea of red whether it be shirts, tops, skirts or whole outfits from top to bottom, cowboys do it well.

And have to say on Stage 10 Holysmoke Harmon perfectly matched the train also with red blue and gold.

Stage 9 – the cattle race

Line is: load ‘em up!

Stage 10 – Train Depot

Line is: All Aboard!

Stage 11 – Fort Sinclair

Line is: point me to the sawbones

Start on the middle with rifle, got a couple of knockdowns so if you don’t take them down, makeup with shotgun, move to shotgun then into pistol and if needed use shotgun if pistol knockdowns left up.

Stage 12 – Coosies Mercantile

Line is: Got a cigar?

Nice little rundown from rifle to shotgun and across to middle to pistol

That’s day 2 done and it’s one more day of main match to go! Let’s see how it all comes out in the wash tomorrow, where tails of wins, woes, should have’s and could have’s will unfold. we will see.

Had my hat cleaned and reshaped today by the lovely Dugan Hats. It’s been 12 or 14 years – lost shape, got wet, dried out, in the rain etc. used to be flat top with a rolled edge all round.

THIS is what it has been like for many years now.

Bent out of shape

THIS is the cleaned, reshaped and stiffened version I have now. Slight telescope top, rolled edge at the back with a slight tip at the front.

Bought a few other bits from her also and will take my brown hat tomorrow.

Tonight was Side Match Awards, won Speed 1911 Ladies Traditional. Other speed events, Plainsman, long range and clay events all done this evening, along with a Mexican dinner.

Right now though it’s time for cleaning off the crusty salt and dust and hit the hay.

One more day to round at the match!

Good luck to all for your final match day.

Kat x

North through Oklahoma

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Through back fields heading North in Oklahoma, past oil fields and Ranches.

On through Kingfisher (where we visited the Chisholm Trail Museum last year) everything is lovely and green. A stark contrast against the red dirt and a somewhat grey looking sky today.

On to Woodward, established 1887, this little town has a tonne of history! Once home to Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes it later became one of the most important depots in the Oklahoma Territory. The Great Western Cattle Trail met the railway at Woodward and so it became a big depot for shipping cattle East and North.

Like Dodge City, KS, Woodward had its own cattle town feel, full of saloons, gambling halls and brothels. Which brought famous ladies and the occasional bar brawl to town.

Temple Lea Houston (son of Sam Houston and former Texas state senator) arrived in Woodward with his family and law practice in 1894.

Houston himself, killed a man in the Cabinet Saloon after a personal disagreement but although charged and tried for murder, the jury acquitted him.

He won a reputation as a brilliant trial lawyer and was known for his courtroom dramatics.

He even argued on behalf of prostitutes making his “Soiled Dove Plea” where after just 10 minutes the jury acquitted her.

I had to look up what the “Soiled Dove Plea” was as it had sparked my interest when reading Wikipedia and Woodward history. More on that later!

From cattle town, to crops and cattle again, oil and gas or even iodine, Woodward still thrives today with a population of around 12,000.

From here we weave further West and head North to one of THE greatest cattle towns of all time, Dodge City, Kansas.

We will make Dodge City by lunchtime. Steak anyone?

Kat xo