The encyclopedia of Texas, V.1, Part 8

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau
Number of Pages: 1204

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The cotton crop in Texas about equals in value all other crops combined. It might be said in this connection that there are vast domains of agri- cultural lands in Texas, suitable to cotton production that has never been touched by a plow, and it is possible that in the future there will be produced in Texas as much cotton as is now produced in the entire world. By an experienced and observant eye it can be easily seen that there is practically no limit to the cotton possibilities in a state so large and whose productive powers respond so quickly to the

A Warehouse Crew in a Prosperous Farming District

coaxing of nature and the magic hand of man. In her black prairie farms Texas has the largest and finest body of cotton land in the world. The long cotton rows are so straight as the crow flies, and where the mocking bird sings the loudest the cotton stalk grows the tallest. It is in obedience to the natural laws and the divine call that cotton so pre- vails . in Texas. During the past decade the in- crease in the cotton acreage in Texas has exceeded the increase in all the other states combined. It seems that the acreage devoted to cotton in Texas is about twice the size of the state of Massachusetts, which explains the fact that Texas produces about one-third of the cotton grown in the United States. Snow time in Texas is not in the winter, but in the

fall when cotton is everywhere and the fields are white with open bolls, instead of ice snow we have cotton snow. Instead of rivers flowing with water we have trains flowing with cotton. As the people went west so did cotton, and many cotton farms are now to be seen over the Panhandle of the West where such seemed formerly impossible. From all parts of Texas come the contestants in the boys' and girls' Texas Cotton Club who have averaged more than one bale per acre and many of them over two bales per acre, running as high as 2.67 bales per acre. These boys and girls have the "bush that

Picking Cotton on a Large Texas Plantation

bears fleece more beautiful than the wool of the sheep" as the Greeks of Alexander's army said about the cotton of India.

Besides the fleecy staple there comes from cotton about 1,600,000 tons of cotton seed from the Texas crop, which has a value of about $90,000,000. There are about 200 cotton seed mills in Texas and when the seed are milled the production is about one- fourth oil and three-fourths "cotton seed cake." The cotton seed oil is very rich and from it the manu- facturers produce "pure olive oil and hog lard," and from the left overs they make everything from soap to phonograph records. Boll worms, boll weevils and caterpillars gather more cotton in Texas than the people gather. However, the worms and their allies, by working overtime find the job too big and a fair crop is left for the people. Only about two per cent of the Texas crop is manufac- tured in Texas. Cotton spinning is just beginning in Texas and last year the cotton mills used 83,389 bales. Some of the mills are very successful, manufacturing chiefly duck. C. W. Post, of Postum fame, built in West Texas a cotton mill that takes cotton from the farmers' wagon, gins it, weaves it, and delivers hemmed sheets and pillow cases ready for use by the housewife. The hope is that his tribe will increase.

One of the principal requirements to the success of any manufacturing industry is the availability of the raw product from which the goods are manufac- tured. With the large amount of cotton raised in Texas, much of which is stored in warehouses here to await marketing. The manufacture of cotton would always find a bountiful supply of the raw product available at a minimum transportation cost. The same would apply to the manufacture of cotton products. Much can be done to increase the value of cotton crops in Texas, by encouragement of manu- facturers who will utilize the raw material.

THE WONDERFUL RESOURCES OF WEST TEXAS By PORTER A. WHALEY Manager West Texas Chamber of Commerce

H ARRASSED by misleading and often by malicious statements affecting the very life blood of her civilization, following the nearly .tate-wide drouth of 1917, and keenly feeling that .he was the victim of misunderstanding and preju- dice, in December, 1918, a small but representative group of West Texans assembled in Fort Worth and there took initial action towards the organization uf a movement which should always have as its prime idea the importance of correctly portraying the actual facts as they might exist with regard to life, progress and truth in the regions making up the domain of West Texas.

It is an interesting fact that the so-called drouth of 1917 extended over a larger proportionate ter- ritory in the eastern than in the western half of Texas. The drouth may, in a broad sense, be said to have approximated the area of the state, yet it is a perfectly true statement to say that of the regions not affected or only slightly affected more of them were located in west than in east Texas. Perhaps the territory most seriously affected was Central Texas. Yet, it seemed to be the custom of most Texans to refer to what they termed the "Drouth in West Texas." Abortive plans were placed under way to raise a sum of money which it was advertised was to "relieve the drouth in West Texas" ad in- finatum. Comparatively a small sum of money was raised, most of which was given to itinerants, and finally the remaining balance, representing a con- siderable part of the total, was given to the Kerr- ville tubercular hospital. Yet as late as during the special session of the state legislature at Austin in August, 1921, Senator Darrough of Texarkana de- livered an address before the senate of Texas astounding for its misinformation on the "relief given West Texas," and we were informed that "East Texas, in her generosity would be willing again to extend relief, if in the meantime most of the people had not returned to their former homes in the princely land of East Texas," and the sad thing about such statements is that thousands be- lieve them. It is in the black land belt particu- larly-that region of Texas noted for its high land values and low assessed valuation-and where there is general mis-information and a growing prejudice against West Texas.

In view of the fact that West Texas pays propor- tionately a much larger part of the state taxes, and in fact has such a large over-plus proportionate payment as to make what in fact is in reality an annual contribution to the rest of the state aggre- gating millions of dollars, it does seem absurd that Senator Darrough should in his ignorance prate as he did in the last special session.

Much of this mis-information is due not to a desire to damage West Texas, but is due to a general mis- understanding of life on the plains of West Texas.

Purpose. It is therefore the primal purpose of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce to endeavor in a myriad of ways to dissipate mis-understanding of the truly remarkable life and pulsating civiliza- tion of the hardy, prosperous and thrifty people now living in West Texas, and in its place to repose an understanding of the causes back of the great exodus which in twenty years has sent more than 1,000,000

native white Americans upon the lands of West Texas, and of the causes as they cumulate which for many years yet to come are to continue this movement. It is its purpose to stimulate all that is best in community and rural life, and to build up a consciousness of duty towards one-self, his neighbors and his community, and to assist in di- recting the mighty forces which fundamentally are creating a new civilization upon this threshold of the Southwest. Making people think is a necessary prelude towards getting people to act. Therefore thought should be followed by action, and no theory is worth while which fails in the acid test of action.

Practical Things Done. Therefore the men who first originated the ideas of the organization rightly decided that they would bring into play a plan of operation which would cause the actual doing of practical, tangible things. Hence a program-and following that the instituting of bureaus, etc. After a working staff was appointed the first immediate object was to obtain its membership. It is interest- ing to note how the various towns in West Texas have become interested. Today the association has its members in practically every hamlet onward to the largest cities in West Texas. The present mem- bership includes the affiliation of 264 cities and towns, and a total of 5,157 members.

The association operates through administration, traffic, service, agricultural, exhibit and legislative bureaus. A staff employee is placed at the head of each bureau, all of whom are appointed by the man- ager, who is himself elected annually by the execu- tive board.

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Porter A. Whaley, the writer of this article, is the manager. Clifford B. Jones, well known banker and agriculturalist, is the president. Geo. W. Briggs represents Lubbock on the board of directors. There are all told 34 directors. J. A. Kemp, of Wichita Falls, is vice-president.

The administration bureau is under the imme- diate control of the manager, and as such directs the entire works of the organization. Traffic bureau is managed by H. H. Elzey and assistants. This bureau also has a special rate stenographer. It handles the various and intricate traffic problems presented to it by 260 member towns, and also by more than 5,000 individual members. A freight bill-checking service is also maintained. The agri- cultural bureau conducts live stock and dairying cow campaigns, gets laborers for harvest, etc. It covers all agricultural matters. A vast accumula- tion of work is handled. One of the interesting works is in marketing. The service or publicity bureau is that part of the fabric which must tell all about West Texas, must sell it, etc. Thousands of news stories are sent out daily.

But above all the West Texas Chamber of Com- merce stands as an outward and visible sign of the inward determination of West Texans to protect their interest in all legitimate manners and to pre- sent to the great world beyond in an intelligent and capable manner the story of "America's last El- dorado"-a place where men and women of in- tellect and brawn may with their minds and hands and hearts build for their glory and the glory of their God and country.

THE TEXAS COWBOY By TOM L. BURNETT

T HE reconstruction per- iod following the close of the Civil War has oft been referred to by those in whose memory the vision of that dread conflict has not been wholly effaced, as "The days that tried men's souls." Texas, vast empire of the sunny south, for generations the veritable battle ground of civilization, has presented many problems that tried the souls of men and in slowly yielding to the onward march of progress offered boundless opportunities for the demon- stration of those qualities that determine when a man's a man. In the earlier days, and in fact, until quite recently, Texas was largely made up, from Red River to the Rio Grande, from the panhandle to the Gulf, of vast ranches, many of them far exceeding in area some of the petty principalities of Europe and the regions of the Far East.

Between these widely scattered ranches were well nigh boundless forests or vast unending plains where the majestic sweep of the prairies was broken only by slowly moving herds of buffalo.

It was into such regions as this the doughty cow- boy forged his way and planted the seeds of refining civilization that resulted finally in the wrestling of this magnificent domain from a state of barbarism and made possible the scintillating Lone Star that today proudly takes its place in the firmament of commonwealths that go to make up our nation as a whole.

The valor and progress of the western cowboy have been immortalized in song and story and the history of their achievements has a distinct place in the literature of the present day. The glory of his accomplishments will never die and ages after the deeds of martial heroes have faded in the limbo of a forgotten past, the memory of the western cowboy still will be revered.

But the old days of the open range and the wild, exciting scenes of the annual round-up are nearly over. Science and civilization-those twin foes of the freedom of man-are bringing nearer and nearer the time when this dramatic and impressive char- acter will, indeed, be but a memory.

To many, if not to all of the old timers, the pass- ing of the cowboy brings a well defined pang of regret. He has been aptly termed the vanguard of civilization and Texas, in erecting monuments to

those of her sons who have had a distinct and out- standing part in her glorious history ,will bring to herself shame and humiliation should she forget the part played by those rugged heroes of the plains and hills-the cowboys.

Numbers of men who today are leaders in the commercial and financial circles of the state, had their start as cowboys and rode the range in the early days. Notable among those former cowboys who have achieved material and financial success are W. T. Waggoner, Col. C. C. Goodnight, S. Burk Burnett, Col. C. C. Slaughter, Marion Samson, Phy Taylor, Jack Abernathy, John Blocker, T. A. Coleman, C. B. Lucas, Geo. West, Mr. Kokernot and others too numerous to mention. Majestic office buildings, towering masses of steel and stone, bear the names of some of these men and give silent tribute to their indomitable will-power and determi- nation to succeed.

However, the achievements of these men, former cowboys, in wresting the fertile plains of Texas from domination of the redman and the buffalo, will be

Lunch Served: Theodore Roosevelt and Party of West Texans on Famous Wolf Hunt, May, 1906.

Reading from Left to Right: W. T. Waggoner, Major S. B. Young, Tom L. Burnett, Col. Theodore Roosevelt, Cecil Lyons, Dr. Lambert, Bonnie Moore, Capt. S. Burk Burnett, Capt. Bill McDonald, Chief Quannah Parker, E. M. Gilles. Guy Waggoner, on Wagon: D. P. "Phy" Talyor, Lee Bivens

cherished in the memories of former Texans long after the towering monuments of steel and stone have crumbled into dust.

In order to keep alive for coming generations the knowledge of how the cowboys lived and worked on the plains in the earlier days, there are being staged in many of the cities and towns of Western Texas annual round-ups or rodeos where the few remaining cowboys gather each year and, in good natured com- petition go through with an exhibition which ac- curately typifies the open life of the plains country

The Rodeo at Wichita Falls in 1921. This Western Classic has Become an Annual Event to Perpetuate the Spirit and Traditions of the West Texas Range and the Cowboy

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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

In the early days. In keeping with this movement, plans are now under way for the erection in Wichita Falls of a monster stadium where the rodeo may held each year in connection with the proposed agricultural and live stock fair.

With the onward sweep of civilization the western cowboy will pass into history, having fully achieved his destiny

concrete where once the lone cowboy on his pinto pony traversed an endless unbroken plain.

Men of the future have a debt of gratitude to the western cowboy which can never be repaid. Yet him be immortalized in song and story, erect monuments of steel and granite to his memory, let the pages of history be emblazoned with a record of his deeds and even then the half will not have near been told.

and com-

pleted the

work which in the divine plan of the ages it was meant that he should

do. In the near future palatial trains of steel Pull- man cars

and high powered au-

tomobiles will move swiftly a- long roads of steel and

A Herd of Prize-Winning Thoroughbred Cattle on one of the Burnett Ranches in West Texas

A tribute to the west- ern cowboy has been beautiful ly expressed by a well known west ern poet, Jack Hil - dreth Beall, which may be appro- priately quoted be- low:

THE TEXAS COWBOY

It matters not what comes or goes,

Through summer's heat or winter's snows,

At work or play, on plain or hill,

The Texas Cowboy with a will,

Is ever ready, night or day,

To help a man along life's way.

And once each year we'll meet again,

Is ever ready for a lark,

Throws a lariat, shoots a gun,

At each recurring rodeo.

Does his work and calls it fun;

And say to those from every land,

He's rough and ready, tried and true,

Our Texas Cowboy is a MAN.

-Jack Hildreth Beall.

Oh Texas Cowboy, here's to you.

In song and story, film and play, We've seen the passing of his day, And now, with labors nearly done,

He faces still, the western sun, Undaunted, firm and unafraid, His fame and glory ne'er will fade.

He rides the plains from dawn 'till dark,

Those hardy cowboys from the plain, We'll see them ride, bull-dog and throw,

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND GROUP OF NOTED WEST TEXANS ON WOLF HUNT. MAY, 1906. Left to Right, Standing: Lee Bivens, Capt. Bill McDonald, Jack Abernathy holding Wolf, Major S. B. Young, Capt. S. Burk Burnett, Col. Theodore Roosevelt, E. M. Gilles, Sitting: Two Soldiers, John Doe, Bonnie Moore, Quannah Parker Kneeling: Cecil Lyons, Dr. Launbert, Phy Taylor.

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS By W. H. STRATTON

D ALLAS is the home of the State Fair of Texas, the grounds of which are located within the city and have an appraised value of over $2,000,000. This is the largest fair of its kind in the United States, being approached in the Western Hemisphere only by the an- nual fair of Toronto, Canada. The annual attendance ap- proximates 1,000,000 persons. Its profits are used in mak- ing improvements, or for stimulating manufacturing, agriculture and stock raising.

The splendid spirit of co- operation, developed so ef- fectively among all of our people while we were en- gaged in the world war, is concretely exemplified by the efficient efforts of eminent live stock breed- ers, agriculturalists, artists, scientists, industrial and commercial experts, from all sections of our great state, men whose names alone are a guarantee that the fair will always keep up to the splendid standard of past achievement and in fact surpass it each year.

Golden grain from fertile fields, luscious fruits from fragrant orchards, succulent vegetables from well-kept gardens, lowing herds of fattened cattle, magnificent thoroughbred horses, and all the other faithful, lowly friends of man, as well as riches from the marts of trade, modern creations of the inventive wizard's brain, the wonders of science, the beauties of art-in a word, our Twentieth Century Texas civilization, is typified, glorified, visualized at the State Fair of Texas.

Just as "Uncle Sam" believes that "all work and no play makes the Yank a dull boy," so we believe that recreation and amusement are similarly es-

Entrance to Texas State Fair Grounds, Dallas, Texas

The Adolphus Hotel and Annex. Dallas Texas Largest Hostelry. R. B. Ellefritz, Managing Director

sential for civilian welfare. Therefore clean, wholesome, high-grade entertainment features are always found at the fair. Entrancing music, wonderful feats of skill and daring, dazzling spectacular displays-a very pano- rama of world progress greets the eye and delights the ear of the multitudes who attend this wonderful exposition each year.

The Texan has one great opportunity each year to secure "visualized vocational instruc- tion" upon the many subjects of practical use on the farm, ranch, in the orchard, the vineyard or in the garden; to rub elbows with friends and neighbors from far and wide to find relaxation and to enjoy entertain- ment on a scale in keeping with the wonderful development of today.

The Texas State Fair has become a perma- nent institution. It is a gathering place for large numbers of Texans, who each year make their pilgrimage to Dallas to enjoy the en- tertainment, to get acquainted with each other or to renew old friendships. The management of the fair never fails to provide something new, attractive and out of the ordinary.

مسفيم

HISTORY OF THE TEXAS AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY

By J. W. ATWOOD

Manager of Dallas Branch Buick Motor Company

T HE automobile indus- try in Texas is only twenty years old, the first car brought to the state being owned by Mr. E. H. R. Green, of Terrell, Texas, president of the Texas Mid- land Ry. Co. In those days automobiles were referred to by many people as horseless carriages. Mr. Green's car was a St. Louis Gas Car of the surrey type, with two cylinders both of which ex- ploded at the same time giv- ing the automobile a rather rough jolt with each ex- plosion.

About this time Mr. Jay Gould, the New York railroad magnate, presented an automobile to Mr. L. S. Thorne, general manager of the Texas & Pacific Ry. Co. This was the second car brought into the state. The first automobile dealer in Texas was Mr. Henry Garrett, of Dallas, who, in 1902, bought his first car, a National Electric. After selling this car he took the agency for the Locomobile. During this year of 1902, Mr. R. L. Cameron, of Dallas, purchased a car from Mr. Gar- rett, an Olds steam car. This was Mr. Cameron's first automobile but later in the year he took the agency for the Steamobile, handling it for one year after which he put in a regular sales place for auto- mobiles taking the agency for Buick and putting travelers on the road, which was the first attempt to sell cars throughout the state. Mr. Cameron has continued in the automobile business for the in- tervening twenty years. In the latter part of 1902 Mr. H. R. Cromer, of Fort Worth, bought a Rambler, a two cylinder car which he still owns, in 1922.

In 1903 Parlin and Orendorff Iniplement Conpany took up the agency for Cadillac to distribute them throughout the state. This same year Mr. James Collins, of San Antonio, took the Cadillac agency for San Antonio territory and sold one car, a one- cylinder Cadillac, October 16th, to Mr. Al. Haslett,

The I'nion Terminal Depot. Dallas, with Ferris Plaza in the Foreground

a Southern Pacific engineer, at the price of $1,050. In 1904 Mr. A. B. Wharton, of Fort Worth, took the agency for the Olds and Winton, opening up a garage in Fort Worth. He sold this business about one year later to Mr. H. H. Lewis.

In 1905 the Maxwell, Briscoe and Handley com-

panies were established in Dallas which was the be- ginning of the establishment of factory branches and distributors in all the large towns of the state.

In 1907 the state legislature passed a bill requir- ing automobiles to be licensed in the county in which

Jefferson Hotel and Ferris Plaza, Near Union Terminal Depot, Built, Owned and Operated by Charles Mangold and E. W. Morten

they were owned, this license being 50 cents to cover expense of clerical work. The owner of the car was privileged to buy any sort of number that he chose.

In 1908 the first real salesroom and service sta- tion was opened in Dallas by the Buick Automobile Company, the first well equipped place of the kind in the entire Southwest.

Beginning with 1908 many distributing agencies and branch houses were opened in the five larger cities of Texas, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso and from that time until 1914 when the war broke out in Europe many new agencies were established each year. Cars were im- proved and trucks came into existence. The first trucks were made by putting special bodies on the regular automobile chassis, many times using old chassis that had been taken in by the dealer in trades.

In the fall of 1908, during the Texas State Fair, there was run between Dallas and Fort Worth an economic and endurance contest, in which fifteen cars were entered. This contest created great in- terest and each of the three following years similar affairs were pulled off to Mineral Wells, Waco and San Antonio. In 1909 R. L. Cameron sold his busi- ness to Roy Munger, including the agencies for Cadillac, Ford, Stevens Duryea, Jackson and Frank- lin. The first work of the Munger Company was to get rid of the Ford cars taken over in this leal. This they accomplished after considerable effort. Ford cars at that time listed for $900 to $1,000. To use the expression of the Munger Company they cheerfully and gladly surrendered what later proved to be the greatest profit maker in the industry. Beginning with 1909 rubber tire concerns established their first branches in all the distributing centers of the state, then came the large accessory houses supplying equipment that many buyers liked to add to their cars.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

In the early days automobiles came without tops, windshields, in fact with no more of the later re- finements in equipment than the farm wagon possessed, and it was not until about 1914 that they came equipped with these essentials, providing for extra tire, etc.

During 1909 the Buick Automobile Company sold

Wilson Building, the First Large Office Building of Dallas. Erected by the Late J. B. Wilson

to the Dallas Fire Department one of their Model 17s, which was the first automobile fire fighting apparatus in the state. This car was used for four years in the service of Chief H. F. McGee. Be- tween 1909 and 1921 practically every department in all the larger cities and many of the small towns of Texas became motorized and many factories have been built in the North and East for the especial production of this class of ap- paratus.

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The encyclopedia of Texas, V.1, Part 8

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed Publication date: 1922 Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau Number of Pages: 1204

Author: Davis, Ellis Arthur, ed; Grobe, Edwin H., ed
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Dallas, Texas Development Bureau
Number of Pages: 1204