Letters up to 2-2-2002

Now that I have read yours and Kate's bio I can see that you two are truly dedicated to what you are doing, especially since you are maintaining your own business simultaneously. My hat's off to you.

I wish that I had spent more time chronicling my travels when I was flying oilmen and cattle buyers across the state. At one time I knew every deserted WW-II bomber field in the state and which ones were safe to use. I remember flying over an old smokestack on several trips to El Paso and, realizing it had to have a history, wondering just what it was and why was it there. After reading your website, I am pretty sure that it was Thurber. It was obvious that a sizable population had lived there. You know, from the air, one can quite often see where people have lived, sometimes thousands of years ago. Human habitation tends to disrupt the patterns of underbrush growth and this can last for centuries and is highly visible from the air.

If you haven't been there already, a town that has fascinated me for years and to which I intend to return for pictures and to talk to any old residents, is D'Hanis and Old D'Hanis, a town that was bypassed by the railroad and chose to move the whole town to be on the railroad; a successful move I might add. Have you been there?

For right now I'm pretty much confined to towns that are daytrips from Dallas. We have plenty of interesting old towns in this area. Actually, anytime people gather and form a community I believe that their story deserves telling. ...

When you were down in Eagle Pass did you cross the border and go to Guerrero, about 25 miles down river from Piedras Negras, to visit the mission San Juan Bautista?

This mission was the original mission and the headquarters from which the fathers operated in their forming and governing the missions in Texas including the Alamo. It is a ruin now but the Mexican government has made some attempts to save it. - Sincerely, Bick Eubanks, June 24, 2002

I have been an avid student of Texas lore for close to 50 years. During those 50 years I have traveled to every corner of the state and observed it all both on the ground and from the air (you haven't lived until you have seen the Marfa lights on a moonless night while flying solo in a Cessna 182. That will make the hair on the back of your neck curl).

I've read Dobie, Tolbert, Leakey, Boatright, Glenn Vernam (The Rawhide Years), and am currently rereading "Off The Beaten Trail by William Edward Syers, and this is only a portion of what I have read since I was Ten; I'm 60 now. As I said, I really enjoy your website and am exploring it thoroughly and envy people like you who seem to be able to explore these places whenever you wish. How I wish I could. I'd love to visit Adobe walls but have never found the time. In my minds eye I can stand where Billy Dixon stood and see the bluff almost a mile away where a Comanche warrior sat his pony surveying the damage done in by their attack and preparing for the next. Billy shot him off his horse even as he sat there. Oh and I've read the life of Billy Dixon.

I will continue to read and take the occasional trip or, as I have done in the past, pull up stakes and move to another part of this state, after all I've lived in El Paso, Dallas (is this really Texas)? Houston, Port Lavaca, Denton, and Eagle Pass.

I will also continue to fly over this magnificent state seeing it s a Red Tailed Hawk sees it or a buzzard. ..... - Sincerely, Bick Eubanks, June 22, 2002


Subject: Newletter
I enjoy your newsletter and get excited when I see a new one pop up in my e-mail box. I even try to use the services of your advertisers when possible. Keep up the good work.- Ron Duckworth, Arlington,TX, June 04, 2002

Subject: Query
Did I mention the biggest bass I've ever personally caught, was in Fayette County? And what's that got to do with a query letter? Nothing, absolutely nothing. | stumbled onto your site looking for information about Austin Ghost stories, for a radio piece I did. Didn¹t find what I was looking for on your site, but I did find a world of information, and I certainly got good and distracted, I love Texas and us Texans. - Kramer Wetzel, Texas Shakespeare Massacre, May 21, 2002

Subject: Texas historic trees
I've been stuck on your website for hours. ... I live in Mansfield,Texas, actually about six miles north of old downtown Mansfield. I've lived here since 1963 in an area that years ago was called the Bisbee Courts. There are Cottonwood trees that are over 100 feet tall and have to be at least a couple hundred years old, by far the largest trees in the whole Fort Worth, Dallas area. ..... The Bisbee courts was actually a stage coach stop in the old days with rooms to rent. This place has several water wells and an underground spring that has ran for years. Rumor has it that Bonnie an Clyde even stayed here. ..... - David, May 20, 2002

Subject: really enjoy this site!
Hi, as a resident of Bellville, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the site designed by Kate Wong Troesser. The pictures used are fine and the site is so easy to navigate - always a good thing! And the information given is informative, interesting and such fun to share. I have sent this address to a friend in Norway so he can finally get a little gist of the town of Bellville Thank you for making this available. - Sincerely Susan Waggoner, May 19, 2002

Subject: Glen Rose, Texas
I live in the town of Glen Rose, which is a beautiful town, and I am concerned that we are not on your website. Yes, we are a small town, but the revenue of this town surpasses that of many metropolitan areas. We feature many tourist attractions such as Fossil Rim, the Dinosaur State Valley Park, and Tres Rios. Please help our little town out by doing us the favor of putting Glen Rose on the map. - A concerned resident, S. Todd, May 11, 2002

Subject: maps
Your site is outstanding but I sure would like to see an on line map with links to the places you reference. I do a lot of sight seeing on a motorcycle and your site gives me an idea of places I can visit but, I have no idea where some of them are located. If I have to use my own map, I might as well close my eyes and put a finger on the map and go there. Is there a map planned for your site soon, I hope?? - James F. Dekan, April 02, 2002

Friday, February 22, 2002
Subject: What a fun site! I just idled away most of my afternoon "playing" on your site! What a fun place to get lost--kind of like Texas. I was born and raised in the Great State before being convinced to moved to New Mexico with my husband almost 4 years ago. Neither the place where I was born (Dumas) nor my hometown (Texline) have made it to the website yet but I'm sure I'll get a kick out of reading what you've written about them when the time comes. In the meantime, keep up the good work! We've got you bookmarked as a reference for our future travels through the state. - Carrie

Thursday, February 14, 2002
Back from ElPaso (3 times since last posted) and i have the milemarker for the buildings i had in question. These buildings are located between mm 27 and mm 28 on Interstate 20-south side of the road. There are two buildings one has a sign that identifies it as a Bar and Grill and the other appears to be storage (?).

Now i have more questions-- Why are Plateau and Kent (two towns on Interstate 10) not listed in the town directory?? Plateau is at the 159mm on IH-10 and all that is there is a truckstop---Kent has some small businesses--one is Kent Mercantile-- We stopped in the mercantile a couple years back and it was quite interesting.

Love the new additions to the site and keep up the great work!! While traveling many times conversations come up on the cb radio about different things in the area--I have given your website addy to many while chatting about the scenery!! Sincerely - Kathy Price Ossian, Indiana

Saturday, February 02, 2002
Subject: Oh Boy!!!! Loved this !!!!!!
Hello, What a welcome site this was!!!!! Being an over the road truckdriver with my husband--I have the opportunity to travel through several of the towns ( or used to be towns) in West Texas. Being from Indiana--these places have been a source of fascination and stimulation to my imagination while driving thru Texas from Texarkana to ElPaso. Without these places on the way--I am afraid I would end up with the rattlesnakes out of sheer boredom!!

I just read the site on Toyah, Texas--Fascinating--now I want to know more and will surely be a regular to this site to see if anyone has added anything. It broke my heart when Rose's Desert Cafe closed--best hamburgers and her homemade potato salad was wonderful--sorry i never tried the chili--but I did have the pleasure of eating the chili at the old truckstop!! At the present time--the highlight of my trip west is to watch for the 3 wild baby pigs at the milemarker 23 --they are hanging out between the picnic area and town.

My next quest, is to find out the story of the old building on I-20 that stands alone on the south side of the interstate--It has a sign that says "Bar and Grill" on the front and one old out building sitting to the southwest of it. The mile marker escapes me at this time but I will get it on my return to ElPaso this week and post it to see if anyone can enlighten me.

Until the next time--take care and keep up the great work. Sincerely, Kathy Price Ossian, Indiana

Saturday, February 02, 2002
Subject: Falcom Dam
... I want to send my parents to Rio Grande city for a day and night. You could call it walking down memory lane . You see they once lived there when Falcon Dam was being built . My dad poured 99% of the concrete for the dam. I have been told many stories over the years but Falcon Dam sticks out the most. My dads name is Kenneth Walcott and I thought I would send you a picture... - CYNDI

Thursday, January 31, 2002
Subject: Brooklyn, Texas
Dear Mr. Troesser, I’m pleased to see there is finally a web site that includes Brooklyn, Texas. I typed in the name of the town hoping to find some information about the local school. My grandparents, Charles Frederick Sachtleben b. October 21, 1880 and Alice Marie Jordan, b. Abt. 1883, were both born there according to my father’s death certificate. ... . I plan to visit with their only surviving child, now age 90, to see if she can give me any information about the town. If she happens to have any photos, memorabilia of any kind, I will be happy to send you copies. ..... - Charli Stewart

Tuesday, January 29, 2002
... You have put together an exceptional website and I congratulate you for doing a great job. By all means come to see us the next time your journey brings you through the brush country - Sincerely, Stewart martin

Sunday, January 27, 2002
Subject: West Texas
In the summer of 1964, I spent six weeks as a "Summer Missionary" (sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention) in West Texas. I have just revisited the towns of Balmoreah, Marfa, Ft Stockton, Ft Davis, and Alpine via this internet site and wanted to tell you what good memories the pictures brought to me. Such beautiful country and interesting towns and I'll bet the people are as warm as they were 38 years ago. Maybe I will be able to visit you again some day, as there is surely no other place on earth like West Texas. Thanks for the tour! - R Bearden KY

Subject: Troy, TX
Letter One - January 25, 2002
I have been doing some research and came across a town that was named Troy and was once the county seat of Freestone County. It was a stop for boats on the Trinity River and was east of Fairfield, now the Freestone County seat. Other than this there is no other information as to what happened to this town. Nothing of this place exists except for an old type of rail car that ran people down and across the river. I have asked other people but they just laugh and smile and then say, " You'll never find anything about Troy." Was this town some type of nightmare place or did it just die? ... - Sincerely, Yvette Bravo Calhoun Middle School History Teacher Denton, TX

Letter Two - January 27, 2002
The rail car and tracks are still intact. I've been out to see them. ... There is a small (cemetery) on a private piece of land. There are about 4 or 5 stones and you can verify this with the Freestone Co. cemetery list. ... I have been there 3-4 times and every time I am there it's as if I know the town is there but can't exactly find it. Thank you!!! Sincerely, Yvette Bravo Calhoun MS Denton, TX

Thursday, January 24, 2002
I'm trying to locate info on Green's Chapel, Fannin County, Texas. It was listed on a 1927 map near Honey Grove, but I can't find it anywhere. I've tried the Texas Handbook, no luck. Any suggestions on where I could look? Thank you, Debby Todd

Tuesday, January 22, 2002
I am originally from San Angelo, Texas. ... My husband is in the military and we rarely get the opportunity to go home. It would be nice to see some information on our hometown to show our son where we are from and where he was born. We like to show him pictures of the different towns we visited while growing up in Texas. ... - Thank You, Elena V. Rincon, Texas Native

Monday, January 21, 2002
Subject: Courthouse pictures
I've started riding around the State this month taking pictures of courthouse's and all the things around them. You are welcome to use any of the pictures if they will help. I have found your site very interesting! - Chuck Ashton

Monday, January 21, 2002
Subject: Casa Piedra, Texas
Plata, Texas is at the south end of ranch road 169, south of Marfa. Rand McNally U.S. Road Atlas, West Texas map, shows Casa Piedra on a dirt road south of road 169 that continues onto the "River Road" just east of Presidio. Page 110 of "The Roads of Texas", Shearer publications, locates both towns and the roads and the ex Santa Fe (now South Orient) Railroad. By the way we understand the rail line is now being rehabilitated and a couple of months ago the rails looked as though a train or two had passed. Also AAA Texas maps show Casa Piedra and connecting roads. --- DALE GUNNAR

... really enjoyed the article on the pecos river float trip!!! Thanks for the great story and pics.It really makes me want to go float the river more than ever. - Chuck Allen, Austin

Saturday, January 19, 2002
Subject: Crews, Texas - ghost town
Crews, Texas was at one time a thriving little town with several businsses and numerous homes as well as a school. It suffered through a desasterous tornado and fire.

My family of myself and six older brothers and sisters attended school there until 1947 when the school was closed My uncle Elmer McCarter ran a freight wagon from Crews to Ballinger and back for many years. He was raised there with My mother, Julia Ioan McCarter Bradley and Aunt Rosa McCarter Stovall by my grandparents Joe and Fanny Henderson Mccarter. My grandfather farmed near Crews.

Crews had it's reputation for having a gambling cellar where locals and others gathered for recreation out of the site of others. There was also the old hermit who lived a short distance from town and had as little contact with others as possible. He built his house in the side of a steep hill and made a dugout fronted with rocks he gathered from the country side. He also constructed a bridge over a gully with rocks and stock pins of the same materials. .....

As far as I know , there is no one living in the town now. It is located about 20 miles east of Ballinger, Texas at the intersection of Highways 382 and 53 which is the Winters to Coleman highway. Sincerely, Rosemary Bradley Davis

Sunday, January 13, 2002
... It is great fun to visit your site. Makes me want to ride off into the sunset in search of these great communities. ... - Sr. Elizabeth Riebschlaeger

Friday, January 11, 2002
Subject: Great Site!
Hi, I'm .. an employee of the Union Pacific ... I travel almost daily to or from San Antonio or Hearne on the rail. The towns of Muldoon, Winchester, Dimebox, Varisco, and Tatsie, on the old Austin Subdivision Mainline have always fascinated me. It is great to find such a treasure of info about these and so many other towns in Texas..... Thanks for your efforts on the web. I love and treasure Texas also! - Joe Haley
P.S. Did you know there are really only three states in the union? On the west coast is Disneyland, the east coast has Disneyworld. The rest is Texas!

Subject: Oakville Building
My father knows this building. It's the old jail house. Then it was a home to a family once the jail was closed. I think my Dad knows more but I caught him early in the morning. My father and his family grew up in the area and attended school in Three Rivers during the 30's and 40's.- Penny Kerr

Subject: Teague Texas
Just browsing through your architecture site and would like you to look at this old hotel. The photo in the link is from about 1960, today, the structure is in very bad repair. A new owner could do alot with this ..... It is right next to the B-RI Railroad Museum which was also built in 1906 as the Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway Depot. ... - Ginny Folsom Teague, TX

Tuesday, January 08, 2002
Subject: New Sweden
... As my name suggests I have some German background. My dad came to the US with his family in 1956 from Hamburg, Germany. The first town in America they lived in was New Sweden. They attended the New Sweden Lutheran Church, which we visited again a few years ago. This is where my dad and his family got used to living in America. My grandparents are buried at the Kimbro Cemetary, my grandmother died in 1965 and my grandfather in 1983. Did you ever see the "Amana" school building? This is a little 2 room school house which was used for students in New Sweden. My dad attended class at this school. It's in ruins sadly now, when we went back to New Sweden we went inside and walked around the building. That was a unique experiance to see where my dad went to school for the first time ever in America. I'm enjoying your web site! - Kevin Lehnhardt, Austin, Texas.

Monday, January 07, 2002
Great website. ... I wouldn't change a thing... - G. Folsom

Sunday, January 06, 2002
Subject: Von Minden Hotel
...I am 13 years old and live in Schulenburg. The article that you wrote on the Cozy theater/ Von minden hotel was very informative. I have frequented this place many times and am good friends with the Pettit family, especially Garret and his sister, Kari (who is also my sunday school teacher). In fact, I was just at the cozy last night to see the movie Lord of the Rings. When I found the movie boring, 2 friends and I went to momma's to hang out. I have been to numerous birthday parties at momma's and we've always heard stories about the ghosts, but we never really knew the facts. Well, as i was saying, we talked to some of our good friends, and employees of the pettits about the ghosts. I've always found the hotel a friendly place (possibly because of the friendliness of the owners). I am very curious about this place and my friends and i are going there to night to do some "ghost hunting" I will definetely be in room 37...... Thank you, Keri Brower

Saturday, January 05, 2002
Subject: Danevang
I am a great fan of Texasescapes! What a wealth of information!!!! I need to thank you for the coverage given Danevang. It's just a small farming community, but we're making a real effort to preserve the Danish Heritage. The 6100 square foot Museum is now open, but is only open Sundays 1-4, or by special arrangement by calling Elsie Christensen 979-543-2106. .... The cemetery is truly historic ... - Al Jensen

Wednesday, January 02, 2002
I was born and raised in Beaumont and heard many stories about the "ghost" of Saratoga.... A friend of mine once told me that her car was actually attacked and dented by an unseen force when she was in Saratoga. .... On a double-date, I was taken out there late at night, but nothing occurred. ... I would like to know more of the story (legend), whether it be true or not. ... - Thank you, Rhoda W.

Wednesday, January 02, 2002
Matagorda has historic significance, color, and is a very nice town. An interesting fact is that a huge logjam existed on the Colorado river near here for many years, and was cleared early last century, creating a division in Matagorda bay with a new river delta. Now we have East, and West Matagorda Bays. Cattle drives here are historic too. - Patrick Feagins

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