Presidio de San Saba: Menard, Texas

Presidio (Spanish for "fort") de San Saba was established in 1757 on the north bank of the San Saba River just a mile or two west of the present-day town of Menard. The original occupants included soldiers, prospectors, priests, and other civilians and their families. The prospectors were searching for gold and silver while the priests were hoping to convert the Lipan Apaches in the area.

A mission -- Mission Santa Cruz de San Saba -- was located about 4 miles downriver from the presidio, but it was short-lived. On March 16, 1758, it was surrounded by hostile Comanche, Wichita, and Caddo warriors and basically destroyed. Some of the occupants, including Father Terreros, the mission leader, were killed. A small group was able to escape under cover of darkness and make its way to the presidio, which had also suffered a series of attacks that same day. Although some archaeological work has been done on the mission, there is very little today to mark its location.

The presidio was eventually abandoned by February 1768, due largely to continued attacks by hostile Indians. A grant provided by the Texas Legislature in 1936 helped with some restoration, but the quality of materials used was very poor and the walls soon deteriorated. Recent renovations have proven to be much more successful.

This general area is also thought by many to be the location of the "Lost Bowie Mine", sometimes referred to as the "Lost San Saba Mine." Historically, the mine was probably the Los Almagres Mine. However, many archaeologists believe the Los Almagres Mine might have been located farther east, on Packsaddle Mountain near the confluence of the Llano and Colorado Rivers. In short, we actually do not know if Bowie worked a mine or, if he did, where it was. But legends abound about Jim Bowie and his lost mine, and they are interesting to look into.

View of the presidio from the west. The gate is the main entrance. Corrals for cattle and horses would have been located to the right of the entrance.

Main entrance. There are few original stones left at the presidio, but the two large base stones on either side of the entrance on the ground are thought to be in their original locations.

This is the base stone to the right of the entrance. Over the years, many markings, names, and such have been scratched into the surface. If you look closely, you'll see the name "Bowie" in the picture above. Jim Bowie and his men were believed to be in the area in 1831 searching for silver, and many believe either he or his men scratched his name in the stone. But who knows who really scratched this name into the rock.

Donna standing in the entrance to the northwest bastion. It is believed that the bastion was filled with dirt so cannon could be rolled to the top. The jagged design along the top was probably not in place then. Notice the coloring of the stones. The dark stones indicate work done during the 1936 reconstruction. The lighter stones are from more recent work.

The backside of the presidio is literally only steps from the river. The bluff above is on the south bank of the river. That is part of a golf course in the foreground.

You can see part of a collapsed wall on the left. That is the San Saba River looking downriver, in the direction of the mission and the present day town of Menard.

Looking upriver from the same position as the picture above.

If you use Google Earth, you can find the location of the presidio at these coordinates: 30°55'20.67" N  99°48'04.25" W.

On the Road: San Angelo, TX, to Fredericksburg, TX, and Back

On our recent trip to Fredericksburg and back, we made a number of stops. I'll share some of them in this entry, and then have another entry in a few days for a separate stop.

The entire trip was right at 300 miles. I like short trips you can make on a single tank of fuel.

From San Angelo, we headed east on US 87 through the small community of Wall and an area known as Lipan Flats. This is a rich farming area, and cotton was nearing the end of its harvesting season. There were still a few fields awaiting harvest, though. As we neared Eden, we passed one of the nicer rest areas with restrooms in the state. If you happen to travel this way, keep it in mind; it's a good place to take a break.

We continued on 87 through Eden. About 15 miles or so east of Eden, we turned off the main road onto FM 2028. About a mile south of 87 is the small town of Melvin. San Angelo has been working on a pipeline to the Hickory Aquifer for the past several years. The aquifer is located in the Melvin area, so I was interested in this little town. Sadly, there is not much left here. It once must have been a thriving town, though, as several old, crumbling buildings front what must have been a square or town green area.

Old buildings in Melvin, facing the old town square area.

Another side of the town square in Melvin, with more deserted buildings.

Back in the day when towns were more self-reliant and people traveled less, towns like Melvin were hubs of activity. I've always been partial to these little forgotten places. As boys, my brother and I spent a lot of time in the dwindling town of Kirvin (sometimes spelled Kirven) in East Texas, where my grandmother lived and where my mother grew up. Today, there is very little that remains of that town, but at one time it was a prominent place, even rivaling the larger towns in the county.

But let's get back to US 87 and continue on. As we neared Brady, the town that bills itself as the Heart of Texas (and it is near the geographic center of the state), we detoured again, this time onto FM 3022, which would take us along the north shore and then dam of Brady Lake. As long as we've lived in West Texas, I had never seen the lake and wanted to take a look. After all, there aren't that many lakes in West Texas. Like other lakes in West Texas, this one is way down.

West end of Brady Lake

Dam of Brady Lake

Main body of Brady Lake

Deer near shore of Brady Lake. We must have seen about a dozen, and none ran from us.

We left the lake and continued on into Brady, where we rejoined US 87 and continued south through Mason and on to Fredericksburg.

On our return trip, we detoured past old Fort Mason in Mason. The fort, established in 1851, saw many notable military leaders grace its grounds during its short life, including Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston. It was finally abandoned in 1870. There is only one building that remains today, a reconstruction of officers' quarters. It is located atop a hill on the south edge of town, and it provides a great view in all directions.

The reconstructed officers' quarters at Fort Mason. You can get an idea of the view if you look out to the side of the building.

View of downtown Mason, including the courthouse in right of picture, from the hill at Fort Mason.

Mason is one of those towns I hope to explore more fully one day. There is a museum downtown. Old homes dot the town, many built by skilled German stone masons. RVers should check Fort Mason RV Park for a nice little RV park. It is on the south edge of town and is operated by the city. A golf course lies next to the RV park.

From Mason, we turned west on Texas 29 to go to Menard, where we stopped to tour the Presidio San Saba. I'll write about that in my next entry.

From Menard, we took US 83 north to Eden and then hopped back on US 87 to head home to San Angelo. By the way, US 83 has had numerous improvements since the last time we were on that highway. From Eden to the Concho/Menard County line, the highway has been 4 lane for years, but south of there on to Menard it has been two lane. However, it is now 4 lanes for 2 or 3 miles north of Menard, and then the rest has been upgraded with various passing lanes. It's a good highway, especially if you are in an RV of some sort.

A Short Trip To Fredericksburg, Texas

Donna and I just returned from a short 2 night trip to Fredericksburg, Texas. It is one of our favorite "go to" places. We've visited this city numerous times over the years, and we will probably visit it many more times in the future.

For those who don't know, Fredericksburg is a town of about 10,000 folks in the Texas Hill Country, about 80 miles due west of Austin and about 70 miles north/northwest of San Antonio. It was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von (John) Meusebach, originally of Dillenburg, Germany. Many towns in Texas were founded by German immigrants at this time, including New Braunfels, Comfort, and Boerne, among others.

Fredericksburg has always maintained its strong German heritage, and a walk down its streets is a constant reminder of this. The Germans in this part of the state were highly regarded for their productive farms and their excellent stone work. All over Fredericksburg, original stone homes and businesses still stand and are in daily use.

We've been to Fredericksburg so many times in the past that we have done just about everything there is to do there, so these days, we just spend our time wandering the streets, visiting the many interesting shops along Main Street, eating at some of the good restaurants in town, and sampling the excellent beer. For the first time visitor, though, there are many interesting places to visit, including:

• National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg is the home town of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz)
• Pioneer Museum
• Fort Martin Scott
• Luckenback
• President Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in nearby Stonewall. (See "LBJ Tours: Part 2, The LBJ Ranch" for our visit here in March 2012)
• Wildseed Farms a few miles east of town. (See "Wildseed Farms" for a visit we made here in April 2012)
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area just north of town is a great place for a short hike. See "Hiking Report: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area" for a hike we did in May 2012)

These are the more popular tourist attractions, but there are countless other activities to keep you busy. A drive east from Fredericksburg, for example, will take you by a number of wineries in an area now being called Wine Road 290. In springtime, some of the best wildflowers can be found in the area, especially along an area known as the Willow City Loop.

But enough of what Fredericksburg has to offer. Below are some pictures I snapped on our trip.

For years, Donna and I have passed by Cross Mountain as we headed north of town to hike at Enchanted Rock. I finally decided to stop and climb the hill (it really isn't a mountain at an elevation of just over 1900 feet).  

Cross Mountain as seen from just south of the hill

There is a good view from the top of the hill.

For most of our trip, we just visited the shops and restaurants along Main Street.

This building is typical of the stone work found throughout the German Hill Country. Notice the elephant engraved at the top center of the building.

This is the National Museum of the Pacific War, with a statue of Admiral Nimitz in the foreground. The admiral was raised in this building when it was a hotel owned by his grandfather. Notice the unusual "steamboat" design just under the flag.

The Auslander has long been our favorite place to sample beer and German food in Fredericksburg. The windows to the left of the door - just beyond the bed of the pickup - collapse open. We like to sit right by the windows so we can watch the busy street.

Trees are common along Main Street, as are balconies. Both provide good shade in summer, and benches offer places to stop and watch the world go by.

Donna in front of some shops. We seldom buy anything, but we like to look.

Another building typical of the quality stonework of the area.

This was originally the Gillespie County Courthouse, but it is now the Pioneer Memorial Library.

I have no idea what this is, but it is found at Marktplatz in front of the Vereins Kirche across from the courthouse.The entire structure spins slowly.

The Vereins Kirche

A couple of art galleries on West Main Street. In this single block, there were probably 4 art galleries, give or take.

Happy Thanksgiving 2014

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Our little monsters will be arriving later today. They will celebrate Thanksgiving earlier today with the son-in-law's family, and we'll have our Thanksgiving tomorrow. It has been a tradition in our family for a number of years now to smoke a turkey. I put the bird on the night before we eat and let it smoke slowly all night. I have to get up periodically throughout the night and add fuel to the fire, but it usually is worth the effort. Our turkeys usually are very moist with that good smoke flavor.

Inside, Donna concentrates on the other dishes. I've encouraged her to downsize the number of dishes she makes, but I don't think she can. We usually have all the standard dishes: dressing, yams, cranberries (both from the can and made fresh), and other fare. In addition, she always makes a broccoli casserole she and our daughter enjoy, and she makes a cream cheese and corn casserole I really like. She also makes a great lime jello salad with cherries, pecans, and other goodies. And to top things off, there are always at least 2 pies: pumpkin for her and chess for daughter and me.

So, it's time to find the stretch pants and settle in for a challenge. Best of all is all the leftovers we eat for the next few days.

Movie Review: Interstellar

We recently ventured out into the cold to watch Interstellar, a science-fiction movie starring Matthew McConoughey and Anne Hathaway. I'm not a big fan of science fiction. As children, my brother preferred science fiction while I tended to lean towards westerns. But in college I had a roommate who watched the original Star Trek series, and I did come to enjoy the ideas expressed in the show.

So Donna dragged me down to see Interstellar. To be honest, I really don't know if I enjoyed the movie or not. I do know I had a great deal of trouble keeping up with the story line and all the ideas of worm holes and gravitational relativity and such. I just don't have an aptitude for science, and I struggled with it in both high school and college. But if you like action, you'll and special effects, you'll probably enjoy this movie.

The premise of the movie is that planet Earth is simply wearing out and is no longer able to sustain its population. Cooper (McConoughey), a former a NASA test pilot, and his daughter Murphy are directed by "supernatural" forces to a secret NASA installation where they meet professor Bran (Michael Caine) and his daughter Amelia (Hathaway). The NASA team is planning a mission through a worm hole in an attempt to locate a planet where humanity can continue its existence. Previous teams have already gone out, but none have returned. Leaving his family behind on Earth, Cooper, Amelia, and 2 other team members embark on their journey.

If you've seen the trailers for the movie, then the above summary should not be knew to you. But once through the worm hole, the movie takes on a new life. If you've seen the trailers, for example, you know the movie stars McConoughey, Hathaway, and Caine. But the trailers don't show the pivotal role that Matt Damon plays, a role unlike any he normally plays. Nor do the trailers show Casey Affleck's role in the movie or Ellen Burstyn's role.

There are some interesting ideas and theories in the movie, but they are too complex for me. The movie is long, by the way, almost 3 hours, so be prepared for a long sit. If you are a science fiction fan, you'll probably enjoy the movie. I'm sure the guys from The Big Bang Theory would love sitting around exploring all the concepts used in the movie.

Good Eats: Taste of the Himalayas Indian Cuisine

San Angelo is branching out its culinary arms and embracing new cuisines, it seems. There are a couple of little "hole in the wall" cafes serving some exotic food, and a new Vietnamese restaurant is scheduled to open in about two months or so.

One of the newest restaurants in town is Taste of the Himalayas, which serves up some tasty north Indian cuisine. Admittedly, I was at first a little put off with this place because they kept delaying the opening. They finally did open while we were gone on our recent Nevada trip. When we returned and found them open, we couldn't wait to make our first visit.

The food is good. In fact, we've been twice now, sampling the goods on their noon buffet both times.

The noon buffet offers a generous spread, including favorites of ours such as chicken curry, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, and tandoori chicken. Naan and papadums are also avaiable, as are numerous fresh fruits and tasty deserts. The rice pudding has varied on the two trips we made; the first time, it was very tasty, with cardamom flavoring evident, while the second time it was a bit soupy with no such strong cardamom flavor. Likewise, the first time I sampled the peach custard, it was smoother and had a truer peach flavor than the second time, when it was thinner and had a sharper, tangier peach taste.

The food is good, as is the service. The restaurant occupies the same space as a former Italian restaurant where we loved eating about 20 years ago. We were saddened when we learned that restaurant had closed prior to our return to Angelo. But we are delighted with the new occupant, though.

On our first visit, there were few diners, and many were obviously trying Indian food for the first time in their lives. In fact, many of them seemed a bit reluctant. On this visit, though, everyone seemed more comfortable and they were really digging in. It looks like the restaurant is developing a loyal following, especially from many of the folks stationed at Goodfellow AFB.

Ah, Angelo just got a little better.

Movie Review: The Judge

Donna and I have watched a couple of movies lately. The first one we watched was The Judge, starring Robert Duvall and Robert Downey, Jr.

The plot itself is a bit complex. It basically focuses on the character development of Hank Palmer (Downey), a highly successful -- and arguably unethical -- defense attorney in Chicago. He is in the midst of a troubled marriage, probably heading for divorce. The crux of the movie begins when he returns to his home in Indiana to attend his mother's funeral. Obviously, he and his father (Judge Joseph Palmer, played by Duvall) do not see eye to eye. The movie could end there, with Hank returning to Chicago following the funeral, except that in a rather bizarre twist, his father is involved in a hit-and-run incident. Hank stays on to defend his father and, in doing so, must confront his relationship with the elder Palmer. The final courtroom scene is the pivotal point of the movie, and it is rather unique.

Both Downey and Duvall bring their characters to life. I'm a big Robert Duvall fan, and can remember watching his brief appearance years ago as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the years, I've followed his career, and have especially enjoyed him in Tender Mercies, Joe Kidd, Open Range, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Secondhand Lions. His portrayal of Augustus McCrae in Lonesome Dove is probably my personal favorite.

In addition to watching the characters portrayed by Downey and Duvall spar with each other throughout the movie, I also was touched by those moments when Hank Palmer (Downey) became the caregiver to his father. I saw a little of the relationship I had with my own dad in his final year of life.

I think about this movie a great deal. I think about the need for some people to put their past behind them and to move along and away. But we should never entirely shut the door to our past. After all, we never can be entirely sure why people are motivated to do the things they do until the truth finally emerges. Sometimes we need to stop running and try returning home.