Hometown Flavor - Field Trip Into the Past/ Part Two

Sprinkled along this time line of the Old West you will see other items of interest  - 

A majestic windmill stands proudly against the West Texas sky

 This wagon held water in it's large storage tank; probably for watering cattle or crops.

Um -I have no idea about the year model of this truck, but I'm in love - the color is perfect

A few more structures - 

 

 80 John Wallace House

Daniel Webster Wallace was born the son of slaves at 17 he ran away from home to join a cattle drive with very little formal education Wallace went back to school at  the age of 25, where he was admitted to the second grade. Learning to read and write over the course of two winters Wallace eventually joined Clay Mann's outfit - a move that would end up fulfilling Wallace's dream of becoming a rancher.

 One room schoolhouse

 School books

Ropes Depot 

 Barton House

Probably the most famous structure on the National  Ranching Heritage Center grounds

Hometown Flavor - A Field Trip Into the Past

While Lubbock boasts several attractions that herald its farming and ranching traditions-one that stands out as a must see is the National Ranching Heritage Center museum and historical park. The NHRC hosts thirty eight structures that have been relocated from some of the West’s most well known ranches onto the NHRC land. The structures reveal the evolution of ranch life from the late 1700’s through the early 1900’s. Each building is a testament to its unique geographical area of origin and to the creative practical use of raw materials that were used in the day of their build.

Along the path of the self paced tour you will see a clear evolution of time and history as the tour begins with the crudest of minimalistic shelters progressing to a more refined if not luxurious home. Each building is authentically restored with each painstakingly numbered piece reassembled at the NHRC Park where great effort is made to keep furnishings and artifacts as authentic as possible (one of my very favorite aspects of the whole experience.) I find that I am more interested in the furnishings, tools and artifacts than I am the structures – what fun it is to imagine weaving by the light of a burning fire and oil lamps or cooking over an open fire while the weather howls just outside the door. Over the years I have been several times to this wonderful museum of time gone by and now my daughter and I go annually – what a fabulous resource to teach generations about the life and hardships of those that came before us.

Hedwig's Hill Dogtrot House

A dogtrot house consists of two log cabins under one roof with a breezeway in the middle. The breezeway provided a cooler covered are for sitting and perhaps even more importantly- pulled cooler air into the living quarters.

 

"What fun it is to imagine weaving by the light of a burning fire and oil lamps."

Jowell House
Built in defense of Indian attack - this two story rock house was built with rifle slits placed on an angle to keep arrows from entering,inside a trap door leads with to the top floor so the family could climb up pulling the ladder with them to help keep them safe.

Jowell family cemetery

 Waggoner Ranch Commissary 

Dry goods inside the commissary

Furnishings and artifacts are kept as authentic as possible.

A baby's bed

 "Singer" sewing machine - I wonder how many clothes and quilts were sewn with this machine - isn't it beautiful?

A warm and functional kitchen

A Hint About the Hometown Flavor Feature for Next Week

Hometown Flavor - Living in the Dust Bowl

"A dust storm rolls through Lubbock in 1938. Improved agriculture techniques revolutionized farming in the 1950s, which reduced the number of fierce dust storms in West Texas." source;Doug Hensley- Lubbock Centennial

My front porch today

* "People could see the menacing clouds methodically moving toward town. It wouldn’t be long before darkness settled in, and it was still the middle of the day.

  Tornado?

  Not this time. It was another weather phenomenon all too familiar to West Texans: the dust storm." 


My mother was born here in Lubbock, and grew up here as well. I can remember her telling me stories about the  rolling red clouds of dust visible from miles away. A flurry of activity would ensue as people scooped up children playing in yards and plucked laundry from the clothes line. I remember my mom telling me about a time she was caught walking home from school in her little dress -  her legs being sandblasted as she scurried for home. I also remember stories of how it was necessary to place a wet bandana over your nose and mouth so that you could breathe inside your own home and of neighbors cleaning up the aftermath with shovels; shoveling up drifts of sand from between the houses as if it were snow.


While it's true that agricultural improvements have made tremendous progress in the area of "sand fighting" we still get pummeled yearly with multiple dust storms and with Spring comes the onset of dust storm season. True to form, we are having dust today and though today's blowing dust left it's calling card on my front porch;today's storm isn't too bad( I promise to take a picture of the next really gnarly storm for you) those of us that live here know this is only the beginning of dust storm season - batton down the hatches West Texas-here comes the dust.


* Dough Hensley - The Lubbock Centennial

Hometown Flavor - Texas Tech Landmarks

Lubbock, Texas is my hometown, the place I was born, the place my roots are firmly established. While admittedly, I hanker for a new adventure in a land far away (at least 5 or so hours anyway) Lubbock is a town with a friendly and gracious community, expansive horizons, and a history of it's own. Come hang out with me as I take you on a tour to soak up just a bit of my hometown flavor.

 One of two bell towers of  the Texas Tech University Education/Administration Building

In 1936 victory bells were given to Texas Tech as a class gift. The bells rang for the first time at the 1936 class's graduation. It is said that after the win over TCU, the following year, the bells rang through out the night. The bells kept Lubbock residents up all night. Thereafter, the bell ringing was limited to 30 minutes. Saddle Tramps ring the bells after Texas Tech victories and during special occasions. The Victory Bells - one large and one small, which combine to weigh 1,200 pounds - hang in the east tower of the Administration Building. 

Source: Texas Tech Traditions from A to Z
 

Will Rogers and Soapsuds

One of the most well known landmarks on campus is the statue of Will Rogers and his horse Soapsuds. This memorial was dedicated on February 16, 1950 by longtime friend of Rogers, Amon G. Carter. Carter believed Texas Tech was the perfect setting for the statue and that it would fit into the traditions and scenery of West Texas.

The statue stands at 9'11" tall and weighs 3,200 pounds; its estimated cost was $25,000. On the base of the statue, the inscription reads "Lovable Old Will Rogers on his favorite horse, 'Soapsuds,' riding into the Western sunset."

Today Texas Tech tradition and legends surrounds the statue. According to one legend, the plan to face Will Rogers so that he could be riding off into the sunset did not work out as it would cause Soapsuds' rear to be facing downtown. To solve this problem, the horse and Will was turned 23 degrees to the east so the horse's posterior was facing in the direction of Texas A&M, one of the school's rivals.

Scource: Will and Soapsuds

Glenna Goodacre: b.1939
Park Place : 1997 : Bronze
Human Sciences

Source: Texas Tech University System Public Art Brochure

LARRY KIRKLAND : b. 1950
Headwaters : 2002 : Granite
English/Philosophy Education Complex

The central fountain features two monumental,classically inspired hands holding letters of the alphabet. The letters remain a fragment of a word, a symbol for a sound,but together they symbolize the potential for communication and the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Water pouring over the surface of the fountain reminds the viewer of the variety of sounds that letters create.

Source: Texas Tech University System Public Art Brochure

Olive Oil and Goat's Milk soap among the relics 4.5 ounce bar

All photos courtesy of : Bill L.