The town of Post, Texas is the county seat of Garza County and was founded by Charles William Post, known for his Post cereals and other grain products. Post had been attracted by the relatively undeveloped area nearby and in 1906, he acquired 213,324 acres that now straddle Garza, Hockley and Lynn Counties in Texas. Out of this, he carved out a large tract for his own Double U Ranch and laid out a model town situated in Garza County. Continue reading Post, Texas
Erastus “Deaf” (pronounced “Deef”) Smith was an admirable person in “Texas Rising” and one in which the character of the individual may closely match the one portrayed in the miniseries. His hearing loss was not complete, but was significant after suffering an illness some years prior to the Texas Revolution. In some accounts, it was referred to as “consumption” (most likely, tuberculosis) which may have contributed to his death, though contemporary accounts were not specific as to the actual cause of death. One newspaper account simply read, “His iron frame has sunk under the severe fatigues and exposures to which he has too willingly subjected himself.”
A good friend of mine grew up seeing a revered old cowboy walk the small downtown area of Gainesville, Texas. When he asked about the identity of the man, he was told that he was a retired Texas Ranger who had captured some famous outlaws. My friend eventually learned that the old gentleman was former Texas Ranger Tom Hickman.
Continue reading Tom Hickman, Texas RangerTaylor County is considered to be in West Texas and many feel that it is where West Texas begins. It is located northwest of the geographic center of the State. Its county seat from 1878 to 1883 was Buffalo Gap, but since then has been Abilene.
Mary Ann “Molly” Goodnight was the wife of Charles Goodnight and was highly involved in the Goodnight ranching operation. She was born September 12, 1839 in Tennessee to John Henry and Susan Lynch Miller Dyer and her grandfather was the first governor of Tennessee. The Dyers were well established in Tennessee but her father, noted for his service in the Battle of New Orleans and a former Attorney General of the state, moved the family to a settlement near Fort Belknap in North Texas in 1854. Ten years later, her mother died shortly to be followed by the death of her father in another two years, after which Molly became the head of her family for her younger brothers. The oldest, Leigh, went to work for Charles Goodnight in 1867 while Molly continued to raise the younger brothers, several of whom also went on to work on the Goodnight ranches. Molly served as a teacher in Young County though she had no formal education. Continue reading Molly Ann Dyer Goodnight
Texas History Notebook 