texas – Page 3 – Texas History Notebook

Dawson Murchison, Texas Game Warden

The December 21, 1938 issue of the McAllen Daily Press carried the sensational headline “Game Warden Slain By Hunters,” describing the incident in which Dawson R. Murchison was murdered in a confrontation with a group of poachers that he was investigating.

Short Line Railroads – II

The lines in this group are in a category of mostly historical and tourist related entities, most of which most are still in operation.

The Austin Steam Train Association (ASTA) operates several locomotives on tracks that were formerly used by Southern Pacific. This line is called the Austin and Texas Central Railroad. Its headquarters are in Cedar Park. Perhaps its better known historic locomotive was its first unit, Southern Pacific 786. According to the Association’s website, Southern Pacific 786, a steam locomotive, was built by American Locomotive Company in its Brooks Works factory in Dunkirk, New York in 1916. By then the Houston & Texas Central Railway had become a subsidiary of Southern Pacific. The unit was modified several times and operated continuously until 1956, when it was donated to the City of Austin. For thirty-four years it was displayed at Austin Fire Station No. 1 located at the corner of East 5th Street and Trinity, about eight blocks from the State Capitol grounds. The Austin Steam Train Association was incorporated in 1989 and leased the locomotive from the City of Austin shortly afterward. The locomotive was restored and after testing made its first run to Burnet in July, 1992. After running for seven years, it was again taken off line to begin another repair and restoration process. According to the Association website, it is off line and undergoing more work at this time.

A second locomotive is called EMD GP40-3 #3118 and is a diesel-electric locomotive. This unit was originally built for the Penn Central Railroad and quite likely had a lot of freight hauling use before it was acquired. The locomotive changed hands a number of times until it was leased to ASTA in 2017 and later acquired in 2024. It currently runs a majority of the routes offered by ASTA which include the Hill Country Flyer, the Texas Wine Flyer and and Christmas season excursions. One of the rides, called the Hill Country Flyer, is a 6.5 hour journey which makes the 66 mile round trip between Cedar Park and Burnet.

Padgitt Saddle Companies of Texas

It may be difficult to imagine today, there was a time when personal transportation (besides walking, of course) relied on horses and mules, buggies and coaches. For decades, local saddle makers enjoyed a thriving business.

Two such companies were Padgitt Bros. of Dallas and Tom Padgitt, Inc. (also known as Tom Padgitt Company Wholesale Saddlery) of Waco. James Robert Padgitt and Mary Jane Bond Padgitt had three sons who lived to be adults. They were Tom (1846 – 1926), William Clinton (1849 – 1909) and Jesse David (1851 – 1948).

Boom Town (1940)

A year before its release, news out of Hollywood touted the MGM project “Boom Town” by naming its all star cast of Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr, each of whom were box office draws. The project was set to begin production March 15, 1939 with Jack Conway directing and Sam Zimbalist producing. It was described as the story of a Texas oilfield penned by screenwriter John Lee Mahin who adapted a story by James Edward Grant.

William Hittson

William Bedford Hittson was born October 14, 1834 in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee to Jesse J. Hittson (1801 – 1861) and Mary Ann Beck Hittson (1798 – 1879). His father, Jesse J. Hittson, was born in Virginia but came to Texas with his family in 1855. The Hittsons were a farming family but began raising cattle after settling in Texas. The family consisted of the parents, Aaron H. Hart (possibly a child from a previous marriage of the former Mary Ann Beck). The couple had two sons of their own, John Nathan Hittson and William Bedford Hittson. Both John and William were married by the time that the whole family moved to Texas. Jesse and the families of Aaron, John and William were all living in Palo Pinto County at the time of his death in 1861 at around the age of 60. No cause of death is noted.

After Jesse died, son John is said to have managed the cattle operation for their mother. None of the immediate family appear to have actively served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War though William Hittson was apparently on the roster of a local militia.