SEE NO EVIL - XIT Builds the Capitol YOUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE NEWS - Central Texas Electric Co-op
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YOUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE NEWS APRIL 2020
XIT Builds the Capitol Farmers Market Feast Sunset Scenes
SEE NO
EVIL
Rattlesnakes deserve
respect and caution,
not universal loathing
Contact Us Today for Availability
Since 1944 April 2020
FA V O R I T E S
5 Letters
6 Currents
18 Co-op News
Get the latest information plus energy
and safety tips from your cooperative.
29 Texas History
Death on Tiny Wings
By Martha Deeringer
31 Recipes
Farmers Market
35 Focus on Texas
Photo Contest: Sunsets
36 Around Texas
List of Local Events
38 Hit the Road
Dark Landmark
By Chet Garner
Cowboys brand cattle ONLINE
at the XIT Ranch.
TexasCoopPower.com
Find these stories online if they don’t
F E AT U R E S appear in your edition of the magazine.
Texas Places
8 A Snake To Love Outdoorsman comes to admire rattle-
snakes, which are not the evil beings of legend and myth.
By Mike Leggett
Lost, Texas
Excerpts by Bronson Dorsey
Observations
The Sneed-Boyce Feud
12 XIT: The Ranch That Built the Capitol Immense
territory is as legendary as the building it funded.
By Gene Fowler
By Gene Fowler
NEXT MONTH
Firmly Rooted The Stark family lumber
empire in Orange forged cultural destina-
tions that offer nature, art and history.
31 38
29
COW B OYS : CO U RT E SY PA N H A N D L E- P LA I N S H I STO R I C A L M U S E U M . EG R E T: A L E KSA N D E R B O L B OT | S H U T T E R STO C K .CO M
35
ON THE COVER Rattlesnakes are among the most commonly encountered snakes in the state. Illustration by David Danz
T E X A S E L E CT R I C C O O P E R AT I V E S B OA R D O F D I R E CTO R S : Alan Lesley, Chair, Comanche; Robert Loth III, Vice Chair, Fredericksburg; Gary Raybon, Secretary-Treasurer, El Campo;
Mark Boyd, Douglassville; Greg Henley, Tahoka; Billy Jones, Corsicana; David McGinnis, Van Alstyne • PRESIDENT/CEO: Mike Williams, Austin • COMMUNICATIONS & MEMBER SERVICES
COMMITTEE: Marty Haught, Burleson; Bill Hetherington, Bandera; Ron Hughes, Sinton; Boyd McCamish, Littlefield; Mark McClain, Roby; John Ed Shinpaugh, Bonham; Robert Walker, Gilmer;
Brandon Young, McGregor • MAGAZINE STAFF: Martin Bevins, Vice President, Communications & Member Services; Charles J. Lohrmann, Editor; Tom Widlowski, Associate Editor; Karen Nejtek,
Production Manager; Andy Doughty, Creative Manager; Elaine Sproull, Advertising Manager; Chris Burrows, Senior Communications Specialist; Grace Fultz, Print Production Specialist; Travis Hill,
Communications Specialist; Qasim K. Johnson, Administrative Assistant; Megan Myers, Food Editor; Jessica Ridge, Communications Specialist; Chris Salazar, Digital Field Editor; Jane Sharpe,
Senior Designer; Kristin Wise, Digital Media Intern; Shannon Oelrich, Proofreader
TexasCoopPower.com April 2020 Texas Co-op Power 3
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LETTERS
A Tree’s Trials
I’m a crape murderer—but not
because I’m trying to restrict
the height of them [Crape Mur-
der, February 2020]. My crape
myrtles border our driveway.
They bloom beautifully and
look great during the warm
months.
However, once the first freeze
occurs, they turn brown and
become a bit of an eyesore. True Confession
Even worse, left untrimmed,
they drop dead leaves and seed I had never seen a crape myrtle before I moved to Texas [Crape Murder, Febru-
pods onto my driveway
ary 2020]. There was a row of them along the property line of my lot in a mobile
throughout the winter, much of
which is then blown into the home park. My neighbor told me to cut them back. Soon afterward, I found out
garage. Foot traffic then brings
that was wrong. I’ve felt bad ever since. They were fairly tall.
them inside.
TOM MILLHOLLON | GRANBURY
UNITED COOPERATIVE SERVICES LISA CULBERTSON | VIA FACEBOOK
I enjoyed Sheryl Smith-Rodgers’
article, but it should have been
titled Crape Assault and Battery Not a Flicker of Doubt Bubba’s Cajun Seafood has been You can call them whatever
because it’s almost impossible In Focus on Texas in February, serving up its own special sea- you want. I call them good.
to kill the average crape. Three you identified a bird as a wood- soning on heaps of steaming MICHEAL WOODARD | VIA FACEBOOK
years ago, I cut off a 6-inch pecker. The bird is a flicker. crawfish for almost 10 years.
diameter volunteer crape just MARYLIN DOW | SCROGGINS BECKEY BOYD GOODEN | SEADRIFT I grew up in West Texas, and
above the ground (that was too WOOD COUNTY EC VICTORIA EC we called them crawdads. I
close to the house), and it came never knew people ate them.
roaring back. Editor’s Note: We checked I call ’em what they are, craw- MARCIA HERALD | VIA FACEBOOK
I repeatedly cut it back and with Clifford Shackelford, an fish, and the very best come
finally was able to kill it by ornithologist at the Texas Parks out the Atchafalaya spillway,
pouring a thick layer of con- and Wildlife Department. “It’s a not farm raised.
crete over the stump. There’s male red-bellied woodpecker,” DARYL RODRIGUEZ | VIA FACEBOOK GET MORE TCP AT
nothing delicate about a crape! he said. “The flicker would TexasCoopPower.com
DUDLEY DOBIE | AUSTIN never have that much red on Sign up for our e-newsletter for
FAYETTE EC the head.” monthly updates, prize drawings
and more!
For all of my 50-year career in Crawfish Crazy
Texas horticulture, I have yet to I am crawfish crazy [A Tale of We want to hear from you!
hear even one valid reason for Texas Crawfish, February 2020]. ONLINE: TexasCoopPower.com/share
this practice. When author It’s a pastime, like baseball or EMAIL: letters@TexasCoopPower.com
Sheryl Smith-Rodgers quoted fishing. Conversations over mud- MAIL: Editor, Texas Co-op Power,
Greg Grant, she went to one of bugs and beer—can’t beat it. 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor,
Austin, TX 78701
Texas’ finest resources. Indeed, RYAN WAGNER | VIA FACEBOOK
Please include your town and electric co-op.
D FE
we must “stop the madness.” Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
NEIL SPERRY | MCKINNEY You left out the best place along
GRAYSON-COLLIN EC the coast in Calhoun County. Texas Co-op Power
C RA P E M U R D E R : M I C H A E L KO E L SC H
TEXAS CO-OP POWER VOLUME 76, NUMBER 10 (USPS 540-560). Texas Co-op Power is published monthly by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and at additional offices. TEC is the
statewide association representing 75 electric cooperatives. Texas Co-op Power’s website is TexasCoopPower.com. Call (512) 454-0311 or email editor@TexasCoopPower.com. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE is $4.20 per year for
individual members of subscribing cooperatives and is paid from equity accruing to the member. If you are not a member of a subscribing cooperative, you can purchase an annual subscription at the nonmember rate
of $7.50. Individual copies and back issues are available for $3 each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Co-op Power (USPS 540-560), 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. Please enclose label from
this copy of Texas Co-op Power showing old address and key numbers. ADVERTISING: Advertisers interested in buying display ad space in Texas Co-op Power and/or in our 30 sister publications in other states, contact
Elaine Sproull at (512) 486-6251. Advertisements in Texas Co-op Power are paid solicitations. The publisher neither endorses nor guarantees in any manner any product or company included in this publication. Product sat-
isfaction and delivery responsibility lie solely with the advertiser.
© Copyright 2020 Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Reproduction of this issue or any portion of it is expressly prohib-
ited without written permission. Willie Wiredhand © Copyright 2020 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
TexasCoopPower.com April 2020 Texas Co-op Power 5
CURRENTS
BY THE NUMBERS
MILLION
That’s how many Americans
demonstrated on behalf of the
environment on the first Earth
Day, April 22, 1970. Gaylord
Nelson, a Wisconsin governor
and U.S. senator, started the
movement 50 years ago.
FINISH THIS
SENTENCE
R O C K E T: P R E M I U M V EC TO R | S H U T T E R STO C K .CO M . 2 0 : C H A L RU M P O N O N N O N GWA | S H U T T E R STO C K .CO M . PA R E N TS : G O O D ST U D I O | S H U T T E R STO C K .CO M . T H O M AS : CO U RT E SY E LA I N E T H O M AS . P E N N I E S : J I L L E KU LC H I N S KY | D R E A M ST I M E .CO M
HAPPENINGS
School Launch I never should have
Program told my parents . . .
a Tell us how you would finish
that sentence. Email your short
responses to letters@TexasCoop
Brett Williams’ push for a STEM-based curriculum at Fredericksburg Power.com or post them on our
High School in 1996 certainly took off. Williams found a fun way to Facebook page. Please include
your city and co-op.
teach students lessons in science, technology, engineering and math
while building a model rocket, which they then launched. Below are some of the responses
to our February prompt: My most
He called his program SystemsGo, and it spread to other schools. unforgettable first date was ...
Students design rockets to meet specific criteria, such as sending a With two different boys. They
1-pound payload 1 mile high or exceeding the sound barrier. both showed up at the same
time. Awkward.
This year, more than 80 high schools in four states will participate BARBARA TALIAFERRO | SPRINGTOWN
in ROCKETS 2020 launches. The first event in Texas is APRIL 24–25 in TRI-COUNTY EC
JACKSBORO . Launches in Stonewall and Anahuac will follow later With a girl who had to stop and
go to the bathroom in the woods
in the spring, and Jal, New Mexico, will host an event. on the way home.
WEB EXTRAS JIM MORROW | HIGHLAND VILLAGE | COSERV
Rockets will launch throughout the events, which
a Find more
are open to the public and free. The one that resulted in my lunch
happenings
date and I being inseparable from
online.
that day forward.
INFO a (830) 997-3567, systemsgo.org CONNIE THOMAS | VIA FACEBOOK
To see more responses, read
Currents on our website.
6 Texas Co-op Power April 2020 TexasCoopPower.com
TCP CONTEST a $500 RECIPES: GAME DAY SNACKS Don’t put money on the game—score with our new $500 prize! Enter online.
P OW E R O F O U R P E O P L E
Sharing Veterans’
Voices
WHEN JAPAN’S ENVOYS signed the documents surrendering to
the Allies on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay, they could not
know they were being watched by a sailor from Fayette
County. Charlie Ripper, a shell man for the 16-inch guns on
the USS Colorado, had an eye on the ceremony. “I was on
lookout duty,” Ripper said, “and from the lookout tower I
could see them sign the papers.”
Ripper and 62 other World War II veterans—men and
women—some who remained stateside to support the war
effort and others who slogged through muddy battlefields,
told their stories to Fayette County Electric Cooperative
member Elaine Thomas, who included each narrative in her
book, Veterans’ Voices and Home Front Memories.
“I have been a regular columnist for the Fayette County
Record for more than a decade,” Thomas said. “I was talking Elaine Thomas with World
to Charlie Ripper and asked him if I could interview him for War II veteran Charlie
an article.” Ripper of La Grange.
Ripper agreed on the condition that he not be called a
hero. “The only heroes are the ones who didn’t come home,”
Ripper said. POWER OF OUR PEOPLE recognizes
Thomas’ stories about Ripper and others in the Fayette County Record drew raves co-op members who improve their
from the community. They led to a special section in the paper and then the book. community’s quality of life.
Four hundred people turned out for the Veterans’ Voices book signing in November Nominate someone by emailing
2018, and 17 veterans and three female civilians whose stories appear in the book were people@texascooppower.com.
able to accept appreciation from the community for their service. Proceeds from the
book, available on Amazon, support a scholarship at Blinn College’s Schulenberg campus.
LIFESTYLE W O R T H R E P E AT I N G
MAKING “What is the
CENTS difference between
a taxidermist and
April 1 is National One Cent Day.
That’s not an April Fool’s Day joke. It’s true.
a tax collector?
A penny used to be worth something— Though easily disregarded,
The taxidermist
enough to prompt the centuries-old saying, the penny is the most abundant
“A penny saved is a penny earned.” In fact, coin in the country, with about
takes only
some readers remember penny candy and 7.8 billion produced by the U.S. Mint
corner stores, where, for just 1 cent, you in 2018. But because pennies cost 2.06
your skin.”
could actually get something sweet. cents each to produce, American taxpayers
lost more than $82 million that year —MARK TWAIN
The U.S. first issued a 1-cent coin in 1792. minting them.
Because of inflation, what used to cost (With that, we remind you the tax
1 cent then costs 27 cents today. That’s not a joke, either. collector comes calling April 15.)
TexasCoopPower.com April 2020 Texas Co-op Power 7
A SNAKE TO LOVE
FRIEND OR FOE?
What is your experience
with rattlesnakes? Tell us at
BY MIKE LEGGETT letters@texascooppower.com.
OUTDOORS JOURNALIST
COMES TO ADMIRE RATTLESNAKES,
WHICH ARE NOT THE EVIL BEINGS
OF LEGEND AND MYTH IN TEXAS
Wildlife Department employee offered a 3-footer, and I placed
my right boot down next to the snake. The strike was surpris-
ingly fast, not even registering as a blow against my calf. There
were golden droplets of venom hanging off the ballistic cloth
of the leggings.
I went several more years without crossing paths with
another rattlesnake, but once I hit my stride, I began to see
them and hear them more often. I would catch them when I
could and pose them for photos in the wild.
I’ve seen them during spring turkey season especially, usu-
ally crossing a road or sendero and trying to go on about their
I
can trace my love affair with rattlesnakes back more than business. I’ve literally stepped on rattlers, stepped over them
60 years to a cool, misty October Saturday morning in the and walked within inches of them as they hid in the brush, usu-
mid-1950s when somebody showed up at the little general ally under a guayacan or other shrubby kind of South Texas
story in DeBerry with a very large canebrake rattler in the back bush. Only one of those tried to bite me, a big snake—more than
of a pickup. 5 feet long—that fired off from under a bush in South Texas one
I would have been 6 or 7 years old then, and there was no day. I killed it with a deer rifle, something I’ve always regretted.
threatened status as there is now for these shy, somewhat gentle Most of the time, rattlesnakes try to stay hidden or move to a
reptiles. In those days, when anybody encountered one, the hiding place and avoid any contact with humans. In the course of
snake invariably lost a war with a load of No. 6 squirrel shot. This daily life in Central Texas, if you encounter a snake, odds are it will
one had succumbed to just such a blast, but it wasn’t his missing be a western diamondback rattlesnake or a Texas rat snake. But
head that fascinated me. It was the full-grown fox squirrel that rattlesnakes are not the evil beings of legend and myth in Texas.
lay in the slit-open belly of the snake. His last meal.
That rattlesnake was absolutely beautiful to me and kicked
off a quest that has kept me fascinated for more than six RESPECT THEIR LETHAL POWERS
W
decades. I loved that snake and hated that it had to die. e are too big for rattlers to eat, and they know that. But
I wouldn’t see another rattler for at least 30 years. By then I they will bite if pressured or frightened, and anyone who
was the outdoors editor at the Austin American-Statesman. I suffers a bite from a rattler is in for a tough time.
was looking for someone who On average, one to two people per year die from snakebites
kept rattlesnakes to allow me in Texas, according to the Department of State Health Services,
A western diamondback rattle-
snake, found in the western
to check the efficacy of wading and often, those individuals were handling the snake in some
two-thirds of the state and leggings designed to blunt the way, either by trying to pick it up or fool with it. Most snakebites
M I K E L EG G E T T
one of eight species of rattle- attacks of stingrays and rattle- in Texas are by western diamondbacks, the most common ven-
snakes native to Texas. snakes. A Texas Parks and omous snake in the state.
TexasCoopPower.com April 2020 Texas Co-op Power 9
WHAT TO DO
IF YOU ARE BITTEN
A L L P H OTOS : S H U T T E R STO C K .CO M . RAT T L E S N A K E : F I V E S P OTS . COT TO N M O U T H : CO L L E N L I N ST R O M . CO P P E R H E A D : RU STY D O DSO N . CO RA L , H O G - N OS E D & S P EC K L E D K I N G S N A K E S : J O E FA RA H . T E XAS RAT S N A K E : DA N I TA D E L M O N T. COAC H W H I P : I R I N A K . D I A M O N D BAC K WAT E R S N A K E : F R O D E JACO B S E N
BY A RATTLESNAKE
Here are some steps that could help lessen the nasty
effects of the snake’s venom.
Don’t panic. Head straight for a doctor or hospital.
THEIR ROLE IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Doctors will have access to anti-venom drugs that
R
attlesnakes are abundant in most of their natural range,
can help save lives and limbs.
and they are there for a reason. Rats and mice might be
Throw out those old tales about cutting an X above stacked a foot deep without rattlesnakes around to eat a few
the fang mark or sucking out the venom. You’ll from time to time.
probably do more harm than good. However, I’m not saying you should ignore a rattler in your
Remain still. Movements help distribute the venom yard or close to your house where kids or pets might be in dan-
throughout the body. ger. I’ve lost two Labs to rattlesnakes over the years myself.
My wife and I came home one night. As we walked up onto the
Remove jewelry or tight clothing around the bite. front porch in the dark and I was trying to get the key into the
Keep the bite area below the level of the heart lock, we were shaken by the loudest buzzing I’ve ever heard—so
to keep the venom from spreading. loud up under the porch I thought it had to be cicadas. However,
Rana wasn’t fooled. She was back in the truck in seconds and
DO NOT apply a tourniquet or ice to the bite. yelling for me to get in as well.
And no steroids should be used in treatment. I climbed into the cab and turned the
There is a vaccine for dogs and cats that, with an lights on to illuminate a large rattlesnake
annual injection, can help reduce the effects of rattle- WEB EXTRAS lying on the doormat, just inches from
snake bites. Veterinarians typically keep it in stock. a Read this where I had been standing moments
story on our before. We had cats then, and as outdoor
website to cats tend to do, they had choused that
learn more snake until he couldn’t get away and was
Except for the big timber areas of East Texas, western dia- rattlesnake cornered against the front door.
mondbacks are the most widespread of venomous snakes, with facts. I had no choice but to do away with
a range covering the area along either side of Interstate 35 and the snake. That’s one rule I don’t break: No
on into the mountains of West Texas. The South Texas desert snakes around the house.
and the coastal plains are home to very large diamondbacks, 6– In Central Texas, where I live and where a generous portion
7 feet long. Prairie rattlers show up in the grasslands and scrub of Texas rattlesnakes live, that is kind of a classic encounter.
brush of the Texas Panhandle. Maybe you find one hiding in your flower bed one morning or
There are no regional differences in aggressiveness or ven- crawling through your corral. We should be thankful for them
omous status of the local snakes, which all have the equipment and for what they do to keep vermin under control.
to bite and injure or kill humans. Here’s a challenge for anyone who comes across a rattle-
University of Texas herpetologist Travis Laduc has spent snake: Let it stay in its hiding place or just crawl away into the
lots of time studying rattlesnakes and the way they bite. Cap- brush. If it’s hiding, rattle or not, it’s just hoping you’ll go on by
turing many hours of footage with ultrahigh-speed cameras, and leave it to hunt in peace.
he’s learned that the bite itself, from coiled position to contact Mike Leggett was outdoors editor for the Austin American-Statesman
and back to coiled position, takes but half a second. In that half- from 1985 to 2013. He has a lifelong fascination with rattlesnakes and is cur-
second, the rattlesnake can deliver a load of hemotoxic venom rently writing a book about rattlers, due out in 2021. He lives in Burnet and is
that works through the bloodstream. a member of Pedernales EC.
10 Texas Co-op Power April 2020 TexasCoopPower.comCOMMON
SNAKES
OF TEXAS
VENOMOUS
Rattlesnakes are not the only venomous snakes in
Texas, though they are by far the most common and
COTTONMOUTH tend to strike the most fear in Texans’ hearts. COACHWHIP
Next on the list of most feared snakes is the cotton-
mouth, or water moccasin. Ranging in color from a
splotchy gray to nearly black, it is commonly found
around swampy, slow-water terrain and habitat.
The copperhead is a small, beautifully colored and
patterned snake found mostly in yards and wooded
areas of East Texas but also Central Texas. It is common
in cities and towns and is known to deliver bites to chil-
dren playing outside or adults walking on the lawn.
Coral snakes, which deliver neurotoxic venom,
are found throughout the eastern half of the state,
including Central Texas. They are small, slender snakes
and must literally chew on a person to get their venom
into the bite.
COPPERHEAD HOG-NOSED SNAKE
NONVENOMOUS
Texas rat snake Maybe the most common snake in
Texas, this acrobatic climber feeds on rats and mice,
birds and birds’ eggs. It can grow to be quite large but
is not dangerous to humans. It will bite, though, and
protect itself with an obnoxious musk.
Coachwhip A slender, mostly light brown to tan snake
that will kill and eat rattlesnakes, it doesn’t attack
people by whipping their legs, as folklore suggests.
It eats birds, small reptiles and almost anything else it
can catch and swallow. The Central Texas whipsnake,
a member of this family, has a black head and a black-
and-white pattern on the rest of its body.
Hog-nosed snake Most common in East Texas, this little
snake has an upturned nose and feeds on insects. It will
CORAL SNAKE play dead if threatened. It has a brownish to gray body DIAMONDBACK WATER SNAKE
with broken patterns of brown and black on its back.
Diamondback water snake A brownish snake with yel-
lowish belly, it is common in lakes and ponds through
much of Texas, especially the damper eastern half of
the state. It eats fish, frogs and other aquatic fauna.
It is often mistaken for a water moccasin and killed.
Speckled king snake A large snake, it’s commonly
known as a chicken snake for its habit of sneaking into
hen houses and devouring eggs and baby chicks—though
the rat snake is more likely the culprit in those raids.
MIKE LEGGETT
TEXAS RAT SNAKE SPECKLED KING SNAKEQ
W
STORY BY GENE FOWLER | ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN A. WILSON
THE SHORT-LIVED XIT RANCH,
THE WORLD’S LARGEST, LEFT BEHIND MYTHS AS LASTING
AS THE EDIFICE IT FUNDED
HEN SAM HOUSTON ’ S youngest son, Temple, spoke at the state Capitol dedication in 1888, he
waxed eloquent about the grand building. “Texas stands peerless amid the mighty, and her brow
is crowned with bewildering magnificence!” he said. “This building fires the heart and excites
reflection in the minds of all.”
Houston also commented on the logistics required to manifest this structure, which started
with the creation of the 3 million-acre XIT Ranch and included the construction of the Austin
and Northwestern Railroad to deliver red granite for the Capitol from Marble Falls to Austin.
“The XIT looms large in Texas mythology and ranching history because it was the largest
fenced ranch in the world during its heyday,” says Nick Olson, director of the XIT Museum in
Dalhart, which preserves images, stories, saddles and artifacts associated with the XIT. “And it’s
the ranch that built the largest state Capitol in the country.” At the time of its dedication, the
Texas Capitol was the seventh-largest building in the world.
Neither the XIT Ranch nor the special, narrow-gauge railroad tracks exist today. The XIT
lives on as a carefully tended legend, and the reality of the ranch is difficult to separate from the
myths. Capitol and XIT historian Bill Green says the ranch’s legacy can be seen as a branding
tool because businesses in Dalhart and around the Panhandle adopt the name: XIT Roofing,
XIT Real Estate, XIT Feeders, and XIT car dealerships and communications companies. Thou-
sands of area residents own small patches of the fabled ranch. Cattle outfits operate on lands
purchased from the original XIT acreage.
Moreover, the XIT legacy looms globally. “I was curator of history at the Panhandle-Plains
Historical Museum for 17 years,” Green explains, “and we had visitors from all over the world.
They all knew two things about Texas: the Alamo and the XIT.”
BUILDING then hired a 27-year-old German immigrant named Gustav
THE CAPITOL Wilke to serve as contractor. In 1885, the syndicate made an
agreement by which it could occupy and ranch on the XIT land
even though it did not yet have the title to it. Once the Capitol
realized they needed to plan for a new was complete, the legal title would be conveyed from the state
S
TATE LEGISLATORS
Capitol in the 1870s, and the Texas Constitution of 1876 set to the syndicate.
aside 3 million acres of land along the western border of To finance the cattle ranching, John Farwell formed the Capitol
the Panhandle to fund its construction. Even though they allo- Freehold Land and Investment Company of London. He and his
cated the land, they did not articulate a procedure for how to partners raised about $5 million to keep the ranch running until
survey the land and execute the legal agreements required to it could be broken up and sold to individual ranchers and home-
construct the building itself. In 1879, the Legislature approved a steaders. Back in Austin, construction started on the Capitol, with
process for surveying the land and moving forward with a working the Farwells paying for the initial stages from their own funds.
plan. Not long after the existing Capitol burned in 1881, the newly As Green points out, Europeans of the time had a rather
appointed Capitol Board, including the governor, treasurer, attor- romantic view of Texas ranching, and British investors had
ney general and land commissioner, solicited bids. bankrolled several large Texas ranches, including Charles Good-
In 1882, the contract to construct the edifice went to four night’s JA Ranch. The British Empire enjoyed global reach, and
Illinoisans: brothers John and Charles Farwell, Amos C. Babock there was little opportunity to pursue the promise of such lucra-
and Abner Taylor, who formed the Capitol Syndicate. Taylor tive investments at home.
TexasCoopPower.com April 2020 Texas Co-op Power 13OPERATING and freighters—who kept
THE RANCH the ranch’s remote outposts
equipped with necessities—
came from all walks of life. One
cowpoke was even said to have
T
HE FIRST LONGHORNS
arrived on the XIT range a special love for the poetry
in 1885, delivered by of John Keats. When Boyce’s
a team of drovers led by Ab daughter Bessie opened a let-
Blocker. J. Frank Dobie wrote ter from a farm boy in Mary-
that Blocker was “the most land who professed to love
original-natured trail boss I Above: Bronco busting at the Yellow Houses division of the XIT Ranch in horses, she hired him by re-
have known.” At the third XIT 1904. Below: The Capitol in Austin in the late 19th century. turn mail. A hand named Blue
Reunion in 1938, where aging Stevens later recalled that he
cowpokes gathered to swap gathered cow chips—used as
tall tales and reminisce, fuel—for 21 days straight, pick-
Blocker told Lewis Nordyke, ing up enough chips “to heat
author of the 1949 XIT vol- branding irons for every cow
ume, Cattle Empire, that he in the U.S.A.”
sketched the XIT brand in the Noted ranching photogra-
sod with his boot heel for the pher Ray Rector cowboyed on
ranch’s manager at the time, the XIT as a youth. According
B. H. “Barbecue” Campbell. to the 1995 volume The Papers
Blocker demonstrated for of Will Rogers, the cowboy
Campbell that the brand philosopher worked on the
could be accomplished with XIT around 1901. A photo-
five applications of a straight- graph of Yellow Houses’ chuck
line branding iron and would wagon dining includes an
be nearly impossible for hombre identified as Rogers,
rustlers to alter. XIT it was. who later recalled the Plains
COW B OYS : CO U RT E SY PA N H A N D L E- P LA I N S H I STO R I C A L M U S E U M . C A P I TO L : D O L P H B R I SCO E C E N T E R FO R A M E R I C A N H I STO RY | U N I V E R S I TY O F T E XAS AT AU ST I N
In his 1929 book, The XIT as “the prettiest country I
Ranch of Texas, J. Evetts Haley ever saw in my life.”
explained that managing the sprawling ranch posed huge Operating under threat of receivership by British investors
challenges for Campbell. “Barbecue exercised slight control over for most of its existence, the XIT began selling off its acreage in
his men and allowed the ranch to become a rendezvous for 1901. The last cattle left the ranch in 1912. In 1936, the first XIT
rustlers, outlaws, and hard cases of all kinds,” Haley wrote. Reunion drew a crowd to Dalhart, and the annual event is now
Ranch operations improved when Albert G. Boyce, described known internationally as “the world’s largest free barbecue.”
by Haley as “a frontier cowman of commanding presence and The Escarbada division headquarters building—decon-
vast experience,” became manager of the XIT in 1888. When structed, moved, reconstructed and restored—can be seen today
Boyce took over, he fired and replaced most of the ranch’s 150 at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. The XIT
cowboys. At the same time, John Farwell improved profitability general office and manager’s residence still stand in Channing,
by replacing the ranch’s longhorn herds with Hereford, Angus where an annual Christmas in July event began in 2018. (The
and other purebred stock. 2020 event will be July 25.) The Capitol Visitors Center in Austin
To further streamline the XIT’s business, Boyce divided the features a display on the XIT story.
massive ranch into eight sections, each with a separate function, Was the XIT too sprawling and massive to be a successful
and established ranch headquarters in the town of Channing, ranching operation? Manager Boyce thought so. But Andy
where he built a house. The northernmost section was named Wilkinson, playwright of Charlie Goodnight’s Last Night, takes a
Buffalo Springs. The others included Middle longer view. “When you let all the big windies about the fabled
Water, Ojo Bravo, Alamasitas, Rita Blanca, WEB EXTRAS ranch drift off into the sunset,” muses Wilkinson, “what still
Escarbada and Spring Lake. The southern- a Read this remains is a spread of 3 million acres, 1,500 miles of barbed wire,
most division was Yellow Houses, named for story on our tens of thousands of cattle, and enough outlaws and heroes and
nearby limestone formations called las casas website to see honest-to-goodness cowhands to populate all the rangeland
amarillas. a slideshow. myths of the American West.”
Cowpunchers, well drillers, windmill toilers Writer and author Gene Fowler specializes in art and history.
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Co-op News
CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Line Crews Keep the Lights On CENTRAL TEXAS EC
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Regular Board
Meeting Recap
MESSAGE FROM Meeting called to order and prayer offered.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ROBERT A. LOTH III Reviewed: Operations and Outages
Report
ELECTRICITY TRAVELS ALONG AN INTRICATE NETWORK OF WIRES Approved: Minutes of the January 7,
and poles to power our homes and businesses. Most of the time, 2020, Regular Board Meeting
it’s a seamless journey, but occasionally, the path of electricity is disrupted by obsta- Approved: December 31, 2019–February
cles like fallen tree branches, animals or car accidents. When that happens, Central 3, 2020, Membership List and
Texas Electric Cooperative’s lineworkers are ready to restore that connection no Membership Conversions
matter the weather or time of day. Reviewed: Safety Report for 12 Months
We couldn’t carry out our mission without the daily dedication of our line crews. Ended December 31, 2019
It’s a demanding job on the front line of our co-op that often requires working Reviewed: Preliminary Financial and Sta-
around the clock in challenging tistical Reports for Year
conditions to serve our members Ended December 31, 2019
and communities. They are first Approved: Catch-Up Depreciation for
responders who get us through Current Meter Equipment
some of our darkest hours. We Reviewed: Property and Liability Insur-
count on them to power our ance Renewal Information
lives, day in and day out. Approved: 2020 Wage and Salary Ranges
The National Rural Electric Approved: 2020 Employee Merit Increase
Cooperative Association offi- Approved: Three-Year Work Plan
cially acknowledged the tireless Approved: 2020 Budget
efforts of this talented group Approved: Revisions to Board Policy No. 2
with this 2014 resolution: Reviewed: Board Policy No. 3
Whereas linemen leave their Approved: Revisions to Board Policy No. 3
families and put their lives on Approved: Touchstone Annual Member-
the line every day to keep the ship Dues
power on; Appointed: Voting Delegates for CFC
Whereas linemen work 365 Annual Meeting
days a year under dangerous Approved: Amended Resolution Regard-
conditions to build, maintain ing Meter Replacement Proj-
and repair the electric infra- ect Contract
structure; Meeting adjourned.
Whereas linemen are the first responders of the electric cooperative family, get-
ting power back on and making things safe for all after storms and accidents; and
Whereas there would be no electric cooperatives without the brave men and
women who comprise our corps of linemen;
Therefore be it resolved that NRECA recognize the second Monday of April of
LIKE US ON
each year as National Lineman Appreciation Day and make available to electric FACEBOOK
cooperatives materials and support to recognize the contributions of these valuable
Central Texas Electric Cooperative
men and women to America’s electric cooperatives.
members can like their co-op on
We proudly join with NRECA and cooperatives across the country to honor
Facebook. On the CTEC Facebook
lineworkers and show our appreciation and respect for the service they provide for
page, members can find information
our members.
on energy efficiency, co-op meetings,
Central Texas EC’s lineworkers, as well as those from across the nation, truly
outages, CTEC’s community involve-
deserve this special day of recognition. We invite our members to take a moment to
ment, contests and other timely infor-
thank a lineworker for the work they do. Leave a message for them on our Facebook
mation you can use—so like us today.
page and use the hashtag #ThankALineworker to show your support for the men
and women who light our lives.
18 Texas Co-op Power CENTRAL TEXAS EC April 2020 ctec.coopCentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:02 AM Page 19
1-800-900-CTEC (2832) | CTEC.COOP
Central Texas
Electric Cooperative
Fredericksburg (headquarters)
386 Friendship Lane
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-2126 | 1-800-900-CTEC (2832)
B I ZO O _ N | I STO C K .CO M
Llano
1410 E. State Highway 29, Llano
(325) 247-4191
Kingsland
Nob Hill Subdivision
706 Cottonwood St., Kingsland
(325) 388-4542
District Meetings Scheduled Mason
1881 E. State Highway 29, Mason
(325) 347-6314
AT ITS NOVEMBER 2019 MEETING, THE CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE BOARD Office Hours
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday
of Directors approved the schedule for this year’s district membership meetings.
The meetings will be held as follows: Website
ctec.coop
MONDAY, JUNE 1
District 6 (San Saba County area) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Cherokee High School cafeteria Robert A. Loth III
Director nominee election
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Hahn, President, Mason County
TUESDAY, JUNE 2 James Low, Vice President, San Saba County
District 3 (Mason, McCulloch, Menard and northern Kimble counties area) Doylene Bode, Secretary, Gillespie County
Charles E. Pearson, Treasurer, Gillespie County
Richard P. Eckert Civic Center Connie Stockbridge, Mason County
Mark A. Reeve, Kerr County
THURSDAY, JUNE 4 Tommy Duncan, Llano County
Allen Goodwin, Kendall County
District 2 (Kerr, Real and southern Kimble counties area) Wayne W. Seipp, Llano County
Ingram Tom Moore High School Warrior Theatre W.C. “Dub” Stewart, Llano County
Joseph B. Wieser, Gillespie County
MONDAY, JUNE 8
District 4 (Llano County area)
Llano High School auditorium
Director nominee election
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
District 1 (Kendall County area)
Comfort High School auditorium
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
District 5 (Gillespie and Blanco counties area) Emergency Contact
Fredericksburg High School auditorium
To report electric service interruptions,
Director nominee election please call the Central Texas Electric
Cooperative office in your area at the
Meetings will be held in each district, but only districts 4, 5 and 6 will elect can- number listed below:
didates for the board of directors. Districts 1, 2 and 3 will still meet to exchange
1-800-900-CTEC (2832)
information between co-op management and members.
Official meeting announcements will be included in the May issue of Texas Co-op
Power. The names of all candidates whose applications were approved by the cre-
dentials and election committee in March will be listed on the district meeting
notice mailed to all cooperative members. The May issue will also contain each
member’s official registration information. Watch for it and save it to bring with you
to your June district meeting.
ctec.coop April 2020 CENTRAL TEXAS EC Texas Co-op Power 19CentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:02 AM Page 20
CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Voting at District Meetings
Converting to a Joint Membership
A membership can be converted to a joint membership by
written request of the member and execution of a member-
ship agreement by the member and his or her spouse. These
converted memberships must be approved by the co-op’s
board of directors. In accordance with the bylaws, for a joint
membership to be voted as such at a district meeting, the
converted membership must be approved on or before the
second Tuesday in May preceding the district meeting. To
TW I N ST E R P H OTO | I STO C K .CO M
meet this deadline for 2020 district meetings, requests to
convert memberships to joint memberships must be submit-
ted so they are received in the co-op headquarters office by
5 p.m. Thursday, May 7.
Firms, Associations and Corporations
CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE’S DISTRICT MEETINGS Authorized representatives of businesses, community clubs,
are scheduled to take place in each of the co-op’s six districts churches, trusts and similar organizations that hold co-op
this June. Elections will be held in Cherokee, Llano and Fred- memberships are permitted to vote at district meetings.
ericksburg as part of the process for selecting nominees for
directors from those districts. Call Now To Clarify Voting Status
Questions about the status of a membership account as a joint
Votes Must Be Cast in Person or individual account can be directed to the CTEC member
Under the co-op’s bylaws, voting by proxy is not allowed at services department at 1-800-900-2832. In Fredericksburg,
district meetings. “This rule was implemented about 24 years the local number is (830) 997-2126. As noted above, a member
ago, with the input of a member advisory committee,” CTEC does have the right to convert an individual membership to a
CEO Bob Loth said, “because our members and our directors joint membership by completing a new membership applica-
wanted to make sure that the voice of members attending tion, but because the application must be approved, strict
district meetings was given appropriate weight and to ensure deadlines must be observed. In other circumstances, it may be
the local nature of the selection of nominees.” Because of the appropriate to set up a membership as a business or trust
prohibition on proxy voting, a person holding power of attor- account, enabling an authorized representative of the business
ney for a member cannot use that instrument to vote at a dis- or trust to cast the member’s vote.
trict meeting. Questions about these arrangements also can be answered
by calling the phone numbers above.
Joint Memberships
CTEC bylaws provide that a married couple may establish a District Meeting Voting Summary
joint membership, and when they do so, either spouse may Members must be present to vote at the meeting. Proxy votes
vote for the membership. This includes the right to vote at are not allowed.
district meetings. However, it is important to note that not At all member meetings, the spouse of a member will be
all memberships established for married couples are set up allowed to vote the membership, whether single or joint,
as joint memberships. The option belongs to the person or unless the owner of a single membership has indicated in writ-
persons filling out the application for service with the co-op. ing that such voting privilege is not to be allowed.
In addition to its effect on voting, joint membership creates Under the bylaws, requests to convert single memberships
specific legal rights with regard to the membership account. to joint memberships must be approved by the board of direc-
Members can determine whether they hold a joint member- tors at their meeting on the second Tuesday in May. To meet
ship by calling their local co-op office. If a membership is not a this deadline for the 2020 district meetings, these requests
joint membership, the spouse of a member will be allowed to must be submitted to CTEC headquarters no later than 5 p.m.
vote for the membership (with approved identification) unless Thursday, May 7.
the owner of a single membership has indicated in writing that Call CTEC if you have any questions about voting your
such a privilege is not to be allowed. membership.
20 Texas Co-op Power CENTRAL TEXAS EC April 2020 ctec.coopCentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:02 AM Page 21
1-800-900-CTEC (2832) | CTEC.COOP
SOME HEROES
WEAR HARD HATS NATIONAL LINEMAN
APPRECIATION DAY
APRIL 13
ctec.coop April 2020 CENTRAL TEXAS EC Texas Co-op Power 21CentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:03 AM Page 22
CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Essay Wins Local Teen Youth Tour Trip
of hard work needed to achieve the “Ameri-
can dream.”
To me, what makes you truly American is
having a legacy of defending American free-
doms in some way. Whether it’s that your
great-grandfather fought in World War II or
that your grandmother was a strong advo-
cate for human rights or perhaps even that
your uncle immigrated here and gained citi-
zenship, nearly every American has some
type of legacy to follow. For me personally, I
take pride in my great-grandfather’s legacy of
being a strong ground fighter on the eastern
front in WWII and plan on continuing it in
my own way by advocating women’s rights.
Also, I have a friend whose great-grandpar-
ents immigrated here from Italy in the
1900s and started a successful business that
continues to be run by the family today. I
know she takes pride in the fact that her
ancestors were able to come here and enjoy
American freedoms; consequently, she plans
on joining the United States Air Force to
defend these freedoms so other families can
experience them, too.
Secondly, I think being American means
continuing the example of using hard work to
achieve the “American dream” set by our
ancestors. To quote Benjamin Disraeli once
again, “The secret of success in life is for a
man to be ready for his opportunity when it
comes.” Being ready for opportunity when it
comes takes hard work in preparation. For
example, billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of
EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay earned Alexandria Row, above, a SpaceX and Tesla Motors, was born in South Africa and taught
sophomore at Mason High School, a trip to Washington, D.C., himself computer programming. After completing high school,
as part of Central Texas Electric Cooperative’s Government-in- his goal was to become an American. Elon Musk is now a natu-
Action Youth Tour contest. Her essay is the first in a series of ralized American citizen living the “American dream;” he has
winning compositions that will be printed in Texas Co-op Power. achieved this through hard work by selling his multimillion-
The views expressed in this essay are not necessarily those of dollar software programs such as PayPal and Compaq. Ameri-
Central Texas EC. cans have a generalized reputation of having these amazing
“American dream” lives, but these lives can only be achieved
America: Creating a Legacy through the hard work of the American people.
Benjamin Disraeli, twice prime minister of the United Kingdom, Leaving a legacy is something every man, woman and
once said, “The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name American dreams of—sometimes, it’s just being a good father,
and the inheritance of a great example.” Your ancestors leave a mother or citizen, while other times, it’s something more,
legacy for you to follow in your own way and an example of hard something connected to the very freedoms that set America
work to inherit. The majority of Americans can relate to this apart from other nations. This legacy of defending our free-
idea, I believe. To me, being American means that you have a doms and implementing hard work is something Americans
legacy of defending your freedoms and continuing the example proudly call their own.
22 Texas Co-op Power CENTRAL TEXAS EC April 2020 ctec.coopCentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:03 AM Page 23
CentralTexasEC2004_2 3/10/20 9:03 AM Page 24
CENTRAL TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
The Pickle Queen
BY PATRICIA STEHLING
RUSHWORTH KIDDER ONCE SAID, “GOOD IDEAS, LIKE GOOD PICK- a short distance from her grandparents’ homestead, she often
les, are crisp, enduring and devilishly hard to make.” But just found herself picking vegetables in the garden, gathering eggs
outside of Stonewall, one local with a good idea is proving that from the coop and helping in the kitchen.
making pickles can be not only simple but enjoyable. “I grew up watching my granny canning, and I asked her for
Arin Smith, owner of Perfectly Preserved, teaches hands-on her pickle recipe,” Smith said. “She said, ‘Oh sure, I don’t know
classes that show just how easy and fun the process of preserv- why you want to do that; that is a lot of trouble.’ And I said ‘I
ing and canning can be. From pickles to jalapenos and even just want to try it.’ Then I started making salsa, and then I
Brussels sprouts, there is a class for every taste, and students thought now let’s try some jelly—I was just experimenting.”
get to take their yummy creations home to enjoy. Smith’s jars of pickles and other goodies soon became a hit
“To me, the most important thing with what started all this with her friends and family. “I would take them to parties and
was I wanted people to know how easy it is,” Smith said. “It people would ask to buy a jar or two,” she said. Then Smith
doesn’t have to take all day, and they are ready to eat the next started bringing them to her hair salon and selling them from
day, and it’s fun.” her station. “People started buying cases of them, and I started
Smith was a student of her grandmother’s kitchen, where thinking maybe I can do this.”
preserving and living off the land was a way of life. Growing up Smith moved forward and began selling her canned con-
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