Saturday, July 27, 2013

Texas State Railroad

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published over 40 books, almost half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine. 



"All aboard!" 


Within moments our vintage steam train pulled out of the Texas State Railroad depot in Rusk, bound for Palestine. Engine No. 316, built in 1917, belched white smoke and hauled us into East Texas pine forests. Steaming along at 20 miles per hour, we enjoyed gorgeous scenery on both sides of our refurbuished coach. Our gracious attendant Joyce kept us supplied with snacks and beverages in the air-conditioned comfort of "Lone Star Seating." And so we commenced a delightful travel experience from the past of the Lone Star State.
Rusk Depot
In the 1850s a few short line railroads transported cotton toward the port of Galveston. The only railroad that extended outside the state connected Marshall with Shreveport, 30 miles to the east on the Red River. By 1860 there were barely 400 miles of track in Texas - a state that eventually would lead the nation in railroad mileage. But after the Civil War railroad construction exploded across the nation, and railroads became America's greatest industry, dominating the economy and politics of that era.

Texas, with its vast size, along with almost limitless agricultural and commercial potential, was the site of feverish railroad construction. Entry of the Texas Republic into the Union as a state was unique, and unlike any other state, Texas retained its public lands, rather than turning them over to the federal government. Therefore Texas was able to emulate the U.S. government in offering vacant lands as an inducement to promising railroad companies. Texas gave a staggering 32,150,000 acres to the railroads. By 1890 there were 8,486 miles of track in Texas, an important factor in a population that soared from 818,579 in 1870 to 2,235,527 in 1890.

Bill with TSR Marketing Manager Janet Gregg
During the 1880s a railroad was built from Rusk to Palestine, with the purpose of bringing raw materials to an iron foundry at the Rusk Penitentiary, and to ship out the finished product. Freight and passenger service proved unprofitable, and after 1921 the line was leased by the state to various railroad companies. In 1972, the Texas Legislature turned the railroad over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For many years I offered my students at Panola College bonus credit if they would travel the Texas State Railroad. But by 2006, with the railroad losing more than $1 million annually, the operation was leased to American Heritage Railway, which also operates the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway in Colorado and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina.

With Brakeman C.B. Gunter
Janet Gregg, Marketing Manager for the Texas State Railroad, generously arranged a trip for me and my wife Karon. On Friday, July 26, we drove to Rusk in time to board the 11 o'clock train. We were early enough to visit the gift ship and examine the displays around the picturesque stone depot. I had the pleasure of renewing the acquaintance of C.B. Gunter, a former student of mine from Panola College. He long has had a passion for stream railroading, and he is enjoying a dream job as a uniformed brakeman for the TSR. I had a couple of opportunities during the journey to interview C.B. about operational details of the TSR.
Palestine Depot
The 25-mile trip to Palestine was scenic and relaxing. At the historic depot we picked up box lunches, catered from a varied and tasteful menu. While we ate, the locomotive took on 3,000 gallons of water. The engine starts with 6,500 gallons and uses almost half of capacity going each way. There were displays to peruse around the depot, which is headquarters for the Texas State Railroad Society, a support group of "friends" of the TSR. John B. Price, President of the Texas State Railroad Society, rode our train, and he explained the role of the Society to me. Our return trip to Rusk was delightful, and we pulled into the Rusk depot at 3:30 in the afternoon.

Our friendly and informative attendant, Joyce
Throughout the summer the train runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. After the first weekend in August, regular runs will be on Saturdays and Sundays. On Easter weekend the "Easter Egg Express" takes children to meet the Easter Bunny and to enjoy games. On Memorial Day weekend a special journey salutes the armed forces, and at one stop along the way Nazi soldiers emerge from the woods and advance on the train! The "Pumpkin Patch Express" runs every weekend in October, traveling to the Texas State's Railroad's Pumpkin Patch, where kids - often in costume -  pick out their own pumpkin, visit Trick or Treat Street, take a hayride, and sing and dance with a children's entertainer. Scout troops, school and church groups, family and class reunions, all enjoy special occasions aboard the Texas State Railroad.
Lunch in the shade
Rare 1890s Turntable
Most popular of all is the "Polar Express Train Ride," which runs as many as four times per day (and evening) from late November through the end of December. The Polar Express is a perennially favorite animated movie first released during the 2004 Christmas season. The Polar Express stars Tom Hanks (as Santa Claus, the conductor, and four other characters), who escorts pajama-clad children aboard a magical train to the North Pole. The TSR's Polar Express begins a 50-minute round trip from Palestine to an East Texas "North Pole." Last December more than 40,000 children - many clad in pajamas - met Santa and his elves, received a special gift, and enjoyed hot cocoa and caroling. Many children are sponsored by generous individuals and groups, and some kids enjoy their only real Christmas aboard the TSR's Polar Express. At Christmas or any other time of the year, the Texas State Railroad offers an experience not to be missed.

For more information:
www.texasstaterr.com
www.texasstaterr.com/polar
www.tsrrsociety.org


At midpoint the trains pass each other on a
siding. I'm photographing the other train -
and my lovely wife, Karon
We were welcomed back to Rusk by TSR staff members.

Friday, July 19, 2013

L.Q. Jones


"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published over 40 books, almost half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine. 

"Actors are born, not made," reflected L.Q. Jones. A native Texan from the Beaumont area, Jones is one of the most prolific movie and television actors in screen history. He told me that although he did not act in high school or college plays, he often partnered in comedy acts to earn extra money. He finally began acting in movies in 1954, when he was  27, and a series of lively performances made him a mainstay of Westerns and other films. "I've done between 550 and 600 pieces, in the movies and on TV."

I had the unexpected pleasure of visiting with L.Q. Jones a couple of years ago in Nacogdoches, at a committee meeting of the East Texas Historical Association. A fellow committee member, Dr. Jo Ann Stiles of Lamar University, brought her friend, L.Q. Jones, to Nacogdoches. I was excited at the opportunity to meet an actor whose performances I had enjoyed for more than half a century. L.Q. soon realized that I was a serious fan of his, and he graciously replied to my questions. Recently I related this experience to Larry McNeill, former president of the Texas State Historical Association. He suggested that as State Historian I should interview the noted Texas actor. Larry and Jo Ann helped arrange a phone interview with L.Q., who currently is at his California home, and on Friday, July 12, 2013, he spent well over an hour responding to my series of questions with great depth and courtesy.

Born Justus Ellis McQueen in Beaumont on August 19, 1927, he attended school in Port Neches. As a teenager McQueen formed a comedy duo with a Port Neches buddy, future singer, songwriter, and record producer Lee Hazelwood. The day after his high school graduation, McQueen's legs were shattered in a traffic accident. Following a long recuperation, McQueen attended Lamar Junior College for a semester, before transferring to the University of Texas. In Austin he was part of another comedy duo. "We earned $50, sometimes $100 a week."

In California following a hitch in the Navy, McQueen signed a contract with Warner Bros. He was assigned the part of Pvt. L.Q. Jones in Battle Cry, starring Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, and fellow Texan Dorothy Malone, and directed by the legendary Raoul Walsh. McQueen assumed  the name of his character, "L.Q. Jones." Handsome and athletic, L.Q. Jones appeared in major motion pictures and in episodes of TV series such as Cheyenne, Wagon Train, Perry Mason, Tales of Wells Fargo, Laramie, and Johnny Ringo. In an episode of Men of Annapolis, filmed at the U.S. Naval Academy, he was part of a water polo scene shot during frigid winter weather. "I developed double pneumonia," he recalled, " and they kept two doctors and an oxygen tent on the set."

Five years passed before he first played a heavy, in a 1960 episode of The Rebel. During this period other young character actors were developing compelling personas: Warren Oates, Slim Pickens, and Strother Martin, who became a close friend of L.Q. Jones. These actors often worked on the same projects, and Martin and Jones were memorably teamed in several films. "I learned at least five ways to play a heavy," said Jones, who worked so steadily that he had to develop character variations. His roles became so distinctive that he was more than a character actor - he usually played a character lead.

In 1962 Ride the High Country was released, a beautiful, entertaining Western starring Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, and directed by the gifted but troubled Sam Peckinpah. L.Q. Jones played one of five scruffy, dangerous brothers who battled Scott and McCrea. Peckinpah cast Jones in other memorable Westerns: Major Dundee (1968), starring Charlton Heston; The Wild Bunch (1969), a film noted for its violence and superb cast; The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), starring Jason Robards ("The best movie actor of his era," stated Jones) and Stella Stevens; and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), with James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in the title roles.

In Cable Hogue Jones and Strother Martin  are trapped in a deep hole by Robards, who begins throwing rattlesnakes onto them. It is a chilling, scary scene that took three days to film. "The snake wranglers sewed up the mouths of the rattlesnakes," related Jones, "but I checked every snake before filming started." The snake wranglers threw each reptile up into the air, and the angry snakes dropped 10 to 12 feet before landing. The largest snake weighed 15 to 16 pounds. "When he fell on me it was like being hit with a log."

Early in his career Jones demonstrated a flair for costume. "I love wardrobe," he explained. "'Our business is a picture." Jones arrived on the set of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid expecting to film for a day and a half. But Peckinpah was not satisfied with costuming, and he asked Jones to help out in wardrobe. Jones stayed for more than a week.

Only a few years into his career Jones no longer was required to audition for roles. Producers and directors knew his work and offered him parts suited to his unique talents. Fans instantly recognized Jones when he appeared onscreen, expecting high energy characterizations that were a little offbeat, a little crazy. He relished working opposite great actors such as Jason Robards, Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, Clint Eastwood, Charlton Heston, Steve McQueen, Gene Hackman, Robert Ryan. "The best actors are prepared to go many different ways," he explained, pointing out that in three scenes with DeNiro in Casino, "I would do something good, and Bob would do something better." With great stars like DeNiro and Hopkins, scenes would be filmed far more quickly than scheduled, often in a single take. "The better the actor," he emphasized, "the easier it is to work with him."

Between motion picture assignments he continued to work steadily in television. In guest appearances on Rawhide, The Big Valley, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rifleman, Ironside, Charlie's Angels, and The Dukes of Hazzard, his roles usually were major characters. In The Virginian, a 90-minute weekly series, he played Andy Belden in a recurring role. In 1983 and 1984 he portrayed Sheriff Lew Wallace regularly on The Yellow Rose. He told me that 30-minute weekly series were filmed in five days, while one-hour episodes were shot in seven days. "TV movies took 15-16 days."

In 1998 Jones gave a memorable performance as California outlaw "Three-Fingered Jack" in The Mark of Zorro, starring Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, and Catherine Zeta Jones. He already had acted with Hopkins in The Edge (1997). "Tony is the best actor in the business," he declared emphatically. The actors were lightly clad on the porch of L.Q.'s hunting lodge during a scene that was filmed with the thermometer registering -50 degrees. The actors, of course, were miserable, and Jones pointed out that "crew efficiency fell by 60 percent."

The Edge was filmed in Canada. Jones has shot movies in Europe, South America, and Africa, and he laments that so many films are lensed outside the United States. "Only one of my last thirty pictures was shot in America."

When I phoned L.Q. in California, he was in meetings to re-release A Boy and His Dog, a film he wrote and directed in 1975. A Boy and His Dog was re-released in 1982, and soon will be available in a BLU-RAY edition. Still active in films at 86, L.Q. Jones is a talented Texas treasure.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Spring Ho

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published over 40 books, almost half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine. 

Spring Ho is the annual community festival of Lampasas, taking its name from the cluster of seven mineral springs which gave life to the Hill Country community during the 1850s. Launched in 1972, the week-long festival attracts thousands of tourists to Lampasas each July. Scheduled this year from July 8-14, Spring Ho's 2013 theme is "Saddles, Spurs & Springs: It's a Texas Thing." Events include a parade, a county fair, a carnival, talent contest, beauty pageant, musical entertainments, barbeque cookoff, pet parade, diaper derby, dances, 10K and one-mile runs, horseshoe competition, washer pitching, children's events, and three days of arts and crafts booths alongside the picturesque walkway flanking Sulphur Spring Creek. 

This year's cowboy theme resulted in an invitation to me to bring a program at the Lampasas Public Library on my most recent book, West Texas Cattle Kingdom. The chairman of the library board is Sheryl Hausmann, a longtime friend and, until her retirement a few years ago, proprietor of a local bookstore. Through the years Sheryl has staged several signings for my books, and she felt that a program and signing for West Texas Cattle Kingdom would be an appropriate event for this years's Spring Ho, as well as a welcome fundraiser for the library. The afternoon event was publicized as an air-conditioned respite from the July heat, complete with cold bottled water. 

My wife Karon drove with me to the Hill Country. In Lampasas we met my sister, Judy O'Neal Smith, at the new, $3 million LFD fire station. For 25 years early in the 20th century, our grandfather, Will Standard, was the only paid fireman of the Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department, and our mother grew up in the fire house. Just inside the entrance of the new station is a photo of Will driving a horse-drawn fire wagon, part of a fine heritage display maintained by the LFD. Then I was treated to a tour of the splendid new two-story facility. 

Bill with Sheryl Hausmann
At the library, head librarian Shanda Subia and her staff arranged a seating area while I set up a book display table and program props. When the crowd arrived Shanda and Sheryl, who provided cowboy decorations, had to deal with the happy problem of an overflow audience. The crowd included former students and colleagues of mine from the 1960s, when I was a rookie teacher/coach at Lampasas Junior High School for three years. I'm privileged  to have a number of friends at Lampasas, as well as relatives. The crowd was warm and receptive. 

Sheryl asked me to present a program about the book. West Texas Cattle Kingdom is an Arcadia publication. Arcadia, based in Charleston, South Carolina, has produced more than 8,000 titles, mostly about towns and cities, or universities (academic communities), or military bases (military communities). But in recent years Arcadia has begun publishing topical works, such as my book on East Texas in World War II. Every Arcadia book is 128 pages long, with more than 200 photos and a price of $21.99. Following a two-page introduction, usually an overview of the book, the rest of the topic must be related through photographs and captions. When an Arcadia acquisition editor approached me about putting together a book about Texas cowboys, trail drives, great ranches and ranchers, and longhorn cattle and mustangs, I leaped at the opportunity to apply the Arcadia treatment to the iconic story of the range cattle industry.

During the program I discussed each of the above topics, along with Hispanic origins, Texas cattle towns (Tascosa, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Amarillo, Channing, etc.). trouble on the range (rustling, range wars - including the Horrell-Higgins Feud of Lampasas County, 800,000,000 prairie dogs, etc.) and cultural reflections (rodeos, movies such as Red River, Giant, Lonesome Dove, and such Texas Singing Cowboys as Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, and cowgirl Dale Evans). I illustrated the program with spurs, boots, hats, enlarged photos, and miscellaneous other artifacts. The program was well received, and afterward there was a lively book signing.

Our visit to Lampasas concluded at my sister's house where my niece, Molly Smith, prepared a Tex-Mex dinner suitable to the occasion (the Texas culinary trinity is Tex-Mex, barbeque, and chicken-fried steak with cream gravy). The table was beautifully decorated with a Texas theme. And following a delicious meal, the State Historian was treated to a large piece of his sister's signature chocolate pie.

For more information: www.springho.com


Saturday, July 6, 2013

Camp Ford

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published over 40 books, almost half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine. 


Established as a Confederate recruit camp four miles northeast of Tyler in 1862, Camp Ford was named after Col. John S. "Rip" Ford. In July 1863, following the fall of Vicksburg and Union seizure of the Mississippi River, federal prisoners of war were transferred to Camp Ford from confinement in Shreveport, Louisiana. At first there was no enclosure at the undeveloped encampment. Confederate guards supervised their prisoners in the open until November, when a stockade was erected around an area of about three acres. The water supply was a large spring inside the south wall. Prisoners built their own shelters from logs and brush and canvas. They also made small items - clay bowls, brooms, woven baskets, clothing - for personal use or for trade with local citizens for food.                                                            

Prisoner sketch of Camp Ford
In April 1864 a Union invasion force was defeated in western Louisiana at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, and 3,000 prisoners were sent to Camp Ford. The inmate population exploded to more than 5,000 prisoners. The stockade was tripled in size, but shelter materials now were in short supply. Food was also scarce, for guards as well as prisoners. Union officers obtained at least two shipments of clothing, and a prisoners exchange relieved overcrowding. Camp Ford was the largest prion camp west of the Mississippi. During the two years of its existence, about 6,000 Union prisoners were in and out of the camp,  When the war ended about 1,200 prisoners remained at Camp Ford, and in May 1865 they were taken to Shreveport. Two months later occupation troops destroyed the compound. 
Dugout shelter completed with
logs and a canvas roof.
Lt. Col. J.B. Leake, ranking Union officer,
sketched the cabin built for him near the
spring, permitting an accurate reconstruction


The site was acquired in 1959 by the Smith
 County Historical Society. I have been a member of the Camp Ford Historical Association for a number of years. On July 1, I revisited Camp Ford, where I met Joan Hallmark and camera man Phillip Stauts of Channel 7, KLTV in Tyler. Joan has interviewed me a number of times through the years about various books of mine that pertain to East Texas. Recently she learned of my appointment as State Historian, and she called me about taping a feature. I responded eagerly, because many Texans still are unaware that there is a State Historian. Joan conducted the interview with her customary charm and expertise. The two-minute feature will air on Channel 7 and 9 on Saturday, July 20, on the 10 PM Evening News. The feature will be shown again on Midday News at 11:30 AM on Thursday, July 25, and afterward it may be viewed on www.kltv.com.   




















For more information: http://smithcountyhistoricalsociety.org   
                                http://www.48ovvi.org/oh48cf.html
                                http://ww.censusdiggins.com/prison_camp_ford.html          
                                                                               

Bill showing Joan Hallmark the type
of pistol that was manufactured in Tyler