Author: lewisotr

One Hell Of A Guy, If I do say so myself.
Past Angora Chronicles Stories, The Early Days, The History of Texas1 Comment

BANG! BANG! BANG! …HE SHOT HIM DEAD

lewisotr

By James Johnston On August 4, 1949, celebrating the wild west got a little too real in the Big Spring rodeo arena that was once just off 11th Place immediately west of today’s Howard College campus. Most of the 2,500 fans missed the drama of the night at the roughshod wooden bleacher arena, but the script of the night would be one of the most unnerving dramas in the Big Spring Rodeo’s history. In 1947, bad blood had started between bad-ass 38-year-old Henry Preston (Buck) Jones and 32-year-old Herbert Frizzell when Jake Monroe had dragged Frizzell into a conversation over … Continue reading BANG! BANG! BANG! …HE SHOT HIM DEAD

Amazing Things, Cowboys & Rodeo, Crazy Times, Texas History, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Texas Prison Rodeo

lewisotr

The Texas Prison Rodeo At Huntsville was a favorite of many from 1931 until 1986 when it was discontinued. A good article by Jesse Sublett – April 2012 for Texas Monthly Magazine Prison Rodeo Gone, but Not Forgotten Another piece of Texas history was razed in mid-January when bulldozers unceremoniously demolished the prison rodeo arena in Huntsville, but the memory of the event rides on. With barely a peep from preservationists, another piece of Texas history was razed in mid-January as bulldozers unceremoniously demolished the prison rodeo arena in Huntsville. The brick-and-concrete building, which hadn’t held a prison rodeo since … Continue reading The Texas Prison Rodeo

Cowboys & Rodeo, Marble Falls and the Area Around it., The Early Days, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Marble Falls Rodeo Association

lewisotr

Marble Falls, Texas Since 1957 the Marble Falls Rodeo has been going strong. Nothing said summer time back in the early days like “The Rodeo”. Seeing Lloyd Woodley’s trucks loaded with stock rolling into town and a grand parade bringing traffic to a halt on Friday afternoon, the excitement was in the air. You knew it was time to rodeo when the turntable playing Hank Williams records over load speakers at the rodeo grounds (as scratchy as they sounded) could be heard all over town and then that ever familiar voice of Charley Taylor would come across to announce that … Continue reading Marble Falls Rodeo Association

Crazy Times, Funny Happenings, In and Around AustinLeave a comment

“AUSTIN FOLKS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT”

lewisotr

Austin StatesmanJuly, 2007 COMAL COUNTY – Collision involved naked couple Investigators think that alcohol was a factor in a head-on collision in Comal County on July 18 in which two victims were pulled from their car naked. “The only thing they had on was the radio . . . and their seat belts,” Department of Public Safety Cpl. Rick Alvarez said. On the evening of July 18, xxxx xxxxx Bishop, 25, of Austin was driving north on FM 1102 north of New Braunfels when she went around a curve and swerved into the southbound lane, crashing head-on to a truck … Continue reading “AUSTIN FOLKS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT”

In and Around Austin, The Early Days5 Comments

Hall Level and D & H Foundry

lewisotr

When I was growing up around the Austin Area, in the 50s and 60s, there were two businesses in the vicinity of 3rd and Comal. As far as I know they were sister companies, owned by the Halloway Family. One was Hall Level and Manufacturing. The other was D&H Foundry. Hall Level produced several types of carpentry and industrial levels. The one I am most familiar with was their aluminum torpedo level. Hall Torpedo Level D and H Foundry produced the aluminum cast part and Hall Level made the glass bubble portion and did the finishing to make them the … Continue reading Hall Level and D & H Foundry

Funny Happenings, In and Around Austin, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Austin Public Pools

lewisotr

Fifty to Sixty years ago we went to Shipe Pool mostly, because my grandmother lived about a dozen blocks from there. We went to Northwest Park Pool a fair amount of time. But we also headed down to Barton Springs pretty often and even to Deep Eddy occasionally. Now that I think about it, we spent a lot of time in the public swimming pools, but of course Bull Creek was where we spent most of the hot summer days. Our kids, growing up in far South Austin knew Garrison Pool best of all. They were all great places to … Continue reading Austin Public Pools

In and Around Austin, The Early DaysLeave a comment

Who Knows The History Of The Clarksville Area Of Austin? (Taken from Wikipedia)

lewisotr

The Clarksville Historic District in Austin, Texas, is an area located west of downtown Austin near Lady Bird Lake and just northeast of the intersection of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and West Tenth Street. Many historic homes and structures are located within the Clarksville Historic District. While Clarksville is geographically part of the Old West Austin Historic District, it is distinct from the two historic neighborhoods of Old Enfield which lies immediately to the north on the eastern side of Texas State Highway Loop 1 (commonly referred to as Mopac) and Tarrytown which is situated to the west and northwest … Continue reading Who Knows The History Of The Clarksville Area Of Austin? (Taken from Wikipedia)

Amazing Things, In and Around Austin, The History of Texas, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

Hall Level Manufacturing Company and D & H Foundry

lewisotr

For many years there were a couple of businesses in East Austin, around 3rd and Comal St. Hall Level made carpentry levels of different varieties and sizes. I’m not certain what other products they produced. Information is fairly limited. Doing a Google search, it appears that they may still be a corporation but I haven’t located an address for them. Across 3rd St from Hall Level, to the north, was D & H Foundry. They made castings of all types, but perhaps their primary business was casting the aluminum levels and other parts for Hall Level. I’m almost certain there … Continue reading Hall Level Manufacturing Company and D & H Foundry

Crazy Times, In and Around Austin, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

The Mormon Missionaries

lewisotr

I remember how shocking it was. We had lived just a short distance from where it happened just prior to it taking place. It was unthinkable to me that a person could not only kill a couple of young men, but take them into a bandsaw a cut them into little enough pieces that they’d never be seen again. Little did I know that Jeffery Dahmer would be killing and eating people within a year or 2 after that. I know there have been horrendously shocking things going on in this world since the beginning of time, but the Mormon … Continue reading The Mormon Missionaries