This was a business that was located at the Fort Worth Stockyards. The barns were wooden and destroyed by a fire on March 14, 1911. It was rebuilt using concrete and steel at a price of $300,000 and were said to be among the finest stables in the world. The Ross Brothers – Waddy, Sam & R.E. became very wealthy selling horses and mules during World War I, sending them to Europe. Once again they sold many more during WW II. Continue reading Ross Bros. Horse & Mule Company

Below is about the best article I’ve found on the history of the SA Union Stockyards that has now been closed for more than 15 years. From The Houston Chronicle: “Union Stock Yards says goodbye after 112 years in San Antonio” John W. Gonzalez | April 22, 2001 SAN ANTONIO — After 112 years as a landmark of the South Texas cattle industry, the Union Stock Yards held its final auction last week, giving workers and well-wishers one last chance to savor its colorful yet faded traditions. In an auction barn that used to witness thousands of transactions a day, … Continue reading San Antonio’s Union Stockyards

When I first started in the underground utility business, almost 50 years ago, excavator buckets were all flat bottom, mostly lighter weight buckets made for digging in dirt. We dug rock with them by day and welded on them by night. Standard Weight Bucket A Heavy Class Flat Mouth Bucket For some of our harder digging we started welding ripper teeth pockets on the back of our heavier buckets. The ripper shanks were used to contact with rock by curling the bucket inward and dragging the ripper into ledgey rock and even in blasted rock. They worked well most of the … Continue reading The Evolution of the Excavator Buckets We Use to Dig Ditches

Bonnie Gay would have been 87 today. She grew up poor, in a very large family. She was the 8th out of 11 children. Her father died when she 9 years old. She married at 15, had her first child at 17. She waited until she was 19 to have her 2nd child and that was me. She only lived in Smithwick and Jollyville her whole life. She was a friend to many and an enemy to no one or nothing. She was a deadly shot with a Winchester 30/30, lever action rifle with open sights. She wasn’t very big, … Continue reading My Mother