 |
| Frederic Remington - http://www.frederic-remington.org/Coronado-sets-out-to-the-north.html |
In 1890 the towns of Claude and Washburn both competed in an election for the county seat. Claude won the election by one vote and a courthouse was built in 1912, directly across the street from Dr. Warner's Corner Drug Store. The population of Claude is now listed as 1,196.
Clarendon (population 2,026) is the county seat for Donley County. The courthouse is the oldest functioning courthouse in the Texas Panhandle and the most photographed building in the County.
Also located in Clarendon is the Saints Roost Museum that is "Dedicated to the American West." The museum is housed in the old Adair Hospital building.
Wellington (population 2,189) was named for the Duke of Wellington (a hero of the Battle of Waterloo) because he was greatly admired by the town founder's wife. The townsite was purchased for $5 per acre.
A county courthouse was constructed in 1893, using bricks made by a local contractor. The contractor miscalculated the number of bricks needed, so the excess bricks were used to build the first mercantile store in Wellington.
Located on the courthouse grounds is a historic concrete obelisk Ozark Trail Marker. In the early days of automobile travel, Ozark Trail Markers were placed across southern United States to mark the trails for convenience of travelers. Businessmen also helped located the trail markers because they wanted to promote tourism and encourage people to travel through their towns.
Wellington received notoriety on June 10, 1933, when Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie Park and Clyde Barrow) missed the bridge and ran into the Red River just north of town. From their home overlooking the river, the Pritchard family saw the automobile plunge into the river and they were able to recuse the car's occupants. Bonnie received a severe burn on one of her legs and her leg did not ever fully recover from the burn.
The Pritchard Family did not recognize the people in the car crash, so they sent for help. When the sheriff and local police chief arrived, they recognized Bonnie and Clyde from Wanted Posters, but they were disarmed by Bonnie and Clyde before they could arrest them. There are several accounts of the events that happened next and the names of the people involved vary from story-to-story. In summary, apparently someone traveling with Bonnie and Clyde shot a person at the Pritchard's place; then, Bonnie, Clyde, and the shooter escaped.
Located across the street from the courthouse in Wellington is Collingsworth County Museum that contains a variety of Bonnie and Clyde items that were picked up at the river crash site and the Pritchard Farm. On display in the museum are a gun clip full of high-velocity bullets and one of Bonnie's gloves.
 |
| Web Picture by Ray Jeffrey |
 |
| Web Picture by Ray Jeffrey |
The old road bridge across the Red River where the crash occurred has been demolished, but concrete abutments from the original bridge are still visible.
Alan Bean, the fourth astronaut to walk on the moon, was born in Wheeler (population 1,592). I stopped by the Wheeler Historical Museum to see all of the Alan Bean memorabilia on display, but the museum was closed. (One of the disadvantages of traveling during the off-season is that many of the museums and other attractions have limited hours of operation.)
Mobeetie (population 101) was originally called "Hidetown" because it was the location of a trading post and camping area for trappers and buffalo hunters. The town's name was later changed to "Sweetwater" because of the town's location near the North Fork Red River.
As cattle production in Texas increased, large cattle drives passed through this area on the Jones-Plummer Trail that was used for driving cattle to Dodge City, Kansas. When the town applied for a post office, the name "Sweetwater" was already taken; so the name "Mobeetie" was selected, which the local Indians told them was "Sweetwater" in the Indian language. After the name "Mobeetie" was approved by the Post Office, the residents discovered that in the Indian language "Mobeetie" meant "buffalo dung."
Fort Elliott was built just outside of town to protect local residents, and people traveling through the area, from Indian raiders. (The Fort site is now a rest area along Texas State Highway 152 and contains a historic marker.)
On January 24, 1876, Corporal Melvin King, with the 4th Cavalry at Fort Elliott, met Bat Masterson and Mollie Brennan (a local dancehall girl) in Sweetwater. It is unknown what started the fight, but King starting shooting and one bullet hit and killed Mollie (probably by accident). Another bullet hit Masterson in the pelvis before Masterson shot and killed King. The Sweetwater incident became known as the "Sweetwater Shootout." Masterson recovered from his gunshot wound and went on to become the legendary sheriff of Ford County, Kansas. He was a bit of an oddity for his day because he often wore a brown derby instead of a typical cowboy hat.
Bat's brother, Ed Masterson, was the sheriff of Dodge City; so together the Masterson brothers controlled both the county and city police forces. After one killing in Ford County, Bat deputized Wyatt Earp to help him track down the killer. The killer was apprehended and Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp remained friends for the rest of their lives. On various occasions they continued to help each other when dealing with difficult situations.
 |
| Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson (photographer unknown) |
No comments:
Post a Comment