I started my trip to see my cousin Karen and my Cousin-in-Law Dave about 3 weeks ago.  I had vowed that this trip was going to be different for several reasons.  One was that I was going to try to travel as much on U.S. and State Highways. Stay off  the interstates as much as utterly possible.  Second objective was to return to my parents humble beginnings as man and wife and to learn as much as I could about the period that they were there (please see my open letter to Mom and Dad.) The third thing was to meet cousins that until fairly recent, did not know they even existed.  I was able to accomplish everything I wanted - and them some,

When I left San Antonio way back on Sept 7.  I had already out where my first photo-op would be. That did not happen.  It actually ended up about 25 miles earlier.  I was traveling on Hwy 90, west of Del Rio TX and went over a bridge.  I looked - could not stop on the bridge - but went to the other side, turned around to go back.  This was absolutely beautiful.  This is the Pecos River.  Never in a hundred years did I ever expect this in Texas.

Now my education began.  What was to be my first place to stop for pictures (now second) was Langtry TX.  This was the home of Judge Roy Bean.  If you have never heard of Judge Bean I will tell you a little.  He was self imposed judge.  He as actually no more than a Justice of the Peace, but he administered his own brand of justice.  He was hung up on an opera star in New York by the name of Lilly Langtry.  He wrote her often to invite her to the town that he named after her.  He even named his house the Operal House.  Sadly, she did not show up until the Judge had died several months earlier.  This is where my education began.  Langtry was not named after Lilly but after a civil engineer that worked for the railroad.  Towns sprung up along the rail routes that were named after such folk, such as Sanderson, Langtry and Comstock.

Who woulda' thought that out in the middle of no-where would you expect to find a Prada store.  But, low and behold, there it was.  Nothing else around.

This was built several years ago and was meant to be a piece of art.  It is an actual building with the exception that it is not a deep as a regular size store.  It is just a store-front.  The handbags have the bottoms cut out, the shoes are screwed to the shelves.  It has been broken into several times and the would be thieves tried stealing the items.  They were surprised.  This building has now been put on the Texas Museum Registry and now it is up to the state for the upkeep.

The next day, it was off to White Sands National Park in New Mexico.  I have not been there since I was about 7 or 8 years old.  It still amazes me.

 This place has the whitest sand you will find anywhere.  It is said that the sand is still another 30' underground.  It shifts with the wind and what you see today could and will be totally changed tomorrow.  On bright sunny days, sunglasses are required because of the possibility of blindness. That's how bright and white the sand is,

OK - that's enough for today.  I will continue with the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert and Monument Valley next time.

Here I am again on another road trip.  Going back to Durango CO, and just as last year enjoying every last minute.  This year I have taken an entirely different route.

In fact, I am doing something a little unusual for me.  I am going to start off my blog on the second leg of my journey.  My second blog will start with the first part of the trip.  Now that I every one confused, I am going to do something else that may seem a little strange, but hopefully everything will come together.  So here goes.


September 10, 2014


Dear Mom and Dad

I apologize for not writing sooner.  Since I retired, retired I have just been so busy.  In fact, I am busier since I retired than when I was working.

I am on my second road trip to Durango CO.  I went there last year to visit with Karen and her husband Dave.  I think you remember Karen.  She is Uncle Chuck's daughter.  In fact I really did not know she actually existed until last year.  So now we have become very good friends.

In case you forgot what she may have looked like, this is her and Dave taken at the beach in Stuart this past may.

Also, this past year I found cousins I didn't even know I had.  You all may remember Marion, Uncle Chuck's daughter from his second marriage of Decatur AL, her brother Marshall Steele, of Silver City,NM, two of Marion's sons, Sean of Portales NM and Chris of Clovis NM.  Anyway, I'm getting away from everything.

On this trip I decided to come through Silver City.  I have been trying to find some type of employment records when you, Dad, worked the copper mines in Santa Rita.  Nothing to be had. Records were destroyed long ago.  Such a shame.  So much history gone.  But, not all the history is lost, thanks to a gentleman by the name of Terry Humble.  He is an amateur historian of Santa Rita, Bayard and the mining that went on in the area.

If you all came back here today, you all could teach me as much or more that what Terry has taught me.  So with all that being said, I would like to take you all down memory lane.  At least some of I have learned over the last couple of days.

I learned that you all stayed in a hotel, until your house was ready.  Apparently, you lived in that hotel from July/August 1937.  You moved into the house in April 1938 and you were the very first residents.  This hotel was constructed in 1926 and was demolished in 1956.

Your house was on the 3rd street closest to the mine and ball field and the 6th house down the street. It is the first house you can see in the bottom picture, just past the tree.  I know that this is kind of hard to see, but nonetheless, there it is.  After you all moved out, it was occupied by 3 other families. The last family there bought the house from the company and moved it into Silver City in 1956.

This is the house today.  In fact, it is still being occupied by decedents of the family that moved the house.

I found out that there were over 400 houses moved from the mine area to areas all over Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and I think Mexico.   The rest were just destroyed, about 200 homes.  They are affectionately know as the Santa Rita homes.

Here is a picture of the way Santa Rita looked back then.  The homes along the right side was where you all lived, not far from the ball park and to the left was where the hospital was located.  Of course now that area is nothing but an open pit mine.

Again, hard to see because this picture was taken from a picture.  I will have some of this pictures enlarged and send them to Sydney and Jean and maybe they will come out better.  I hope so.

I almost forgot to send you a copy of the "Kneeling Nun"  To those that may be reading this letter I will try to explain a little about the natural rock formation.  This was formed by a volcano (I think) thousands of years ago.  The small column is the nun in a kneeling position and praying to the alter right in front of her.

I have learned over the last couple of days so much so that my brain hurts.  I found out that the mine not only mines copper, but iron ore, gold, silver and some other minerals.  Dad, since you worked the mine, it has been bought and sold many, many times   At one time Standard Oil of Ohio and British Petroleum has owned it.  Found out is more that they bargained for.  They are oil companies and mineral mines experts.

I apologize that I didn't get pictures of Marshall Steele and Terry Humble.  It was on my mind, but with everything going on, my mind was just on overload.

Well, I hope that I have been able to take you down some what of a memory lane.  I know they were some hard times back then.  Mom, especially you because you had just gotten married and this had to be somewhat of a culture shock to you, plus being away from your brothers and sisters and your mother for the first time.  You were such a strong woman.  One that really kept the family together, right up to the end.

I'll close for now, but I promise I will keep in touch more often.  I can tell you all this, and that I think about you all often.

Love Ya

Jack