Rockin' in West Texas
After a good night's sleep I was off again. My first stop was Bridgeport, Texas 
, home of the elusive toll bridge. In 1860, Colonel W.H. Hunt built a toll bridge that spanned the Trinity River, mainly for the Butterfield Stage. Apparently, the bridge is no more . At least no one at the local gas station has heard of it.
I made a valiant effort to find that bridge, but I could not. However, there are bridges in Bridgeport . In fact, they are darn serious about bridges in Bridgeport. At the park, near downtown, there are no less than three bridges — huge, bright red, through-truss bridges. We also found the largest rocking chair I've ever seen, right on Main Street.
After leaving Bridgeport it was a short ride to Jacksboro, Texas, the county seat of Jack County, Texas . When Waterman Ormsby came through Jacksboro 150 years ago today, on the first Overland trip, Jacksboro was only a year old . According to Ormsby, the town had only a dozen houses, but nearly 200 inhabitants.
Today, if I didn't know any better, I would swear there were less than 200! There was hardly a soul in downtown Jacksboro when we stopped, except for an occasional truck (the official vehicle of Texas).
However, across the street from the courthouse , there were some really amazing stone buildings in differing states of disrepair. From the back I noticed that they were in fact facades. Some had dates of 1888, others 1898. Apparently, there is a local effort to restore them, or at least stabilize them, judging from the beams holding up some of the walls.
After leaving Jacksboro we put in a call to Margaret Ann Hoogstra, the Regional Director of the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Heritage Trails Program . (The Heritage Trails folks have been so helpful to us on our journey through Texas thus far.) Margaret oversees the Texas Forts Trail Region . She greeted us in Throckmorton, Texas , along with Trent McKnight, whose family owns a ranch in the area. Trent graciously invited us up to the McKnight Ranch for some pizza and wonderful conversation.
First of all, the views from the ranch are stunning. You really get a sense of the "rolling prairie studded with mesquite" that Ormsby described here 150 years ago. The area is no longer "studded" — much to the chagrin of the locals, it's more inundated!
Trent has a wealth of knowledge on local history. He shared with me an early map of the area he had discovered, which included General Marcy's road, which the Butterfield route followed through this part of Texas. In fact, it appears that the Butterfield would have run right through the McKnight property — based on his research and my limited knowledge of the route through Texas. Trent also pointed out that this is the area of West Texas where the book and movie "Lonesome Dove" was set.
Trent, thanks again! It was a pleasure to meet you, and good luck with all your research!
After a great meeting we were on our way, with Margaret in the lead, to Fort Griffin State Park . Lucky for me, too: Margaret knows so many folks in this area (and everyone loves her), we were able to gain access to the park after hours. Ft. Griffin State Park is located on the top of the hill, just above what used to be the town of Ft. Griffin. We arrived just as the sun was setting, and the view was gorgeous!
We took a short tour of the grounds . Short, because I was exhausted after another busy day of driving and visiting. I headed over to the Ft. Griffin campgrounds for the night, and Margaret helped me secure a good spot. (Did I mention she knows everyone?) I made plans to meet her the following morning for another day of adventure in the Ft. Trails region of West Texas.
Comments
I have been faithfully following your trek with daily delight. What a great adventure. Kudos!
Posted by: Sala | September 26, 2008 04:15 PM
Casey-
You look like a little kid in that big rocking chair. I love it! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Megan | September 29, 2008 07:02 AM
hi case, love the rocking chair and the back of the Bus. I am going to try to print this for Dana maybe she should be very proud of her big brother, I sure am. How are the doggies doing?
Posted by: me | September 29, 2008 11:14 AM
Great, Can't wait to here what happens next!
Posted by: WIld Bill | September 29, 2008 12:43 PM
Hey, Casey, where's the report from the 27th,28th and 29th??
Glenn in Arkansas
Posted by: Anonymous | September 29, 2008 07:51 PM
Hi all and thank you for the comments. Please do share with Dana and tell her I miss her. Everything is going great and the boys are having a fun time. I did feel a little like Lilly Tomlin in that big chair - Megan you may be too young to get that reference? Stay tuned.
Posted by: casey a.k.a. Ormsby II | September 29, 2008 08:45 PM
Casey, those photos are beautiful! It's so much fun to hear about your adventures--I'm still jealous. :)
You and Connie take care!
Phyllis in Mpls
Posted by: Phyllis | September 30, 2008 07:48 AM
No - I'm not too young to get the reference. Take Care!
Posted by: Megan | October 6, 2008 10:28 AM
Thank you Phyllis, the chair photo is a little silly don't you think? Glad you got the reference Megan and thanks for tuning in and commenting. Hope you are both doing well. Can't wait for you to see the rest of the videos and read the rest of the blogs. There is so much that hasn't been produced yet!
Posted by: casey a.k.a. Ormsby II | October 6, 2008 11:04 PM