US & TexasHistory

Thank you Bettye Anhaiser for donating this historic newspaper to the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation. I've forgotten where she found it, but it's good item. Notice it comes from the final edition of The Houston Post published on December 8th, 1941. I'll post more from this paper when we get closer to the historic day.

The Houston Post, December 8, 1941

If any of you are Facebook users, I highly recommend the Traces of Texas Page. Lots of interesting things there; these two items for example.

The Traces of Texas quote of the day comes from legendary rancher Charles Goodnight:

"When the Indians robbed houses they invariably took all the books they could find, using the paper to pack their shields. They knew, as well as we did, the resistance paper has against bullets. Paper offered more resistance to a bullet than anything to be had upon the frontier, unless it was cotton. The Indians knew this and stole all the books and paper they could find ...

Their shield was made by forming a circular bow of wood two or three feet across, over each side of which was drawn untanned buffalo hide from the neck of the buffalo, the toughest and thickest they cold get. They filled between the hide with paper. In times of action, the Indian had this on his elbow and always aimed to keep it at an angle between you and him. Very few of the old fashioned rifles would penetrate these shields. The rifle I carried then [1861], and still have, would knock a hole right through them at any angle. I once shot an Indian down on the Quitaque. I did not kill him, but he dropped his shield. Between the folds of hide was a complete history of Rome, and the boys had considerable fun passing the sheets around and reading them.

----- Charles Goodnight, as quoted in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Review, 1928

The next item is rather long, but worth the effort. It's an interview published in 1902 of a woman who was 104-years old at the time. Her name was 'Grandma Ziff' Dockery.  What a character.

 'Grandma Ziff' Dockery (photo from Traces of Texas)

 

 Shady Grove Cemetery, Pattonville, Texas (photo from Traces of Texas)

Click this link to read her 1901 newspaper article.