The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 555
617 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Texas Collection
to Eagle Springs. We turned back west on Highway 80 for a few miles,
turning south on a dirt road to a ranchhouse at Hot Wells (a former
watering stop on the Southern Pacific). Not being able to find the
owner or anyone who knew where the springs were, we sighted on
our map, followed the railroad track, and reasoned with information
from Mrs. Durrill. We headed into the middle of the three phalanges
of the mountain, over greatly eroded land. We dodged rocks, straddled
greasewood, and avoided gulleys. It was awful terrain for everything
and everybody except a man on horseback. And when we came upon
an old road leading to the top of the mountain I realized that the
truck really wasn't going to get stuck in all of that mud, and that John
Lee had a pretty good sense of direction after all. We were indeed
trail-drivers of a new sort.
I believe Eagle Springs will prove to be the most interesting site
on our old stage route. Fallen stone walls, and a few remaining adobe
ones provide interest for the structurally minded. For those interested
in history: a marker placed on the site of the old stage stand in 1936.
The brief walk to the old Eagle Springs shows why this station was
one of the most important to the stage line, as well as to the Indians.
A large well has been boarded over with crossties and lumber, with
a windmill rising just beyond. Water in profusion for this part of the
Trans-Pecos. No wonder the Indians completely depredated the stage
station here in December, 1855, July, 1856, December, 1858, and June,
1861. Giddings did not rebuild the stand after the last attack, so the
remains of the buildings must be from later stage lines between San
Antonio and El Paso. Apparently the springs have been dammed up
to protect them in more recent years.
The view must be wonderful from the old station site, looking in
one direction to the top of Eagle Mountain, and in the other down
into the valley below. We could see neither, for the mountain dew
had turned to sprinkles. Fortunately we managed to get a few stereo
pictures before the rain became too heavy. But that is one place we
hope to return to-so we can see the view We found a new route up-
by going down the easy way. But don't ask for the directions. You'd
never make it in a car-we had to cross a mud-deep creek.
Van Horn Wells is commemorated by a Texas Centennial Marker
(1936). A windmill near by covers one of the old wells, and a few
stones mark the outlines of an old station there. Located almost
opposite the old railroad point of Lobo, the wells are comparatively
easy to find-just off Highway 90 going south from Van Horn
toward Valentine.
From this point we went straight to Alpine, for the weather was
wetter and colder than ever. The Morelock Memorial Library at
Sul Ross offered me haven on Tuesday and Wednesday. Warren
Baxley, the librarian, and his assistant, Mrs. McKinney, were most555
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959, periodical, 1959; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101173/m1/656/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.