The Big Lake Wildcat (Big Lake, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 1, 1935 Page: 1 of 4
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Reagan County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
i
®f)£ Mg WUbt^d
_(Big Lake News and Oil Review Absorbed by Purchase March 1,1927)
VOLUME IX
BIG LAKE, REAGAN COUNTY, TEXAS, FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 1, 1935
NUMBER 21
REAGAN CAGE TOURNEY STARTS TODAY NOON
BIG LAKE RUNNERUP I NEW HIGH SCHOOL
AT CA6E TOURNEY
IN M’CAMEY SAT’DY
EXTRA PERIOD REQUIRDED FOR
OWLS TO DEFEAT IRAAN
IN 2S TO 26 SCORE
train did the most scoring In
an extra period and defeated Big
Lake Owls at the Trans-Pecoe an-
nual tournament Saturday ^igjit.
The championship game was the
most sensational ever played in
McCamey. The quarter ended 4-
4, the half, 12 to 10 In fayor of
jpig Lake; the third quarters 16 to
15 In Big Lake’s favor, and the
fourth, 24 to 24. In the extra pe-
riod, Guynes of Big Lake ted off
with a field goal to raise the' an-
te. Jolley of Iraan got through
to tie the count and at the fin-
ish Shanor of Iraan tossed In a
crip shot to end the game.
In a girls’ exhibition game, Mc-
Camey beat Big Lake, 25 to 21.
Poage, sister of one of the aee
players on the Big Lake boys’ ag-
gregation, led the scoring with 13
points.
Phillips of Big Lake was named
all-tournament forward, and Guy-
nes was placed on the mythical
team as guard. Poage was named
on the second team as guard.
IRAAN ............ FG FT
Booth, f............. S l
Simon, f. ........... 2
Jolley, c............. 4
Scott, g.............. 3
Shanor, g.............1
BIG LAKE ........ FQ
Phillips, f........... 2
Odum, •*•••■**" 3
1
0
0
0
FT
1
4- ~ ,-g
3 0 6
Boyd, g.............. 0 0 0
——-*»—--
Baptist Pastor will
End Sermon Series on
Revivals in the Bifefo
’ • % . ■ *-■. -« y • , '
With the date set for beginning
a revival meeting at the Baptist
church Just one week away* Rov.;
Joe Burton announces that he will
bring Sunday morning the con-
cluding message of a series of ser-
mons on great revivals In the Bi-
ble, "Pentecost” being the subject
announced for Sunday.
According to plans made by the
local church a few weeks ago, the
revival will begin at the morning
service, February 10, wldh Itev. S.
B. Culpepper of Stephenville con-
ducting the services. Frank Camp-
bell, Baptist chorister, will have
charge of the music during the
meeting.
The sermon to be delivered Sun-
day morning Is the concluding one
of three brought by the Baptist
pastor on great revivals in the Bi-
ble. The scriptural basis for Sun-
day’s message will be the account
In Acts of the sweeping revival at
Pentecost.
Lewis Olenn Coker Is to sing
at the Sunday morning service.
8unday night the Baptist pastor
states that he will preach on the
subject "Christ r.t the Door.”
-——————
SANTA RITA P.-T. A. HAS
PIE SUPPER SATURDAY NITE
PRINCIPAL ASSUMES
HIS DUTIES MONDAY
TANNERY WILL INSTRUCT AC-
COUNTING AT STATE
UNIVERSITY
Stanton Editor Relates Story in His
Newspaper of Trip to Reagan County
Saturday night, January 26, the
Santa Rita Parent-Teacher Asso-
ciation gave a pie supper at the
school house. Mrs. Downing, the
president, opened the meeting,
welcoming the people and Intro-
ducing the auctioneer. Mrs Brown
who sold the pies to the highest
bidder.
Coffee was served to the pur-
chasers of the pies and their part-
ners during the social hour that
followed. A nice sum was real-
ised from the affair.
Singing Clans to Meet
The Reagan County Singing
Class will meet at Rita Santa Sun-
day, February 3 at the clubhouse.
Those In charge of he singing in-
vite the public to attend.
.................-H»- ..... ...
Advertising In The Wildcat will
pay you big dividends Try it!
A. L. Lelssner of Iraan has been
here this week visiting the Rea-
gan County High School prepara-
tory to succeeding Fladger Tan-
nery as principal. Mr. Lelssner
will begin his duties Monday morn-
ing.
The school board authorized Lee
Hensley superintendent of the Rea-
gan schools, to name a successor
to Mr. Tannery.
Mr. Lelssner has had eight years
teaching experience. He has a B.
A. . B. B. A. and Is pursuing his M.
B. A. degree at the University of
Texas. While attending Texas Un-
iversity he lettered In baseball,
football, basketball and track. He
will teach typing and commercial
law and will coach tennis. Mr.
Lelssner has a wife and two chil-
dren.
Mr. Tannery was given a leave
of absence until September to ac-
cept a- position qt the University
of Texas as an lnstiuctor In ac-
counting. There are eleven teach-
ers there teaching accounting, and
Tannery Is second high man.
Mrs. Tannery will remain In Big
Lake as teacher In the grammar
school the remainder of the school
term.
TEXll^iprNEWS
The annual election o( Sunday
School officers will take place this
next Sunday morning.
C. F. Carter will have charge of
the young peoples* class.
Bob Adams had eighteen of his
Sunday School class out to a plc-
jsic last weak.
The workers’ council, composed
of all officer* and teachers of the
Sunday School, will hold its month-
ly meeting at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. E. J. Compton. John Davis
Mrs. Raymond Johnson and Bob
Adams are scheduled to appear on
this program.
Group 2 of the Junior young
peoples' society, with Bob Adams
as captain, will have charge of the
program this Sunday night.
Floyd White will receive a com-
mission from the national office
as assistant Scoutmaster of Troop
55.
The senior young peoples’ socie-
ty will meet at 7 p. m. Sunday
night
You are welcome to the mid-
week services every Wednesday
night.
The Myrtle Roy Pearce Bible
Class will meet on Thursday af-
ternoon at 2:30.
The morning worship hour this
Sunday will include a message on
“Looking Forward to Easter."
The evening subject will be
"Trudging Along the Road "
Say It with "Attendance" — At-
tendance is the test of your Inter-
est in the Kingdom Cause.
--u--
GRADE P.-T. A WILL HAVE
QUILT EXHIBIT FEB. 15-16
(Editor’s note: The following
story appeared In the Stanton
reporter after Editor Kelly and
and wife, together with Mr.
and Mrs. J. P. Boyd, father and
mother of Mias Leila Haaelle
Boyd, had made a trip to this
city several days ago.)
An automobile trip to Big Lake
last 8unday afternoon proved con-
clusively to this writer that in so
far as the southern end of the
county is concerned, it can boast
of the worst road on the whole ]
Journey. Fortunately, the distance
this bad road covers Is only a short
distance to the south boundary
line.
Much Improvement Is noted a
short distance into Glasscock, and
the further on the Journey south
the better the road. The road in
Glasscock and Reagan counties Is
worked with considerable skill as
to grading, covering up the slight
depressions and removing the
bumps. Eliminating turning the
corners the driver could rear back
in his seat, cross his legs, and pull
down the gas feed pedal to the
floor board and speed the entire
distance from the Olasscock coun-
ty line north to Big Lake without
so much as spilling a drop out of
a glass of water sitting on top of
the car. Has the hardsurfaced
road “skinned a mile” for smooth
and easy riding in an automobile.
But the roads, unfortunately, are
the only Items the two counties
can boast of this year, outside of
the oil Industry.
It Is that greets
an abundance of moisture and
much time to restore the grass
lands to the position they occu-
pied when the sleekest and fattest
range cattle in all the land came
from the ranches in West Texas.
At Stiles, former county seat of j
Reagan, the two-story courthouse,
built of native stone, quarried in
the hills that surround the place
on the west and north, still stands.
Window panes In the building have
succumbed to rocks thrown by
small boys and shot with "nigger-
shooters," as well as falling out
from natural causes. But the build-
ing, a fine structure, stands as
mute evidence of one day being
the temple of justice of Reagan
We were informed that no longer
than a few years ago, Stiles was
the county seat. But the discov-
ery of oil In some of the deepest
wells in the world and the build-
ing of the Orient railroad at Big
Lake some twenty miles south,
was a pressure brought to bear too
strong for the inland town of
Stiles to overcome, hence it suc-
cumbed to the inevitable and the
county seat was moved to Big
Lake. There now remains of the
former county capital some half
doezn box houses and an aban-
doned frame building, once known
as the livery stable. Thousands of
empty tin cans border the hill Is
evidence that several carloads of
j food had been consumed by the
! town's population and freighters
A pitiful sight | during the heyday of that little
the eye of the | /Mage. A modern little brick school
RAINFALL IN THIS
COUNTY LAST YEAR
WAS VERY LITTLE
7.23
INCHES AT TEXON; AVER-
AGE OF 26 INCHES IN
SAN ANGELO
TWENTY SIX TEAMS
FROM LARGE AREA
HAVE ENTERED MEET
1.666 VISITORS EXPECTED HERE
TO SEE FASTEST CAGE
MEET FOR SCHOOL
Jupiter Pluvlus’ smiles In 1934
brought only 7.23 Inches of rain-
fall in the Texon area, according
to a record kept by the Big Lake
OH Company and sent to this pa-
per by James S. Posgate ,
According to a record kejjt by the
San Angelo National Bank, an av-
erage of 20.96 Inches annually fell
in that area during the past 27
years.
The fall at Texon for 1934 was
less than It has been In this sec-
tion of the country for a number
of years, since 1917-18.
Below Is given the rainfall av-
erage each month for San Angelo
and Texon.
Av. fall Fall Fall Fall
Angelo Texon Texon Texon
27 yrs.
1932
1933
1934
Jan.
. .79
.73
11
.62
Mar. ..
1 00
.17
.00
1.02
Apr. ,.
2 16
1.14
05
45
May .
2.88
3.50
.92
.67 1
June
2 05
145
09
1.40 1
July
2.05
1.45
.09
1.40
August
.. 2.50
4.05
1.07
56 *
Sept.
... 2.12
441
1.38
.26 !
Oct
... 2.53
.42
1 00
.00 j
Nov.
... 1.37
.00
.92
.30
Dec.
.96
1 85
09
.15
Total
. . 20 .96
19.87
7.44
7.23
passerby as he looks across the building nestles In the side of the
The finance committee of the
Big Lake Orade Parent-Teacher
Association Is formulating plans
for Its annual quilt show, which
will be held February 15 and 16
in the American Legion hall.
A chest of linens will the prize
to be given to the holdet of the
lucky ticket. Ducats will be sold
at 25 cents each. The chest of
iinetis will be on display in one
of the down-town windows at an
early date.
Further announcements will be
made next week concerning this
exhibit.
A FEW WHITE LBOHORN pul-
lets, choice ones, for sale reason-
ably Get yours now before they
are all gone. These chickens are
all pedigreed, M. Johnson stick.
See M. A. Wilson or T B Wilson,
Big Lake. Texas.
thousands of acres of range lands
—grass gone, the land almost as
barren as the road traveled. Small
flocks of sheep and cattle roam-
ing the range In quest of a few
sprigs of grass on which to browse
and satisfy the r craving appetites
but the roaming continues until
bedding time at nigbt with flanks
still gaunt. Occasionally, one sees
a small bunch of either sheep or
cattle that are in pretty good con-
dition, which, at once gives ris,-
to the fact that they are being
fed.
Where a few short years ago one
traveling along the Garden City-
Big Lake road would see thous-
ands of head of sheqp and cattle
browsing on the fine grass for
miles and miles, the picture is
turned to one w'here one may trav-
el miles and miles without seeing
a steer or a sheep, and no grass.
The finest ranching lands In all
West Texas, boasting of shipping
out beef and mutton that topped
the markets for price and the din-
ner tables of the East for prime
meats, now present the picture of
a vast area of barren grass lands,
meagerly populated by livastock.
Buying of cattle and sheep by
government has been the salvation
of the ranchmen the past year He
has realized a price for his stock
where otherwise he would have
suffered seriously through the loss
of his stuff by starvation. The gov-
ernment buying movement has
cleared the ranges of most all the
stock he cared to dispose of. He
figured he would keep a small
number of his herd for a nest
egg.” Showers of ruin would pass
over his ranch land buoying up
his depressed spirits and he stop-
ped listing his cattle for sale to
the government. Then the drouth
continuing to spread Its ravages,
he found It Impossible to hang on
to his "nest egg." and he aRaln
appealed to the government to
buy his stock. Thus the buying
movement would be resumed, and
the result was that many ranch-
men rid their ranges of all live-
stock, and are now out of the bus-
lnesj. . ’
Such U the toll that the three
years drouth has exacted from the
ranchmen of West Texas, and It
Is a condition that will long stand
before the ranches are back again
on a paying basis. Lifting of this
situation will depend entirely up-
on how quickly will come copious
rains, and how long the rainy sea-
son will remain, for it will require
hill. We understand that only the
low grades are taught, the higher
ones having been transferred to
the Big Lake schools.
To the south of 8tlles extends
a valley. In rainy weather this val-
ley becomes Inundaed and water
rushes over the highway several
feet deep and some 300 or 400
feet wide. We were Informed that
the county has made application
through government aid to build
a viaduct across this valley that
traffic over the highway may not
be halted by high water, whenever
that time arrives.
Big Lake, the county seat of Rea-
gan, has a population of about
1,000. The business Interests rely
on the revenues from the oil and
livestock industries. It Is claimed
that Texon, a few miles to the
Wesley Pittman lo
Lead Sunday School
j
Meeting Next Friday i (girbT*.
Reagan County High School’s
seventh annual basketball tourna-
ment gets going here today at 12
o'clock, promising to be the fast-
est high school tournament in the
history of West Texas. Everything
Is ready for the first blast of the
whistle, Coach Bob Nall said this
morning.
Eighteen boys’ and eight girls’
teams have enerfcd tine two-day
meet, and among them are some
of the fastest players that ever
stepped on a high class B court.
A loud speaker has been install-
ed In the gymnasium, assuring fans
of hearing every important play
by play.
Hundreds of Visitors
Joe Bailey Cheaney, head coach
at Howard Payne College, will be
referee of the tilts.
Several hundred contesanta, fans
and coaches began unloading here
early this morning for the biggest
event of the year in Big Lake. Sev-
eral hundred more will be coming
tomorrow, according to reliable in-
formation.
The following teams have been
paired for Friday afternoon and
night:
12:00 — Sterling and Barnhart
<boys).
12:40 Fairvlew and Forsan (boys)
1 40—Mertzon and Garden City
(boys).
*) Qft rV*/i *-* rt o nri kf ‘ \
«• ifu vowuu muu miuluitu ' uvjo;
3 20 McCamey and Oaona
/
_ 4:10—Eldorado and Water Val-
I Wesley Pittman, recently elect- lf,y (boys*.
j ed zone superintendent of the Con-I 3:00—Crane and Rankin (girls*.
| cho Valley Baptist Associations! ' 3 50 -Crews-Lakeview (boys).
1 Sunday school organization, states j Friday Night
j that the first meeting of repre-| 7:00 — Crane and San Angelo
west of Big Lake, boasts of a pop- i ^ P(’<>1)1(*
ulatlon of 1,100. Here are located
the deepest oil wells In the world
and where casinghead gasoline Is
manufactured. It Is claimed that
the annual oil production from the
Reagan county oil Held Is con-
inually producing almost $2,000.-
000. The assessed valuation for the
county Is over $13000,000 and the
total livestock value Is almost $2,-
000,000 The population of the
county Is 3.028 So It is readily
seen that the county Is rich—large
sums realized from tax payments
contributed by the big oil compa-
nies and livestock Interests, pro-
viding the county with modern
school buildings and comfortable
salaries for school teachers.
Two good brick hotels, bank, mo-
dern West Texas Utilities Company
office building, picture show, and
many substantial brick business
houses, comprise the business sec-
tion The most outs tanding bus-
iness enterprise of the town Is the
newspaper, of course. The Big
Lake Wildcat, ably operated by M
A Wilson.
Sunday morning at 1:30 It had
come about a quarter Inch rain in
Big Lake, extending to the city
limits, and water was standing in
shallow depressions in the ground
about town.
The only mishap encountered
on the trip was the scalping of J.
P Boyd, a back seat guest of the
party A cow trail across the road
was hit and J. P.’s head met the
lop of the car, leaving a thin coat-
ing of the cutis and cuticle on a
bow. But that was a small mat-
ter as J. P is In the skln-scraplng
baslnc=5 and he can patch up with
rtmjrsi. , ' ,,
7 60 — Rankin and McCamey
(boys).
8:40 —Iraan and Big Lake (boys).
9 30 — Big Lake and Lukevlew
(girls*.
10 20 — Forsan and Lakeview
(girls*.
Elsewhere in this paper can be
found the drawings and brackets
as will be played In the two-day
tournament.
Big Lake Meets Iraan
Tlie Reagan Owls were glad to
learn that they are to meet the
Iraan brav&s In the meet at 8:40
tonight. Iraan won the McCamey
tournament last week, defeating
the Owls In an extra period, 28 to
Monthly young peoples’ night, 20 The local boys are cocked and
with twenty-eight In attendance.1 primed and have blood in their
was held at t .e Ii.u>tist church ; oyC.s, declaring they will defeat
Monday nigh. Mrs. Joe Burton iraan or ‘bust a hame string.”
directing ! Phillips and Odom will start as
In a Joint meeting of the Y. W. forwards. Guynes, center, and
I sentaUvss of the Sunday schools
of this zone will be held here next
Friday night, February 8
A program on the value of tea-
cher training has been arranged,
and has been mailed to the super-
intendents in the zone by Mrs
Horace Klttrell, secretary of the
organization.
Baptist Sunday schools Included
in the organlaztion are Big Lake,
Rankin. Best and Barnhart.
•--—o--
Have Joint
At Church Monday
rograins
A . O A and R. A , the young peo-
ple of the church heard J. H. Nail
bring a devotional at the opening
of the service.
The three groups then met sep-
arately for their programs, boys
of the R. A. reading various cable-
grams, postal cards and letters
from Palestine which were deliv-
ered to them Just as their meeting
was called to order
The young women of the G. A
and Y. W. A. had a Joint meeting
with a program given on prayer
and love.
Refreshments of hot chocolate
and cake were served to the young
people by Mrs A W Billingsly and
Mrs, Burton
Following the social period, the
first session of a study class was
held. This class Is studying "The
Books of the Bible.” The study
will be concluded Wednesday night
of next week.
STILES PREACHING SERVICE
AT THREE O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Preaching service at Stiles, to be
conducted by Rev. Joe Burton, will
begin at three o’clock Sunday af-
ternoon, the local pastor states.
These services are held on alter-
nate Sunday afternoons, with the
Sunday school scheduled to meet
the hide of some other fellow’s, thirty minutes before hand
Poage and Boyd, forwards. Iraan
will use the same starting line-up
against Big Lake as was used in the
McCamey meet. Local fans are
predicting victory for the Owls.
Boys’ Teams Are Strong
Sterling City won the Qarden
City tourney and Forsan was the
runner-up. Crews has a strong
team. She beat San Angelo to cop
the Coleman meet. McCamey won
consolation honors at her own
cage meet and Rankin was run-
ner-up. Ozona grabbed highest
laurels at Iraan with Iraan run-
ner-up. San Angelo has a world
of power and will make competi-
tion keen for her opponent.
Girls’ teams of Rankin. McCa-
mey, Forsan and Big Lake loom
as the favorites.
Big Lake girls’ tentative line-up
Includes Twyford, Klttrell and
Holt, forwards; Bennett, Dies and
Miller, guards.
Many Trophler. Offered
Boys: winning team, a 20-inch
silver black etched trophy; run-
nerup (8 players), gold, diamond-
studded miniature basketball; five
member* or all-toumamem team,
individual solid gold basketballs;
high point man, stiver statue pt
a player, given by Peoples Drug
(Continued
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Wilson, M. A. The Big Lake Wildcat (Big Lake, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, February 1, 1935, newspaper, February 1, 1935; Big Lake, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth631382/m1/1/?rotate=180: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Reagan County Library.