The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 116, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Page: 4 of 22
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Clifton Record and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Nellie Pederson Civic Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Texans Wait Until 1888 To Ride Across Texas
• fifth of 1
freight between Harris-
burg and Richmond, bid
optimistic plans for ex-
panded service were de-
layed indefinitely by the
Gvd War
As Texas stagnated un-
der Reconstruction rule.
had 0*1-1110
s to laying
track for free, finally
brought the iron ‘
tin the rest of the
country. The eagerly an-
ticipated continental con-
nection was completed in
May 1869 at Promontory
Point. Utah, when the
Union Pacific and Central
Pacific conquered the
Rocky Mountains.
The Lone Star State
lagged far behind much to
its economic detriment,
and geographic isolation
The Panic of 1873 and the
depression that followed
strangled the California
crowd that cheered the
rescue of their town
not resume until 1878
The notable exception
during this luO was the 1874
connection of Dallas, the
state’s fifth largest city,
with St Louis courtesy of
the Tens and Pacific Fbrt
Worth residents grimaced
railhead, a lucrative dis-
tinction Fort Worth en-
joyed for four years.
During this boom, the
population zoomed from
less than 500 to MOO.
Construction crews
As the furor mounted in
Asotin, the Fbrt Worth and
Denver City realized the
track 1M2 fre*h
to Decatur, seat of Wise
of the trainmen
Ofafl
daysin Wise County before
or since, this was the
That same spring, the
Texas legislature nullified
all land grants to the rail-
roads. In their zeal to
usher in the steam age.
generous politicians had
parceled out 40 million
ticaQy pressed on toward
Wichita Falls In July 1881
the tiny village became
the line's western termi-
nus, an enviable position it
held for nearly three years
until a political thaw re-
vived construction
After 20 months on non-
stop labor the FWfcDC en-
tered Vernon in October
1886 and brand-new
Quanah four months later
Without missing a beat the
crews pushed on across
the Panhandle and
straight into a civic
squabble in Childress
County.
Separated by just four
miles. Childress City and
Henry fought over the
route and the right to the
county seat The argument
was settled when the rail-
road ran its tracks past
Henrv. Losers and winners
ary 1888. the FWADC
raced to meet its sister fee
out of Denver. Colo. In the
hills of northeastern New
Mexico on March 111881
Fbrt Worth and Denver
were united by 808 miles of
steel and spikes.
By 1926, a hectic half cen-
tury after its standing start
Texas proudly boasted
16,000 miles of track, the
most rail mileage of any
state in the Union. No
longer cut off from each
other or the rest of the na-
tion, Texans were ready to
tackle the challenges of the
twentieth century.
(“Secession & Civil
War ” - latest “Best of This
Week in Texas History”
collection available far
S10.95 plus $3.25 postage
and handling from Bartee
Haile, P.0 Box 152,
Friendswood, TX 77549 or
order on-line at
twidi.com.)
Oi Editorial/Opinions
The ClffTos Record
Men and Shopping
BrOwSMUMOMTl
When my mother and
father shopped together
(rarely) for anything other
than food, it went like this
— My father visited the
men’s section or tool sec-
tion or whatever. If (when)
my mother ventured to-
ward women's clothing,
shoes or accessories, he’d
say. “Let's go borne now.
Rose. I'm tired." Some
things never change. Dad
was a wonderful man. and
Mom and I joked about his
little shopping trick. (He
thought we fell for it every
time). We always knew it
was coming — could prac-
tically predict the precise
moment It was OK. Mom
preferred to shop with her
sister.' *
Zack will order from a
catalogue if possible, tie
doesn’t worry about the
price, because he doesn't
order often. It's the speed
of the transaction that
Rustic
Ramblings
draws him See it Want it
Buy it.
Done —All
from the
comfort of
one's own
home. Then
the item ap-
pears like
magic one
day with
Dwayne (our UPS guy) or
Sherry (our mail carrier).
I’ve mentioned before
that when we drive into
“the big city" to shop, we
always find time for the to-
bacconist stores for tools,
home improvement,
sporting goods, tractor
supplies, men's clothing,
the Army Navy Store,
places thatwefis ammuni-
tion. or tht*"men's section
of department stores in
malls Zack almost always
has manly stops to make.
Then suddenly he's had
enough, and my errands
fit
must wait (See how that
works?
Just like
my father.
Rather en-
dearing in
a comic
sort of way.
And it's
OK. I pre-
fer to shop
alone or with my daughter
And there’s always eBay)
Whether shopping for a
fine wool suit a brisket or
an auto hammer. Zack can
be in and out of a store
fester than greased light-
ning. He usually knows
what he wants, finds it,
makes the purchase as
quickly as possible and
leaves. To me, this is
anathema to the entire
creative 'shopping experi-
ence. It leaves me highly
unsatisfied sort of a retail
therapy interruptus. I
want to cruise the entire
store, discovering things I
need (that I didn't actually
realize until I saw them),
getting ideas for projects,
comparing prices, ingredi-
ents and quality. It takes
me infinitely longer to
shop than it takes Zack.
And I tend to spend more
money in the long run.
Even if Zack must choose
a suit try it on. and stand
to have alterations noted
be will still be out in about
twenty minutes. This man
can look at a wall of suits,
pick the only one or two he
finds remotely acceptable,
and leave with no regrets
or remorse, never wonder-
ing if he should have
looked for another cut or
color.
My son Josh may be
even worse than Zack. To
avoid stores, he shops
mainly on the Internet To
be fair, he has little time
for shopping. He even
looks on eBay (my new
best friend). He hates to
shop in “real stores". But
Happy belated Jackson Day!
t
Congress never formal-
ized it as a federal holiday,
but once upon a time. Tex-
ans find the rest of the na-
tion celebrated January 8
as Jackson Day. It was
something of’a winter-
time Fourth of July, with
plenty of flag waving and
patriotic speechifying but
no fireworks.
January 8 became Jack-
son Day because that's
the month and day in 1815
that Andrew Jackson de-
feated the British in the
Battle of New Orleans.
That's a military engage-
ment that many older
Baby Boomers remember
only because of Johnny
Horton's 1959 hit song.
'The Battle of New Or-
leans."
Though the battle hap-
pened some 240 miles from
what was then the eastern
border of the Spanish
province of Texas, future
Texans would have good
reason to celebrate the
American victory. For one
thing, a win at New Or-
leans likely would have
given Great Britain con-
trol of the Mississippi and
a shot at settling the
Southwest.
Also, if the British had
captured and hanged
Jackson, he would not
have been around to
serve as an inspiration
for the younger Sam
Houston. Nor would Old
Hickory- have been able in
the spring of 1836 to order
U.S. troops to the Louisi-
ana-Texas border as Santa
Anna and his army chased
independence-minded
Texans in that direction
following the Alamo.
The American victory
at New Orleans against a
numerically superior foe
galvanized the young na-
tion. Recognition of Janu-
ary 8 as a day to celebrate
must have begun early on
and gathered momentum
after Jackson’s presi-
dency.
“All good Democrats re-
membered that yesterday
was Andrew Jackson’s
Texas
Tales
The Clifton Record
Serving Bosque County Since 1895
Thf CMoaRacard(USPS-11S-1M• ISSM-WM-US) kpaUMMiaMlfc
cam, imm
Qwefeta
PWCE Bosque Cart*.
rosnUSTBtPtasewtfs
CBtaiTX 76634
OfflCE HOURS' Utn**-Fn**. S6: Ckasd
SWr:EDnqWl.-MrtWrt HWMW Damn
Spar MMERTGMG —Mans tansy (MmmgOSsdoril
- Ks> Ote Was Usmiii). &■» 1
one *eer S46 Seesaws one year SS3
nge d lOVies Per oopy peer 75 cwfc
dongs Sr The CMor Heart. PO Bos 363.
tWepki
Tt€ cum* PECOPD Wacom
MSSiitSHssah
mes*t>1teG**%CB*A»sttsaa*mmepmesa*sra«keaSWs«sePe
Sort mm, cm Ss wrihd M» Mbs m Ss ***** ■*
!MsiMkMJ^MIm|sss*M«HsirtSd»<W>’U
■SSM tor mams *Oasless»sae*Mfcrpatma tosses*sisoe patolis
■flit rtoTm* wot ■ aLow tsetse si •mmmmmSrnvmrm*' **"
1gWWyWUC:<qs»e»s—ssiOe>sq»tsdoo*omt«
By Mike Cox
Day," flhe New York Times
told its readers on Jan. 9.
1896 - 81 years after the
battle.
Jackson's lopsided vic-
tory over the British had
come a little more than
two months before his
March 15 birthday. For
years, in addition to ob-
serving Jackson Day on
January 8. Tennessee was
the only state that took
March 15 off in honor of
Jackson’s birth.
Alas, somewhere along
the way, a day originally
intended to honor one of
this nation's most impres-
sive military triumphs and
important presidents
morphed into a holiday for
Democrats only.
“Thousands of Texans
made ready to join the
democrats of the nation
in observance of Jackson
day with dinners this
evening,” the Austin
American-Statesman re-
ported in a page-one story
on Jan. 8,1936. “The tradi-
tional functions honoring
the memory of the great
democrat, Andrew Jack-
son, was planned in Texas
largely by party organiza-
tions, and, in line frith the
rest of the nation, most of
the proceeds will go into
the party treasury.”
Eight hundred people
were expected for a roof-
top party at Austin’s
Stephen F. Austin Hotel.
Other Jackson Day parties
were on tan that night in
Dallas, Fort WortfrLub^
bock, Wichita FhDs, Waco,
Corpus Christi and surely
other Texas cities. The
Amarillo party had to be
cancelled because of a
snow storm..The speaker
for the Austin Jackson
when he does, he needs
help.
He's like a superhero
suddenly rendered help-
less and unsure. The fluo-
rescent lights in the malls
and stores hit him like
kryptonite. He claims it's
something to do with
astigmatism. I secretly be-
lieve it's a handy excuse so
he can whine until the
shopping is finished. When
Josh was small. I was the
one to take him shopping,
and a more excruciating
experience I rarely had. As
he grew older, his sister
helped, and she is infi-
nitely more adept at it
than I am, has better fash-
ion sense regarding
trends for young folks, and
more knowledge. After a
certain point, neither of us
has much patience with
my son, so we move as
quickly as possible. In
shopping with Josh, as in
so many areas of life, tim-
ing is truly everything.
Now his long-suffering
girlfriend Beverly often
steps in, bless her heart.
What a wonderful, wonder-
ful girl.
I suppose that with shop-
ping, as so many other ar-
eas of life, men really ARE
different.
Day event was Gov. Paul
V. McNutt of Indiana.
Texas Gov. James V.
Allred would have been
the logical choice to ad-
dress Texas Democrats.
I but he already had ac-
cepted an invitation to
speak at a Jackson Day
gathering in Nashville.
After the local festivi-
ties. celebrants repaired
to their radios to listen to
President Franklin
Roosevelt deliver a Jack-
son Day oration that in-
cluded his formal
announcement that he
would be seeking another
four years in the White
House.
Back then, just about
everyone in the Lone Star
State who could drop a
ballot in a box was a
Democrat.
Why most people today
have never heard of Jack
son Day is easy enough to
guess. Since the day was
considered a special day by
Democrats, as the
strength of the Republi-
can Party grew, interest
in whooping it up on Jack-
son Day waned. Even
www.google.eom is devoid
of any straight-forward
history of Jackson Day.
The tension between
political elephants and
donkeys was evident even
in the 1936 Jackson Day
newspaper coverage.
When Judge J.R.
Sutherland, the Nueces
County Democratic chair-
man, invited U.S. Dist.
Judge T. M. Kennerly of
Houston to speak at the
Corpus Christi Jackson
Day event, to Judge
Sutherland’s great sur-
prise, the federal jurist de-
clined.
Turned out Kennerly
was a Republican and
didn’t fed like participat-
ing in a Democratic blow
out.
“I didn’t know there
were any Republicans left
in Texas,” the Corpus
Christi Democrat told the
press.
Across
1. Fabric
5. "Field of Dreams' setting
9. Heartily outspoken
14. "Mi chiamano Mimi,* e.g.
15. Hinted at
16. Hindu queen
17. Christmas gift
20 Go up and down
21. Taler
22. Lent's start, e g.: Abbr.
23. Backstabber
25.1969 Peace Prize grp.
26. Balaam's mount
27.24/7
33. ■_and the King of
Siam"
34. Victorian, for one
35 Cal for
37. Kintfof chop
38. Bucolic
41. Again
43. Clash of heavyweights
45. Qup.pwt3
46. Brand, in a way
47. Dizziy
51. "Bingo!*
53_v. Wade
54._lab
56. Aflranchise
56. Brio
58. Whafeng vessel
63. Big bang creator
66 Double reed instruments
67. tnerxfv
68 **** review
8B- Beckorac instrument
70 Released
71. Organic functional group
Down
1. Tail motions
2. Ashtabula's lake
3. High_pitched (lute
4. Makes lace '
5. Summer cooler
6. "_Gang"
7. Dampens
8. Type of acid
9. Bit resembling a snaffle
10. Anita Brook rter"s "Hotel du/
—■ A
11. Asleep
12. Elaborate parties
13. Provides nourishment to
18. Diamond, e.g.
19. Complete
24. By way of, briefly
27. British rule in colonial India
28. _probandi
29. Wavy appearance
30. A Judd
31. Our "mother*
32. "Cut it out!"
36. "Agreed!"
39. Blown away
40. From one language to
another
42. Crooked
44. Monstrous
48. Publisher Henry
49. Destroy
50. Author Roald
51. Countertenors
52. Abounding in grass
57. Barely beat with "out*
59. Halo, e.g.
60. laughable Lyrics" writer
61 "Men always hate most what
they_most": Mencken
62. Casting need
64. Alter expenses
65. Athletic supporter?
Clifton Funeral Home
iowman's Tire & Whee
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.
Henry, Mark. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 116, No. 4, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 2010, newspaper, January 27, 2010; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790627/m1/4/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.