The Farm at Potosi

The Farm at Potosi

Pictured above: Three generations on the Farm at Potosi; Top -L to R: (Me) J. Bryan Wasson ; My Dad, J. B. (Jake) Wasson; Below: Our oldest Daughter Donna, Wasson

By J. Bryan Wasson

The advances of the 20th century sort of overtook and overwhelmed my dad, J. B. “Jake” Wasson. He was a lover of the land with his greatest desire to live on the land.

He grew up on a farm in the Noodle community of Jones County, Texas. He was a product of the great depression and I suspect it was the major factor in his leaving the farm and moving to Abilene in Taylor County. He thought it important for a man to own some land and livestock. He never gave up his desire to return to the farm.

I was born in a house on Portland Street in Abilene on January 22, 1933.. Throughout my childhood, we moved from one rent house or apartment to another. For a short period of time we lived in Eastland, Texas. In Eastland, my dad worked in a drug store owned by a family friend who was a member of the Vletas family. The Vletas family is well known in Abilene as a maker of fine candies.

We returned to Abilene in 1938 we lived for a short time in a rented house at the north edge of Abilene on what was then Pine street. I remember well the second residence we had upon return to Abilene. It was an apartment at 142 ½ Elm Street. It was located above the O.W. Jolly Saddle Shop where I became a friend of O.W. Jolly learned much about saddles, harness, etc. I had the same love of the land as my dad. There was a vacant lot next to the saddle shop where I rode imaginary horses and harnessed imaginary teams. With these imaginary teams, I plowed the imaginary fields of my imaginary farm.

Our next residence was a rent house on E.N. 18 th street directly across the street, with a large vacant lot between, from Abilene Christian Collage. It was while living there and in the 2nd grade that my dad purchased my first horse. Our landlord owned a dairy farm just east of the college campus. Part of that farm is now occupied by the expanded campus of what has become Abilene Christian University as well as houses and business property. Our landlord owned a horse named Tony that was kept on the farm. I spent much time on that farm. My dad and I often went horseback riding with me mounted on my horse and my dad mounted on Tony.

I believe it was 1945 when my parents purchased their first home at 1502 Oak Street. It was not the farm, but close to it. It was at the south edge of Abilene. Mesquite pasture was directly across the street, east from our house. I kept my horse in that pasture. South and east of that pasture was cultivated land used for wheat farming. This area is now occupied by South Treadaway Blvd. which is primarily an industrial area.

Behind the house facing South 15th street was a detached garage. My maternal grandfather built a small barn next to the alley behind our house and garage along with a pen for a milk cow and a chicken pen. A small portion of the barn was used for a chicken house. An area between the cow lot, chicken pen and the garage was fenced for a vegetable garden. There were numerous vacant lots around us which we used for grazing for our milk cow and a Holstein bull calf that I had as a 4H project.

Especially on the south side of Abilene, the oldest part of the town, it was not unusual to find a barn behind houses and many people still maintained a milk cow and chickens.

This near farm like life at the edge of town was short lived. The city closed in around us. My dad and I both longed for the farm. My mother did not share that desire. She just sort of went along with it.

I believe it was late 1947 or early 1948 that the dream came true for both my dad and me. A farm at Potosi was located, the owners of which wanted to move to town. A trade was made and we moved to Potosi. At that time Potosi was a rural community located eleven miles south of Abilene. Our place was directly behind the Potosi Methodist Church and joined the Hancock place to our north. Two churches, Methodist and Baptist remain as next door neighbors with what was the Hancock place directly behind the Baptist church. Lytle creek runs through the pasture. In those days, it flooded about once per year. There was running water much of the time and there was a water hole that rarely went dry.

Shortly after moving in at Potosi my dad started buying calves and later on some yearling steers. Grazing was plentiful in the pasture and fields that had been left fallow for a number of years.

While living at Potosi, I attended Abilene High School. My major high school interests were Vocational Agriculture (now called Agricultural Education) and FFA, Future Farmers of America. My FFA projects were beef steers, swine and poultry. I was also on the FFA poultry judging team. I also had a horse and became a pretty good pasture roper.

I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1951. While I was in the Air Force, I frequently sent money home to purchase calves. During the time I was in the Air Force, My uncle, Homer Reeves, purchased a house in Potosi for my maternal grandparents. The back of the lot joined our property. My Grandfather J.A. Sterling put in a gate to make access between the two places easier. After I was released from active duty in the Air Force, my Dad and I became partners in some cattle.

I married Shirley Mazy in 1956. We lived in Abilene for a short while, however my dad gave us 5 acres of land and we moved to the farm at Potosi. We located a man in Priddy, Texas who had bought numerous buildings from the Government located at military Base that had been closed. From him we purchased what had been an old Orderly Room type building. We leveled the place where the house was to sit with a Fresno (designed to be horse drawn) pulled behind my dad’s 1937 Chevrolet. We dug holes for concrete footings upon which concrete blocks were placed for a foundation. The result was a pier and beam foundation built form concrete blocks. When the foundation was completed, the man from whom we had purchased the house moved it in and set it upon the foundation. Our house was located in close proximity to the home of our parents with less than 50 yards between. We paid this house off in seven years. Wow – I wish that could be done now!

Extensive remodeling was necessary to turn this military building into a house with two bed rooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen. We lived in the house while construction was going on. Most of the carpenter work was done by my non carpenter dad. I was less of a carpenter than my dad, but helped as best I could. Shirley and my mother also did much of the work. None of us were carpenters, however we completed the job and it became our home. Our two daughters were born while we lived in that home. Over the years, we have lived in much better and nicer houses, but I have never been as happy as I was during the time we lived in that house.

Shirley and I did not know it at the time, but it turned out that we already had Potosi roots. After moving to Texas from Alabama, my mother as a child had lived in the Potosi area. Later she moved with her parents and siblings to Colony Hill, an area between Potosi and Abilene located on what is now FM1750.

In 1900, Shirley’s great-grandfather, John Revell built a cotton gin in the Lytle Cove area four or five miles southwest of present Potosi. It was located on what was the old Sumrall place. Later as a child, Shirley’s mother lived in the house on the Hancock place. That house was located very close to what is now the main entrance to Potosi Baptist Church.

Although five acres had been deeded to me by my dad, including part of the pasture and part of the cultivated land, there was never any distinction between my land and land owned by my parents. No fences separated my land and my parents land. The effect was one farm with two houses.

At some point my dad sold most of the land. The actual reason is unknown to me, but I believe it was due to his declining health. He kept the land on which the house, barn and outbuildings were located as well as part of the pasture. My five acres also remained.

To compensate for the land that had been sold, I leased the Hancock place which joined us to the north. I only had to open an existing gate to obtain additional grazing land for my horses.

In 1965 Shirley and I purchased a house in Abilene and moved to town. Was this a mistake? I often think it was. The house we purchased on Yorktown in Abilene was about a block away from a school. Had we remained at Potosi, it would have been necessary for the girls to ride a school bus to Wiley. When we moved to town, my dad purchased my 5 acres and the house back. My horses remained on the farm at Potosi. I continued to go to the farm at Potosi nearly every day to check on my horses. My love for the farm at Potosi never ceased. My Dad never ceased to have great love for this land.

My dad, a Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, died January 12, 1967 due to an injury that occurred in the line of duty as a result of being kicked in the abdominal area by a prisoner. In his dying moments he was thinking of the farm at Potosi. I was by his hospital bedside when he died. He looked at me and said, “I want you to promise me that you and Shirley will move back to the place at Potosi.” I agreed to his request and it was my intent and desire to keep that promise. Things changed; however, my mother remarried and sold the farm.

Abilene is swallowing up Potosi. Many of the former farms in the area are now residential subdivisions. I have a fear that has become a phobia that the land that was so dear to my dad and to me will be overrun with a housing development some day.

At the present time the land that my dad sold and part of the Hancock place is owned by my dear friend, Melvin Faircloth. The part of the Hancock place not owned by Melvin Faircloth is now owned by the Potosi Baptist Church. This gives me comfort because it is much like the land is back in the family.

During a visit with Melvin and Ginger Faircloth a few years ago, I dug up some prickly pear cactus from the pasture and transported it to Bowie where I set it out in our back yard where it joined an old cast iron hand pump and an old Georgia stock plow. The pump had been on a well located in our pasture that we used to pump water for the livestock when the creek was low. The plow had been retrieved from the farm many years ago. I guess these items represent a monument to the farm at Potosi.

Lawton Williams wrote one of my favorite songs entitled, "Mending Fences." That song describes my life in a happier time many years ago. I think it also describes the life of my dad, J.B. “Jake” Wasson. Part of the song is as follows:

“I grew up a country boy on our old family farm
Mending fences chasing cows out of daddy’s corn
My daddy lived a Christian life and his words sill apply
So I’ll keep mending fences until the day I die.”

02-27-10, JBW

Note: Check out the website of the Texas Sheriffs’ Association at www.txsheriffs.org for information about the Association and the history of Sheriffs in Texas. While at the website, to learn about Sheriffs’ Office personnel killed in the line of duty, click on Lost Lawman Memorial. For information on individual inductees, check by county. For more information on individual inductees click the “More” button. For additional information about my dad, J.B. “Jake” Wasson, go to Taylor County. After his name click the “More” button. My dad is also listed on the Texas Peace Officer Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol in Austin. You can also check for individual inductees aphetically. You can also see some great photography of Lost Lawman Memorial Services by Taylor County photographer, Tim Hutchinson. The month of May is Law Enforcement Memorial month.

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Looking Back by J. Bryan Wasson
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Horses & Horsemen

In 1965, I self published a book entitled, Horses & Horsemen. This publication was originally not intended to be a book.

I had been publisher and the first editor of the Paint Quarter Horse Journal. This magazine was the official publication of the American Paint Quarter Horse Association. This association merged with The Paint Stock Horse Association to become the American Paint Horse Association.

I was asked to become editor of a new, yet to be published all breeds horse magazine, to be titled The Horseman. It was planned to stay a minimum of 3 months in advance of publication, therefore a great deal of materials including photographs and articles were obtained and filed in advance of publication of the first issue.

Due to a series of unexpected delays in printing, it was decided to cancel publication. The new planned magazine never got off the ground. I felt that something should be done with at least part of the material that had been gathered.

Some of this material plus one or two articles that had been published in The Paint Quarter Horse Journal were combined to become the book, Horses and Horsemen. Unfortunately, the printer did a rather poor job of proof reading parts of the book before printing and I did an even poorer job of proof reading. For those who read or have read the book, please forgive any misspelled words.

The The copyrighted painting of the famous Appaloosa stallion Joker B by Darol Dickinson had been planned to be used on the cover of the magazine and was in fact used on the dust cover of the hard back issue and the cover of the paper back issue of the book. (Reproduced above with permission of Darol Dickinson) A photo of the cover of the planned first issue of the magazine and the front cover of the paper back version of the book are shown above.

Another magazine with the same or a similar name in fact went into publication at some point after this.

02-25-10, JBW








Looking Back by J. Bryan Wasson
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J. Bryan Wasson
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Appaloosa

Carl Miles & Joker B

By J. Bryan Wasson
The above painting of Joker B by Darol Dickinson is reproduced with permission of Darol DickinsonI have read a lot of books that were dedicated to wives, husbands, parents, siblings and famous people. I think I even remember a book that was dedicated to a dog. The number of books dedicated to a horse, I do not know. My 1965 book, Horses & Horsemen was dedicated to a horse; not just a great horse, but to Joker B, the outstanding Appaloosa stallion owned by the late and great Carl Miles. I believe that Joker B. was the most outstanding equine sire of his time and for many generations to come.

There are many good stallions in the world today. No doubt there are even many great stallions around today, but greatness at the level of Joker B is seldom seen. Please let me explain my reasoning in this matter.

I am what most people would call a “horse nut.” I just love equines. I love horses, mules, donkeys and Zebra. I seldom become obsessed with a single equine sire, however, but my relationship with Joker B was clearly an obsession. My obsession with Joker B has its’ roots in an obsession with another great stallion of the past.

This horse was Figure (1789 – 1821), later known as Justin Morgan, after a school teacher that had owned him. Figure (or Justin Morgan) was a small horse of a type that was often called quarter horses at that point in history. He was often abused and frequently not well fed, yet he outran all comers in the horse races of that day. He also out pulled much larger draft horses in pulling contests of the day. He was ridden as a saddle horse when needed. He pulled a plow in the fields throughout the week. On Saturday he was matched in the races that were mostly run in village streets. After the horse races he was likely to be entered in a pulling contest. On Sunday he pulled a buggy to church. On Monday morning, he was back in the fields pulling a plow.

Justin Morgan consistently produced offspring that were reproductions of their sire, not only in looks, but in what they could do. An entire horse breed, the Morgan, was based upon this one foundation sire.

I became obsessed with Justin Morgan while I was a Vocational Agriculture (now known as Agricultural Education) student and member of the FFA at Abilene (Texas) High School. My Vocational Agriculture teacher, Mr. J.I. Moore fueled this obsession by frequently talking about equine and bovine genetics. He often spoke of things that seemed to defy the accepted laws of genetics and reproduction, including Old Beck, the mare mule at Texas A&M that produced offspring despite the fact that mules are sterile and do not reproduce. I was extremely interested in such things.

As a child; I developed an ability to observe the differences in things that appear to be similar and the similarity in things that appear to be different. Many years later as a police officer this ability served me well.

[Joker B, July 21, 1941 - July 13, 1966:]
When I first started reading about Joker B in various publications including Western Horseman, I applied this ability in comparing Joker B with my old obsession, Justin Morgan. I noted that even though these two great stallions foaled over 100 years apart, were different, yet there were similarities. The greatest of similarities were the things the two great horses were known for and the things their get could do. These two horses were extremely versatile. They could do anything. I make this reference to Justin Morgan while writing about Joker B for the express purpose of documenting the fact that horses like this do not come along very often. I do not claim that there are no other all around horses. This is simply not true; however, these two extremely important sires imprinted themselves upon their offspring for generations to come.

I was aware of Joker B long before he was purchased by Carl Miles but when I first became seriously interested in Joker B, he was standing at stud either at Carl Miles and Harvey Fruehauf’s Cee Bar Ranch at Morgan Mill near Stephenville, Texas or at Carl Miles’ Cee Bar Ranch near Celina, Texas. I no longer remember which location was first. If my memory is correct, the stud fee at the time was $1,000.00.

In addition to his time on the race track, Joker B spent much time in the rodeo arena. He was used as a calf roping horse as well as to rope heels in the team roping events. He was used as both a dogging horse and as a hazing horse in steer wrestling. Joker B was also used as a barrel racing horse. Although Joker had not been trained as a trick riding horse, Vivian Dorr hauled him around for about a year as her mount in her trick riding specialty act. Joker B was also often shown at halter in numerous horse shows.

Joker B was in the movie “Broken Arrow” starring Joel McCrea. My memory is getting a little bit fuzzy; Jimmy Stewart may have been in the movie along with Joel McCrea. Following the movie, he was used in a pilot for a new TV western. Unfortunately, the expected new TV show never went into production.

Joker B was the mount of choice for celebrities including movie stars and politicians for parades and various other exhibitions. He was ridden by Texas Governor John Connally in a parade. Singing star Linda Loftis was spot lighted as she sang the Star Spangled Banner while mounted on Joker B in the darkened Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas. Miss Loftis also was mounted on Joker B for other publicity photos.

To the best of my knowledge and belief, the last time Joker B was ridden in a public event was the 1965 Cotton Bowl parade in Dallas, Texas. Joker’s rider was a teenage girl named Brenda Foster who was a student at Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas. Brenda was a sure enough cowgirl and a barrel racing champion. Brenda was very impressed by the gentleness of the great stallion. Following this ride she wrote a poem about Joker B.

In 1965, I produced a book entitled, Horses and Horsemen. It was not intended to be a book. I had been the Publisher and the first Editor of the old Paint Quarter Horse Journal. I was asked by a couple of local business men to become the editor of a new all breeds horse magazine. The plan was to have enough material available in order to stay three months ahead at the time the first issue went to press. A great deal of material was gathered. For reasons beyond my control, this magazine never went to press. I selected some of the material that had been gathered and combined it with a few of my previously published magazine articles. The result was to be the book, Horses and Horsemen.

I was so obsessed with Joker B that I knew he would be a major part of this book. I asked my good friend Johnny Baker to write the chapter about Joker B. I not only dedicated the book to the great stallion, I obtained permission from the great photographer and animal painter Darol Dickinson to use his famous painting of Joker B on the cover of the book. I had the blessings of Carl Miles to use the painting of Joker B on the cover. Carl Miles used this painting in much of his publicity of Joker B. This painting is of such high quality and detail, that many people believe it is a photograph.

I also used the photograph of Brenda Foster with Joker B that had been taken just prior to the 1965 Cotton Bowl parade. I used the poem entitled, Joker B which had been written by Brenda next to this photo in the book. As I write this article, Brenda (now Brenda Campbell of Overbrook, Oklahoma) plans to present this photograph and the poem, Joker B to the Board of Directors of the Appaloosa Horse Club in conjunction with the World Appaloosa Show at 6:00PM on October 29, 2005 in the John Justin Arena of the Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas.

I also included some of Brenda’s rodeo photographs in the book. I obtained material from George B. Hatley, Executive Secretary of the Appaloosa Horse Club for the chapter on the Appaloosa breed.

Brenda was a 2004 nominee to the Cow Girl Hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas. When she was nominated to the Cow Girl Hall of Fame Brenda asked me to write her portfolio. I used the cover of Horses and Horsemen featuring the famous Darol Dickinson painting of Joker B as the background for most of the graphics used in her portfolio.

Many of Brenda’s numerous rodeo related trophies are now in the Museum at the Texas Cowboy Reunion grounds in Stamford, Texas. In addition, some of her other trophies are in the Cowboy Country Museum in downtown Stamford.
Joker B. had numerous owners prior to being purchased by Abilene, Texas Oilman, Carl Miles. A listing of other owners can be found in other publications. There is therefore no need to list them all in this article. Carl Miles did not purchase Joker B until 1959 at the San Antonio Stock Show for $10,000.00.

It was not until Carl Miles moved his horse operation to Abilene, that I had the opportunity to become up close and personal with Joker B, the Appaloosa horse that had obsessed my mind. I also became good friends with Johnny Baker, the Manager of Carl Miles’ Horse Ranch.

Carl Miles was a good friend and a great man. He was just as much at home in a business suite or in faded and worn blue jeans. If you did not know him and you saw him at a horse show, horse sale, or horse race, you would not recognize him as a wealthy man. I remember one time sitting on the bleachers at a horse show with Carl Miles sitting one row behind me and slightly to my left. I did not realize that Carl Miles was sitting behind me until he spoke. I was aware of some well worn boots that displayed evidence that they had recently walked through an area frequented by horses. I also saw the legs of a pair of dirty faded old Levis that contained the same evidence that was on the boots. When he spoke to me, I realized that it was Carl Miles. As we sat there watching the various classes in this horse show we voiced our opinions on how the animals in the class should be placed. When a class was over, we would “Monday morning quarter back” the actions of the judge. Our opinions amounted to little because we were not the judge, but we enjoyed our conversation and had fun.

I was a frequent visitor at Carl Miles’ horse ranch. I was at Carl Mile’s breeding barn on his ranch nearly as often as I was at my own barn. I never tired of watching Joker B and Carl’s other horses.

Sometimes I took friends and relatives to look at Carl’s horses. If he knew I was coming, he would be at the barn to talk about the horses and answer questions. He seemed to enjoy this greatly.

Carl Miles was the man who promoted Joker B and kept him at the forefront of the public eye. He was the man who made the name Joker B become a household word among Appaloosa breeders and others in the horse industry. The name Carl Miles will forever be linked with the great stallion, Joker B.

Joker B was the unexpected result of 52 years of planned breeding by Jack and Dan Casement at their ranch in northern Colorado. Blue Vitrol, a blue roan mare the Casements had purchased from Coke Roberds produced a foal with a loud blanket on his hips. The Casements were in the Quarter Horse business. Spotted horses were not welcome at that time in the Quarter Horse world. The sire of this spotted colt was Red Dog – P-55 in the fledgling Quarter Horse Stud Book. Blue Vitrol provided the Appaloosa influence for her foal. Vitriol’s dam was a mare named Leopard. Leopard was by the great Quarter Horse foundation sire, Old Fred.

There have been all kinds of rumors floating around concerning Joker B that simply are not true. One rumor is that Joker B was a registered Quarter Horse until he spotted out. Not so. He hit the ground with an Appaloosa blanket on his hips and spots. He was registered with the American Quarter Racing Association. This organization was not a breed registry. It was a Registration for racing purposes only. Joker B’s owner at this time was Lee Berry of Barstow, California. The American Quarter Racing Association was later merged into the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) as was the old National Quarter Horse Registry.

I was asked by Carl Miles to set up a table for book signing at his Fifth Annual Horse Sale in November of 1965 at the West Texas Fairgrounds in Abilene. At the end of this sale, the great stallion Joker B was to be sold. Carl Miles also announced that he would give away a Joker B. Colt by means of a drawing at that sale.

I arrived at the Fair Grounds early to set up the display of my book, Horses & Horseman which displayed the famous Darol Dickinson painting of Joker B on the cover. After I got my table set up a registration table for the drawing for the colt give away was set up.

Now it is logical that anyone as obsessed with Joker B as I was would own a Joker B offspring or at the very least a desire to own one. I will have to admit that the desire was very strong. I had never been lucky in drawings and contest and my luck did not change that day. I have heard it said that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but I sure got close that day.

I was the first person in line to get a ticket for the drawing. My friend Max Polen walked to the registration table with me. A lady handed me two tickets. I looked at them and noted that they were number one and number two. I kept number two and as I handed number one to my friend, I said, “Max, you take this one and I will keep number two.”

At the time of the drawing, the winning ticket was number one. My friend had won the Joker B. Colt. He had no knowledge of horses or interest in horse ownership. He in turn sold the colt to another good friend and associate at the Abilene Police Department, J.V. “Junior” Trammell. Trammel had a ranch near Aspermont that became the colt’s new home.

*During the bidding, Carl Miles made an announcement. He stated that he would be willing to sell Joker B into syndication. In his announcement Carl stated that this old horse could still be used to rope calves at age 25. I was present when the great stallion on November 20, 1965 sold for $26,500.00, a very high price for a 25 year old horse, to a four man syndicate. Carl Miles was a member of that syndicate. The great stallion died on July 13, 1966.

*Foot Note:
Only the parties to the transaction know the complete details. Jack Ryan of Corpus Christi, Texas is the person who made the purchase. At the time he was President of the Texas Appaloosa Horse Club. When the smoke cleared, so to speak, there was four man syndication. The syndicate consisted of Jack Ryan, Frank Harlock Jr., and John Lyle as well as Carl Miles. My personal opinion is that Carl Miles just could not completely give up the old stallion that had served him so well.
September 28 2005, JBW












Looking Back by J. Bryan Wasson
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J. Bryan Wasson
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Free Roaming Horses

By J. Bryan Wasson

Many people have not had the opportunity to observe Mustangs in the wild first hand. I have had the opportunity to view Mustangs in captivity at a Bureau of Land Management sale during my assignment by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the state of South Carolina. I also have had the opportunity to look at some fine animals owned by people who adopted Burros from the Bureau of Land Management. I also, had the opportunity, thanks to Uncle Sam to observe a heard free roaming horses on Federal land owned by the U.S. Government. I had the opportunity to observe this heard of horses over an extended period of time and very close up.

During the Korean War, I was serving in the United States Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Thanks to a run in with my First Sergeant, my tour of duty at Kirtland became very interesting. When a low ranking enlisted man (I had either two or three stripes on my sleeve at the time) in military service has a disagreement with his First Sergeant, the odds are that the First Sergeant will win the encounter. Following such an unpleasant encounter with my first Sergeant, he told me, “from now on you can consider yourself, “Mister TDY.” TDY in military and Federal Civil Service means temporary duty away from your home duty station. I soon found myself to be a part of nearly every TDY mission that came up. The only thing that kept me from being assigned to more such missions is the fact that it is impossible to be assigned to two TDY missions at the same time.

The story I wish to tell at this time was a mission that was classified as Top Secrete. I have reason to believe and do believe that parts or possibly all aspects of this Operation have been declassified. Not knowing for sure, however, I will not disclose the name of the Operation, the nature of the Operation or the location. I can safely say that the Operation took place in the southwest part of the United States on land owned and controlled by the U.S. Government. There were free roaming horses on this land. I do not know if they were Mustangs or feral horses that had escaped or were turned loose to the wild. I should also add that Mustangs are in fact feral horses that are descendants of horses brought to North America by early Spanish explorers.

I suspect this heard was a mixture of true Mustangs and domestic horses turned feral that for one reason or another found themselves in the wild. This belief is the fact that the horse that seemed to be the leader of the band appeared to be a gelding. There is, however, the possibility that the horse was a stallion that was a monorchid or a creptorchid.

This horse stood out “like a sore thumb” in this band. He was larger than the rest. I estimate him at 15 hands. He was sorrel with a flaxen main and tail and had four white stocking legs and a blaze face, He was a beautiful animal.

There was a spring fed pond where the horses watered daily. Someone had either captured or attempted to capture some of these horses. I know this from the fact that a pole corral had been built around the pond. There was a pole gate. The gate was open with the poles lying on the ground. The condition of the fence indicated to me that it had been there for a very long time. The horses indicated no fear of this fence. They were quiet used to it.

I created a salt lick for the horses by pouring table salt on a flat rock near the pond. I want to tell you that I had to open a lot of the salt packets found in C rations to put a significant amount of salt on these flat rocks. I did this for purpose of creating additional opportunities to observe the horses.

One very moonlight night I was at the right place, down wind of the horses, at the right time. The horses entered the pole corral. I watched them for a while, then eased up and slowly put up the poles on the pole gate. Now to tell you the truth, I don’t know what in the cat hair I would have done with these horses if I had captured them.

The big sorrel was first. He sailed over that pole fence like a deer. The remainder of the heard followed him. It sure was a beautiful sight to behold and I sure would like to have had a camera at the time.

As soon as the horses had galloped out of sight, I removed the poles from the gate and left it open. In fact, I believe I threw the poles in order to make it more difficult for some one else to attempt capture of these horses in the future.

This TDY mission was one that I truly enjoyed as were many other such TDY assignments. It would never have been possible to observe these free roaming horses at close range, if I had not had a serious disagreement with my First Sergeant who punished me by appointing me “Mister TDY.“

September 25, 2003, JBW
Note this article has previously been published in The Brayer, Official publication of the American Donkey and Mule society.

Dale & Martha Cox

By J. Bryan Wasson

It was December, 1972. I had accepted the position of Chief of Police in Bowie, Texas. The plan was for me to move to Bowie and batch for a while; Shirley and the girls remained in Midland until the end of the current School Christmas break. Earlier in the month, Shirley and I made a trip to Bowie to bring some of the necessities of life and to locate a place for me to stay while I was about the business of house hunting.

We learned that Mrs. Moody on Strong Street owned rent property and might have a vacancy. We crossed the railroad from Wise street to locate Strong Street. It was Second Monday Week end and it was difficult to find a parking place near Mrs. Moody’s house due to the parked cars. It looked as if we were in a big city. The first words out of Mrs. Moody’s mouth were related to the Second Monday traffic and the words were not kind.

I rented a small house from Mrs. Moody that was located behind her house. There were a number of other apartments and small houses on the property. I moved in to the little house and Shirley returned to Midland to await the end of the School year. Things started out great, but the weather changed and became extremely cold.

One of the first places of business that I was drawn to was Gibson’s Discount Store. My uncle, Robert Sterling, who had lived with us during my childhood in Abilene, had started working For Gibson’s while he had been in high school. He had become Manager of two Gibson stores then promoted to the Corporate Headquarters in Seagoville, Texas. He later owned three Gibson Stores and was a good friend of the Strike family who owned the Bowie store and other Gibson stores. I had come close to growing up in a Gibson store so I guess it was sort of a natural attraction.

One of the first people I met in that Gibson store was a hairy legged guitar picker named Dale Cox. I did not know he was a guitar picker at the time, however.

It was getting cold in Bowie, Texas and my wife was in Midland. I was therefore getting cold and hungry and nearly getting burned out on Dairy Queen hamburgers. I was very happy when Dale invited me to the Gibson Christmas party. It was a chance to get food other than hamburgers. At the Christmas party, I met Dale’s wife Martha. I immediately made friends with Dale and Martha.

It was at this Christmas party that I learned Dale was a guitar player. He had a Yamaha guitar and was part of the entertainment at the party. I enjoyed the fellowship and the food at the Christmas party. It was not long before Dale and Martha invited me to another Christmas party. I think it was the Chamber of Commerce that was having this party. It was not long before a lot of people in Bowie were inviting the new Chief of Police to a lot of Christmas parties. This was fine with me. I don’t make a very good bachelor. Bologna sandwiches and hamburgers are the main stays of my diet when my wife is not around; therefore these Christmas parties were a life saver for me.

As December progressed, the north wind started blowing and it got much colder. A Texas blue norther came in. That little house on Strong Street was not very well insulated. The wind blew in through the cracks and even the cracks had cracks. The water froze up and I could not even take a bath. I decided to start looking for a permanent place to live.

I located Mrs. Major on Lindsay Street. She owned a number of rent houses. She had a very nice frame house directly across the street from her home that would soon be vacant. She told me that she had someone on her list of possible tenants that she planned to rent the house to. After she listened to my sad story, I think she started feeling sorry for me. She said, “I think that you need a place to live worse than these other folks I had in mind.” She rented the house at 704 Lindsay to me.

I moved into the house where we remained until we purchased a house out on highway 101. I was still “batching” and it was still cold, but there was heat in the house and I had running water. Larry King, who had been Acting Chief of Police, loaned me a bed frame and a mattress. We had brought sheets, a pillow, blankets and a quilt from Midland. I was in good shape.

Gordon Heard offered to loan me a refrigerator, but I declined his kind offer. There were some shelves in the attached garage. I just used the garage for a refrigerator. The only problem with that arrangement was that the milk froze solid a couple of times. I would have to bring it in the house and thaw it out before I could drink it.

When Shirley and the girls arrived in Bowie, my batching days were over for the time being. Dale and Martha Cox become our closest friends in Bowie. We consider them to be our first Bowie friends.

We spent much time in the Cox home and Dale and Martha spent much time at the Wasson house. I had a Gibson Hummingbird guitar, Dale had his Yamaha and while the wives were talking about what ever it is that women talk about, Dale and I were in the living room, “picking and grinning.” It was hard for us to get serious about our music because we spent much time just having fun and acting goofy. We developed this thing that we called, “our song.” We would each get two or three frets off the proper place and just start doing chords and making runs between the chords. We would not even start at the same fret. If Dale started out with a G chord on the wrong fret, I started out with a C chord on a different wrong fret. It sounded horrible, but it was fun. We even did this when we were entertaining at some function that was supposed to be in a somewhat serious mode. I had no idea that anyone else would ever come up with such a thing. However, not long ago, I was watching TV and a very well known professional musician did exactly that same thing. I am not sure, but I believe it was Roy Clark.

Dale and I became sort of an entertainment group. We entertained for the Rotary Club, the Lions Club and the Kiwanis Club. We were part of every annual Bowie Band Show. If some one wanted guitar pickers, we were it. I remember playing for some event that was conducted in what was then known as The Administration Building at Pelham Park. This is building is now known as The Bowie Senior Citizens Center. A stage was set up at the back of the building where the kitchen is now located.

Shirley has always said that I take better care of my Gibson Hummingbird guitar than I do her. Things like starting the car and let it warm up on a cold night before putting the guitar in the car. Things like starting the car and turning the air conditioner on to let the car cool off before putting the guitar in the car. Things like always wiping the guitar and the strings down carefully after playing it.

I remember when my Gibson Hummingbird got its’ first two scratches. Dale and I were playing for some event. A flat bed trailer had been pulled in next to the building to use as a stage. It was at the old school building that is now the Administration Building for the Bowie Independent School District. We were about to take a break. I put my guitar in the case and I did not do a very good job of placing it. The latches on the lid of the case were open. I closed the lid and “bang”, the latches dug into the top of my guitar and it had earned its’ first two battle scars.

Dale later joined a Southern Gospel singing group called, “The Journeymen.” At the time the only guitar he had was the Yamaha dreadnought acoustic. He needed an electric guitar. I had a cheap Japanese made solid body electric guitar that I had purchased during the time we lived in Hamlin. I loaned this guitar to Dale. He used it for two or three years before purchasing an electric Gibson Simi-hollow body.

In 1986, I went to work as a Special Agent/Safety Investigator for the U.S. Department of Transportation. We came back to Bowie on vacation each year. One of the first places we went was Dale and Martha’s house. At the Cox house it was necessary to do a little guitar playing and singing. I did not bring a guitar home with me, but Dale always had a house full of guitars. He had even acquired a Gibson Hummingbird while we were gone.

I was always asked to sing at First Baptist Church in Bowie when we came home for vacation. Sometimes there was a guitar available, but not always. On one occasion, Dale was working his present job out of state. Martha loaned me Dale’s Gibson electric guitar for that occasion.

After 6 years in South Carolina, we were transferred to Arkansas. I retired from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1996. We remained in Arkansas until Shirley could draw her Social Security. We returned to Bowie in August of 1999.

Due to Dale’s job, we do not get together as often as I would like but, maybe he will retire one of these days and we can do lots of “picking and grinning.”