Do you know ...

what this is?


I received a telephone call from Sean yesterday. He was in the Colorado City, Texas, area helping with a search and came across the above item. Sean called it a snake catching stick, but I'm at a loss as to what it is and how it is used.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Do you know ...

about these photos? Leave a comment if you have anything to add!


Chuck wagon of the Renderbrook Spade Ranch about 1900. Photo from Betty Orbeck Collection.

W. L. Ellwood, owner of the ranch, is shown sitting just to the left of the chuck wagon. Others in the picture are, from left to right: E. "Ching" Enyart, Sid Rowe, unidentified man, U. D. Wulfjen, John Lane (nearest camera), W. L. Ellwood, Perry Bracy (cook, standing at chuck box), Sig Lane and D. N. Arnett, manager of the ranch from 1891 to 1912.

It is interesting to note that Ellwood, the ranch owner, and J. F. Glidden, both of De Kalb, Illinois, were the inventors of barbed wire and manufactured the wire. Ellwood realized the possibilities of the cattle industry in Texas because of the great quantities of wire being shipped to Texas. So it was that he came to look the situation over for himself and bought the Renderbrook Spade Ranch in 1889.


"Come and Get It" -- Chuck time for an unidentified West Texas outfit, no date. Photo from Betty Orbeck Collection.


Spring branding at the Renderbrook Spade Ranch in Mitchell County, Texas about 1900. Photo from Betty Orbeck Collection.

At this time, Colonel Isaac Ellwood of Illinois owned the ranch, which took its name from Renderbrook Springs. Operations had begun on the ranch about 1878 when J. Taylor Barr built a two-room house of chittim poles, with a thatched roof of tules overhead and no floor. Barr sold out to the Snyder brothers in 1882 and in 1889 the ranch was bought by Colonel Ellwood who held part interest in the first patent to manufacture barbed wire in the United States.

Identified in the branding scene are Sam Moreland, Sid Rowe, U. D. Wulfjen, E. "Ching" Enyart (holding the calf's head), Sig Lane (holding the calf's feet), John W. Cathey, George Latty and an unidentified man.

Do you know ...

the story behind this photo?



For the past few days, I've been busy cataloguing our large photographic collection and came across this image today. Written on the back of the print is "Texon, Texas, Reagan County ca. 1926 - 1932 Texon Harmonica Band."

Whenever I come across an old image of people, particularly children, I have to stop and really look. I start to wonder about the people in the picture: Who are/were they? What were they like? What did think or do or believed? What do/would they think of now?

The image above brought up the same questions. Who were these kids, in their uniforms and hats, and shiny harmonicas? The two boys in the front hold a trophy. Did the group win a tournament? Who were the women on either side, also in their uniforms and hat, and the man in his pressed suit?

Does anyone know anything about this group? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or contact me at the Museum (432-683-4403).

Do you know ...

WHO IS THIS MAN?



Today I received an email from David R. LeMaster, Ed.D. Lt Colonel, USAF Retired who found the above image on the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas. (Visit the Portal here. The Petroleum Museum has almost 400 images available on the website.)

Lt. Col. LeMaster writes:

RE: Man with a Guitar (1947 at KECK Radio) Could the man with the guitar be the singer, Rusty Queen? Rusty's daughters (Yvonne and Barbara) went to school with me at East Elementary in Odessa. My father (A.B. Lemaster) was a friend of Ben Neddow, owner of KECK Radio. David R. LeMaster, Ed.D. Lt Colonel, USAF Retired

The Museum's records are a bit sketchy about this collection of photographs, so I am at a loss as to whether or not this is really Rusty Queen. Do you know? Leave a comment!