Adventure in Coryell County

Adventure in Coryell County

When Pat and I wish for "high adventure," we go for a drive in the country. On our last drive, we packed enough clothing for several days and then decided which direction we might wish to go -- with no destination in mind. Since Houston was under water, the easy choice was west. We got away bright and early at about 10:30 AM, drove slowly on country roads, stopped frequently for snacks, lunch and whatever. As we approached Gatesville, we decided that we were tired and checked in to the Holiday Inn Express.

We were told that the Coryell County Courthouse in Gatesville is the second most beautiful in Texas -- second only to the one in Waxahachie. But, the locals in Coryell County know full well that their own courthouse is best.

Well, London, Paris, and Rome may be great tourist attractions -- but Gatesville is the Spur Capital of Texas, if not the world.

We were delighted to find the Coryell Museum and Historical Center in Gatesville and spent several hours wandering through the displays.

A fellow named Lloyd Mitchell started his collection of spurs and established a reputation as a fine collector of spurs so that other folks would send him spurs to add to his collection. The centerpiece of the museum is the Spur Collection.

He even collected spurs from some well-known folks like Pancho Villa and Jackie Kennedy.

A little fine Texas art doesn't hurt.

A few of spurs in Mitchell's collection -- that he donated to the museum.

One of our major finds in the Museum sales area, was this map of a couple of tours that can be taken in Coryell County

Having nothing planned for the next couple of days, we bought this two-CD set of driving instructions and local history that we could play while we drove the recommended routes. Now, this was our kind of "high excitement."

Nap Time in the Shade

Much of the route was on small, country roads where we crossed through some rough cedar breaks, then open, green prairie pastures containing cattle, horses, deer and exotic animals. We found many small towns like Pancake, Turnersville, Coryell City, Oglesby, Leon Junction, Ireland, Evant, Bee House, Pearl, King and Pidcoke. Many of these towns were in some stage of decline and Fort Gates and Grove were ghost towns. To stay fresh, we parked our car and took a nap. The above photo depicts our napping spot under a shady walnut tree by the St. John's Lutheren Church near Coryell City. This area was settled by German immigrants and grew lots of cotton back in the 1920's or so.

Grove city ghost town.

We drove through Mother Neff State Park that has suffered badly from floods of the Leon River in recent years. The have solved the flooding problem by building a new office, roads and camping areas on higher ground. 

This tour took two full days and we ended at Copperas Cove. OK, maybe the tour was not really "high excitement," but it was fun and our kind of enjoyment.

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