TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
Southwestern attraction
These RVers were enthralled by
the
beauty and history of a Texas state park
by ANTHONY F. and MARGUERITE BREDA
There’s a State Park in the Texas Hill Country that is very popular with campers, hikers and birders. It is located equidistant from Austin and San Antonio and, therefore, many campers find the park far enough to get away from it all, but not too far to get to.
Venturing into the past
During our first assignment at this park, I was asked to prepare and present a talk around the campfire on a Saturday night. The park, near Johnson City, has an interesting name: Pedernales Falls State Park. Not being a native Texan, I started to research the topic and came upon a stumbling block at the very beginning of my research. How do you pronounce Pedernales? The proper pronunciation of Pedernales quickly separates native Texans from all other visitors. The Spaniards said Pay-der-nah-laize. People from San Marcos in 1885 said Per-ron-alles. Former American president and Texan Lyndon Johnson pronounced it Purd-in-alice. Hispanic people say Ped-er-nales. The name in Spanish means flint, which is found in the rocks that characterize the riverbed.
Another stumbling block I discovered is where the hills came from. Much of Texas is flat (except for the far western part). So why are there hills in central Texas? In answering that question, I uncovered a considerable amount of history.
The Texas Hill Country forms the southern and eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau and runs through Austin. The Hill Country is part of the Balcones fault zone. Balcones means steps in Spanish, and erosion has exposed hard and soft layers of limestone, which on a close examination look like steps. About 200 million years ago, a mountain range spanned most of Texas. These were the Ouachita Mountains (pronounced Wash-a-taw). Erosion occurred and this allowed a shallow sea to advance and recede many times. This created a slimy ooze of calcium carbonate, which eventually formed limestone. Many different species of animals lived in this shallow, warm sea. About 100 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the islands in the shallow waters. Then, 70 million years ago, the sea completely withdrew and left swamps, while rivers transported sediment.
About 25 million years ago, the area around the Gulf of Mexico began to stretch or fault, due to the weight of the sediment deposited over time. More recently, geologically speaking—25 to 12 million years ago—the faulting process continued, with erosion of the soft limestone, which created the steps (balcones).
Once things calmed down in geologically sense, settlers came. The first settlers were the Lipan Apache Indians, followed by the Spaniards in the 1750s. Old stock Anglos from the southern states followed in the 1850s, along with Germans from New Braunfels in Saxony in 1854. Originally, the Germans settled in Cypress Mill, two miles north of the park. Anglos settled in the area that is now the park. John B. Wenmohs’ family immigrated in 1849. He moved to Cypress Mill in 1874, when he was 19, and hauled cypress trees to Fuchs’ Mill for $1 a day. (There will be more about this fellow later). Henry Wilson and Greene Calvin Wilson were the first permanent settlers in the park area. Mary Terry settled here with her children in 1874 and lived near the Wilsons. T.J. Trammell arrived in a wagon train with other families. All were old Anglo stock and the Trammell and Wilson families were interrelated.
 Ways of the old days
The early settlers established homesteads by building houses of wood, with stone foundations and chimneys, constructing stone fences and corrals and putting in crops. Being from the south, they extended a southern agricultural tradition by planting corn, cotton and tobacco, along with raising hogs, cattle and horses. They manufactured their own lime in kilns for use as mortar for their homes. They had large extended families and children lived at home until they were well into their 30s. In the mid-1870s, a schoolhouse was built on Greene Wilson’s tract for educational and religious instruction. A travelling Methodist preacher was hired to offer services.
Other settlers arrived in adjacent areas. C. (Fuchs) Goeth settled in Cypress Mill in 1854 and established a sheep ranch in 1867. Another Fuchs, William, opened a mill at Cypress Mill to grind corn in 1867. The Goeth and Fuchs families formed the nucleus of the German immigrant community.
These settlers used their land differently from today’s inhabitants. From 1870 to 1885, the landscape was very different to what one sees today. This area was a savannah, covered with tall native grasses (bluestem and hairy grama), interspersed with clumps of trees, which were concentrated in the river valleys and creeks. It was prairie land, with woods of post oak, cypress, hickory and pecan. There were plenty of stones for building and good grazing and crop lands. These were also very wet years, resulting in this area being called “the land of 1,000 springs.”
Winds of change
By 1887, the soil was black and sandy—ideal for growing cotton, tobacco and corn. Sheep, cattle and hogs were in abundance. However, shortly before 1890, the first serious drought occurred. Springs ran dry, and death and financial problems depopulated the land. Farming became very difficult. The Trammells stayed and expanded, but in 1900, they sold out to J.B. Wenmohs. The decline of the Pedernales Falls community reflected and anticipated general trends: crop farming gave way to ranching. A note nailed to a door of a Blanco County farmhouse during the drought of 1886 tells the story. The note reads as follows: “250 miles to Post Office.
100 miles to wood.
20 miles to water, but only six inches to Hell.
God bless our home.
Gone to live with wife’s folks.”
From 1890 to 1936, the history of the area revolved around one man, J.B. Wenmohs. He started out as a wagon driver carrying logs and lumber for Fuchs’ sawmill. He also drove cattle, served as a deputy sheriff and began to buy land in 1881. He was the first rancher in the county to use barbed wire. He had a close relationship with Carl and Ottille Goeth and married their eldest daughter, Louise, in 1884. In 1898, he began purchasing the surrounding properties in the area. He improved the properties and became one of the most prominent ranchers in Blanco County. He and Louise lived near Cypress Mill but he rode out every day to inspect his holdings. In 1922, they introduced sheep and goats.
During the Depression, times were very difficult. In 1932, the oldest son moved away with his family, and the Wenmohs’ Pedernales Ranch reverted to the now 77-year-old J. B. Wenmohs. He began looking for a buyer because “there was no one to take care of it.” In 1936, they sold the ranch to C.A. and Harriett Wheatley. With the sale came the end of an era.
The Wheatleys began the third phase of the Pedernales Falls saga. They met in Ohio and married in about 1917. They both enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. Early on, they invested in oil and struck it rich, twice. In 1926, they established a home in San Antonio. In 1930, they began looking for a ranch in the area and purchased the Wenmohs’ property. Their interest in fishing probably led them to this property, for the Falls had a good reputation. Shortly after purchasing the ranch, they began to make improvements to the property.
They built a road to the outside, a house (a “manse”), drilled wells, dug a cistern and installed fuel tanks to power generators for electricity. In early 1937, they stocked the ranch with 30 purebred Hereford cows and calves. The property was then renamed the Circle Bar Ranch. The cows were later replaced by steers and goats. They expanded existing paths and also continued to improve the land, creating a lake, Duck Lake, to attract waterfowl.
They allowed the ash juniper trees to grow unmolested in order to attract birds. Their intent was to turn the land into a nature preserve. They also fenced most of their property to keep out uninvited guests. However, their friends shared the beauty of this place, particularly the fishing for catfish, for it was common to pull in a 100-pound specimen from the pool below the falls.
As the Wheatleys grew older, they gave great thought to the future of their “paradise.” An initial attempt to literally give the property away to the state failed, and shortly after Mr. Wheatley died, Mrs. Wheatley sold the property to the state. Three years later, in 1971, the park opened, initially with primitive camping only.
Nature and culture
Today, there are 68 campsites—which can accommodate tents, pop-ups, trailers and motor homes comfortably—with water and electric hookups. All are well shaded and secluded, thanks to the juniper trees.
Visitors come to the park for many reasons. Some just drive through. Birders enjoy the bird blind, which enables them to sit in a shaded area and study the birds, and the seed-sharing mice, without disturbing them. Golden-cheeked warblers and the black-capped vireo can be seen. There are 20 miles of hiking trails, from easy strolls to more vigorous hikes. Part of the trail crosses a number of creeks, and even the river itself.
Backpackers can use the primitive camping area, while RVers and tenters camp in the more formal campground with water, electricity, restrooms and showers. Many people bring a horse or llama to ride the equestrian trail. Swimming, wading and tubing keep visitors cool. Children can watch the many deer that parade nearby. Lastly, the views from almost anywhere are spectacular, as are the views on the road leading into and out of the park. Most impressive are the views from the top of Wolf Mountain.
Nearby, there are plenty of attractions: antique shops, Lavender Hill, a wine-tasting circuit and a safari park. For admirers of former U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson, there are two attractions: LBJ’s boyhood home and the LBJ Ranch. Information on opening times and directions can be obtained at the visitor centre located between Blanco and Johnson City on Highway 281.
Anthony and Marguerite Breda are full-time RVers who enjoy volunteering at state parks and national wildlife refuges throughout the U.S.
|
CATCH OF THE DAY: Parents and their children can take advantage of the park’s rewarding options for fishing. 