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Published: November 23rd 2012
The cartoons of yesteryear included one called “Pecos Bill.” While in Pecos, Texas we visited the museum and found out there really was a Pecos Bill cowboy. There was also a Tom Duncan! (I’ve included a picture from 1869. You can judge if there is a resemblance.) The town of Pecos was once a thriving cantaloupe farming area but today is almost a ghost town, except for the oil roughnecks. We stayed at an Escapee RV park with very few of us Escapees and almost all oil contractors.
Taking our time traveling west after a 7,000 mile summer it feels good to just camp-out for a while. We took a day to visit Fort Davis, elevation 4,900’. The mountain pass is called "Wild Rose Pass." Settlers took it to avoid the flooding which occurred periodically on the lower Indian trail. We were quite surprised to see red and yellow roses blooming along side the highway.
Fort Davis is an amazing part of our wild-west history that we were never taught in school. The fort protected settlers moving to California from 1854 to 1861. It was abandoned during the Civil War when Texas seceeded from the Union.
In 1867
one of two all-black regiments, newly commissioned by Congress, reoccupied the fort . The soldiers were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Comanche’s, and Apaches, partly because they were fierce and brave adversaries. The men stationed here found it one of the most pleasant posts in the West. Very little actual Indian fighting went on. Hunting, fishing and baseball games broke up the monotony of the day. We saw remains of the road traveled from El Paso to San Antonio (precursor to U.S. Interstate I-10.) The post hospital and enlisted men’s barracks are remarkably preserved. A major role was played here in the settlement of the western frontier.
From Pecos we traveled on to Deming, NM (another Escapee RV Park.) This is another town left behind by the poor economy. Still, the beauty of the mountains and the night sky filled with shooting stars is worth the stop. We will be in Casa Grande, Arizona for Thanksgiving. (Be sure to scroll beyond the ads below to see all the pics.) Blessings, ya’ll.
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Great Train Race
Cheryl Reid
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TOM DUNCAN
I think the old photo bears a striking resemblance to the current Tom Duncan. MIGHT be a relative?? Nice pix & a great stop in Pecos. We did Deming & Casa Grande on our way east last month- missed you by a bit. We are in FL for the winter- now at Orlando TT til TH, then down to Fiesta Key ROD. We have a week in there, go to Flamingo for a week, then back to Fiesta Key for our 2nd week. Back to OTT after that. It looks good on Google Earth, so we hope for the best & plan to paddle & fish. Hugs to you, Bruce & Cheryl