texploration
Adventurer
In the mid 1700's, the upper Red River Valley was dominated by a once thriving Wichita Indian population. Violent clashes with Spanish and Mexican explorers as well as the destruction of the white man brought in the form of disease decimated this once proud civilization. Three hundred years have passed since the Taovaya Wichita met the crippling fate at Spanish Fort that would expel them further South to be absorbed and aided by the Southern Comanches.
Though the sands of time have fallen, this is not apparent visually when one wanders into the twisting low-land dominated by high timber and sagebrush. We shoved off from Gainesville at o-dark-thirty and made our way West. This route follows gravel and dirt county/FM roads from Gainesville (keeping South of Myra) zig-zagging cattle-run cropland and piney woods into the best kept secret: Muenster, TX. Muenster, as it's name would suggest is very reminiscent of a Bavarian Village with the architecture and deco-styling to boot. (Be sure to visit Fischer's Meat Market to pickup your authentic Bratwurst among many other German specialties.)
The road out of Muenster is where the gold really shines through the ore. The ascent into the ancient hills carved by the many tributaries into the Red River Valley on FM 677 breathes memories of grass huts and cattle drives with it's unspoiled lush green scenery. It was on this road, we discovered Illinois Bend. Boasting a post office and a population of three hundred by 1885, this sleepy sawmill community was plagued by the proximity to the Indian and Oklahoma territories. The twofold bypass of the railroads sealed the fate as the Illinois-bred Texans migrated further South. Today, the church, school, and former Sinclair gas station can be seen in all their glory.
We voyaged on to Spanish Fort and investigated the former business district and high school. The hardware store is unlocked and free to explore as is the gas station next door to it. Bands of resident dogs flooded us with welcoming affection the second we opened the doors.
The high school is now gated and from what we could tell, owned by the farm directly adjacent to it. This would be a wonderful place I would like to revisit and be granted entry.
From Spanish Fort, we ventured further West bypassing the main road in favor of the scenic route. This turned out to be the best decision we made the entirety of the trip. This road, running parallel to FM 103 ran straight through a sleepy cattle ranch. Though the recent rains had turned the "road" to a sludgy mud pit, we crossed the first cattle guard and realized we were in for a treat. In this moment, 70-80 head of cattle decided we were the most interesting bright blue thing they had seen in awhile.
Departing the cattle run took us into Belcherville. Unfortunately, the little that is left of the smallest unincorporated community in Texas is behind fences blazed with No Trespassing signs. We snapped some quick shots of what we could access and ventured on into Nocona for lunch and a stop off at the Nocona Boot Factory for some trinkets.
Thanks for reading!
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