The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, January 3, 1986 Page: 1 of 4
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SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, FRIDAY ^N. 3, 1986.
4 PAGES - 25 CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
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-News-Telegram Aerial Photo by Richard Hail
Wagon train is offhand rolling
two yehrs to plan and organize and
will loop the state, ending in Fort
Worth ip six months. . .,:
The histone wagon train, thought
a lorie. late starting wagon from0 up by Hopkins County resident Jan
Bf BOBBY BURNFY
mmIMICMAEL pelrine
News SljM
Kentucky, seemingly symbolic of
Texas' lone star image arurhuxture
of cultures, raced across the down-
town square to catch the procession
of approximately 100 other Texas
Sesquicentennial Wagon Train
vehicles that had passed there
moments before, thousands of local
residents and visitors waved goodbye
to a phenomenon that took more than
France two years ago and mastered
by her husband'Garry, got off to a
rousing start Thursday morning as
Gov. Mark White, Mayor David
Bauconn and the Frances rode the
lead wagon out of town through
streets lined with onlookers.
The procession, the longest wagon
train in history., moved quicker than
anticipated in the brisk but clear
January weather, taking less than an
hour for the' 100 wagons-and hundreds
of riders to move single-file past the
reviewing stand which was occupied
by state, city, and county officials.
Starting with Wednesday night’s
kick-off program at tht Civic Center,
the wagon train has brought
unequalled media attention to
Sulphur Springs. Dallas affiliates of
the big three national netw orks, NBC,
ABC, and CBS, were present Thur-
sday, as was a crew from KI.TV in
Tyler.
Both the Associated Press and
•United - Press International had
photographers and writers present,
and the AP photographer was in The
News-Telegram darkroom to process
film as soon as- the parade had made
„ it through the square.
Channel 4 in Dallas flew its
helicopter over Sulphur Springs
during the- parade, and News-
Telegram photographer Richard Hail
was flown over the parade in.a single
engine plane piloted by Sulphur
•Springs Police Sgt. Rex Morgan
Also accompanying the procession
in the air was the Texas State
headed up by the Hopkins County
Agriculture Workers Association and
hosted by several civic organizations
Wednesday night, ' there was a
program featuring the "Come and
Take It" Cannon, which fired what is
considered the first shot to start the
Texas Revolution in 1835 at Gonzales.
Another deafening shot was fired,
this time to mark the start of the
Sesquicentennial celebration, as Dr
Pat Wagner, the cannon's owner,
urged the crowd to remember the
Alamo, remember Goliad, remember
added that the Sesqicentennial should
"renew the volunteer and pioneer
spirit of Texans everywhere.”
Baucom agreed, saying, "The
wagon train presents a very unique
opportunity for the entire state to
participate in the celebration.”
Hopkins County Judge Wayne Scott
congratulated the participants and
workers. "This (the start of the
journey) will signify the culmination
6f months of hard work by a large
group of people," he said.
In particular, that group was
headed by the Frances who will be
leading the train for the six month
trek. Three of their children will be
San Jacinto, and remember the
Balloon? flying the state flag. The , immortal^men from Gonzales."
.state balloon had recently returned. Wagner explained that the shot
«from a trip to Europe, where it was fired at Gonzales started a war that going to school) on the wagon train’s
the first American hot air balloon to would eventually result in more than accredited one-room school house,
make a flight in Communist airspace. 1 million square miles of land being' and another will be an outrider for the
Follo.wing a stew and chili dinner acquired by the United States. Tie , procession.
•V.
Getting ready to hit the trail
l
If! A
.By KAREN SULLIVAN TURPEN
News Telegram Staff
—■ ’X ■■ , - \--
the Civic Center, trail riders shook
hands. and ' exchanged 1 hometown
. /
/
K-’T--
-1
I. A
and burned,
brewed and
I
*
Campfires crackled
bacon sizjled, coffee
horses were brushed and reached for
the long haul Thursday long before
the sim began to ftse. \ L .
Fy -be ready to roll by 9 a.m..
pariicipayits of the-Sesquicentennial
‘•1^'agon Train had to get an early start
ori the Ttrst day of Texas’ six-month’
spectular celebration^ of its 150th-
year r.
Under the’ dun lights of kerosene
intpm« 'sleepy- cowboys emerged
ft th-Sir
riders
names and professions, One -cowboy
said, “The greatest thing-about this
whole affair,, for me, is all the people
I’ve met and the friends I’ve made.”
Some came to' ride only a short
way, some plan to stay with the
wagon train the whole, six months all
the way across Texas.
, - Clarence, MilMron of Clyde and
Jerry Matsh^lf of Abilene said they
were gofhg to "take it in four, one-
week junyjs'. -
"Some people on thi£ ride are in-
lanterns
from the
recreational
dependent!)’ wealthy like Jerry
cowboys emerged bere," Milliron said, offering a wink
comforts of theifv wjth the statement, "but others, like
vehicles to make 'o^)jr
"a?*
\
A blast from f he past
Hopkins Cdinty Wagon Train participant’
Cletis Mtllsap, left, shares' a laugh with
Johnny Anderson, winner of the Wagon
Train Beard Growing Contest in thd'longest
and ugliest category, and Arnold Sanchez, of
Arnold's Texas Bar-B-Q iij Dallas, at thg
opening ceremony for the Sesquicentennial)
Wagon Train in the Hopkins Cdunty Civic
Center Wednesday night. '
« ■ Phot* By Rit hai <1 Ha
\ . v '■
search Tor a hot cup of coffee and
some breakfast to stock their energy-
reserves for a long day.of hard work
and hard riding
Son*- were lucky enough to have
good friends and family members
assisting them on the first da> like,
Joe Hoistead of. Hgrst whose son*
JcjtJ Hoistead of .A^ngton, came
alohg just to cook breakfast for his
father and (he rest of the WBAP radio
OW;
Throughout the campgrounds near/
Au
< oX
v.'lme, have to work tor a living. ’'
Kenny Taylor-of Sunset said he and
his wife, Carol, were going; to ride
horseback for the first 10 days
Several -participants seemed to
have the notion- that they might not
make it for the entire trip Preston
Giles said, We're gonna start out to
go - the whole way >. but only time will
tell how- far we’ll make it."
•i ,
"That's--it? y hopes and ex-
pectations." K K Kosk of Saltillo said
when asked if.he wn going for the
whole six-month ridg.
By the time the sun came up
Thursday, many horse and mule
teams were harnessed and^ready to
be" hitched to their respeejAe wagons,
television crews had^rrived i by
helicopter and, of course, many
spectators had gathered to cheer on
the riders in their preparations.
The vast amount of organization
and hard work that had gone into
planning the Wagon Traili was
evident, and preparations' ran like
clockwork as the many volunteers
made their -rounds on horseback
reminding the participants of the
time and what stages of preparation
thev should be in.
y -
Jeff .Shepherd of Dallas was one
such volunteer who identified himself
as an outrider in charge of a certain
fi umber of horseback riders “He rode .
through, the grounds reminding
people of their positions in the Wagon
train
On the other, side of the Civic Center
campgrounds, a huge hot-air balloon
bearing the name Texas'’ was being,
made ready for flight to lift off at the
beginning of the event , ’ .
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Keys, Clarke & Hillsamer, Dave. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, January 3, 1986, newspaper, January 3, 1986; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth775581/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.