White Deer Review (White Deer, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 28, 1940 Page: 3 of 14
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WHITE DEER REVIEW, White Deer, Carson County, Texas
Thursday, November 28, 1940
For the support and
loyalty of the patrons
of the White Deer
Independent School
District schools
We Are Thankful
School District
Came Here on Honeymoon,
Liked and Stayed 35 Years
John Gores Is No Drug Store Cowboy
By Mrs. Marsene S. Weaks
There is an. old saying to the
effect that after a person wears
out one pair of s hoes on the
Plains, he is never happy any oth-
ftr place. IWhat, then, happens to
a man who has spent nearly a
half-century on the Plains and
most of that. time in a saddle?
His blood is veritably imbued
with the love of the Plains and
his face is a page on which is
written the frank smile and the
glowing hospitality- of his own
Such a man is John Morris
Gores, who resides some six miles
north of White Deer.
Mr. Gores was born at Holley,
Colorado, on August 4, 1874. Lat-
er the family home was Grenada,
Colorado. His father, who was a
carpenter and contractor, had
come to America from Germany
as a child of eleven. His mother,
whose surname was Keo, was born
in New York. The elder Mr. and
Mrs. Gores had eight children, all
of whom are still living.
While John Gores was still a
child, only eleven years old, he
followed the only course then op-
en to a lad living in the environs
of Grenada; he became a cowboy.
At Ghat time Grenada was the end
of the Santa Ee and many cattle
were shipped from there.
Mr. Gores’ first job was as a
horse herder on the X Y Ranch,
which was owned by Fred Har-
vey, the owner of the Harvey
houses on the Santa Fe Line.
Since there were no fences in
that part of Colorado, Mr. Gores
herded cattle as far away as Elk-
hart, Kansas.
Approximately ten thousand
head of cattle were on the X Y
Ranch. There were a cross be-
tween Durham, Longhorn, and
W^ite Face.
The X Y Ranch raised its own
horses. Cleveland Bays were bred
with English four mile racing
horses, which resulted in long-
winded, big horses.
In 1893 Mr. Gores, dissatisfied
with the opportunities of his own
neighborhood and believing that
would a cowman of today give for
such grasslands! There were so
many wolves on the L X that one
man with a pack of dogs Avas kept
busy running wolves.
Most old timers are of the
opinion that the weather is not
as severe now as it was on the
►astures, left home to join an old
r brother who was working on
he L X Ranch in Potter County.
Ir. Gores made the three hundred
lile trip on horseback, riding
;rom ranch to ranch where he
rould camp for the night.
r2?he L X Ranch in Potter Coun-
y was oAvned by an English eom-
,any. This is more evidence that
he Plains were developed by
nglish companies that were will-
lg and anxious to invest money
Plains some forty years ago. In
the winter of 1910 Mr. Gores and
a friend left the headquarters of
the L X Ranch to go to White
Deer. The snow was knee deep,
and the thermometer was hover-
ing around zero. As the men, on
horseback, came over a little rise,
they saw approximately two hun-
dred ducks lighted on the snow.
What Westerner could resist the
temptation to take a shot? Mr.
Gores dismounted, handing the
reins of his horse to his compan-
ion. As the gun Avent off Avith a
thunderous noise, the companion
was throAVn from his horse and
off went both horses, leaving the
tAvo men stranded several miles
from town. The Avalk back to town
will always linger in Mr. Gores’
mind, and he is convinced that
the winter of 1910 was one of the
coldest on the Plains.
As Mr. Gores rode the range,
working out of the Grapevine
Camp, he Avould keep his slippers
tied to his saddle. If night caught
him far from camp, he would
head for some dance. These dan-
ces were announced for weeks in
advance so that the neAvs would
get to the ranches and camps. A
dance would start at sundown
and often last until ten o’clock
the next morning. Food was fur-
nished at any hour of the night.
Often bachelors would enter-
tain in their oAvn houses. The avo-
men would bring covered dishes
apd a married couple was asked
to be host and hostess.
Try to visualize, if you can,
the old fiddlers tapping their
feet and the caller crying out:
“Do-ce your partner!
Do-ce your corner!
Do-ce your partner!
And promenade your corner-”
Such dances were talked about
for Aveeks and new ones planned.
The evening was spent doing the
polka, the schottisehe, or the
L1UUXUUUU ---o ---- i-----7 ... . ..
grass was greener in other more dignified waltz. The caller
here they might expect large re-
irns on their investment.
The L X Ranch had been start-
might yell:
‘‘Same old boy and a brand
neAV girl
DoAvn the center and around
they Avhirl”
and the dancers were off again.
On such an occasion Mr. Gores
met the woman who was to be-
come his partner for the rest of
his life. The “same old boy” was
John Gores but the “brand-neAV
girl” was Emma Reimer. They
met at a dance at Brtb Cannon’s,
the new region of the West ten miles west of Old Plemons.
in Coloi’ado on the Arkansas131, 1907.
Shortly after, on an Easter Sun-
day, the couple Avas united in
marriage at Plemons on March
iver by Bates and Beals. They
id moved it to Hotter County in
le early ’80’s and later sold it
> the American Pastoral Compa-
7 i»i England. The ranch was un-
priced and was approximately
lirty by fifty miles in size.
During the eight years that Mr.
ores worked for the L X outfit,
lere were three bosses—one man
7 the name of Clark, Henry
arding, and HarrisOn Smith. A
r. Holycott Avas the manager,
he ranch lands of the L X
covered with grass knee-
grass that was nutritious
fifteen thousand head of
oaming is ranges. What
The couple came to White Deer
on a honeymoon and stayed to
found a home there. Mr. Gores
became a Avagon boss on a ranch
that Avas owned by Erasmus Wil-
son and A1 Popham. These tAvo
men raised cattle in the Davis
Mountains and shipped the year-
lings to White Deer. The cattle
were kept here until they Avere
four or five years -old and then
shipped to Kansas for fattening.
Wilson and Popham ran the
brand TJ.
They leased three or four hun-
dred sections of land from the
White Deer Land Company. They
also had other leases nearby. Mr.
Thankful
t we are able to serve you through
i and sleet.
YOUR HOME DAIRY .
rimes gm?lka” Dairy
E. H. Grimes :
Popham bought out the Wilson
interests. When Mr. Popham
died, most of the ranch Avas left
to Francis Popham, who now liv*
es in Amarillo. Mr. Gores is of
the opinion that the Popham fam-
ily still owns a ranch in the Da-
vis Mountains.
After the death of Mr. Popham,
the leases around White Deer
were given up and Fred Gantz
and Henry Shafer bought the
land from the White Deer Land
Company.
When Mr. and Mrs. Gores first
came to White Deer, the town was
sparsely settled. The store was
owned by a Mr. Hughes, Avho soon
sold out to a Mr. BagAvell. J. C.
Jackson, present judge of Carson
County, bought the store from
Mr. Bagwell and Avas a merchant
in iWhite Deer for almost a quar-
ter of a century. The post office
was in the store.
The lumber yard Avas managed
by a |M]r. Raymond.
The one-room school was
taught by Miss Mandy Simpson
of Canadian.
Mr. and Mrs. Gores moved to
their present location six miles !
north of White Deer in 1917. j
There they farm and raise cattle. I
They are the parents of ten child- J
ren, three of Avhom are married. !
Even though the trials of half- |
a-century have passed, Mr. and ;
Mrs. Gores are still young at,
heart and are able to go to their |
hearts’ content.
The sounds of the old fiddler’s 1
feet tapping on the floor and the
caller chanting to the dancers are
still full of appeal for them. Each
spring, when Pampa holds its
Top O’ Texas Fiesta, they heed
the call and may be seen doing
an old time square dance.
Mother—Johnnie, dear, I was
hoping you would be unselfish
enough to give your little sister
the largest piece of candy. Why,
even the old hen will give all the
nicest dainties to her little chicks
and take only a tiny one once in
a while for herself.
Johnnie (after watching the old
hen a while)—Well, mom, I’d do
the same thing if it was worms.
Thanks a Million
Your patronage has been appreciated.
We like to serve you
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Simmons, W. W. White Deer Review (White Deer, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 28, 1940, newspaper, November 28, 1940; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth871932/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Carson County Library.