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May 9, 2010
WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES by Virginia Scott MUSEUM HAPPENINGS Busy week with book projects progressing well. We are packaging the stories and shipping them to the publishers. We are now focusing on completing stories about our county, businesses, organizations, etc. If you know a story about an old business or a new one that hasn't been submitted give us a call. Denise Carter delivered her exhibit on Wednesday. It is a brilliant and colorful collection. Her art is full of beautiful images. It is also very environmental friendly. She recycles cardboard boxes as her canvas. Please plan to come see her art. It is worth the trip. If you have a collection you would like to share, give us a call we are in need of collection to display in two of our cases. Jewelry, dishes,toys, cards, books, scrapbooks, matches. You name and collect it. We want to display it. If your children collect dolls, etc. Make the summer fun by sharing your collection with us. HISTORICAL MUSINGS Several weeks ago, a story by Benton W. Phillips told to EJ Phillips appeared in the Booker News about a swimming hole outside of Darrouzett. This story was enjoyed and discussed by a lot of Lipscomb County people bringing up stories of their own about ole swimming holes in the county. Harry Zollars recorded one such pond in his column "Memories of the Old Home Town" which he wrote for the Higgins News. In this column, he told of a pond constructed by E.C. Gray about a mile from Higgins 'in a small canyon below a fine spring of sweet water'. Mr. Gray constructed a dam of clay earth thickly faced with native stones and when the spillway was flowing the water at the dam was about six or eight feet deep. This became a favorite swimming, diving, floating,etc. for all the children in and around Higgins. The pond also provided a winter skating rink, and the frozen water flowing down from the large spring afforded a coasting area which carried the skaters across the ice to the far side. Mr. Gray stocked the pond with carp with instruction that there would be no fishing. Local boys could not resist trying to catch the fish with their hands. Mr. Zollars relates the story of Commodore Hopper who yelled to his friends for help, stating that he had a "great big one" and was having difficulty getting it from a large crevasse. Clyde Patton and Pete Jenkins swam to where Commodore was struggling with his fish chin-deep in water. Just as the two boys reached the spot Commodore gave a big heave, calling out that he had the big fish, leaned backward and heaved it out. Holding it aloft but only for a few seconds. His fish proved to be a huge water moccasin snake, his hold being near its head with his left hand and his right about half way down its length. Clyde and Pete dived deeply as with a wild yell Commodore heaved the squirming reptile up and over the dam. All the boys swam quickly to the bank and the poisonous snake was dispatched with well thrown rocks. There was no more carp sought among the stones of the dam. With summer almost here, where are our swimming holes of today. |
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