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July 18, 2010
WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES by Virginia Scott MUSEUM HAPPENINGS It was a busy week, Georgia and I enjoyed our trip to Amarillo for a workshop on Strategic Planning. These workshops sponsored by the Texas Historical Commission and Texas Association of Museums provide education for small museums and also a time we can network together and share ideas. It is always fun and educational to see other museum people and learn from experts in the field. Wednesday was both productive and a near missed disaster. We had apparently overloaded a shelf in the archives. Several of our team was working in the area and the shelf collapsed sending them out of the room in a hurry. One described their look as pale and eyes like "a deer's in the headlights". Luckily no one was hurt but we will be ordering new shelving and rearranging the collection to ensure our safety. This weekend was also the third Saturday of July. We were open prior to the dance for early arrivals to town. As usual the town was fun of visitors. On Sunday, we received a collection of vintage clothing from the E.B. Roberts family. It is the wedding traveling clothing of Mrs. Roberts. The family is from Higgins. The dresses are beautiful and I am sure we will be displaying them soon. HISTORICAL MUSINGS After the Amarillo workshop, Georgia and I ventured to Canyon to pick up a saddle that belonged to Alex Young from the Panhandle - Plains Museum. They are loaning it to us indefinitely. The saddle is a Frazier saddle and is in pretty good shape. Alex was reportedly the first citizen of Lipscomb County and owned the first ranch in the county. He came to this area in the 1870's and worked as foreman for the Y. L. Cattle company. In 1878, He bought a ranch on the Kiowa and built a ranch house four and a half miles northeast of the present town of Darrouzett. In 1886, he married Mary McClure and moved her and her three children down from Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Mrs. McClure (you might remember) was the first school teacher in Lipscomb County teaching from 1887 to 1891. They had three children: Jessie, Mary, and Alex, Jr. They moved to Higgins when it was time for the children to go to school. Alex spent most of his time at the ranch with the children and Mary joining him on weekends. He died on December 25, 1917. He was considered a good citizen, helpful neighbor and one of the most prosperous ranchers in the county. We are pleased to have his saddle in our collection to tell the stories of our ranches. |
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