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Rex Yeary Preserves Ranching Traditions
REX YEARY points out some of the antiques housed in his ranch buildings. Yeary restored many of the buildings on his ranch in northeast Floyd County in an effort to preserve hs family 's history and the history of the ranching area.
History Alive and Well on Floyd County Ranch
By Jeffrey Hunter The trains stopped passing through Rex Yeary's ranch just off of the Caprock in northeast Floyd County more than eight years ago, but standing among the restored ranch buildings and collection of antiques from a time long ago, you might just hear a faint whistle in the distance. Sitting on the Quitaque Creek in the shadow of one of the few remaining railroad tunnels in Texas, Yeary's ranch has become a living museum of family history, and a personal effort to preserve a way life that is slowly fading away. Stepping inside his restored buildings takes the visitor back years to a time when the railroad was king and ranching was a common way of life. "There are very few small town ranches left," Yeary said. "Doctors and Lawyers are buying up land and there are very few people left out here hammering out a living. I'm just trying to preserve the history that's here." Restoration of the ranch, which Yeary acquired from his aunt and uncle almost 20 years ago, is ongoing. He put metal roofs on the buildings and restored or renovated them for preservation. Among the buildings are a rock house, where Yeary and his family live, and a bunkhouse that is used to house hunters who use the ranch a few times a year. The centerpiece is an underground barn that was originally used to house the ranch hands. Today, it houses antiques ranging from a gasoline powered washing machine to old saddles and tack. The priceless pieces of the ranch's history are assembled in two rooms much like they would have been in the past. "Everything down here was on the place," Yeary said as he surveyed his personal museum. "We don't have to go anywhere to buy antiques." All of the buildings are built out of native stone hauled from the creek with mules. "What really impresses me is the amount of work that went into building this place." Yeary said. "These rocks are really large and really heavy, I can't imagine building with them." The ranch was originally owned in the early 20th century by B.F. Hilf, a bachelor who shared living quarters&endash;a small tin shed that still stands on the ranch today&endash;with his chickens. The ranch was purchased by Bill and Bessie Yeary Sauls, Yeary's Uncle and Aunt, in the 1940s. They lived in a smaller stone house until the main house was completed in the mid 1950s. Yeary, who grew up in Floydada, doesn't consider himself a historian. The history of the ranch and the area, he says, is just part of his life. "Its just part of the family," Yeary said. "After a while, you just kind of know it." Much of the history survives in stories from the past. "There's a story about when a train derailed around here a long time ago," Yeary recalls. "They lost a lot of milo inside the tunnel and the railroad just left it there. My uncle and his hands carted it out one wheelbarrow at a time to feed the stock." In the 1950's, the Tule Canyon was considered as a possible site for a man-made reservoir. A survey station on the Quitaque Creek found that over 3million gallons of water flowed through the creek every 24 hours. But stories, antiques, and old ranch equipment aren't all that Yeary is preserving. He's also working to preserve a way of life that is slowly fading away as ranchland in the area is being purchased by out-of-town people interested only in the area's wildlife and rugged beauty. "There are a lot of people with a lot of money who just like rugged country," Yeary said. "To try to actually make a living is nearly impossible." Despite the hardship, Yeary knows the value of his way of life. "I know how fortunate I am to be able to raise my two sons here," Yeary said. "A lot of people wouldn't want to live off in a place like this. "We came down here a lot when I was growing up, and I just kind of liked the life." The location of the house just a few hundred feet from the railroad tunnel and the Rails to Trails State Trailway has led Yeary to meet many people interested in the area's history. "We have people walk down the trail all the time," Yeary said. "They see our house from the trail, and sometimes come by." Yeary often meets people where his ranch road intersects with the trail. "I meet people from all over," he said. "I met a guy from Pennsylvania who was writing an article about railroads with his wife. We've become good friends." Yeary doesn't have any more plans for his ranch right now other than to keep it in operation, and keep it in the family. His youngest son Clint, who is a senior at Valley High School, plans to return to the ranch after completing college. Until then, Yeary will continue to enjoy the land around him and share the bright history of ranch life in Floyd County. "This is a unique
place, but I'm not the one who made it that way." ANTIQUES FILL the underground barn that housed the ranch hands on the Yeary ranch. The antiques are all original to the ranch and were used at one time.
COOLING OFF--A fan sits atop the bedside table in Rex Yeary's restored underground bunkhouse.
SCENIC VIEW of Yeary Ranch.
The Lockney Chamber of Commerce will raffle off a "night on the town" in Lubbock--including a one night stay at Ashmore Inn and Suites, dinner for 2 at Texas Land and Cattle Co., and a $40.00 certificate for the Cactus Theatre. Tickets are $5.00 and can be purchased from a chamber member. The raffle will be held in conjunction with Lockney's Old Fashioned Saturday. The drawing will be held during the dance on Saturday night, August 2. You don't have to be present to win. The Lockney Library Associates will host a quilt show and bake sale in conjunction with Old Fashioned Saturday. Quilts will be hung in the library for everyone to enjoy August 2. The show will be open to anyone who has a quilt, or quilts, they would like to exhibit. Quilts may be new or old, in excellent shape, or well used. They will need to have a sleeve for hanging. Please bring information about your quilts, such as pattern name, year made, who quilt was made for and if it was for a special occasion, and anything else that will tell the quilt's story. The quilts will be hung on Friday, August 1. Call the library at 652-3561, for more information. The Lockney Chamber will once again host the pedal pull competition, and the car and motorcycle show on Old Fashioned Saturday. Registration for Pedal Pull begins at 10:30 a.m. and the competition starts at 1:00 p.m. The car show will last all day. A stage will be set up on Main Street and local entertainment can be seen from 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The popular street dance will be held from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight. The dance is sponsored by Caprock Cattle Feeders.
Obituaries EVELYN JOHNSON Funeral services for Evelyn Brister Johnson, 84, of Brownwood, were held at 3:00 p.m. Friday at Netherton Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Ruth Huber-Rohlfs officiated. Mrs. Johnson was transported to Adams Funeral Home in Crosbyton following services in Brownwood. Graveside services were held Saturday at Crosbyton Cemetery, under the direction of Adams Funeral Home. Rev. Bob Kelley officiated. Mrs. Johnson passed away Wednesday at Brownwood Care Center. She was born June 27, 1919 at Hilsboro, the daughter of the late W.C. and Loreen Evans Brister. She had been a resident of Brownwood since 1964, moving from Floydada. She was a homemaker, and a member of the First United Methodist Church. She was also a member of the Newcomers Club and Wally Byam Caravan Club. She married L. Warner Johnson on August 30, 1936 at McAdoo. He preceded her in death in 1995. Survivors include two sons, Lourie and wife Velda Johnson of Ft. Worth, Wesley and wife Linda Johnson of Houston; two daughters, Patsy and husband Carl Brock of Oklahoma City, OK, Novis and husband Ellis Brown of Brownwood; one brother, Jerry and wife Sandy Brister of Milwaukee, Wis.; three sisters, Winnie Murphree of Wimberley, Barbara and husband Jack Quist of Austin, Bettye McLain of Ft. Worth; eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, four brothers, W.C. Brister, Jr., Durwood Brister, Barry Brister, Edwin Brister, and a sister Billye Gray. Dear Alice, What an interesting pair of letters you printed following the airing of "Larry vs. Lockney" (personally, I think it should have been entitled 'Lockney vs. the ACLU'... ". It amazes me that Ken Baker of God knows where (certainly not West Texas) and Tony Boccaccio of Spokane, WA can surmise by watching "Larry vs. Lockney" that we of this community are no more than a group of neo-nazis who can't parent and our children happen to be the nazi youth! Imagine never being able to rise anywhere above the position of 'Baptist preacher' or 'kindergarten teacher' (since when is it bad to enter either of those callings???). If these two idiots ever manage to extract their heads from that dubious place where they are so obviously lodged, they might possibly see that the makers of 'Larry vs. Lockney' were selling a story... the poor, mistreated, lone soul who stood up against the local government and community to save the rights of the oppressed and became a true American hero. BULL COOKIES!!! Ken Baker proved nothing more to the people of Floyd County and West Texas than that he is every bit as closed minded as he has accused us of being. At times, it is good to put one's self in the other guy's shoes to try to understand how he thinks, so... allow me to do for Ken Baker what he has done for the people of Lockney. I am assuming, just from his letter, that Ken Baker has no relationship with God ( the Baptist preacher comment) and that he was obviously mistreated or abused as a child by his kindergarten teacher. He surely accepts drug use as a fact of life and feels it is every person's right to decide whether to partake in the use of illegal drugs or not, most likely doing so himself on a regular basis. His 'reasonable thinking' comment leads me to believe, along with his comment about preachers, that he lacks any moral content and most likely agrees with the Supreme Court's recent decision paving the way for same sex marriages and that he is probably in one of those 'unions' at the present time. Because of that, I can surmise that he has never been a parent, seeing that he and his 'partner' are biologically incapable of procreation. Obviously, because he has left West Texas vowing never to return, he has reached the top of his profession, perhaps a XXX theater operator or pornographer. Since we are all jerks and jackasses, he must be a superb human being... quite possible an idiot or cockroach. He believes everything he sees on TV is true and factual, believing that Wiley Coyote can actually make orders to Acme for rocket powered roller skates in order to catch the Roadrunner. He is a constitutional scholar and was most likely there to advise on how it should be written. I'm wondering... does anyone in West Texas wish he would move back??? Surely, he must be fearing for his own life, knowing that we, as nazis, have sent the gestapo in search of him to return him to West Texas, imprison him in one of our many concentration camps, and do experimental surgery on him without the consideration of first putting him to sleep. Now surely few, if any, of the things I have surmised about Ken Baker are factual, but then, neither is the manner in which the people of Lockney NOR Larry Tannahill have been represented by the makers of "Larry vs. Lockney". As for Tony Boccaccio... he is obviously the perfect parent. He has no idea what kind of parent you or any of us are, but he is able to assume, just by watching "Larry vs. Lockney", that we shirk our parental responsibilities and try to get our school system to do our parenting for us. Now... let's assume these two bozos have managed to get their heads extracted and have somehow managed to look at the real situation in Lockney, TX. Through objective eyes, they might manage to see that the people of Lockney have not ostracized Larry Tannahill, but, by filing his self-serving lawsuit with the ACLU, he has ostracized himself. They might manage to see that the parents of Lockney and its school board, care for not only their own children, but for each and every child within this community. Let me ask these two a question... if your child had a life threatening disease, would you utilize every means possible to save that child? Drug use is a disease. It threatens everyone in our country, especially our children, and we, as parents, MUST use every means possible to stem the spread of that disease and if that means giving up the right to choose not to urinate in a cup, then so be it. I'm sure that drug use has ruined the lives of more families than all of the school shootings in this country combined. Would Ken Baker object if the Lockney School Board passed a policy to search students for guns? Of course not... because metal detectors have been in use on the majority of large schools for years. And besides, we, as nazis, would encourage our nazi youth to bear arms, even at school. Personally, I take offense to anyone who refers to my children and the children of my community as 'mindless sheep', but, by now, I'm sure most of the neo-nazis who have read this have already come to that conclusion. Ken Baker... we neither want nor need the likes of you in West Texas. Thank you for leaving. Sincerely, Chris Reecer
Dear Editor Another thing has come to pass in Lockney. There will be no reserve seats in the football stadium this year. This is so sad. We have sat in the same seats since the stadium was built. However the end zone parking spaces are still reserved. Now what is fair about that? I talked with one of the school board members and asked him "Why did they do such a thing?" His answer did not satisfy me one bit. He said, "He had to give up his seat too." The school will be losing at least $4000.00 to $5000.00 or more because of this and they say we are a poor school. I know it doesn't matter what I think but I still don't like it. Vera Jo Bybee
By The Way | by Alice Gilroy
I've saved these jokes for a slow week. They made me laugh-and I needed a laugh. I know everyone else needs a laugh too! Finding the Right Woman 1. It is important to find a woman who helps at home, who cooks a decent meal from time to time, cleans up and has a job. 2. It is important to find a woman who can make you laugh. 3. It is important to find a woman who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you. 4. It is important to find a woman who is good in bed and who likes to be with you. 5. It is very important that these four women don't know each other! I thought about how mothers feed their babies with little tiny spoons and forks so I wonder what Chinese mothers use. Perhaps toothpicks? Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do...write to those people? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail? A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him, and as he sits down, the waitress comes over and asks for their order. The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich. "What's yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich. When the waitress returns with the order she says, "That will be $6.40 please." The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out exact change for the payment. The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries, and a coke," and the ostrich says, "I'll have the same." Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change. This becomes a routine until late one evening the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress. "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato, and salad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich. The waitress says the bill is $12.62, and once again the man pulls out exact change from his pocket. The waitress can't hold back her curiosity. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?" "Well", says the man. "Several years ago I found a lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything--I could just put my hand in my pocket, and the right amount of money would always be there." "That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!" "That's right! Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man." The waitress asks, "One other thing--what's with the ostrich?" The man sighs, pauses, and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs that agrees with everything I say."
A View From The Lamplighter | by Ken Towery
Classifieds
1998 WHITE ISUZU RODEO--Loaded (104,500 miles). Hail damage. $5,800.00. Call 652-2906.
Floydada FOR RENT--Clean, furnished apartment. Water and trash collection included. Call Barker Realty - 652-2642.
1998 WHITE ISUZU RODEO--Loaded (104,500 miles). Hail damage. $5,800.00. Call 652-2906.
Floydada FOR RENT--Clean, furnished apartment. Water and trash collection included. Call Barker Realty - 652-2642.
THREE FAMILY GARAGE SALE--906 W. Ross. Saturday, July 26th -- 8:00 a.m. - ??. 630 W. TENNESSEE--Garage sale Saturday, 8:00 a.m. 814 W. KENTUCKY--FRIDAY ONLY!! 8:00 a.m. - till ??. Nice clothing, collectibles, exercise equipment, TV, 10 hp boat motor and much more!
529 W. KENTUCKY--Garage sale -- SATURDAY ONLY!! 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon. Two girls bicycles, lots of girl's clothes (sizes 6X thru 12), toys, miscellaneous.
MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE--US 70E, Co. Road 70E, (1/2 mile east of 4 lane divided highway), Friday 25th - 9:00 a.m. - ?? and Saturday 26th - 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
909 W. GROVER--Saturday, July 26th - 8:00 a.m. - ??. Baby items, household items, miscellaneous.
112 MAE AVENUE--Garage sale Saturday - 8:00 a.m. - ??. Lots of stuff. Exercise bike, camper, household items, furniture, much, much more.
BOOKKEEPER NEEDED--Customer service skills a must. Knowledge about grain and computers helpful. Send resume to Producers Coop Elevator, P.O. Box 69, Floydada, Texas 79235.
DICKERSON COMPANY--Help wanted. Experienced roofers needed. Call 293-5829.
FOR SALE--3 bedroom, 2 bath, 30x30 shop at 110 South First. Call Mike Giesecke, 983-3453 or 983-3787.
3/2/2 BRICK--Fireplace, patio, large master, large living area, large utility. Plus separate 200 s/f brick building for office/hobby. Call 983-5001.
FOR SALE BY OWNER--Completely remodeled. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2300 sq. ft. home on 6 acres. 1/4 mile south of Floydada on FM 1958. Call 983-5908. Shown by appointment only.
FOR SALE BY OWNER--3-2-2, nice yard, corner lot, nice neighborhood in Floydada. Call 806-983-2064.
**3 BEDROOM, 2 BATH HOME on 9.2 acres for sale. 5 miles south of Silverton, at intersection of highways 207 and 145. Brick veneer, AC/H, fireplace, carpet, lots of cabinets, countertops, 2 separate ovens, double sink, 2,317 sq. ft. with 594 sq. ft attached garage. Was $85,000.00. REDUCED TO $79,000.00. **CLAYTON "2-BD SPIRIT" mobile home. 14'x46', 1 bath, central heat and air, all electric. 3 year old with deck. $8,000.00. **CALL BARKER REALTY - 806-652-2642 or John Simpson Real Estate 995-4873 or Warren Mitchell at 983-2151.
TWO HOUSES FOR RENT IN COUNTRY--$300 per month with $150 deposit and $400 per month with $200 deposit. Call 983-5974.
MUSIC LESSONS--Piano, organ and voice lessons. Experienced teacher. Satisfaction quaranteed!! Call 983-5070.
FOR SALE--Dining tables (2 leaves) and 6 chairs - $350; Boston rocking chair - $35; Maple Dough Box End Table - $50; G.E. washer and dryer - $300 pair; rocking couch - $100; Lazy Boy recliner - $100. Call Norman Muncy - 983-2259.
25" MAGNAVOX console TV. Remote. Woodgran finish. $50.00. Call 983-5152.
TWO 12" SUBWOOFERS for sale. Call 983-2449 if interested.
ALPHATEX KENNEL, AIKEN, TEXAS offers superior quality AKC Registered, DNA Certified Collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Puppies and stud service available. www.alphatexkennels.com
Floyd County, pursuant to a tax foreclosure sale, is offering for sale the following property in the City of Lockney: All of Lots No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Block 35 and Lots 1 and 2 in Block G of the N.B. Davis Survey located in the City of Lockney, Floyd County, Texas also known as the Webster Service and Supply, Inc. property. Any offers should be submitted to: William D. Hardin, County Judge, Courthouse Room 105, Floydada, Texas 79235.
CEMENT WORK? Sidewalks, patios, driveways, curbing. Odd jobs around home or farm. Gary Bennett. Call or leave message. 983-5120.
Estates, Farm, Ranch, Business, Liquidations, State Licensed and Bonded. (806) 983-5808. TX. #9240.
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