Brownsville Station: June 2015

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

1974 ~ Be Thankful For What You've Got - William DeVaughn

Friday, June 26, 2015

Snakeville's Gypsy Joe

(Photos from Robert Runyon Collection online. Joe Guerrero (as identified in photos on RRunyon webpage) and Gypsy Joe (described in "Rattling Yours...") may not be the same person. If you can detect a missing finger in any of these photos then you'll solve a mystery)

Gypsy Joe Guerrero had a missing finger where he chopped it off after being bitten by a snake. He was a curandero of sorts who had a cure for any ailment. In Rattling Yours… W.A. King, Jr. wrote, “Every other tooth in Joe’s mouth was 24-carat gold and his ears were pierced to make him look like a genuine gypsy which he wasn’t.” Joe later went to Tierra Blanca, Vera Cruz and began supplying the snake farm with snakes and other animals. Joe was also illiterate and sometimes sent mail. Letters from Joe were always difficult to make sense of. One time Joe requested a box full of pepper. Sending pepper into Mexico made as much sense as sending snow to Alaska so The Snake King sent a letter to Joe asking him if he wanted red pepper or black pepper. Joe’s wrote back to say, “I dunt kere wot color peper you sand me. Jus so its toylet peper!” Another time The Snake King asked W.A. Jr. to place an order for 2 or 3 monkeys. The Snake King asked Jr. to write it in Spanish, short and sweet, just to make sure Joe got it right. In Spanish, the word “or” is just an “o” which could easily be mistaken for a zero. Joe wound up sending 203 monkeys.

Robert Runyon Collection photos <----

Thursday, June 25, 2015

2015 Update on Los Laureles Ranch House at Mittie Cultural Park

The Los Laureles Ranch House project is expected to be complete by the end of 2015. It will serve as a museum to interpret the history of south Texas ranching families and community-use building for special events during the day or evening. The wraparound porch provides shade and protection from rain all year round. Because it sits well above the ground, visitor's are given a wider vantage point for views of the park.

You might recall when the house arrived from Los Laureles (King Ranch) and sat for a period of time it sparked controversy from a few well-meaning but very misinformed individuals. Check this blog for the most accurate information and updates on Los Laureles Ranch House.

The house did not originally have brick porch steps and air conditioning. A significant amount of attention is being paid to it's reconstruction, design, purpose and overall functionality. Original cedar roof shingles have been replaced with modern long-lasting and durable asphalt roofing shingles.

A 1930's aerial photo of Los Laureles shows the original ranch house with added structures surrounding it. The house was built c1852. The house is being restored as close to it's original form when it was a stand alone house in the 1850s. Charles Stillman did not spend as much time as other families that lived there after the 1860s.

Here's a closer look.

The house and surrounding buildings will be painted in blue with green ceilings and white trim.

Ricardo Carlos and Pedro are installing original shutters found by chance in San Antonio while Larry Lof was visiting that city. Hinge hardware was purchased online from antique restoration supply stores.

Overview sketch of ranch house to show landscape pattern which allows for functionality and beauty. Sketches by Alexander Stillman.

The trees to be planted within the fencing surrounding the ranch house will include Goldenrain trees, jacaranda, royal poinsettia, pecan and laurel (two of each). When these trees mature they will add lively color to the surroundings.

Miniature storage and stable building (bell housing not included in sketch)

The storage building will hold gardening tools and artificial horses. Bell installation photos courtesy of Oscar and Ana Duran.

The bell will be an implement that can be rung and heard throughout the park. The rope will hang low enough for small children to ring it unassisted.

Restrooms will be separate from the ranch just like outhouses would have been and will be ADA compliant. The rectangular design will allow user to use commode on one end and sink on other. The sink will be baseless so users with wheelchairs can have easy access to it.

The aim (purpose) is to have easily accessible restrooms at the park. The only recourse at present is for park visitors to use the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts restrooms. Hopefully this will work out as a feasible solution to that problem.

Thank you for your interest. Please share this information with anyone who may want to have an update on Los Laureles and please check Bronsbil Estacion blog for more updates on this and other news happening in Brownsville, Texas. Photo courtesy of Gilbert Velasquez.

1956

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

2015 Goldenrain Tree at E St Charles and 3rd St.

Koelreuteria paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to eastern Asia, in China and Korea. Common names include goldenrain tree, pride of India (or Vishu), China tree, or varnish tree

E St Charles home. Tree planted by Francis Quinones Wagner many years ago.

2015 (Fall) The Opossum Begins

"The Opossum Begins" (Dir: Rick Medina, USA, 2015) is a 20 minute documentary profiling Brownsville, Texas illustrator Aaron Moses, and his South Texas-set comic book "The Opossum."

A Night of Vengeance Aaron Moses - Creator, Writer, Penciler and Inker AssistantL.A. Vera - Inker and background penciler AssistantOmer Garcia III - Co-writer, Letterer, Book Design and Editor.

Back/front cover of The Opossum Vol.1, No.1 July 2007

Front cover of The Opossum Vol.1, No.2 July 2012

Inverted back cover of The Opossum Vol.1, No.2 July 2012

Inked by Rudy Vasquez

Pin-up art by Jeremy Scott Browning

Sunday, June 21, 2015

1939 Life Saving Tamales story & photo

Life Saving Tamales - 1939 Brownsville Market Square Plaza by Carl Mydans LIFE magazine. Colorized by Bronsbi Estacion.

She came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant

While in Brownsville she found love, hardship and the American Dream

By Rene Torres

Felicitas Ramirez was not any different than the many of today who want to come to this country for a better life. As a youngster she grew tired of the many stories she heard of the wonderful opportunities afforded in the United States.

So in 1912, Falicitas decided to take the journey from Huatuzco, Veracruz to the promised land. Carrying only the necessities and risking her life—she safely crossed the river and made Brownsville her home—and before long found employment as a housemaid with a pioneer family in town.

After several years in Brownsville, she found love when she meets Miguel Izquierdo, a legal citizen of the United States born in Brownsville. Miguel sold home-made candy, moving his portable display counter from street to street or wherever there was a demand for his candy.

Miguel expressed to Felicitas that he needed help with his business, so in 1919 they married. She continued to make home-made candy until 1924, when a more lucrative trade attracted him.

There was more money in Tamales

In 1937, Bill Brewster of the Herald wrote their story, “He built a small, two-wheel cart and began selling tamales. Each day while his wife worked at home cooking, Miguel wheeled his wagon to a location by the memorial fountain of the Market Square and hawked his wares. The tamales were excellent and Miguel’s tamales prospered. He soon became known to his customers as the “Tamale King.”

Business was thriving and the original wagon was inadequate. Miguel saw the need to build a second one that resembled a small steamboat. It was mounted on wheels and from its smokestack raised steam from the heated tamales. From then on the her tamales were known as the “Life Saving Tamales.”

Only seven years after their marriage, one day Miguel failed to show at Market Square. The entrepreneur who had work so hard to build his business was dead. Customers wondered if the “Life Saving Tamales” were a thing of the past.

But then after Felicitas replaced the “King,” to continue the sale of tamales from the familiar little steamboat cart located at its usual place.

Because her responsibilities grew of now making and selling, she was forced to change her hours. No longer was the wagon standing at the Market Square all day. Her business hours were from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

It was common for many of her customers to go by her house on Twelfth Street opposite the courthouse where they could also buy the fresh beef, pork or chicken tamales.

The once illegal immigrant that came to this county to live the American dream—with weary hands and fingers was still selling tamales in 1937. Although she knew no English, Felicitas had found it necessary to learn enough to handle her trade, for the majority of her customers were English speaking who knew no Spanish.

Miguel set the foundation for a successful business, but Felicitas convinced the people, her customers, she had something they wanted. The amazing thing is that part of their story occurred during the “Great Depression.”

Was Grover Cleveland thinking about Felicitas when he wrote “a truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil?”