It's Day 239....it's also December 31, 2019....and we are in Fort Stockton Texas.

It's Day 239....it's also December 31, 2019....and we are in Fort Stockton Texas.

And the exploration of Texas continues! And par for the course...for us.....we didn't make it far from Pecos... when we found another piece of Texas history..... Fort Stockton....complete with a few twists I hadn't seen coming.....and the more I read....and think I learn.....the more I'm realizing...

History is a funny thing.

I'm becoming more and more fascinated with how many different "versions" of history there are. This...in particular...came to light in learning of the Pecos Area....and reading about Billie Sol Estes.....and how that led to so much more.

I would end up reading...and watching video's for hours......that would ultimately lead to a brand new curiosity .... for me.... around the assassination......of an American President...... in 1963. Now clearly.....this was a pivotal moment in American History. An event that would touch generations....and most fascinating....the version of events that would be cemented in history....almost immediately ....before an investigation had even taken place. How recorded telephone conversations between the newly sworn in President....LBJ....and the head of the FBI J Edgar Hoover..... within hours of the tragic event......would document that the two men had decided on what had taken place....and the message to the American public would be simple....it would be straight forward....and it would NOT be deviated from.....period.

One guy....one bullet...no conspiracy.

And then....How a commission would be appointed and an investigation would be conducted....

And that Warren Commision.....would quickly produce a report that solidified what had happened....in concert with the head of the FBI....and the President of the United States....and that version...at that point..... was set in concrete.....a piece of American History.....that today has museums that further perpetuate that version of American History.

In other words.....what we are all told....and taught.....if you a kid in junior high and your school takes a field trip to any of those museums.... you'll learn that single version of American History......If your a guy like me that never went on a field trip to one of those museums.....well you didn't learn any version of it....at least I didn't

The story of a lone renegade....a communist sympathizer that acted alone....a guy named Lee Harvey Oswald.....the guy that fired 3 shots....and it was one of those three shots that would kill our president. And then....a few days later....another renegade....a guy named Jack Ruby......a ticked off business man that had decided ....to take justice into his own hands and in turn assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald.....

Ruby...would be convicted of Murder......and that case would be overturned.....and while awaiting retrial Ruby....would die....of cancer......

Case Closed.

The President.....Dead.

The guy that killed the president....dead...

The guy that killed the guy that killed the president.....dead

Easy...clean.....simple....right.......case closed......

But dig a little deeper.....read and watch a little more.....and all these years later it becomes relatively clear....and evidence based.....that things weren't so clean....so simple......right? I mean.....is life ever....really....that simple?

Maybe......and in this case.....probably

But Maybe not......

perhaps even a conspiracy......

And when one watches a video outlining in detail .... how the countries very own Central Intelligence Agency....could have been behind the assassination of our president.....well....one just has to let that sink in....our government....killed our president? Thats....what some would have me believe?.....

So it's easy.....easy to get sucked into hours of reading.....watching.....listening.....absorbing. ....all to land on....

I don't know....I wasn't there.....heck....I wasn't even born....I did go on to read that most of the conspiracies have been debunked using todays science.....But there are still many.....unanswered questions.....

And the implications are huge....and have their tentacles burrowed deep into the fabric of American society to this day...

Could events such as these have set the course.....or perhaps been just one more step...in what landed us where we are today. in 2020 America.....we are coming on 244 years of the greatest democratic experiment in the history of the world.....in the middle of a presidential race.....on one side of which....a failed business man....a man that after being given millions by his father ..... would file bankruptcy 6 times.....but then use a television show to create the "image" of a successful business man....a man married 3 times....not faithful to a single one of his wives....a pathological liar.....and a man accused by more than a dozen women of attempting to sexually assault them.....and yet 60 million Americans are geared up and ready to vote for him....again.....as if the four year shit show we're coming off of ..... had never happened.....And just for the record......I'm not one of those 60 million.

And on the other ticket....a not so squeaky clean himself.... career politician that plays himself off the good ol Joe...just a guy next door that espouses to relate to the life of the workin man.....while he's never really lived a day in that life.....the fact is....he's part of the institution that some would have me believe is capable of killing it's own....in the name of self preservation.

Ayyayay....and yet....here we are.....those are my choices. Yet one more time.....the democratic....and republican parties have placed the American voter in situation in which we are compelled to pick....to pick...the lesser ...... of two evils.

It's insanity....but it's our reality......

One could write an entire podcast series on this topic alone......and it's apparent existence in perpetuity in our lives....but why bother....it's been done a million times...... and the insanity continues......

For now.....I guess my takeaway remains the same. Educate myself....ask questions....and learn. ....stay curious....don't dismiss the uncomfortable.....and engage with folks that might think differently....or hold a different belief....

So maybe just be human.....see each other as human.....and work together to pick the facts....to learn...and to do better

And with all that rollin around in my head.....I rolled into a place called Fort Stockton ......I wondered.....what this place had to teach me.... Turns out.....a lot.....

An area......even further into the middle of nowhere.....we are now over 200 miles away from El Paso.....and over 300 miles away from San Antonio.......

So why do some 8000 Texans call Fort Stockton home?

Well lets start at the beginning.....

The area in general would become popular among Native Americans thousands of years prior to any attempt at settlement by Spanish or European Settlers. The presence of the Comanche Springs ....combined with the nearby Pecos River meant a more than abundant....and reliable water source in the region that would help sustain strong agricultural activity.

As we had moved deeper into the region......I'd also recognized that we were driving deeper into the ancestral heritage of the Apache.....and Comanche people. Curious to understand more about these people....I'd first learn that their names themselves....came with deep historical roots...

The name Apache.....appears to have a couple different potential origins....both deep in the culture of the people....some believe that the name is of Yavapai Origin....and is an interpretation of the word “epache,” which simply means "people"....and could also establish ties between tribes that stretched across the region ...... all the way back thru what is now Arizona.

Others have established possible connections with the Zuni people......a tribe that primarily inhabited regions of what is now New Mexico. Within this culture....it is believed that the word Apache......is derived from the Zuni word Apachu....which means "enemy".......very different from simply meaning people......and could explain the conflicts across the region between tribes that date back nearly 4000 years.

And the word ..... or name.....Comanche

A name with much simpler....and direct ties.....to the Ute word.... “kɨmantsi,” which translates to "anyone who wants to fight me all the time". Which is a clear reference to the Comanche’s reputation as fierce warriors....more on that in a minute.....

Regardless of origin.....These names highlight the perspectives and interactions between different Native American tribes and their neighbors.....long before Spanish, European....and eventually American settlers would arrive in the area.

Fast forward to around 1859....when Fort Stockton was established as Camp Stockton by the U.S. Army to protect travelers and settlers from Native American raids along the San Antonio-El Paso Road.

The fort was named after Robert Field Stockton, a notable U.S. Navy commodore and military leader. The forts strategic location near Comanche Springs....would quickly establish the fort....and the safe passage thru the area as essential.

During the Civil War, the fort was abandoned by Union forces and briefly occupied by Confederate troops.

Soon after the civil war....and the confederacies loss.....the fort would be re-established ..... and resume it's mission of providing safety for settlers passing thru.....and settling throughout the region.

Reading through this part of the fort's history is when I learned of.....

The Buffalo Soldiers.....

And here......was just one more example of a piece of American history that had somehow gotten past me. A movie would be made in 1997 telling thier story....and the internet and YouTube is full of documentaries...and yet this is the first time I would read of....

A piece of American History so laden with irony....that it is nearly inconceivable......

The story begins in 1866 when Congress passed the Army Organization Act. The act would have many elements...and among them....the creation of six all black cavalry and infantry regiments which would later be consolidated into 4.

Fresh off the civil war....the nation may have just fought a war to end slavery.....but segregation would remain alive and well For decades in every element of American society....including within the Military.

Likely one of the first ironies in the story would be the fact that black soldiers that had fought...and risked their lives for their freedom from slavery....did so while being segregated from white soldiers during the war....and the ones that chose to remain in the military would be shifted to regiments ...... like the Buffalo Soldiers.....where segregation would remain.

At the same time.....many young black men that had been born into slavery.....now found themselves with few options when it came to being accepted.....and making a living. They viewed joining the military as an opportunity to create stability, opportunity, and a future for themselves and their families.

The irony continues ..... because these regiments would end up being utilized by the US Military in jobs that were basically considered the crap jobs. But regardless of whether the work was appreciated or not...these men would take their work....and took their responsibilities seriously.....whether it was fire fighting and policing the National Forests..... which including capturing cattle rustlers and removing cattle that were illegally grazing on public lands. They would also become integral in building the beginnings of an infrastructure in the National Parks....which wold become the roadways, trails, museums....and most everything we enjoy in our National Parks to this day.

Another critical task they would be assigned would be controlling and combating Native Americans across the west with their primary responsibility being protecting the American settlers chasing their dreams into ... that American west.....The work of the buffalo soldiers that were assigned to Fort Stockton would not only risk their lives protecting these settlers....but would continue their contribution to the nations infrastructure by working on railway installation protecting stagecoach and wagon trains into....and out of the area.

When learning of this period is when I came across a couple of the nuttiest....and most egregious ironies of all....

These soldiers....on a daily basis.....would find themselves fighting for.....risking their lives for.....white settlers ......many of which hated them.....and still viewed them as slaves. It was not uncommon for Buffalo soldiers to die at the hands of the very Americans they were tasked to protect.....It is also well documented that they were treated substandard to white soldiers within the military.....often times being shorted on rations and being forced to make due with what they had while white infantry units received everything they needed and more. And since....black soldiers were not allowed to become officers at the time.....The white officers they reported to would often abuse and mistreat these men themselves...using them as scape goats and falsly accusing them of crimes.

And finally....perhaps the greatest irony...as I read it anyways.....their name....

The Buffalo soldiers.......a name bestowed upon them by the Native Americans they were sent to combat. After initial interaction with these brave soldiers....the Native Americans they fought against would coin the phrase Buffalo Sodiers.....it is believed to recognize their fierce fighting skills. .....and given that The Native American culture revered the great American Buffalo as a symbol of strength and majesty.....the Buffalo Soldiers would begin to wear the brand with honor....and began incorporating it into their uniform and badging. And it would seem.......that even the humans these soldiers were sent to fight against.......would bestow a greater honor, reverence and respect upon them......than the folks they were sent to protect.....and even the military they served.

And yet in the face of all this....some 20 to 30 thousand brave soldiers would take their place in history......un-recognized.....as a crucial element in a turbulent period of American History......ensuring the security of the Area.....thus allowing the US Southwest to become what we know today.

It would not be until 1948...well after these brave men had gone on to contribute to American victories in two World Wars...that president Truman would sign the act that desegregated the American Military.

I watched that 1997 movie....Buffalo Soldier.....and several other documentaries centered on the lives of these amazing men.....and one woman....Cathay Williams......A black woman that would masquerade....successfully......for two years as a male Buffalo soldier.....seriously.....there is some pretty amazing stuff out there when it comes to the human spirit in American history. It's also pretty amazing how much of it has gone unrecognized.....for real...why hasn't Hollywood made a movie about Cathay Williams? Maybe I don't even want to know.....I am just grateful to learn of her...and others......and have the opportunity to appreciate them.

I also watched another documentary.....the title...."I was a Buffalo Soldier...the story of Nolen Self".....

I'm well aware that I could never fully understand the experience of the one of these men.....but when I listen to 96 year old Nolan Self tell me......as he recounted his return from Europe at the close of WW2....

"I went in as everybody does....a buck sergeant.........but i knew my background.....I knew I wasn't a smart boy.....I knew I was a poor boy....I knew I was a black boy.....

But I felt things would be different when I came back....because I fought in 5 campaigns......

I came out when the war was over.....and I had some good things happened to me and I was able...... somehow ....to become a first sergeant."

Listening to Nolan tell me of his wonderment of becoming a first sergeant after the war....recognizing it as the highest rank....black or white......and not really....fully ..... understanding how he could get there...achieve that.......

After all he had done.....All he had risked....and sacrificed.....at times...for a country that wasn't quite as grateful for him....as he was for it.....but Nolan did it.....he survived it.....he was a part of something that few of us even know existed....and was surprised.....was grateful.....to be recognized and rewarded.

Simply because just a few years prior.....he'd have been a cotton plantation worker.....and grateful for that......grateful for a roof over his head and a meal.....

He....and so many others....took another path.....the path of the US Military.......and sought a different future.....and were grateful......coming out the other side of it all.....with something .......maybe a little more than a roof over his head and recognition.........one of Nolans favorite quotes is.....I might only get a paid a dollar.....but thats a dollar I didn't have.

He also goes on to talk about the days after his service in the Military......when he suddenly found himself....once again....not accepted anywhere.....and unable to find work. In desparation .....and the need to feed his growing family he would find himself working on the back of a garbage truck. And when he wanted to quit that job....it would be his wife that would encourage him.....what else ya gonna do Nolan.....keep at it....god has a plan for everyone. Nolan did keep at it....and just a year later he would be called to the office and promoted to the supintendant position overseeing the operation city wide.....a job he would work hard at for 17 years until his retirement.

And yet again.....I've stumbled onto a piece of this America's history that a 54 year old white guy didn't know a thing about. A 54 year old white guy that maybe wouldn't even be here......if it weren't for a few Nolan's out there.....

And there was that "one more click" And read a little more.....and I would learn of other little known facts of this era....and this part of the universe. For me....these discoveries would come in the form of a video titled "History of the Indian Wars...Full Documentary" published by the YouTube channel The Mysterious World.

I would learn of a place called Commancheria...a vast territory controlled by the Comanche people during the 18th and 19th centuries. This region spanned parts of present-day New Mexico, west Texas, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma. ...and even into Mexico...the boundries of Commancheria would at times be fluid....but none the less remained fully in control of a fierce and barbaric fighting force.....the Commanche.

The commanche would become known as the best horse breeders anywhere.....had the largest pony heards and were widely considered to be the most skilled horseman ever known. Commanche warriors were known for their ability to ride at a full gallop....shooting multiple arrows using the horses neck as a shield.

Many things differentiated the commanche from other tribes.....they had no rigid form of government.....or system that ruled their actions......they lived in tight bands throughout the region with no centralized group of elders........ Leaders within certain bands changed often....based on skill. ......

They were not interested in peace....or seeking it. They believed the land was theirs.....and anyone that attempted encroachment should....and would pay.....with their life. In other words....leave them alone.....but there in lies some interesting dicotomies within the culture. Yes....they loved to fight....in fact lived for it.....every member of the society taught from a young age how to fight.....it is said that any commanche could lead warriors into war.....The most generous with the spoils of war....and most wins...would be followed by others. A warriors greatest honor was in counting coups......the art of touching an enemy in battle without killing them......and the most horses stolen for the tribe...or band....leading to the believe that the primary objective in going to battle....was more of a keeping score thing....rather than to kill. but make no mistake.....they would kill....when needed

For nearly 150 years..the commanche would successfully fight off, and in some cases destroy, the other native american tribes in the region, Spanish conquistadores...the Mexican Army...Texas,, and the Americans to protect and retain their cherished nation and homeland.

If you need a sense for how feared these warriors were.....the common belief at the time amongst any in the area.....was that if you went into battle against the commanche....and lost....your best hope was that you died in battle....because serviving battle....and being taken hostage....most certainly meant a fate much worse than death. Read on to learn that male captives could expect anything from scalping and disembowling.....to being tied to a wagon wheel and roasted alive over an open fire. Female captives.....it is well documented that they had it much worse....because their torture and rape went on for the life of their captivity.....or if they were lucky.....they could be traded back to the enemy for a few horses.

It is here....that history throws in yet one more.....not very well known twist. And that is that were it not for the Commanche....with their now allies the Kiowa indians ......preventing Spain from establishing a more solid footing in the Texas region of Commancheria....the map of the US would likely look much different than it does today.

History now tells us that the success of the commanche in preventing Spain from solidifying their Mexican empire....would ultimately lead to their undoing.....by setting things up for a new enemy....The United States of America....

Once Texas had declared soverignty from Mexico.....the area would continue to see an influx of American Settlers. The sheer volume of settlement in the area began to shift power. Initially....settlers themselve simply provided more targets for the Commanche and Kiowa.....more opportunity to steel horses.... and hostages that could either be bargained for more horses or killed......but comanche would quickly learn that this new breed of American Settler.....would come with a different set of tactics.....and a sense of voracity they had not encountered amongst their other enemies in the region......for example......when attempting to attack the settlement of this new breed of American....they were surprised to learn that everyone in the settlement was shooting at them...even the children! Something they had never seen before....a child with a gun....engaging in warefare.....to save their life.

And then two more things happened.....

The Texas Rangers

The Colt Revolver

Until this point...the one thing the commanche had over any of their enemies was their skill on a horse. Settlers couldnt fight at that level.....so Texans....well they did what Texans do...they had a problem....their settlers were being attacked by Native Americans....and being a newly formed soveriegn nation....they had no access to the forces of the US cavelry....and what military forces they did possess....were struggling. to push back these native american advances...so...they....created a force that could. They would call these cowboys. and veterans of the civil war, and any other volunteer brave enough to sign up......The Texas Rangers. ....and a new breed of law enforcement and prairie policing was born.

The Rangers would quickly grow.....organize.....and evolve. Typically they worked in small groups of 8 to 10 men....but unincombered by the weight of full military gear.....these men had quickly proven that with not much more than a rifle...a pistol...a knife and a bedroll could move across the Texas plains with the same agility as their Commanche enemies. They would also quickly become adept and hunting them down and striking proactively....as opposed to reacting to an attack.

Throw in the colt revolver......and Texas now had an agile and responsive force that would not hesitate to engage in battle with an enemy 10 fold higher in number....and win. Their repeating revolvers enabled them to offer gunfire far outmatching the bow and arrow that just a few years prior had been the superior weapon when compared to a muzzle loading rifle. The tables had turned.

It certainly wasn't easy....and there are plenty more twists and turns in the story.....you'll also read of how the Texas Rangers.....that rag tag rengade group of saviors had quickly become the heros of the Texas settlement era....were also a group of lawless men....by design....that would often take matters into their own hands....for the wrong reasons.....and do things none of us would be proud of....but should probably be expected I guess when you hand a 20 year old a gun and horse....and tell him to go kill bad people. ...but only bad people.....oh....and your the judge....and jury......

Needless to say the Texas Rangers have evolved over the years.....even being dismantled a time or two through Texas history. Today....they are alive and well....and function as a part of the Texas Department of Safety.....You'll find them helping in everything from working cold cases....to assisting with border security, criminal investigations and more.

Ahhhh....all that history.....simply because we wandered into a place called Fort Stockton.....wandered around a bit snapping photos.....and wondering how very different it would have felt some 160 years ago. A place that started with the name Saint Gall....but would later rename itself in honor of the Fort that literally allowed the existence of a town in America's wild west....not just to make it through the wild west.....to grow....but to thrive even.

The military would cease operation of the fort in 1886.....and Today....the fort is listed on the national historic registry and is maintained by the city of Fort Stockton.

Things seemed pretty quiet when we went through.....but that can be chalked up to timing .....

Come thru in March and you can check out the Comanche Springs Rodeo......when thousands of professional rodeo athlets....and their fans stop in for their turn at team roping events....bare back bronco and bull riding...saddle bronc riding...and lots more.

Or the following month.....when each April welcomes the Big Bend Open Road Race.....an event held annually on U.S. Highway 285 between Fort Stockton and Sanderson, Texas. Known as “the most challenging open road race in the world,” it attracts drivers from all over who compete in a high-speed race along a 118-mile roundtrip course.

The race itself is the centerpoint of the annual event.....but you can also participate in technical inspections...rookie driving schools....car shows and even a parade....all leading up to race day. The event is capped off with the winners banquet.

And not to be outdone by any other city in the nation.....Fort Stockton brings it's own touch to a two day 4th of july celebration that includes car shows, live music and dancing, open air venders and all the food and crafts you could possibly imagine...and just in case goat roping is on your bucket list.....you can do a bit of that during this celebration as well.......capping things off of course with a fireworks display.

The city takes a bit of a break during the rest of the hot summer.....but picks up the party fun again each October for the Fall Festival. And yet again.....an opportunity for the community to get together.....welcome others....and enjoy Live Music...Food and craft vendors.....petting zoo's....a cornhole tournament......and a truly texas style car show in which lifted trucks, low riders, and hot rods are featured.

And of course....it's not all fun and games here in Fort Stockton....The town is part of the Permian Basin, one of the largest oil and natural gas producing regions in the United States....in addition....the town has embraced renewable energy projects, including wind and solar farms. So keeping the power grids fired up is also a big part of what Fort Stockton does today.

And my guess is.....if your anywhere in small town Texas.....Ranching and agriculture are also along for the ride.

Just some 300 miles or so into this place called Texas.....and I've learned so much........

Studying the map this morning over coffee......it's hard to decide.....so much Texas.....above us.....below us.....and in front of us. For some reason.....I feel like south.....south is where we want to go.......more Texas......and more border towns......

Maybe somewhere around that place called Del Rio.......I wonder what we'll learn there?