The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 352: Choke Canyon State Park, TX/Post B

Happy Heart Day!

Just sixty or so miles Southeast, the thunderstorm cells were so strong they issued tornado warnings. Here at Choke Canyon, all we received was a heavy wash of rain that came about five this morning. The day turned out to be warm, a bit windy, and quite humid for February. We like to drive around the small towns we visit, so we decided to have breakfast this morning in Three Rivers, Texas. Breakfast was medium, and Three Rivers a bit dismal, although it's enjoying a boom time due to the fracking of oil in the area. The town has little character, mostly because it's one of these corridor towns you see sometimes. What housing there is is spread like a shotgun blast on either side of the highway. The median income is less than $25,000 and more than a quarter of the residents live below the poverty line (That may change due to the boom, although my guess is that oil workers will come from other places). There is a Federal Prison nearby that employs most of the residents. There is also a working gas distillery right in town. The town was originally formed at the behest of Mrs. Annie Hamilton who owned the tract of land near three rivers where the town now sits. In 1913, she paid the railroad to build a depot on her land. The town had its grand opening on July 4, 1913. From its beginning, the town was designed as a segregated space. The Mexican population lived between the railroad and the river. Other residents lived near the main road, literally across the tracks. This separation can still be seen today, and is noted by the Spanish street names in the Mexican part of town. Segregation ended many decades ago; however, on our drive around town, the separation is still quite obvious. We've found many towns along our way that have charm. Though not charming, this town seems to center its reputation around its one high school. Like in many small Texas towns, the football stadium is quite large, and the team seems to have had some success. There is quite a bit of civic pride, and several "Go Bulldogs" signs are posted in yards. The only notoriety other than high school sports came in 1948-49 when the director of the only funeral home in town refused to allow chapel services for the body of a Mexican-American soldier killed in WWII. This became known as the "Longoria Affair". Nowadays, its seems that people of Mexican heritage and those of European descent live and work in close proximity, so maybe things have changed. After our tour, we walked the nature trails around the park. Our walk totaled four miles. We saw all kinds of birds and heard even more. And the deer (No hunting allowed) are so unimpressed with humans, they barely looked up from their feeding. It's been a good stay here at Choke Canyon. Tomorrow, we'll travel down to Goliad, a place we've been before. It is a town of great charm, maybe because it's the county seat. Anyway, it has a very attractive town square, a historical presidio, and an amazing Catholic Church. We liked it last time. We'll see what our impressions are this trip. Regardless, we're happy to report that life is good, especially today, and we're especially grateful to be allowed the gracious existence we enjoy.