After spending February 23 in Bandera and environs, we stayed home over last weekend and caught up on some rest as well as doing a few chores, among which was the completion of the wash/wax project on the motorhome. Yeah! On Wednesday we felt the need to venture back into San Antonio for a bit of shopping and ..... lunch at Torchy's Tacos. Let's see....we ordered the "Trailer Park", which had fried chicken and green chilis, the "Green Chili Pork" taco, with...wait for it....pork simmered in green chilis. We also ordered the "Baja Shrimp" with shrimp, cabbage, and jalapeños; and the "Republican", which included grilled jalapeño sausage, jack cheese, and poblano sauce. Put all that together with an order of "Hillbilly Queso" as an appetizer (chips, green chili queso and chorizo sausage, and you'll see why we skipped dinner that night!
Thursday and Friday were haircut and pedicure days, and enjoying the warm weather outside with the neighbors. Sasha ran and ran at the dog park and thoroughly tired herself out. Finally!
While watching the local tv news channel on Friday evening, we learned of two unique celebrations being held this weekend in San Antonio, both in the same area, so we had to brave traffic and go check it out.
The Menger Hotel is celebrating it's 160th birthday this weekend.
Located just a block away from the Alamo, the Menger was opened in 1855 as a boarding house and brewery by William and Mary Menger, both immigrants from Germany. The boarding house was so popular that it was replaced with a two-story structure in 1859....the beginning of the Menger Hotel. The Mengerwas San Antonio's most prominent hotel in the 19th century, and was periodically enlarged and remodeled to accommodate guests such as cattleman Richard King of the famous King Ranch, Generals U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Theodore Roosevelt recruited his regiment of "Rough Riders" in the Menger in 1898.
A very impressive structure, now covering the entire city block, the Menger remembers its roots with an impressive entrance.
A number of antiques grace the hotel, among them this unique clock showing the hour, second, day and date.
Sidebar:
Barbed wire, known as "Bob Wire" by cowboys, was a french invention first patented in the US in 1867, but it didn't gain favor with cattlemen until the late 1870's. A fellow out of DeKalb, Illinois began manufacturing barbed wire in 1874, and it was his wire that was first successfully demonstrated in Texas. A veteran salesman named John Gates set up a barbed wire corral just outside the Alamo in 1876 and drove cattle into the pen. Astonished cowboys and cattlemen saw how the wire held the animals and asked how they could order some. It's said that Gates invited everyone into the Menger Hotel for libations and orders. After the demonstration in Alamo Plaza, the market for barbed wire exploded with large sales to ranchers along the frontier.
John Gates, nicknamed "Bet-A-Million" Gates, became the worlds largest manufacturer of barbed wire, and helped found the Texas Company, later known as Texaco.
The other celebration, if that's the correct word, that's happening this weekend, is the Commemoration of the Alamo Siege and Battle. In 1836, between February 23 and March 6, Mexican troops under President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission from Texians that had driven all Mexican troops out of Texas several months earlier. Roughly 200 defenders, including William B. Travis and James Bowie, died at the hands of the 1,500 man Mexican army after fending off two attacks. On March 6, 1836, the Mexican army stormed the walls of the Alamo and one by one executed the defenders. We all know the story of how this battle infuriated remaining Texians who banded together by the thousands and defeated the Mexican army a short time later at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.
A touching memorial to the defenders of the Alamo:
Just across the street from the Alamo lies the Emily Morgan Hotel.
Six weeks after the Battle of the Alamo, on April 6, 1836, Emily Morgan was captured along with other members of her household by the Mexican army and was forced to travel with the forces of General Santa Anna as they slowly advanced across the prairie toward San Jacinto.
On April 21, the Texan army, led by Sam Houston, ambushed the Mexican campgrounds, where no guards were posted, allowing Houston's forces to win the Battle of San Jacinto in less than an hour. It is rumored that General Santa Anna was preoccupied with Emily Morgan during the pivotal battle cries, missing them completely and not alerting his troops.
In 1924, the Emily Morgan was built as a hospital and doctors office building, and was in use until 1976. After a decade of dormancy, the building was renovated as a hotel and named for the woman perhaps known as the Yellow Rose of Texas.
Donna and I were privileged to stay at the Emily Morgan in 2010, but were unable to make contact with any of the Ghosts said to be living there!
Just up the road is the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Reputed to be another one of the locations that Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders, the establishment has amassed some 40,000 square feet of museum space, including exhibits of thousands of trophy animals (can you believe a seventy-eight point buck?), firearms and memorabilia from the Texas Rangers.
After an afternoon of walking around downtown San Antonia and the River Walk, we drove a couple of miles north to Ma Harpers Creole Restaurant just off I35. Ma has run this place for seemingly forever and has won trophies from many, many competitions that she has entered. The building is not flashy, and the interior decor is modest. But the food is phenomenal.
As it was getting on toward evening, we shot back toward our "home" in Kerrville. The evening fog was beginning to settle in, and the temp was dropping.
So there you have another 140 mile day trip. Worth every mile!
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