By: W.C. Reader

Well, we're sorta like the late Will Rogers who used to say that all he knew was what he read in the papers. And that’s the way we have been for the last couple of years. That's why we have fallen behind a little on that wonderful, upcoming event, the Karnes County Sesquicentennial. Thank to the folks at The Countywide, who have been getting along just fine without us, the two page spread which they ran in last week's edition has helped us to catch up on what's going on. And now we can talk with you from time to time about what will be happening in the weeks ahead.

First of all, we are glad to see that the yearlong affair is going to be launched at Helena on Saturday, February 7, with the opening ceremony starting at 10:00 a.m., and with other wonderful activities continuing through the day until 5 p.m. Here was the original site of the county courthouse; and the building which housed its officials still stands as a monument to the facts, fiction, and folklore which are mixed together to tell the story of the existence of Karnes County and its citizens during the past 150 years.

In our opinion, the Catholic Church in Panna Maria, with its historic oak tree, ranks second only to the Old Courthouse in telling the story of the founding of Karnes County. What more could be symbolic of the faith and determination of those early settlers who came to these shores to clear the land, build their homes, and raise their family, than this stately church, its sturdy oak, and the remains of those rocks houses and other structures, which are scattered around the countryside?

The third object - a geographical one - which we think ranks at the top of the historical treasures of Karnes County is the historical road, which it sits astride. It starts down the Gulf of Mexico, near the old part of Indianola, moves up through Historic Goliad, points towards Charco, and goes on to Helena, and thence to Panna Maria. We can't think of the name of this trail at the moment; we think it is Independence. But just to get things straight, we had better refer to Bob Thonhoff.

Now in addition to the three objects, which we have suggested for top consideration in the early development of Karnes County, we also want to suggest one person who also deserves to be ranked at the top, along side the others in historic importance. Even though you search for his name is books and public records, you won't find it. He was the common Mexican field hand who walked up from the South with all his possessions in a sack slung over his back, and looking for work which would provide him something - usually a pittance - to take home to his family. Sometimes he had to live out in the open, and live on a diet of tortilla, beans, salt pork, and coffee. In the absence of the bulldozer in those early days, he usually was handed an axe, a grubbing hoe, and rake; taken out to pasture land, and given the job of clearing it. Have you ever watched anyone "gribbing" land with an axe and a grubbing hoe? In our early years, we watched it being done, and it isn't easy.

We wish that sometimes at celebrations such as this, someone would arrange for a demonstration for the felling of a tree (to be replaced later) or the clearing of brush. Then you would better understand why we would rank a common field hand right up at the top with those who had a hand in the development of Texas.

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