Country Lifestyles
Benvanue- THE TOWN THAT DISAPPEARED
By Judy Wade
East of Byers in northern Clay County, a thriving community once sat at the intersection of FM 171 and Old Fort Sill Road. Today, a modern brick home on one corner, fields and pasture on the others give no indication of the rich history Benvanue brought to the region.
Henry Whaley was the first to settle in the area. In fact, he was the first permanent white settler in Clay County. Born in Tennessee, he enlisted in the army at the onset of the Mexican War. He returned to his home and began farming and ranching, married and had one son. In 1860 he began moving his family west.
His wife died along the way, and he settled in Cooke county, again farming and ranching until again enlisting in a frontier defense regiment, seeing combat in several campaigns against the Indians.
In 1869 Whaley settled in north Clay County, constructed a stockade and hired about a dozen employees to farm, care for livestock and provide protection against Indians.
He was soon selling several thousand bushels of oats annually, principally to the U.S. Army who used Fort Sill Road to transport supplies between Fort Sill in Indian Territory and Fort Richardson in Jacksboro and Fort Belknap near Newcastle, both in Texas.
Indian raids continued. In 1873 one of Whaley’s employees was killed, and one Indian was killed. In 1874, another raid resulted in all of Whaley’s horses being stolen and driven into the Wichita Mountains. Among the horses was a mule, which returned to the ranch four months later.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Country Lifestyles
Does John Wayne Have the Answer to Our Discourse?
By Dal Houston
I am terribly saddened by all the argumentative discourse that seems to be going on in today’s world. It seems as though it is no longer enough just to disagree on certain issues. We are expected to classify someone as an enemy if they do not always agree with us on all issues, lest we be considered weak.
To make things even worse, because those who disagree with you are now considered enemies, the sentiment seems to be that it is only fair and proper to destroy them, because they are the enemy, again with the fear of ridicule for being weak if we do not fight.
With all that said, and seemingly unrelated, I am a big John Wayne fan. From watching him dive into his role as a cowboy, to marveling at his time portraying a soldier or appreciating his acting gig as a sailor, there is seldom a week that goes by without me watching at least one
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Country Lifestyles
While We Were Sleeping
By Martha Crump
That old adage, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.,” may have some basis in truth when applied to minor situations. However, when what you don’t know is presented in the form of a “Trojan Horse” and is what amounts to an incredible attempt to fleece American property rights, it becomes a different story altogether.
To put this unbelievable tale together, we need to step back to Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order which pledged commitment to help restore balance on public lands and waters, to create jobs, and to provide a path to align the management of America’s public lands and waters with our nation’s climate, conservation, and clean energy goals.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Country Lifestyles
Lacey’s Pantry: Strawberry Sorbet
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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