Today I’d like to share some quotes from Texas frontier women.
These ladies told it like they saw it – and lived it.
“The
Texas
frontier dared its women to adhere to society’s rules and then threw in their
way every conceivable obstacle: Indians, heat, blue northers, bugs, wind,
isolation, and violence.” ~ Sherrie S.
McLeroy
Lonely:
“She used to tell how when they
finally came to the homestead and the wagon stopped, she felt so lonely. There was
emptiness as far as the eye could see. How could a human endure?” ~ Odessa Wilmon, West
Texas pioneer
Desolate:
“No one can ever know how much
pleasure and company they [three gift chickens] were to me. They were someone I
could talk to. They would run to me when I called them and follow me everywhere I went.” ~ Molly
Goodnight, living with her husband on an isolated
ranch in the Texas
Panhandle
Friends: “We
learned almost all that we ever did know about practical living from our
friends on the prairies of Texas .”
~ Seigniora Russell Laune
Beautiful:
“There was sufficient water here for a
city of one quarter league, and the scenery along the San Antonio River
is very beautiful, for there are pecan
trees, grape vines, willows, elms and other timbers. . .
. Fish were caught in abundance for everybody.” ~ Captain Domingo Ramón, exploratory
expedition into Texas ,
1716 (Okay, he’s a guy, err, was a guy, but I simply couldn’t leave this one
out.)
San Antonio River; photo by Billy Hathom; Creative Commons Attribution Share alike 3.0 |
Austin Women: “Taking all things together, the life lived by the women of Austin at that date [1856] was a joyous, genial existence . . . Their chief employment appeared to be an endless tucking of fine muslin and inserting lace in same . . . Some of the women chewed snuff without cessation and such women neither ‘tucked’ nor ‘inserted.’” ~ Amelia Barr, British novelist & early Austinite
A Woman with Attitude:
“Foolish modesty lags behind while brazen impudence goes forth and eats the
pudding.” ~ Eleannor Brackenridge, early Texas suffragist
Mighty:
“I get from the soil and spirit of Texas the feeling that
I, as an individual, can accomplish whatever I want to, and that
there are no limits, that you can just keep going, just keep soaring.” ~ Barbara Jordan , U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, U.S.
Congresswoman
I gathered these
gems from:
Quotable Texas Women by
Susie Kelly Flatau & Lou Halsell Rodenberger
And from: http://texascultures.housing.utexas.edu/assets/pdfs/texas_mystique.pdf
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What a treat--I do love quotes of all kinds, and yes, some of these were familiar. Molly Goodnight--I think I know just about everything concerning her, and I knew right away the word "chicken" meant something Molly said.
ReplyDeleteAll of these are so good--some nostalgic and a bit sad, but some uplifting, such as that about the San Antonio River, and the one by the venerable Barbara Jordan. She was a woman I liked more in her later years. She didn't soften her tone, no siree, but she softened her stance and became more tolerant and wiser, too.
I love your banner and your photo. Well done. And yes, always..."better late than never."
Thank you, Celia. I loved Moly's comment about her chickens. Animals can be great friends. Also loved Amelia Barr's description of the Austin women, especially those who chewed snuff. LOL
DeleteI heard Barbara Jordan give her speech before the Democratic National Convention -- can't tell you the year -- and was enthralled. She became one of my personal heroes that night.
I knew about Molly Goodnight and Barbara Jordan, but not the others. How lonely those on ranches must have been.
ReplyDeleteCaroline, between you and me, I would not have made a good pioneer. The loneliness and hardships those women faced must have been overwhelming at times. Those who stuck it out were real life heroines!
DeleteInspiring post. What great women America has produced. When I lived alone in the middle of 73 acres, I had a wee taste of isolation, and hardship during blizzards or drought. But I could drive to the city if need be. I often wondered how those men and women survived.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered the same about them, Gini. They must have had backbones of steel. Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteIt's amazing how these women could handle all of this poverty and loneliness. I admire them a lot. Thanks for posting these.
ReplyDeleteHi Paisley. I admire them too, and I like their open frankness about the places and people.
DeleteGreat quotes! Those Texas women were strong and brave. I can't imagine how they got all their chores done in the hot summertime. They had grit.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post.
Thank you, Sandra. Having lived through Texas summers with air conditioning, I've often wondered the same. Those gals had great endurance.
DeleteThis was such a great blog, Lyn. I like that it including the diverse thoughts of women over the state of Texas. I like that the women of the west had less social restrictions than in the east. Texas women were certainly tough, talented, and courageous.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you, Lyn.
Thank you, Sarah. I loved sharing a few of these great quote. Glad you enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post, Lyn. Can't imagine tucking and inserting lace, but guess that was the lifestyle back then. I love reading about the Goodnights. They lived such and interesting, though hard, life. Sometimes I think...I could handle that isolation with no problem. But, the longest I've gone without someone to talk to was a weekend.
ReplyDelete