The “Footprints of Fayette” articles written by local historians, have been included in the Fayette County Record for over 20 years. In this span of years, the vast majority of the articles have been written about the historical exploits of the men and women who settled in this area, sometimes dating back to the days of the Republic of Texas.
There have been only about a handful of stories written about the animals that have lived in our countryside.
The following article should actually be titled the “Footprints Left by the Animals in Fayette”, as it deals with some newspaper articles written about the exploits of some of the animals that lived in our county and state many years ago and left their footprint in the minds of our past citizens. This week’s article, which are basically short stories, will deal with animals that wore feathers.
“Best Place to Store Up for the Winter”
The writer of an article in the September 22, 1910 La Grange Journal dealt with the industry of the woodpecker. The story related that the roof of the Courthouse in La Grange was being recovered, and that “to get the work in proper shape, the lightning rod had to be removed,” which included a glass ball. Upon close examination, it was revealed that a woodpecker “had used his bill—hardened by contact with innumerable telephone poles—to make two holes an inch in diameter (in the ball.) Into the hollow ball there was deposited acorns and pecans.”
The writer further concluded that “as no youngster, mischievously inclined, had been on the roof, this supposition alone furnishes the solution.”
“A Drove of Turkeys”
There have been a lot of stories written about the driving and herding of large herds of cattle to market, but apparently the following story reveals that there is sometimes the need to move other animals to market. A December 27, 1907 story in the La Grange Journal recounted the following story of another type of “cowboy” riding herd in our county. It states that: “H. F. Menking of Haw Creek arrived in this city Wednesday morning in charge of a drove of 300 turkeys which he had driven across the country, a distance of about twenty miles.
This is the second expedition of its nature to happen within a year’s time, and in each instance has enlisted considerable attention. One year ago, Falke Brothers of Warda drove 500 turkeys to this city and sold them to the Northern Produce Compa- ny, which has an office in this city…. La Grange continues to be the market for the farmers’ turkeys… our shipments have always excelled those of our neighboring towns… Schulenburg is always (also) worthy of mention.”
“A Deadly Fight”
A July 1941 La Grange Journal article gave this account of a “battle” between a chaparral (roadrunner) and a rattlesnake. The article reported that the bird was jogging down a path when it stopped to circle a bunch of grass.
At this time, the bird began its battle with a nearly 4-foot rattlesnake. “Darting in and out, the roadrunner dug viciously at the rattler time and again, and each time managed to evade the fangs of the reptile.”
After a one hour and 20-minute battle, the rattler was lifeless, and the roadrunner strolled off into the brush.
A close examination of the snake revealed the following: a “hole completely thru the center of the head, three lacerations on its belly, and the rattler was missing both of its eyes.
