Tarleton State University’s W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center for the Industrial History of Texas in Thurber plans a full day of Texas history from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, featuring award-winning authors, presenters and a world-class spur maker. There is no charge.
“Saddle Up! The World Spurs Helped Create” will cover life on the cattle trail, ranching and a look at spur making. Seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged.
Schedule for the day:
8:50 — Welcome
Session One
9 a.m. — Wayne Ludwig: “Up the Chisholm Trail in 20 Minutes”
9:20 a.m. — David Murrah: “C.C. Slaughter and the Lazy S Ranch”
9:40 a.m. — Scott Sosebee: “From Germany to Crosby County: The Life of Hank Smith, a ‘Westerning’ Man”
Session Two
10:30 a.m. — Michael Grauer: “Multiculturism and Texas Ranching”
10:50 a.m. — Ronald Davis: “Enslaved Cowboys in Texas”
11:10 a.m. — Kevin Fontenot: “The Greatest Liar I Ever Knew: A Real Cowboy Who Inspired the Great Western Record”
Session Three
1 p.m. — Renee Laegrid: “Kate and Nancy Binford: Texas Ranch Women (who may have worn spurs)”
1:20 p.m. — Mick Miller: “Cowboy Correspondence and Tidbits from the Trail”
1:40 p.m. — Wilson Capron: ‘The Art of Making Spurs”
2 p.m. — Q&A
The museum will be open until 4 p.m. for participants to enjoy. To make reservations, call 254-968-1886. To join via Zoom, visit https://web.tarleton.edu/gordoncenter and scroll to the bottom of the events listing.
The W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center, a facility of Tarleton State University, is at 65258 Interstate 20, Exit 367, Mingus, Texas, and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. It is a combined museum and special collections library located at the site of the Thurber ghost town. Visitors enjoy interactive exhibits that explore the birth, operations and death of a town owned by the Texas and Pacific Coal Co.
Event Description: