Hallie C. Stillwell, a Rancher And Texas Legend, Dies at 99

[TheWildWestGuy]

Presidio is one of the long standing members of BBC well known for his writing style which tends to be factual and  well documented.
I think most of us here on BBC would love to read some transcripts of the diary if you can locate it and would be willing to type (or scan) some into a post.   Think of it as the best way to publish the diary (or at least parts of it) to the entire world.   I am certain that most of us (probably 99%) will not be traveling to a major city in search of an old genealogy reference that we may or may not be able to find.   But if you would be willing to copy the journal into posts here on BBC we would really love it.  Plus it would probably turn out to be a good way to uncover more information about the history and people in the journal.  If your not willing to post portions of the diary would you be willing to loan it to someone else to transcribe?  ... TWWG

[Casa Grande]

Well, aside from Shane posting this oddly enough a decade later, it has turned out to be quite an interesting thread.  Hallie is one of my favorites and I am enjoying the conversation.  Check out the video Bootleggers, Bandits and Businessmen.  It has several interviews with the old timers, including Hallie Stillwell.

[homerboy2u]

What is presidio style??

Well TWWG, was very eloquent in answering you. But i consider Presidio, a good friend for he has showed me many facts,issues and information i would never would have access to.

Did you just recently learn about your ancestors from that area or did you go down there knowing that???

Actually no. My Father and aunts, always told me about Pico Etereo, they used to call it Picoeteria , because that is my grandfather used to call it,you know more local. But nobody bothered to ask him how to get there, again it is very likely that no one will ever go there again, being so isolated from everywhere, except those dang Taliban terrorists who have been threatening the border lately and hence,the need to build the wall and all. But i had enough info to start scratching the surface, plus there is still a living great-aunty of mine who corroborated the story and the place , before they moved out to Muzquiz.

I would like to read some stories about musquiz and all the people that came and went...way back then.

 Yes ofcourse, where ever i can pitch in i would love to participate on the stories of muzquiz and they came to be the middle ground of The Kingdom of the new Spain and the way point to the U.S.A. , in centuries afterwards. Many stories to share, we better do them one at a time , well documented, with pictures and some videos where ever possible.

 Hey Mbent, look. If we caught the eye of the owner of the page, this means we are on to something interesting, let's see where this takes us.

  It took me a while, but i knew this thread was somewhere...it is ancient..heck, it is fossilized but a picture and a story of my Grandfather Adolfo Jimenez

[cjacob]

Homerboy2u2,

Hey I have a Question,  Its my understanding that they have paved the road to Muzquiz.  How hard is it to get to OJ from Muzquiz and is the road paved there from Acuna or Pn?

[homerboy2u]

Homerboy2u2,

Hey I have a Question,  Its my understanding that they have paved the road to Muzquiz.  How hard is it to get to OJ from Muzquiz and is the road paved there from Acuna or Pn?

 The road to Muzquiz has been paved for quite a while, it is just that now it has been truned in to a 4 lane highway,Cjacob. either you drive by Acuña or Piedras Negras , you will drive a highway up to Muzquiz.

  As of now, it is hard to go from Ojinaga to Muzquiz since the road has gone slow in the State of Chihuahua. On this state,Coahuila it is actually finished all the way up to ejido Piedritas, where the State line meets Chihuahua.

[cjacob]

Homerboy2u2,

Hey I have a Question,  Its my understanding that they have paved the road to Muzquiz.  How hard is it to get to OJ from Muzquiz and is the road paved there from Acuna or Pn?

 The road to Muzquiz has been paved for quite a while, it is just that now it has been truned in to a 4 lane highway,Cjacob. either you drive by Acuña or Piedras Negras , you will drive a highway up to Muzquiz.

  As of now, it is hard to go from Ojinaga to Muzquiz since the road has gone slow in the State of Chihuahua. On this state,Coahuila it is actually finished all the way up to ejido Piedritas, where the State line meets Chihuahua.

Thanks, I have not been there since '94  was thinking of heading that way for a weekend of exploring.  But I sold my Range Rover and now only have my 530 BMW.  Which is not the best for off road travel.  Now its a little hard to blend in to Mexico with the BMW I might take my '77 ford F100 there since it would blend in well...

[homerboy2u]

You would be surprised how well a BMW blends now a days here.. , seriously!!

 You need to do a websearch of Muzquiz Coahuila, there is tons of information out there plus try and search for it on You Tube, there are videos from everywhere in Muzquiz. My favorites are from the place the call La Cascada ( The waterfall) , it is fantastic...lots of water, shady places to set a place for yourselves, a good place to cook up a BBQ....look for it, and the Rio Sabinas, i believe..that is spectacular with all those very old trees as well....look it up.

[bdann]

  But I sold my Range Rover and now only have my 530 BMW. 

Are you in the DFW area?  I've seen a 530 BMW with BIBE plates twice on my way to work this week, was it you by chance?

(i know, off topic)...

[Peach]

you would love it. They have copies at geneological libraries in houston and san antonio. If you can't get there, I'd be glad to shoot you a copy..snail mail or something....i would like to hear some feedback to see if anyone else thinks these stories might have merit as juvie bio material since i've been told there needs to be more 'strong' female juvie character books out there...and these stories are so awesome...I dove into it a little but got torn betw which sister to focus on.....the one w/more info or the one who spent more time in bb...or course...the one who spent more time in bibe was winning out but I ran out of info on her....cause....she was TOO BUSY TO SIT DOWN and write anything DOWN and literally worked herself to death! So.....i guess that's where the imagination would have to come in to play. The stories would be GREAT material for teaching as you won't find such tales on tv or movies...you know...video games........hahaha ...i can get a copy to you or give you the journal name and # as soon as I find my own copy.........i really would love the input. See, I met one of Lizzie's grandkids (gread-grandkids??) many times at Hallie's and she would tell me about this diary. She died in the late '90s, however, she always stayed in touch and I never forgot about the diary...just took me this long and, again, if only I'd found it way back then....she could have answered all my questions....many of them..i spose...

Let me know the number as soon as you find your copy.  If I can find it in the geneological libraries, I'll let you know.

When I started reading "I'll Gather My Geese", I was so engrossed in it, my little girl asked me to read some of it to her.  I read it last year on one of our trips to BiBe.  I think I had it read in less than two days.

[cjacob]

  But I sold my Range Rover and now only have my 530 BMW. 

Are you in the DFW area?  I've seen a 530 BMW with BIBE plates twice on my way to work this week, was it you by chance?

(i know, off topic)...

Nope I am in Austin.  I MIGHT be in Mexico today if I can get the wife to go in the next hour.   

[cjacob]

You would be surprised how well a BMW blends now a days here.. , seriously!!

I hear you on that we have been to Monterrey with it and would feel fine driving it on the Toll Roads.  However I still would rather be on the side of caution.  We traveled a LOT in Guerrero, in the past year and a half, I have found blending in works beter in a Tsuru, then a Jeep.  Just when I am in rual parts I try not to bring attention to us. 

Now what is funny my wife and I have been mistaking for nationals in Comerical Mexicana by Ex-pats in Zihuatanejo.  I am dark blonde hair and my wife is a Red Head, we try to talk in spanish when we travel. 

[homerboy2u]

Now what is funny my wife and I have been mistaking for nationals in Comerical Mexicana by Ex-pats in Zihuatanejo.  I am dark blonde hair and my wife is a Red Head, we try to talk in spanish when we travel. 

 Now that's funny, ...My mom is living the good life, as we speak in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, her sisters (4 including her and sisters inlaw 2 plus 34 cousins,aunts and more relatives...all women) rented a luxury bus and just split over there. I tried to called her today,she picked up, i heard alot of shouting in the bus and cheering....and she hung up on me...... . Not a single word, she said to me. I think i got the point,

   Enjoy your time in Guerrero ....you know, lots of pictures, you hear?

[mbent]

 :rlinolg:
No! THAT's funny! I wish I was on that bus!! hahahahahaha!!!! ahhaahahahaha!!! Well, if we aren't invited on that, let's get a group up for Musquiz, the mines, the DC's or all of the above! hahahhahah...your mom didn't saying nothing???? hahahaha!!! I love it....I wanna be her right now!!! arhhh!! what a blast man!

[cjacob]

Now that's funny, ...My mom is living the good life, as we speak in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, her sisters (4 including her and sisters inlaw 2 plus 34 cousins,aunts and more relatives...all women) rented a luxury bus and just split over there. I tried to called her today,she picked up, i heard alot of shouting in the bus and cheering....and she hung up on me...... . Not a single word, she said to me. I think i got the point,

   Enjoy your time in Guerrero ....you know, lots of pictures, you hear?

We LOVE Zihua, I bet this time of year its really nice since its the rain season.  We have been looking for land on the ocean, but it been really expensive.  We have been here aprox 30 days over the last 18 months.  I have some photos but not to many.  I have some clients who are opening a coffee house and we have considered sourcing the coffee beans from Guerrero for the house blend which I hope I can be the buyer.  Then I can make all my trips a Tax write off.  Barra de Potosi has to be one of my all time favorite places there to hang out.  There is a place we  go eat fish tacos all day and drink beer, we ride bike 4 miles one way from where we stay down a dirt road. 

In Guerrero there has been a increase in violent crime associated with the Drug Trade.  Tourist have not been the targets but have been impacted.  We have not been seen anything first hand, but still keep an eye out for things.  I know at one point my fathers factory in Aucuna, had a problem with trucks ending up with drugs after they left the factory and arrived in the US (early 90's).  Its like my old days traveling in Mexico after high school, if it does not feel ok then you need to leave.  I have a friend who had issues (well they where ugly americans) who where shot at as they where trying to get out.  But that is a whole other story. 

[mbent]

Ok ya'll, I'm finally ready to share Elizabeth Stillwell's diary on the BBC-hold on to your hats! This diary is in the UT library in the archives so it is available to the public. Just to refresh your memory, Elizabeth was Roy Stillwell's oldest sister. Roy was married to Hallie and most of you are familiar w/Hallie. I thought it would be interesting, however, to go a little further back; especially since it's available! Elizabeth was born in 1860 and she wrote this at the age of 70.  I think you'll find it interesting! It doesn't start in Brewster County, however, they 'got there as soon as they could'! I am doing this in memory of Adele Rountree. Adele was Elizabeth's grand-daughter from her first marriage to Gus Rountree. Adele did most of the genealogical work on this family and, I imagine, probably coaxed Elizabeth to record her story for us when Elizabeth would have much rather been out dancing!

The Stillwell Family
A Story of Life in the Ranch Country of South Texas Just after the Civil War
Contributed by Miss Adele Rountree and Mrs. Anafair Brown Butts both of Beeville, Texas

These two descendants of the Stillwells have provided much material on this family that will be published in this and later editions. The "Life Experiences of Pickey" which begins in this issue will run for several more issues, and is a vivid and sometimes chilling acccount of the way it was in  South Texas, mainly in San Patricio and Live Oak Counties, and along the Rio Grande, and the family's struggle to survive among murderers, thieves, alligators, panthers and other hazards of the untamed rangeland. It describes the primitive customs this family endured just after the Civil War at the time when law and order seemed non-existent and is one of the most interesting and historical stories we have ever read.- editor

Ok, I just had to put that preface to the 'Our Heritage' San Antonio, Texas July 1980 genealogical society's newsletter's in here....just thought it was kind of funny intro....

Also, I will try to get some photos in (I don't have that many) and I will interject dates from geneaological charts in as needed. Also, PLEASE, if any of you guys have anything to add about the historical aspects of what she was referring to especially in regards to the landgrants in Mexico, etc, or anything else, please, let 'er rip! I am very curious about the Texas Rangers (her marriage to Wood (LC) Saunders-I do have photos of him but scant info) and I'm very curious about Alice..ok, I'll shut up now...