Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938 Page: 47 of 264
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OOl-iDFN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, 193R
SECTION A- PAGE TWENTY-THREE
Traffle Problems
Date Back to '92
Traffic, still a perplexing problem
for cities, was something of a bug-
aboo in the old horse and buggy
days, too. Regulation of traffic be-
gan early in AmariUo.
For instance, male citizens of
Amarillo who rode in "hacks, buggies
or ether vehicles" had to be careful
who they rode with and when. An
ordinance, passed April 19, 1802, set.
forth in no uncertain terms that it
was a violation of the law for any
man to be seen in a hack, buggy or
other vehicle with certain of the
opposite sex between the hours of
4 o'clock in the morning and 3
o'clock at night. The licensed hack
driver was exempt from the provi-
sions of this ordinance.
City officials in those days railed
a spade a spade, but they weren't
talking about spades when they
pasred that ordinance.
Some years later, September 4,
13!W, there was enacted an ordi-
nance which provided:
"That if any person shall, within
the city limts of the city of Ama-
rillo. leave unhitched any team
which shall be attached to any
buggy, wagon, float, dray or any
other conveyance of whatsoever kind
on any street, alley or public thor-
oughfare in said city he shall be
deemed guilty of misdemeanor and
upon ronvirtion may be fined in
any sum not to exceed $25."
Speed was limited by law. too. In
the horse and buggv days. And the
fine for "speeding" could be $50, not
more.
One ordinance, passed April 4,
1004. provided "any person who shall
ride or drive any horse, mule or
other animal, in, along or across
anv public square, street, alley or
other public place In the city of
Amarillo in a gait faster than an
ordinary or moderate gait shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
provided that this ordinance shall
not apply to any person when going
to a fire."
Maybe that's where traffic cops
got that sarcastic "Where do you
think you're going, to a fire?"
By 1006 there was traffic conges-
tion. which resulted in an ordinance
providing for time 'parking.' It was
unlawful for "the owner or driver
of any carriage, wagon, cart, hack,
buggy or other vehicle to slop such
vehicle on Polk Street between Third
and Seventh Avenues for any pur-
pose and permit such vehicles to re-
main standing for more than 20
minutes."
And in 1906 the city of Amarillo
required a license for "any hack,
cab, omnibus, dray and transfer
wagon."
"How to park" was becoming
something of a problem by the fall
of 1915, for on November 16 of that
year Police Chief John Speed ap-
peared before the commission to dis-
cuss the advisability of angle instead
of parallel parking. He suggested,
also, that no autos—the popular
name in those days—be allowed to
stand between parked cars and the
street railway track on Polk Street
between Third and Fifth Avenues.
Speeding was becoming a source
of revenue in corporation court and I
by March 13, 1917," the mayor ap-
pointed for one week at $22.50 Sam i
F,. Davis to assist Mr Chessir in;
checking the reckless driving and
speeding so frequent at present."
. . .
Time parking on Polk Street be-
tween Third and Eighth Avenues !
us; set at 45 minutes on November
13, 1921.
Traffic threaded helter-skelter
through the streets and by 1925 the j
Board of City Development wanted i
something done about it. Minutes of!
the city commission meeting of
January 27, 1925, read in part:
"Ross D. Rogers, John Gilvin.
Harry Kearns and O. V, Vernon as 1
a committee from the Board of City
Development came before the com-
mission and recommended the In-
stallation of an electric signal sys- !
tem on the main streets of Ama-
rillo, stating that an electric
system would exp xiite traffic and
prevent accidents."
Rut the eomml.-sion was too busy
with other things, for the minutes}
read further:
' The commission advised these
gentlemen thai they eoaslder a
system of this kind necessary in |
Amarillo later, but deem it advisable
a! the present time to concentrate
all effort.' on the solution of the i
water question."
The following May, two of the
committee, Mr Gilvin and Mr,
Kearns, were before tl e commission
again.
Mr Ollvin staled that t|i^ In
stallatmn charge would he $475 per I
standard, pleven standards being
recommended for Amarillo, and the
maintenance charge approximately
$100 a month.
"Mr. Kearns stated that the re-
ports from cities now using this
system were very favorable and
urged its installation In Amarillo as
a means of eliminating accidents."
This time the commission took tt
under advisement.
• • •
Another committee, this time from
the Kiwanis Club, appeared before
the commission, September 1, 1925,
and the minutes read:
"W. A. Palmer, John Glivin and I
Dr. Bennett, as a committee from I
the Kiwanis Club, again brought the
matter of an electric traffic signal
system for Amarillo, stating that
this club has endorsed the proposi- I
tion and would like to see a system I
of this kind installed.
"Mayor Bivins advised these gen-
tlemen that he had given the traffic
question a great deal of thought and
does not not think the city large [
enough to make this system neces- j
sary, but that definite action on the ;
matter will be taken at the first j
meeting In which all of the commls- I
sion are present."
Finally, on April 7. 1926, due to
the great. Increase In traffic on the
streets of Amarillo the commission .
decided it was necessary to install j
the electric signal system and the
city manager was instructed to ad-
vertise for bids.
The original system was of 22
signals and cost $3,926. There are
twice that many signals in the |
system now and not infrequently the
city gets a request for more. The
ordinance which provided for the
installation of the system was in-
troduced and passed, June 17. 1926.
Latest proposed traffic regulation
is parking meters, which have many
ardent "agins" and ,iust as many fer-
vent "fors." Members of the com-
mission have announced no action
will be taken on parking meters un-
til business men present a petition
for the installation.
Five Brothers
The phrase "we are just one big
fam'ly" has been used by hundreds !
business firms.
When the Boxwell Brothers Fun-
er ' Home uses that expression, it
is not just a figurative term. It
is literally (rue, for the personnel
of this firm is made up of five
brothers.
This organization of brothers oc-
cupies a unique place in the busi-
ness world. It is the only funeral j
home in the United States in which
five brothers are associated as busi- ;
ness partners.
The firm was first conceived by j
-inward Boxwell, oldest of the broth-
er". In 1926, Howard had graduat- ;
ed from college and planned a
career as a funeral di-ector.
He came to Amarillo and located
here not by design, but by a cir-
cumstance which, at. the time, had
n 'hlng to do with his profession.
Howard brought two carloads of
rattle to the Amarillo Fat. Stock
Show on March 3, 1926. He was
in charge of the shipment repre-
senting the Greeley, Colorado, Land
and Livestock Company of which
his father was a business partner.
After spending several days in
Amarillo, Howard took his cattle
to Fort Worth's show and disposed I
of them there.
Amarillo had impressed him, and j
he came back with the intention of i
locating here. He became asso-
ciated with the funeral home called j
Blackburn-Boxwell.
By this time, Howard was so sold
c Amarillo as a place to live in
t .at. he suggested to his brother
Paul the possibility of establlsh-
'ng their own business.
Paul, just out, of school, came to
Amarillo, and In 1928 they started
business at their present location,
903 Taylor. Later, the other three
brothers, Lloyd, Ivan, and Alton
joined Howard and Paul.
Howard, who speaks for the fami-
ly, siys that he was born in Iowa, j
v -nt to school in Chicago, travrled
in every state in the union, and j
that "you couldn't drive me out
o Amarillo with a machine gun."
Howard was the embalmer of the
first man to die in Borger. In 1926.
Elton C. Green, an oil field worker,
fell off a derrick snd was killed,
the, first death recorded in that j
town. The drier of the Roxwell :
First Mayor
A New Yorkcr
Amarillo'# first mayor, Warren
W. Wet.sel, was born in 1849, at,
Howes Cave in Bchoharie County,
N. Y.
More than 30 years later he be-
came associated with another native
New Yorker, the man who founded
Amarillo.
Warren Wetsel was the son of
Christopher Wetsel and was reared
Killers of the
By INEZ CHRISTIAN DOSHIER
"It was never hard for me to tell
how a calf met its death. If the
carcass was covered with leaves, I
readily knew that a panther was
guilty; but If the carcass was left
in plain sight and only partly eaten,
I recognized it as the work of the
lobo. Eagles seldom killed calves
outright, but crippled them in the
back, eating out holes, and leaving
them to die," Thus spoke Jim
Christian, who spent 15 years as
cowpuncher on the JA Ranch.
"A panther remained In the
vicinity until the kill was all gone,
although he would likely move and
recover the carcass each time he
feasted The lobo killed for sport
as much as for the feast. When
he grew hungry again fresh meat
would be slaughtered; he seldom
ate from a carcass the second time,
A lobo would often plav through
a bunch of calves like a dog, snap-
ping them high in the hind legs,
maybe only crippling them. I have
never known a calf injured in this
manner that did not, die of blood
poisoning unless the wound was
opened. The coyote was known to
eat of anything he found dead and
make a big celebration of it
"The killers were more numerous
in the JJ division than any other
portion of Ihe .JA As the, Palo
Duro Canyon comprised a large
part of the JJ area, and It afforded
them a splendid habitation, it be-
came a serious problem to attempt
their extermination. An added dis-
advantage was that the JJ stuff
was registered stock. Bulls from
this herd supplied all ranches of
the Panhandle.
"A bounty was established to aid 1
in their extinction. Twenty dollars !
was the reward for old woives, and j
i ten dollars each for pups. Some-
j times a particular wolf would cause |
so much damage that a reward of
| as high as $50 might be offered. !
The saving of one registered calf
' was well worth the reward."
• • •
Mr. Christian, in relating his ex- I
j perience in tracking animals, said:
"The lobo and the coyote tracks
were similar except, that, the lobo's
j track was much larger. It was
shaped something like a man's hand,
with the claw marks showing. The
'panther track was rpund and large;
j the claw marks seldom showed ex-
i ccpt where climbing had been done.
The panther would use a cave with
! only one opening, while the lobo
i always had more than one to his
: den.
; "These three, could he distinguish-
ed by their voices, too. I have
heard * panther scream «t night
that sounded exactly lik« a woman
in distress, fiuch a nota in the
night bore the warning to a cow-
boy that damage might, be found in
his future rides on the range. The
lobo's howl was a long howl with a
monotony of tone, while a royote
added all kinds of yappy notes to
his.
"The panther was the fiercest of
the three animals. He was so sly
as to be seldom seen. He refrained
from fighting except to defend him-
self; but at such times he proved
t be a real scrapper. I never ex-
perienced an encounter with one
myself, but have heard of a panther
attacking men on horseback when j
wounded, and even following a man
to seek revenge. A panther was not
hard to poison provided a person
used gloves in handling the bait, and
left no evidence of his presence 1
remember poisoning a calf once that j
a big lobo wolf had killed, and of re-
turning to find a big panther about
eight feet long lying dead only a
few feet away. He was so big and
fierce looking, I sat on my horse i
for several minutes and looked at j
him with a feeling of awe. The fore-
legs would have measured, without
doubt, the size of a man's arm above
the elbow. The panthers were not
so numerous as the lobo wolves.
"While on a round-up once I
found signs in the grass where a
calf had been killed. The blood
had riot dried and the cow wm still
bawling nearby. There was a trail
out through the grass as evidence
the calf had been dragged off. I
followed for some distance, knowing
it to be the work of a panther.
The tracks went right up to the edge
of a deep ravine about eight feet,
across. I went down the ravineJ
but found no tracks. Then I turned
8nd followed the ravine in the oppo-
site direction, but had no luck I
had always heard that a panther
in carrying off his prev would hold
the animal in his mouth and throw
the body over Ills shoulders. This
is what he had done, but the calf
was so large that even then it, drag-
ged through the grass. Signs di-
rectly across the ravine proved that
the panther, carrying his prey had
jumped the entire distance. I was
needed at the round-up, and could
not follow longer. I went on, hop-
ing to return later, but was unable
to do so.
* •
"The lobo was big and fierce look-
ing. but at heart a coward When
roped from a horse he would never
offer to defend himself, but would
pull back—even after being dragged
and then stamped by a cowboy's
booted heel. The lobos made their
dens in natural caves in the canyon.
I have entered many caves, but nev-
er encountered a mother wolf. They
always had more than one opening
to a den, and would slip out, leaving
i their young to the mercy of the
l enemy.
"A mother wolf would •nmetlme*
eat. greedily at the liver of a freshly
slaughtered animal, then go to her
■den. and dlsgoige this for her pups.
I tracked a wolf once, finding this
condition at the mouth of the cave.
It was evident that the pups had left
their meal at hearing my approach.
I crawled into the cave to get them.
Tliey were large as coons, and I had
a tussle in handling them. They
were trying to find a means of es-
cape. and I sat on several while I
cut the throats of the others. One
little fellow was slipping through a
crack in the rock wall of the cave,
and I barely caught him by a hind
foot I felt confident that some
escaped for 1 only got out with five.
A day or so later my brother, Will,
came to my camp and told me he
had found a den and wanted me to
go with him to rob It. We found
only one pup, and it was the size
of the ones I had previously cap-
tured. I always tnought it belonged
to that litter and had escaped. His
mother, on finding the others gone,
had removed this one to a new loca-
tion."
The first wire used in Oldham
County was around the LE ranch.
It was ribbon wire fastened to posts
by staples so long that it was nec-
essary to shoot the wire off or
break down the post in order to
cross.
WARREN W. WETSEI,
on a large ranch and stock farm
near his birthplace. He became an
accountant and later supervised a
mercantile store.
In 1880 Mr. Wetsel's health was
failing and he came west, locating
in Grayson County, where he mei
the energetic and courageous
Yankee "drummer"—the man who
introduced barb wire in Texas.
Mr. Sanborn had established a
ranch in Grayson County, where he
raised biooded horses, and was ac-
quiring land in the Panhandle—
later to be known as the Frying
Pan ranch.
Mr. Wetsel was engaged to super-
vise. enclosing of the Frying Pan,
which was fenced in 1382 at a cost
of more than $39,000.
Taciturn and unassuming. Mr.
Wetsel fitted into the picture with
the tall Texans. In wind-swept West
Texas the man who became the
first Head of Amarillo's municipal
government regained his health and
thrilled to the simple life of the
Plains.
With his bride, Mrs. Katherine
Wetsel, still a resident of Amarillo,
the early settler lived in a tent at
the Frying Pan while their first
house was being built.
Mr. Wetsel helped manage the
Frying Pan. With his bride he
made two trips each year to
Springer, N. M . for supplies. They
traveled the 185 miles in a buck-
board. follow"d by the big freight
wagons.
On one trip through New Mexico
his widow recalled she made some
comment about th" condition of the
range.
"Warren, the grass doesn't seem
so green here."
And the next morning when the
journey was resumed, Mr. Wetsel
replied:
"No, Katherine, the grass doesn't
seem so green here."
Mr. Wetsel was like that—quiet
and taciturn.
Associated with the founder. Mr.
Wetsel was one of the first In
Amarillo. He was here in 1837
when the town first was settled.
He look an active interest in civic
development and attended all of
the township meetings.
It was the active interest that
resulted in his election as Amarillo's
first mayor. His first official set
in that capacity was to call to
order the first council meeting, held
April 11, 1892.
For several years Mr. Wetsel was
in the grocery business in Amarillo.
He retired on account of failing
health and died here, November 29,
1928.
Besides his widow, a daughter,
Jennie W Inman, also a resident,
of Amarillo, and a son, Harry
Wetsel of Holbrook, Art?., survive
him.
r.'others went from Amarillo to
prepare the body for burial.
The brothers believe that there
stI'' are opportunities for every
phase of business in Amarillo. Their
ov a experience justifies their faith
in the community.
John Rumans, Washburn: "In
them days a cattleman could claim
a hundred miles and keep you out."
We congratulate the people anH institution* who aro celehraiinq their 50)h
anniversary at thil lima . . . but w® with to particularly (jte thi« opportunity
(r, thank th ru'tomfri who hava 'Avvlierl with us during the many year* wo havo
been in busineu.
Amarillo's Original
ONE STOP
HOME BUILDING SERVICE
PLANNING
BUILDING
FINANCING
REPPERT LUMBER
241 I West 6th CO. Phono 8955
8
HOTEL
The Nations c c 11 n g
On The Plains
Western Hospitality is still the Keynote of this
famous Texas Plains Hotel. We cannot get
away from the old tradition—Quality, Ser-
vice and Price.
Always stop at the Amarillo Hotel where a
cordia
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Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938, newspaper, August 14, 1938; Amarillo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth299921/m1/47/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hutchinson County Library, Borger Branch.