Heritage, Volume 14, Number 1, Winter 1996 Page: 8
30 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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An Old Ranger's Coming Home
Text and photographs by Bob and Vera ThorntonThat we decided to visit Oregon
at all was perhaps a bit peculiar
as the migratory paths of most
Texans heading west normally
route through the obligatory watering
holes and vacation destinations
of Palm Springs, Pebble
Beach, and San Francisco. However,
as a hobby, Vera and I had
been working on a wildlife photography
project for several years
that had in itself taken on a life of
its own, and so we went west, specifically
to Oregon, to photograph
two small birds, the Townsends
warbler and the Hermit warbler,
on the eastern slopes of the Cascades
near the small ranching community
of Sisters, Oregon. Our
research had indicated that since
the Hermit's breeding range runs
north from California to Oregon
and the Townsend's range runs
north from Oregon to Alaska, this
particular location was logistically
our best shot at locating both birds.
Hence our arrival at a 12-unit
campground, Camp Sherman, a few miles
north of Sisters in mid-May 1993.
We had never been to Oregon, knew
few who had, but we were nevertheless
impressed with the beauty of the green
valleys and mountains still snow-capped
at that time of the year. The campground
complex was deserted in May, as the tourist
season wouldn't kick-start until June,
and we consequently had the whole area
to ourselves except for the lone occupant
of a set-apart small cottage across a stream
from the cabin we occupied. That cottage
belonged to Roblay McMullin, then 86,
former owner of the campground who had
sold out several years before, but who still
lived there under the terms of the original
sales contract. It is Roblay McMullin who
is the heroine of this story and the linkage
to the famous frontiersman and Texas
Ranger - Captain Jack Hays. Jack Hays
was also a colonel in command of the 1st
Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers
during the War with Mexico.
Vera and I had been in the area for aCaptain Jack Hays was a legendary Texas
Ranger who distinguished himself in the
Mexican-American War under General
Zachary Taylor. A.I Bancroft & Co. Publishers,
San Francisco.-/
couple of days, concentrating on our project
with but modest success, when late one
afternoon, Roblay, whom we had not yet
met nor even seen, called to us across the
stream to come join her for a drink. When
she learned that we were from Texas, she
paused momentarily, and then sallied forth
with the following: "Before we settle in,
there are three things you need to know:
Number One - I've never been to Texas;
Number Two - I've never met a Texan; and
Number Three - Quite frankly, I don't
think I've missed a damn thing." We liked
her immediately. Liked her a lot. She was
salty and engaging as she wove tales of the
area, the geography, and the colorful history
of the Sisters/Bend communities. It
was, however, at least 45 minutes into the
conversation, perhaps even an hour, before
she began to lean into her new agenda. She
suggested that "since you two are from
Texas, perhaps you would like to meet
another Texan - Colonel Jack." When I
asked her who this Colonel Jack was, she
invited us to look over our shoulders at alarge oval oil painting hanging over
the door, a painting of a bearded
young man in buckskin kneeling
on top of an escarpment, gripping a
percussion rifle. The actual rifle
itself hung beneath the painting.
She said "that's Colonel Jack Hays,
Texas Ranger, and one of the heroes
of the Mexican-American
War." She went on to say that the
painting depicted an actual event
in 1841 when Hays fended off a
band of attacking Comanches from
Enchanted Rock near
Fredericksburg, Texas. The rifle beneath
the painting was the one he
presumably used that day.
Jack Hays was a remarkable
man by any measurement. He came
to Texas as a 19-year-old orphan
from Tennessee, arriving in 1837
shortly after the Texan victory at San
Jacinto. He soon joined a newly formed
"ranging" group commissioned by President
Sam Houston to protect the settlements
around SanAntonio from the
Comanches and other assorted renegades
who were ravaging the area at the time.
Hays was a fearless fighter and a leader
worshipped by the men he led. Although
he was slight of build and modest in
demeanor, he made captain in the Texas
Rangers at the early age of 23 and colonel
a few years thereafter during the Mexican-American
War. His bravery and competence
were legendary, and his real life
heroics were sensational enough to render
John Wayne's exploits a bit frail and
incomplete by comparison. Hays' small
band of Rangers particularly distinguished
itself during the Mexican-American War
when, under General Zachary Taylor,
Hays operated a commando force deep
inside Mexico behind enemy lines, leading
to the American capture of Monterrey.
His outstanding successes made him a
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 14, Number 1, Winter 1996, periodical, Winter 1996; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45404/m1/8/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.