Why do small towns often hold the most intriguing histories? What if secrets of famous figures from the past are just waiting to be uncovered in places many people overlook? Join me, Bob Bales, on a journey to an unsuspecting place that's been home to supermodels, outlaws, and even the King of Rock and Roll himself. That's right, we're heading to the heart of Texas, to a small town, packed with stories and historic events that will make you see small towns in a different light.
In this episode, we explore the extraordinary tales of this town, from its role in a Revolution to its ties with figures like Elvis Presley and Bonnie and Clyde. Discover how this town of just 7,000 fired the first shot in a revolution, hosted celebrities and learn about one of the deadliest Old West outlaws, John Wesley Hardin, and his epic escape from the city jail. We'll also visit a Hotel, where Elvis and Bonnie and Clyde once stayed. So, buckle up for this thrilling journey and allow the Traveling Fool to guide you on your next history-packed adventure!
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show that talks about travel destinations, the history, culture and people of those destinations, and travel tips and news. I'm Bob Bales, and today we're talking about a small country town that has seen celebrities, outlaws and fired the first shot in a revolution. Now, before we start, I want to let you know there are some links in the show notes for products that I use and helpful sites. A couple of them do pay me a small commission if you use them, but, like I've said before, I'm never going to promote anything that I don't personally use. Now, I love visiting small towns and learning about their history, and there is a small town in Texas that has never had more than about 7,000 people living there, but can count among the many of the most famous and most popular city citizens A young lady who was born there and went on to become a supermodel actress and a long time partner of an iconic rock musician. I'm talking about Jerry Hall, who was born in this town in 1956, and went on to become the long time girlfriend and partner of none other than Mick Jagger. Now there's another person in this town who was just as famous in his time In 1839, a fellow by the name of Phil Coe was born in this town.
Bob Bales:
He became an old West gambler, a businessman and partner of gunfighter Ben Thompson out of Abilene, kansas, and wound up getting killed by none other than Marshall Wild Bill Hickok in a gunfight in 1871. Now in the early to mid-1950s, there was a young man that visited this town a couple of times. The first time this young wannabe singer visited, he was headed to another town to perform a gig and he stopped by the hotel in town, grabbed a sandwich and asked if he could take a nap for a couple of hours. The second time he came to town, he actually played a concert from the bed of a pickup truck for the citizens. The hotel where he stopped at is still standing and operating to this day and there's a room decked out in memorabilia. Oh, the young man. Well, that would be the future king of rock and roll, elvis Presley. That same hotel hosted a famous crime duo by the name of Bonnie and Clyde in 1938. They got a room using aliases because they really didn't want to be noticed too much, but alas, somebody did and they wound up escaping through a window as the law was closing in Another outlaw by the name of John Wesley Hardin, spent some time in the city jail before making an escape.
Bob Bales:
Now, if you've never heard of John Wesley Hardin, he was undoubtedly one of the deadliest of the Old West outlaws. He boasted of killing over 40 men, one of them for snoring too loud. He was arrested several times, escaped several times before being caught and sent to prison, where he was later pardoned and became a lawyer Living in El Paso, where he finally died in a gunfight there. But perhaps the most historic event of this town occurred in the 1800s, when the town was a fledgling community. It would come under raids by local Indian tribes.
Bob Bales:
In 1831, the Mexican government gave this town a small cannon to protect itself, but mainly make noise to scare off intruders. Fast forward 1835, the seeds of Texas revolution were brewing and a provisional army had been raised. In September of 1835, the commander of all Mexican troops in Texas requested the cannon back. After the settlers refused, he sent 100 Mexican soldiers to retrieve the cannon. Now, in the meantime, in the meantime in trouble, the settlers rounded up some help and they had 140 men respond to defend the town and its cannon. On October 1st, with the Mexican troops camped just outside the settlement, the settlers decided to take the fight to the Mexican army and attack the camp, raising a homemade flag with a crude drawing of a cannon and the words come and take it. The settlers fired their cannon and let Lucevalia gunfire the Mexican commander, knowing he was outnumbered and deciding well, the small cannon really just wasn't worth it, with jurors forces before any more shots were fired, but this did become the first shot fired in the Texas revolution.
Bob Bales:
Now the town I'm talking about is Gonzales, texas, which is about 74 miles east of San Antonio, just south of Interstate 10, which means you have to really want to visit this town because it isn't something you pass zipping along on the interstate. The hotel where Elvis, bonnie and Clyde stayed is the Alcalde Hotel, just a couple of blocks from the town square. There's also the Gonzales Memorial Museum, which houses the famous cannon as well as other historic artifacts. The Old City Jail is now a museum. It makes for an interesting tour and you can also visit Pioneer Village, which sits just outside of town. It's a living history center with a collection of 1800s and early 1900 era houses and buildings to show you what life was like in early Gonzales County. Gonzales is a fun town to visit. It holds a lot of history and it's one of the reasons I love visiting small towns. They don't always have flashy tourist attractions and most are not on the interstate. You do have to travel the back roads to get to some of them, but when you visit them you can learn about some interesting history and meet some interesting people.
Bob Bales:
Now, before I go, I want to leave you with this thought Next time you go somewhere on a trip, look at taking some of the back roads and explore some of the smaller towns. If you travel anywhere, whether it's stateside or overseas, take some time and explore some of the smaller towns and just might find some interesting history. Travel is about the people you meet, the stories you collect and the memories that stay with you for years. So make your next trip and every trip afterwards a memorable one. Thanks for tuning in to the Traveling Fool podcast. I hope you enjoyed it and got something out of it that you can use. Please take a moment to leave a review, subscribe and share it with your friends, and stay tuned for more tips, destinations and travel news in our future episodes. Thanks again.