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Singin' the precipitation doldrum blues

12/23/2010

The most recent dry spell is now over 80 days without a drop. Not good. It may be winter, finally, but that does not lessen the fire danger experienced everytime there is a prolonged dry spell. And speaking of prolonged dry spells, Midland has had some doozies. According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram Centennial edition, published in 1985, the city's drought history encompasses parts of eight different years, which is not to say there were other times:

1909-10
1916-18
1930
1933-34

Our current rainless streak, during which there has been no recorded rainfall, dates back to September 26. Today's drizzle won't likely lift us out of our current precipitation doldrums.

Pray for rain.

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Just what the doctor ordered

12/10/2010

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A pioneer Midlander, Ada Phillips, used to tell a story about a Dr. Edwin Calloway, who first practiced in Midland and surrounding areas in 1897. Her story originally appeared in the book, "The Pioneer History of Midland County (1880-1926):

"Dr. Calloway went to a ranch in Dawson County where the patient was a 9-year-old boy -- the only child of middle-aged parents. When the doctor arrive, it was late at night.

"A small group of men had gathered in one corner of the yard, waiting to be needed. In the kitchen, the women had prepared a vessel of boiling water and a steaming coffee pot. They sat around a table whispering in the dim light provided by a kerosene lamp.

"The doctor walked into the sick room and saw the mother kneeling by the bed, weeping. The father, a giant of a man, watched soberly as the doctor examined his son.

"After the examination, Dr. Calloway closed his medical bag and walked outside, closely followed by the anxious father, who said, 'Doc, is my boy going to live? What can we do for him?'

Dr. Calloway replied solemnly, "All the boy needs is a good whippin'," and with that, got into his buggy and rode off into the darkness.

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Sunday is 100th anniversary of devastating downtown fire

12/4/2010

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The easygoing yet often hardscrabble pioneer life was interrupted by a frightening fire 100 years ago this weekend.

The date was December 5, 1910 when the blaze destroyed many businesses in downtown. The Great Fire began in the W.A. Holloway livery barn at 8 p.m. on a Monday. According to early published reports, the fire spread soon to the Midland Grocery and Dry Goods Store. The list of downtown businesses that would be lost was long: Martin-Kapp Jewelry Company, the Klapproth Building, Maggie McCormick's Millinery, Bigham & Lee, Midland Metal and Manufacturing Company, and Heatly and Parks Saddlery all went up in flames.

The businesses rebuilt and miraculously, according to the Centennial edition of the Midland Reporter-Telegram, "the two banks downtown kept their sentinel posts in the same spot on Iowa (Wall Street)."

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About the Blog

Welcome, and thanks for your interest in what will be a rewarding trip through our shared past. This "History of Character" blog is only the beginning. A book by the same name -- "A History of Character: The Story of Midland, Texas" -- will be published September 2014. Through this blog you'll be able to track the progress of the project and learn along with the book's author, Jimmy Patterson. If you have stories to share that you think deserve mention in the history of our city, drop an email to historyofcharacter@gmail.com.

Singin' the precipitation doldrum blues

Just what the doctor ordered

Sunday is 100th anniversary of devastating downtown fire

About the Blog

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