“We are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us!” (Robert E. Lee, Fort Mason, January 23, 1861)
“The soldiers wanted to give a dance, but having no room for such an event in the fort, Commander Lee let the boys use his regimental quarters. I was surely dressed up that night and could scarcely wait for the dance to begin.” (Hannah Hey to Fred Gipson, 1936)
“I was an Indian, and I did not like them because they were palefaces.” (Herman Lehmann on reuniting with his family)
“I have been living on the frontier since 1853 and I now curse the day when I commenced it.” (George W. Todd, 1868)
“Even after great success with his books and the movies made from them, Fred Gipson retained his links to home terrain, living on a small ranch whose house’s grounds dropped steeply down to his beloved Llano River. We were friends, and I visited him occasionally there in the 1960s for perhaps a bit of fishing and certainly much good talk, for he was full of fine local tales of which only a few found their way into his writing.” (John Graves)
“In Mason, I heard a grumpy native refer to his town as ‘Little Taos.’” (John Graves)
“The land in the valley of the Llano is found to be remarkably productive, and the climate is considered even more healthy than that of New Braunfels or Fredericksburg. The air is remarkably pure and invigorating; and it is believed the emigrants from the mountainous regions of Europe will enjoy as good health here as in their native climate.” (Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register [Houston], 1846)
“The Llano is a broad stream and of greater volume of water than the Guadalupe at New Braunfels. Like all rivers of the rocky tableland of Texas, it flows rapidly and is as clear as a crystal.” (Ferdinand Roemer, 1847)
“My heart is glad to see the people who have come so far across the great water and came to visit us. But there is one thing which does not please my heart, if you set your wigwams along the water you call Llano.” (Comanche chief Mopechucope (Old Owl) to a German delegation, 1847)
“Our river, the Llano, is so very full of fish that you could not imagine it.” (Franz Kettner, 1853)
“It was a struggle with pioneer families to get enough food to eat. We had to eat careless weeds and lambsquarter which were gathered and cooked the same as turnip greens. Our only bread for months was cornbread. Supper for us children was usually a bowl of mush without milk or cream.” (Hannah Hey, 1936)
“I wasn’t afraid of the Indians. I guess I figured if they captured me I’d get to ride and shoot all I wanted to.” (William Schmidt, 1937)
“I am too close to this war. I know too much, and yet, I must tell too little.” (Stella Gipson Polk on the Hoodoo War, 1966)
“It is a shame to disgrace a civilized nation for a good, honest man to be shot down like this through the motive and evil intent and greed of one man for a name.” (John Gamel on the killing of Daniel Hoerster, 1875)
“I dressed and ran over to Mrs. Gamels. We watched on the galery to see what would happen and saw about forty men leading the prisoners come across the flat and go down the road. A lot of Mason men followed them but not in time to save the poor prisoners. We were dreadfully frightened and horrified.” (Lucia Holmes, February 18, 1875)