By Margaret Montgomery Thomas – Special to the Navarro County Gazette
Corn Silks and Cotton Blossoms
Every year about this time when the weather gets cold, icy I always think of the livestock shows in Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. So many youths in our area were participants through the years, and many lessons were learned being a participant in those shows, along with lasting friendships with others throughout Texas.
Glendon Thomas shared years ago a happening in the late ‘40s when he was showing calves. He said that the then County Agent, Mr. Curtis Henderson, hired a cattle truck to haul thirty show animals belonging to 4-Hers in Navarro County to the Houston Livestock Show for those youth to participate in the Houston Stock Show.
Glendon rode with Mr. Henderson in the truck to Houston that day. He said it was a very frigid day, with ice on the highway. As you know back then Highway 75 was a two-lane road, with no passing lanes along the way. At Buffalo, the highway made a narrow dip in the road, then quickly came back out.
They made that with no problems, but when they got to Huntsville it was a different experience. Back then, the highway went into the town of Huntsville, around one side of the Square, then continued south towards Houston by Sam Houston State College. Just past the downtown area was a steep hill adjoining the Sam Houston State College grounds.
When they got to that point, they were able to go down the hill but starting up the hill with the heavy coat of ice on the pavement they could not make the top. They would get almost to the top, then slide back to the bottom of the hill. They tried it a couple of times and just could not make it to the top, the wheels kept sliding on the ice and they would slide back to the bottom of the hill, truck, and trailer with thirty calves in it.
Then he said all at once boys came jumping out the windows of a college classroom, running to their truck. The boys quickly got behind their truck and Mr. Henderson gave it another try. This time, with the help of the college boys, they successfully reached the top of the hill with the college boys pushing their hearts out on the ice.
At the top of the hill, they gave a shout out of thanks to the young students and the students were shouting with joy and excitement of their success.
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