so, i will start off with an apology. i know its been far too long since i’ve done an update, but primarily that’s been because although i’ve been on vacation for the past week (and honestly meant, to blog more), i was on vacation the past week and was about ten times busier than i expected. had a big party at my house for Cinco de Mayo (FIESTAFEST!!!), and i’ll probably do a blog about that later. oh jeez….
also, did some traveling, and today’s blog will be more centered around that. as far as weightloss goes, i’m afraid to even weigh myself at this point, i’m probably close to 160 again, just because of parties, drinking, stuffing my face hole, and not working out as much (i know, shame on me).
but enough about that, let’s talk about my travels. as some of you know, on my 30 Before 30, i listed that i wanted to visit more historical markers and get a better grasp of local and national history. well, last weekend i drove to Lawton, OK. this is connected to Fort Sill, where i was previously stationed for 5 years. needless to say there’s a lot of friends and family we needed to visit. however, it’s about 3 1/2-4hr drive through a lot of open land, ghost towns, and various historical markers. due to time constraints on my trip, i only visited a couple, but i took good pictures, and found some interesting information.
now the route i take to get from Amarillo to Lawton takes me through I-40, US 83, and US62
some people take US 287, that’s cool, but this is the route i normally take.
ANYWAY, one of the historical markers i went through was US HM 951
me, in my roadtrip clothes.
now, i’m still learning about historical markers, but this one is pretty interesting, and if you can’t tell what’s in the left-hand side of the picture, i actually pulled a two-for-one on this marker, because apparently there’s some interesting information about the US highway i happened to also be on!
so anyway, US HM 951 states:
Collingsworth County
formed from Young and Bexar territories
created August 21, 1876
Organizaed November 4, 1890
Named in honor of James Collinsworth (1804-1838)
The first Chief Justice of the Republic of Texas. Signer of the Declaration of Independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Secretary of State in Burnet’s Cabinet.
Wellington, the County Seat
so i thought that was pretty cool, but ALSO, the plaque next to me is a dedication from the state of Texas! turns out that US Highway 83 is the Texas Vietnam Memorial Highway!
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway
US Highway 83
In gratitude to the thousand of men and women who served our country during the Vietnam War. The people of Texas dedicate this highway which runs across our state from the southernmost tip to the northernmost point. It is our hope that all those who travel US 83 will pause to remember those who gave up their lives or their youth or their hopes in that long and bitter conflict. We vow not to forget those who did not return to us and we pledge to remember the sacrifices of those who have come home.
US Highway 83
so that was pretty dang interesting, i thought. to add to this so-far-so-cool post, i’m going to tell you about this creepy little ghost town we always pass through called Gould, OK. for simple town stats, you can check out this link from wikipedia about it, but i’ll show you some pics we took and explain along the way. now wiki doesn’t go into too much detail, but from what i can tell you from visiting, there’s not a whole lot to see anymore. the local population is roughly 141, and nearly 500 at it’s peak in the mid 1930s. Gould was originally called Gibson, OK; but the postmaster general renamed the town because he thought it too closely resembled “Fort Gibson” (understandable). Gould was founded in the early 1900s (roughly between 1907-1909. The town’s school was founded in 1909 and was first conducted in the local Baptist church. an official building was erected in 1911, and the school was officially closed in 1990. at one point, the town’s school had an attendance of almost 500 students due to consolidation of other area towns and counties. but in 1990, the school was closed, and the area formerly covered by Gould’s school was taken over by the nearby Hollis, OK.
attached is a photo gallery of a small monument created in honor of the school and the local community.
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- US Highway 83
so those are my updates, and my travels that i’ve been doing thus far. i hope you all enjoyed this!
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