This is the last of my "town" stories from San Saba County, Texas. It is the last for there are no more towns! Bend, as you might guess, is located on the bend of the Colorado River. At this location the river is shallow and folks could often cross in a wagon. It was a good place to swim and picnic. Population is listed at 100 now. Colorado Bend State Park is close by and has probably given Bend hopes of survival. At the turn of the century they had a grocery store, drug store, barber shop, post office, etc. They had no electricity but had a movie house. I don't know how that worked except perhaps with a carbide light and hand crank.Couldn't have been very good viewing. There is a bridge at Bend.
I read of an interesting man who was a vital part of the history of Bend, Texas. He was a horse and buggy doctor named Doss. Dr. Doss went wherever and whenever he was needed. He would sometimes stay for days at a home where there was a need. His white horse that pulled the buggy was "Old Ross". Old Ross knew the way back to Bend. It was said that late in
the night and miles from home Dr. Doss would leave it to Old Ross who would take him safely home. The good doctor's wife would come out to the buggy and awaken her sleeping husband and put him to bed. He didn't get a lot of pay for his services. Sometimes it was in corn or other foods. Sometimes nothing at all. When Old Ross died Dr. Doss bought a car and eventually wore three of them out before he retired to live with a son. How many more willing servants did the same in those days!
I haven't been to Bend, but the Lord willing, I will go on my next trip to the lease. It is only a few miles from Cherokee down 501. There is a plaque there honoring Dr. Doss.
Oh, I've got to tell you this. It relates to one of my earlier BLOGS. A farmer at Bend looked out one morning and saw his field filled with goats. They had broken through his fence. He got his gun and started shooting goats. He shot them until his ammo was gone and then got a knife and began grabbing them and slitting their throats. When this massacre was through the enraged farmer had eliminated forty goats! The goat-owner hauled him to court where he had to pay for all those critters. It doesn't pay to let them get your goat!
