Bishop's Early Days by R. Tom Moudy

May 14 - 16, 2010

[The following is from the Bishop News of 1960 in a series written by Mrs. Gail Tubbs for Bishop's

then upcoming Golden Jubilee celebration.]

~~R. Tom Moudy on Early Days~~

Note: Some of the earliest material on Bishop was contributed by R. Tom Moudy, who has been

ranching at Happy in the Panhandle most of the years since he and Mrs. Moudy, the former Lella

Foster, left Bishop.

"Lella wanted me to reminisce on paper a little about the early days of Bishop," Tom Moudy wrote,

and these are the things that came first to his mind of Bishop in 1910.

* * *

I spent a few nights of June, 1910 in Kingsville and more nights in tents with the team grading

crew laying out a few section-line roads and also the townsite of Bishop.

Mr. O'brien had a building moved from Kingsville about 50 ft. by 30 ft. in size (located where the

rear of the Post Office building now stands), and Charlie Jones and I stayed in the rear of this,

while he sold the first groceries in Bishop.

I recall cooking flap-jacks on a kerosene stove for Mr. Bishop and his prospects on one occasion

when they were driven over from Corpus Christi either by Clyde Craig, or his father, in a wood-

wheeled solid-tire brush-wagon car (open)--I don't recall the name of it.

Things developed pretty fast. The depot had been used for section crew

housing. Trains began to stop, an agent was installed, goods began to arrive,

especially building material. I think the first building in town was considered a

barn, and it housed at least a pair of bay horses Mr. Bishop sent over, and an

open surrey to carry prospective buyers, who arrived by train or were driven

in from Kingsville and Corpus Christi.

The first water tower was put up by a steel concern from Memphis, Tenn. A

small generator and kerosene engine was installed under the tower, and that

comprised the first light plant in Bishop.

I was responsible for the laying of a 3/4-inch pipe line to furnish water for the

new hotel until a main could be installed. I made the ditch with a turning plow

and team, and the line was so exposed that it froze and burst in so many

places it had to be replaced.

Water flowed from the first well drilled in the Park, probably because the well

was a little below the average ground level on the creek.

Our first graded roads followed the railroad to Driscoll and then most of the travel to Corpus

Christi was by Petronila Creek and through country that had previously been settled and was

being farmed. Our first attempt at weather-proofing a road at Bishop was by gravel hauled by

team and wagon, dumped on the grade and spread. It didn't last long.

Night lights began to appear on the prairie that indicated where farm buildings were being

erected. Something like 50,000 acres that Driscoll Ranch sub-division was put to the plow in

about two years.

The first plows used to break out the sod and brush were made at Robstown by a blacksmith

named Mrazek. Beams were of laminated wood and crude. The plows were powered by a steam

tractor that weighed 27 tons, without water and fuel on board. Drive wheels were seven feet high

and three and a half feet across the face. Soon thereafter plows of steel construction were used.

We tried to operate day and night and it required quite a lot of organization.

I have a picture of our steam plow rig, our first outfit, but I can' dig it up.

There may be a picture available there, for Mr. Bishop had two of those

steam rigs going at the same time.

In the earliest development a diamond-back rattler was under about every

other bush and coyotes howled through the nights.

I didn't help build it, but the first concrete bridge over the creek going to

Kingsville had no balustrade. One time Dr. M. L. Williams looked back

while driving his "little" car over it and ran off the side, but was lucky

enough to get out without much damage.

An interesting organization of the early days was our 20-piece orchestra

with Mr. Scheidler as conductor. I had a picture of it, which I can't find, with

a lot of familiar young faces in it. It was rather a good organization for a

small town, several of the boys played well and "covered up" for those who

didn't do so well. We all had some good times in those early days, and did

a lot of work.

Bishop, Nueces County, Texas 1910 - 2010 One Hundred Years of South Texas Heritage!

Mr. Bishop’s Booster Band helped

“drum up” new business!

Mr. Bishop’s steam plows breaking new ground