the days when cotton was
grown along the valley,
Ruidosa suffered further
when the footbridge and
access to the Mexican village
across the Rio Grande were
cut off. In the old days, Celia
had acted as postmaster for
the Mexican villagers and
had ridden her horse across
the river to deliver mail.
The tranquility of Ruidosa
and contact with the limited
number of adventurous
tourists on their way to
Chinati Hot Springs who
needed groceries were suffi-
cient compensation for some-
one who had survived and
served in what outsiders
would consider the hardships
of a harsh environment. But
for Celia it was a natural fit.
Celia died in the fall of
2008, but her love of the Rio
Grande and the frontera cul-
ture will live on in memory.
F
ive generations of the
Gonzalez family in Fort
Stockton preceded the arrival
of Manuel Rodrigo (“M.R.”)
Gonzalez, who was born
there on July 16, 1930 to
Manuel Ramirez Gonzalez
and Carmen Gutierrez, of
Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico.
He was the eldest of five chil-
dren, four boys and one girl.
Times were hard, and
work hours were long, but the
family kept its head above
water, earning money from a
grocery store and a trucking
and construction business as
well as the family ranch.
Within the community as a
whole, Hispanics and Anglos
did not mix. Until the early
50s, the school, the movie the-
ater and other public places
were segregated. The swim-
ming pool which bordered the
famous spring was off-limits
for Hispanics.
“Manolito,” as M.R. was
called to distinguish him from
his father, did not learn
English until 7 years of age
but found that he quickly
caught up.
After studying animal hus-
bandry at Alpine’s Sul Ross
State University and a two-
year stint in the Air Force,
M.R. was expected to pitch in
to the family ranching and
construction business full-
time. But this modest, easy
going man had an additional
ambition: to become a county
commissioner.
Judging that the moment
was right, in 1970 M.R. ran
for county commissioner and
in a close race (27-vote
advantage out of 2,000), he
became the Democratic can-
didate and went on to easily
win the election, the first
Hispanic commissioner in
Pecos County.
From then, during five
terms in office over a 20-year
period, he persevered with
addressing Hispanic concerns,
starting with paving the streets
of the south side of town. A
non-confrontational manner,
a diplomatic approach and a
good sense of humor were his
effective tools for making his
point in commissioners’ court
to correct the disadvantages of
the Hispanic community.
In 1973, a Greyhound bus
was involved in a deadly crash
on I-10 east of Fort Stockton.
Among the passengers was a
young German tourist,
Christiane Ferdinands, travel-
ling around the Western
states. While she was recuper-
ating, M.R. met her and was
greatly attracted to the
nature-loving, horse-riding
visitor. They married in Fort
Stockton nine years later. A
son, Philip, and daughter,
Erika, are both of college age
and studying in Austin.
At age 78, M.R. still works
12-hour days on his ranch
and sits on four local boards.
If he complains at all, it is
about his knees, which show
the toll of construction work
on concrete for many years.
Of the trials and tribula-
tions of being a solitary
pioneer in breaking down
racial barriers and in initiat-
ing community action among
the Hispanic community,
there is simply a grin.
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near Ruidosa
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I
n 1884, the Rev. William
Benjamin Bloys arrived in
the Fort Davis area and built
a cabin in what is now the
Davis Mountains Resort.
With other settlers he decided
their families needed a central
place to meet, worship and
socialize. They bought a piece
of ground nearby called
Skillman’s Grove, and in 1890
a group of 43 persons assem-
bled for what would later be
called the Bloys Encampment
or Bloys Camp for short.
Today over 400 metal build-
ings cover the Grove, and
for five days in August each
year around 2,000 family
members meet to continue
the tradition.
Vivian Grubb, grand-
daughter of the Rev. Bloys,
was born in El Paso on June
24, 1918 and then came to
Fort Davis for the rest of her
life. She lives next door to the
Presbyterian Church and
greets visitors briskly with a
firm handshake and a twinkle
in her eye, talking about long
ago events and characters
with equal ease.
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432.295.0025
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Call for morning appointments
continued on page 25
Cenizo
605 E Holland Ave • Alpine
432.837.7476
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E XPERIENCE THE B IG B END
Mountain Biking • Jeep Tours
Hiking • River Trips
432-229-3713
www.angellexpeditions.com
e-mail: charlie@angellexpeditions.com
Second Quarter 2009
11