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| WELCOME SIGN HICO TX |
Hico is a small quaint town in Hamilton County and is considered to be at the top of the scenic Texas Hill Country. The town sits at the crossroads of Highways 281 and 220. The Hico town motto is: "Where Everybody is Somebody".
On our road trip down the state highways, we were so delighted to see lots of lush vegetation and trees along the way. Most times by this stage of the Texas Summer, there is a lot of brown and beige in the landscape. But due to a lot of nice Spring rains everything was still beautifully green.
One of the main reasons for our trip was to visit The Billy Kid Museum. Dear Readers, I bet you did not know that Billy was not actually killed by Pat Garrett, at least according to the folks in Hico. Here is the story about Billy The Kid from the museum's web site detailing the controversy:
THE CONTROVERSY
There have been many debates, stories, and
opinions fostered over the years. Several men stepped forward claiming to
be Billy the Kid, stating that Pat Garrett did not shoot and kill the Kid that
dark night over a hundred years ago.
In 1948, probate investigator William V. Morrison went to Florida to clear up
an inheritance dispute of a man named Joe Hines. During the interviews, it
was determined that Joe Hines was Jesse Evans, a Lincoln County War survivor
and an old acquaintance of Billy the Kid. Evans told Morrison that Billy
the Kid was not shot by Garrett: the Kid was alive and living in Hamilton
County, Texas, as Ollie L. "Brushy Bill" Roberts.
In June 1949, Morrison visited Brushy Bill. Brushy Bill said he was born
William Henry Roberts on December 11, 1859, in Buffalo Gap, Texas. He took
the name of his cousin Ollie Roberts after his cousin died. Brushy Bill
admitted that he was Billy because he wanted to pursue the pardon Governor
Wallace had promised him in 1879, and be pardoned for his crimes before he
died.
On November 15, 1950. Morrison filed for the petition for the pardon promised
Billy in 1879. Thomas J. Mabry, the current governor agreed to a private
hearing to be held on November 29th with Morrison, Brushy Bill, and two
historians of the Governor's choosing in attendance. The pardon was
denied.
In 2003, Lincoln County, New Mexico officials petitioned to exhume the bodies
of the Kid and Brushy Bill as well as the Kid's mother Catherine Antrim for DNA
testing. In September 2004, exhumations were blocked. A flood that
occurred decades ago washed away the New Mexico grave. Ollie "Brushy
Bill" Roberts is buried in Hamilton, Texas.
Without DNA there is little chance that the truth will ever be known!
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| Pictures of The Billy Kid Museum |
When we arrived in Hico we immediately went to visit the museum first. and just our luck, the museum was closed for 2 days for remodeling. Oh well, we decided to hit one of the antique shops in the downtown area for some retail therapy.
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| Billy The Kid Statue |
There is a Billy The Kid statue in the center of the small downtown area. It looks to be made out of cement and covered in a clay colored paint
Just a couple of street scene pictures of downtown Hico.
We did stop for a quick lunch break, then did a little more shopping. After that we visited a place that was the icing on the cake, well except it was candy. We stopped at the Wiseman House Chocolates. Oh my! That was so worth the trip to Hico. They are a little pricey but so yummy. You can even order them on line. Wiseman is best known for their Truffles which are made by using the finest chocolate and heavy cream. They use only natural and fresh ingredients in their recipes. The dark chocolate Toffee Bars were The Travelling Toe's favorite and a few just happen to return home with her
Well, by that time it was early afternoon and the Day Trip Divas were ready to return home before rush hour hit the Metroplex. We had have a fun day visiting another interesting small Texas town and even though we did not get to visit the museum, when we are together we always have an adventure.
Happy Trails To You, Till We Meet Again!
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