Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – King Ranch Saddle Shop in Kingsville

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Kingsville, Texas- The Lone Star State is home to some of the most storied ranches in all the world, and the King Ranch is no acceptation.  A South Texas staple that’s been a part of the Lone Star State since 1853, King Ranch is larger than the state of Rhode Island and is home to over 35,000 cattle. The ranch is so popular that is even has its’ own saddle shop.

King Ranch churns out saddles that keep the Texan spirit alive and the costumers happy.

“The King Ranch is Texas,” Lance Hancock said. “It’s legendary. It’s iconic. It’s about as Texas as Texas can get. “

Lance  used to push around people as big as some of the cattle on the ranch during his football playing days at Sam Houston State University where he got a degree in accounting. Today he runs the King Ranch Saddle Shop in downtown Kingsville, located near the main gate to the ranch. Situated in the John P. Ragland Mercantile Building built in 1909, the site was once the largest department store south of San Antonio but today it’s home to anything and everything associated with the King Ranch.

“We still eat, sleep, and breathe cowboys, and ranching, and outdoor life,” Lance said. “That’s who we are, and that’s who we’ve always been. If it’s going to have our name on it, it’s going to be the best. We make sure of that.”

Some of the most sought-after textiles, tumblers and tacked goods can be found here. The rich smell of lush leather runs through your nostrils like cattle churning up the Chisholm Trail.

“Our number one seller in the store is leather conditioner, believe it or not,” Lance said.

The retail side of the store surprisingly got its’ start when a member of the King family needed a suitcase, and they knew that not just any satchel would do.

“This is our Armstrong Collection,” Lance said. “This is made out of Cordura canvas. The canvas is actually the same kind of canvas they use on convertible cars. It’s extremely durable. This collection has been around for 40+ years, and is always a top seller.  So this is the one that started all the-This the one that started us off into the luggage business, yeah.”

The real roots of this boutique bestowed with bovine go back to a time when supplies were in short demand. If you needed something, you had to make it. When it came to cattle ranching in the 1800’s, saddles were sought after.

“The original saddle shop was on the ranch,” Lance said. “It was born out of necessity and Captain King couldn’t find wares for people that worked on the ranch.”

That tradition of making saddles continues to this day in the saddle shop. For over 40 years, Roberto Salas has been the man who makes leather into masterpieces.

“This is a family tradition,” Roberto said. “We are not working with an assembly line. We are not working with a production line. Saddles for the King Ranch are unique.”

Roberto takes his craft to the next level.

“Sometimes the people say, you make saddles?” Roberto said. “Sir, I work on the saddles. I working on pieces, piece by piece.”

Roberto has cut down on his time at the saddle shop.

“Roberto’s actually retired, but I begged and pleaded with him, so he still works three or four days a week,” Lance said.

Considering how long each saddle takes to create, it’s safe to say the saddle shop is a bit short handed.

“155 working hours, something plain. 185 hours if it is with the fancy flower designs,” Roberto said. “Four weeks.”

When Roberto started working in the saddle shop back in 1973, he learned the trade from his father-in-law, Guillermo Rodriguez, who served as a saddle maker before him.

“I used to see my father-in-law working with me and now when I work on something that is special, I feel like my father in law still is next to me,” Roberto said.

That might be because he still is, in a sense.  Not only does Roberto build saddles, he also repairs them. Some of the worn out, broken-in saddles that have seen better days were built by the man who taught him everything he knows.

“This is one of the simple ones,” Roberto said. “Saddles made by the person, they have identification on the saddle. Like this one over here, I work on this one, customer from this community. Rodriguez, my father in law. Name. The year when he made the saddle. The month that date when finish. And you see.”

Despite his knowledge and expertise, the family tradition of saddle making ends with Roberto.  As the world changes around him, the future of leather artisans learning how to work with their hands is dwindling.

“I think it goes back to the heritage of the ranch,” Lance said. “It’s a part of who we are. It’s a part of who we’ve been. I think it’s vitally important that we have people like him. But, I will say it’s a dying art. “

Watching Roberto work is mesmerizing.  His hand are building, shaping, and creating.  He is keeping the roots of Texas firmly planted and continuing the cattle traditions and cowboy way of the King Ranch through the medium of his hands. King’s Ranch in Kingsville, Texas is definitely a must-see stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“It’s very hard to find people with the passion and the skills that Roberto has. It will be one of our greatest challenges as we go forward,” Lance said.

The Texas Bucket List – The “Come and Take It” Cannon in Gonzales

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Gonzales, Texas-  A town synonymous with Texas history.  Originally the capital of DeWitt’s colony, the stories surrounding this legendary Lone Star State location can be found as far back as 1825.  

Down in Gonzales, you’ll find a historic stop that is quintessential to any lover of Texas, and it all centers around a cannon. Specifically, the Come and Take It cannon.

“I always liked Texas history and so then, of course, to be right in the Lexington of Texas and Gonzalez, it was right down my alley to be here,” Gary Schurig said.

The director of the Gonzales Memorial Museum has one of the coolest job descriptions you could imagine.

“Hi, I’m Gary,” Gary said. “I’m the guardian of the Come and Take it Cannon.“

Gary Schurig was born in Gonzales, so being a defender of all things Texan comes naturally to this native.  He proudly tells the story behind the cannon that helped create a country.

“It’s a small museum so you kind of limited in what you can have in here,” Gary said.
“But you have a gold mine. “

The story behind the cannon starts in 1831 with a request to the Mexican government from Green DeWitt. A cannon was provided for protection against hostile Indian tribes with the stipulation it be returned to authorities upon request.  The cannon was more a visual deterrent since it was rigged not to fire, but it didn’t take long to fix that.

“Right here is where they had driven the nail into satch hole so that it wouldn’t shoot,” Gary said. “And, fortunate enough that the blacksmiths was able to repair this area here. ……..So it wouldn’t have done any good to keep his hole. So they were able to put some bushings in there to close up that hole to make it as if it had never been drilled. And in turned it a few degrees and drill another hole in the top. By doing that then they’re able to make a cannon that’s fully functionable to pack the powder in there, and pack whatever you’re going to shoot out of it and set it off right there at the touch hole.”  “Yeah. Because there’s no purpose for a cannon to have two separate holes, even if this one was open it wouldn’t function.”

Four years after receiving the cannon, the Mexican government sent their request to return the ordinance.

“In 1835, when there was a rumble of Texas independence, a revolution, Santa Ana sent out word that he wanted the … he wanted all of his guns back into his possession,” Gary said.

In September of 1835, 100 Mexican troops marched on the banks of the Guadalupe river to retrieve said cannon. They were greeted by a group of 18 men and, in that moment, the Texas revolution began.

“They said if you really want this cannon you can come and take it, and they fired it at them,” Gary said.

Referred to as the “Old Eighteen,” it was this small group that started the Battle of Gonzales. Six months later the siege at the Alamo and the Goliad massacre took their toll on Texas.  On April 21st, 1836 the Texas Revolution came to end with the Battle of San Jacinto. Texas was independent.

“Naturally if you come here you need to go to Goliad, you need to go to San Antonio to the Alamo, and then you need to go to San Jacinto,” Gary said. “So, this is just the beginning, and if you don’t have that it’s just like reading a book and starting in the middle of the book. You don’t know how you got started or how they got there.”

 

Seeing the actual cannon that had a role in one of the most well-known stories of the Lone Star State truly gives you chills especially when you consider how it was rediscovered.

“They get out about 20 miles west of town on the Sandies Creek and the wheels on their cart breakdown,” Gary said. “So, between Ben Milam and Almaron Dickinson they decide let’s just bury the cannon, we can always come back and get it. That cannon will stay buried from 1835 until July of 1936 when we have a flood, and it will unearth it. And there are a couple of boys, the story is, that they were out looking for survivors and they ran across what they thought was a piece of pipe in the mud. When they pulled it out actually it was a cannon. “

 

Eventually, the cannon found its way back home to Gonzales. It now sits just a few miles from the spot that the battle for Texas’s independence began.  Being able to see this cannon in person is truly awe inspiring and brings you even closer to roots of our great state, making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“I don’t want to live anywhere else but Texas,” Gary said.

The Texas Bucket List – Howard’s in Shiner

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Shiner, Texas.  A town synonymous with Texas culture is a pilgrimage for people who like to quench their thirst for the Lone Star State style of life.

But the old Spoetzl Brewery isn’t the only place in town to get one of their namesake beers.  You can also head to a little convenience store on the northwest side of town simple known as Howards.

Howard Gloore is a simple man of Swiss descent that grew up in town and the convenience store he opened back in 1984 has been a one stop for shop for everyone in Shiner.  And I do mean one stop shop. You can find beer, bait, ammo.

“I sell ’em a hunting license, fishing license,” Howard. “Buy the bait, buy the ammo. Gotta have a beer and ice to go with it.”

Looking for a movie? Howard’s got them!  Even on VHS.

“Three movies for three days for three dollars,” Howard. “That’s our rate. And it’s been that same way for probably about 15 years.”

What people really come here for is a cold one and to catch up. Because at Howard’s, it’s more than just a store. It’s a place for people to connect.

“I mean, some people call it a grocery store, other people call it a bar,” Zach said. “This is a convenience store. It’s convenient for me to drink a beer.”

Now usually popping a top at a place like this is not the norm.  Howard’s, however, is a bit different.

“Of course, I did an on-premise beer license from day one, which most stores do not have,” Howard said. “They rather you just buy the beer and out the door, and see you later. But, I wanted people to come here and visit and enjoy each other and have a good time. When you can sit around with a beer, that’s what you do.”

It’s not often you’ll find a corner store with a covered patio but thanks to the popularity of Howard’s, a backyard to beckon the big talkers in town was only natural.

“Come here after work and grab a cold beer and sit out underneath the trees and have a good time,” David said. “Talk to everybody. It’s a good time.”

Being a purveyor of personal connections is sort of what Howard set out to do when he opened his lackadaisical lounge.  Prior to his career in convenience, Howard had an a career in dentistry that most people prefer not to think about.

“I was a dentist,” Howard said. “Yeah, nobody likes that guy.”

With patrons not being exactly ecstatic to see him, Howard needed a change of pace and opened his store.

“I love this, ’cause it’s literally a community gathering center, and it’s simply a gas station,” Howard said. “It is a gathering center. That’s exactly what it is and that’s, from day one, that’s what I wanted.”

So if you even find yourself passing through Shiner, looking for a conversation with a cold one, a visit to Howards is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“Howard’s is the meet and greet and make new friends, make new family,” Zach said. “You come here one day thinking. Next hour, you turn around, you got a best friend. Somebody that’s gonna sit there and drink with you, have a great time with you, for years to come.”

The Texas Bucket List – Southern Waves Sailing Charters in South Padre Island

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South Padre Island, Texas- With so many adventures by land here in the Lone Star State, we headed to the coast to see what we could find on South Padre Island.  We’ve checked off the Port Isabel Lighthouse, built sand castles and even enjoyed some local seafood, but when we heard about a way to see South Padre Island from the water, we jumped aboard.

Relaxation, recharging, and really just having fun are some of the most popular things to accomplish down here.  But as the sun starts to set on south Texas, there’s a charter that will take you away for a serene sunset sail.

“You’re on the water, you get a view, you can’t go wrong with that,” Rhonda Ferrone said.

Rhonda Ferrone (Fur-own) and her husband John started Southern Waves Sailing Charters back in 2006 when they moved to the Island from the big ol’ city of Dallas.

“It’s dangerous because it’s like being on vacation every day,” Rhonda said.

With multiple businesses on the bustling island, it all started with the boat cruise and the simple idea of taking folks out on the water, making them a meal, and watching the sun set.

“Where else can you go,” Rhonda said. ”You have a grill, a chef grilling away, a musician singing away. I think it’s definitely different, and I think that’s the novelty of it.”

Faustino Camacho goes by the name Captain Tino and he’s in charge of this two-hour tour. As the cruise moves along, the smell of fajitas starts to fill the sea air and the sounds of a few BYOB cans popping interrupts the waves hitting the bow, but not in a bad way.

“You’ve got Chef Diego there, a five star chef, you know, everybody loves his cooking,” Captain Tino said. “Taylor on the tunes, every night, beautiful music and our weather. Our weather is one of the main things everybody loves about it. And of course Captain Tino.”

This low-key cruise focuses on one thing: relaxing and seeing the sights of South Padre from a different perspective.

“I think it’s two hours of escaping reality really,” Rhonda said.

Conversations are quiet. Reflections happen on the water and in the minds of those soaking in the final minutes of a summer sunset.

“Something about it, nice and relaxing, you can stare at it and watch another day pass by, “ Captain Tino said. “Looks like we’re going to have a good one. Real good one.”

These moments are some of our favorites here on The Texas Bucket List.  It’s a chance to think about this crazy ride called life and how lucky we are to live in state full of so much history, personality, and passion.  How each one of us in somehow connected to this piece of the planet that somehow calls to us in a way we love to hear.

“It’s home to me, that’s for sure, “ Captain Tino said.  “I’m a local, so I’ve been here all my life, born and raised and growing up on these waters, you know, wouldn’t have it any other way. This is nice.

The Texas Bucket List- Highland Park Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain

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Dallas, Texas- Mark your calendars, The Texas Bucket List 11th season premiere is just a few days away on September 8th! You will also want to carve out some time to make a quick trip to today’s stop. You see, we are in Dallas, right next to the Highland Park at an old soda shop that has been here since 1912. However, you will want to come in fast because it is just about to shut its’ doors.

We are going to check out the Highland Park Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain.

“Generation after generation comes here,” Gretchen Williams said. “Five generations. Someone told me six. That’s a long time.”

To say the Highland Park Soda Shop is a fixture might be putting it lightly.

“This is the kind of food that does not go out of style,” Gretchen said.

Gretchen Williams and her husband Sonny have owned the business since 2006, and they did not change much.  All they have had to do is simply keep up with what the diner has been known for all these years.

“Grilled cheese and milkshake are the number one sellers,” Gretchen said.

Despite their long-storied history, the doors are about to close at the sought-after soda shop.

“It’s very bittersweet for a lot of people,” Gretchen said. “They don’t want you to leave. And it’s not that we want to leave. It’s we don’t own the building. It’s been redeveloped. We understand progress. It’s a business. And so it’s one of those where people are like, “You’ve sold!” And it’s like, “No. We didn’t sell. But nothing stays the same forever.”

While the grilled cheese sandwiches and milkshakes will still be available at the state fair, you only a few days to get your last taste of this over 100 year old business.

“Well, they need to come here quick because the bucket’s going to go down,” Gretchen said.

So be sure to check off this Texas treasure, the Highland Park Old-Fashioned Soda Shop, before it kicks the bucket on September 9th. Also, be sure to check out our season premier September 8th on a television station in your area.

“Sunday, September 9th is the last day,” Gretchen said. “We’re not saying that we’ll close at six. There will probably be some people in line and we’ll try and serve all those people. But get in here and have that last taste of, you know, fun, classic American food.”

The Texas Bucket List – San Jose Island in Port Aransas

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PORT ARANSAS, Texas — There’s nothing like summer down on the Gulf Coast.

Port Aransas always welcomes Texans each year, especially after being dealt a heavy hit by Hurricane Harvey.

Businesses are back and the restaurants and bars of the beautiful island are prepared for those long days of summer, but there is one place that didn’t require any rebuilding because it’s been the same for a few thousand years. Rick Pratt has lived in Port A since the mid 70’s.

“These little strips of sand up and down the Texas coast are new geologically speaking,” Rick said. “Makes me feel young by comparison.”

Rick has a special place in his heart for a desolate island known in these parts as San Jose. Originally called Saint Joseph Island by Irish immigrants, you’ll hear this long peace of serene Texas beach referred too by both names.

The barrier island was bought by Sid Richardson in the 1930’s so technically the island itself is private but the beaches, they belong to Texans.

“In Texas, everything up to a mean high tide is public land,” Rick said.

People come to explore the island every day, and the only way to get here, a ferry ride from Port A. There no cars, no stores, no restaurants.  Just a walkway leading you to the 21 miles of beach that anybody can traverse.

“The best thing to do here is turn off your phone or leave it at home. Now you are alone on a desert island. That’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.”

Usually hundreds of yards separate the beach goers brave enough to head to a place we’re you literally need to bring everything you can think of with you.  But the peaceful pace of having a beachfront bank all to yourself makes it worth it.

“My favorite part of this island, Saint Joseph San Jose, is that it is still pristine ecologically,” Rick said. “If we want to see what our islands should look like biologically, come over here.”

Cameron Pratt is Rick’s wife and an ecologist.

“I love it,” Cameron said. “It’s fabulous to see some place that is truly wild and native. … This whole island is full of life no matter where you look.”

She gets a kick out of the things on the beach most people don’t really realize.

“This is call sargassum weed, and it comes from the Sargasso Sea, which is south of the islands of Bermuda out in the Atlantic Ocean,” Cameron said. “It comes all the way from the Sargasso Sea through the Yucatan Straits into the Gulf of Mexico and eventually lands on our beach.”

Once you sort of get an understanding for how special this place in, it really sinks in how special San Jose is to southeast Texas. So if you’re looking to soak up the Texas sun and see what the surf looked like when La Salle sailed the Gulf, a stop at San Jose Island is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“The fact that these little islands were alone against the sea and had to fight to survive, gives it a certain vibrancy that’s undeniable,” Rick said. “You can feel it when you walk on the beach. When you read the history it’s always right there in front of you. These people had to work hard and be very self sufficient to live here, and that’s a wonderful heritage.”

The Texas Bucket List – Fanthorp Inn in Anderson

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ANDERSON, Texas — Getting a great dose of Texas history is easy to do in Grimes County and it all centers around an old inn that started checking travelers back in 1834.

The Fanthorp Inn in Anderson was established by Henry Fanthorp. Benjamin Baumgartner took us on a tour of the building that served so many roles in a very important time in Texas history.

First and foremost, the mind-blowing facts about this building that helped form a fine state.

“This building has existed in four countries yet has never moved,” Benjamin said. “Mexico, Texas, United States and the Confederate States.”

When English immigrant Henry Fanthorp constructed his log cabin home, he had no idea it would serve as a post office and a voting place.  Nor did he know that people like Sam Houston, Zachory Taylor and Ulysses S. Grant would slumber under his roof.

Located on La Bahia Road, Fanthorp Inn was a place for all sorts of people to stop during their travels across Texas.

“Because of its position of where it is, it has been the hub of information, or it was the hub of information,” Benjamin said. “The news of annexation, the news of war again with Mexico, news of the civil war, these are things that all would have come through here at some point. This is where people would be discussing what’s going on, how it’s going, news hopefully of loved ones coming back or hopefully you’re hearing from what’s going on there.”

And hotels were a heck of lot different back then.

“They’re surprised to see the living conditions of it thinking it would be so rustic or something that ‘Oh, I wouldn’t be comfortable here,’ but thinking again from the perspective of it is this or sleeping in the open, maybe under a wagon you kind of have a new understanding for what comfort would be back then,” Benjamin said.

Keeping it true to what it was like around 1850 is what the Fanthorp Inn is fulfilling.  Display what the dining room would be like, the parlor prior to privacy and life before just about every modern convenience you can think of.

“A chance to go through and see a new perspective and an appreciation for the life that we have now,” Benjamin said.

Treasa Thompson helps brings this place to life with her lovely mules.

“We used to fit nine people in this coach. Nine people comfortably,” Treasa said. “You would have three on each seat. When you put nine people in there now, you better hope three of them are kids.”

Once a month, you can get the full experience of pulling up to the Fanthorp in an old stagecoach.

“It makes it a reality,” Treasa said. “It puts you in an absolute scenario where it happened.”

Pulling a cart with 4 mules can be particularly precarious.

“Twice the amount of things that could go wrong,” Treasa said.

But Treasa knows how to sweet talk her team.

“Of course I’m a woman, I’m biased,” Treasa said. “I think that women deal with mules easier than men. We just have different tactics.”

That might come down to having a mother’s patience.

“They’re better than my two-legged kids,” Treasa said. “They mind better anyway.”

Treasa takes the stagecoach down the main drag of Anderson, a ride that is a bit smoother than the one taken all those years ago.

“When you rock, you hit a bump and you just rock,” Treasa said. “It’s not a bounce so it’s awesome.”

The wagon makes its way through town, circling the Grimes Country Courthouse and carefully cruises back to the Fanthorp.

“All those giggles right down there? That’s what’s enjoyable,” Treasa said. “You know they’re having a good time. If they can have fun and learn a little at the same time, that’s the best way to do it.”

Experiencing a stagecoach ride along a road riddled with the stories of Texas makes for an incredible journey, but with a final destination like the Fanthorp Inn, you’ll get your fill of Lone Star State folklore and fulfill a fine stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“Come out and get a little bit of history,” Treasa said. “Have a little bit of fun. Meet my kids and take a little ride with me.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Texas Bucket List – H&H Car Wash in El Paso

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EL PASO, Texas — Out in the west Texas town of El Paso you’ll find a car wash, doing it’s best to keep the dust of the desert at bay. Owner Maynard Haddad is a local legend. The H&H Car wash has a squeaky-clean reputation when it comes to washing cars, Maynard on the other hand is about is about as colorful as they come.

“I grew up on this block,” Maynard said. “I was born right over there. In those days they didn’t go to the hospital, they just dropped your ass and kept going.”

Since 1934, Maynard has been a part of the Sun City and he pretty much tells it like it is.

“It’s the only place in town where the customer is always wrong,” Meyer said.

The oldest of 6 children, Maynard’s Father came to the states from Syria and in October 1958, he opened the H&H.  Maynard may not move as fast as he once did but he still runs the place and provides the entertainment by just being himself. But the food that you’ll find while waiting for your wheels is what’s really the main attraction. The huevos rancheros, chilli rellenos, and tacos are the talk of the town.

“If you ask me what my favorite place in the world is it’s H&H car wash,” Shelly said.

Since 77, Tonya (tone-ya) Carado has been in charge of the comida that brings in the crowds.

“Everybody stops by and gets there car washed and eats,” Hector said. “By 11 it’s standing room only.”

To say it’s old school at this classic car wash might not be an accurate enough description.  In a world were political correctness reigns supreme, Maynard has no interest in sugar coating the way he feels or the way he does business.

Despite his demeanor, it’s Maynard’s passion that pulls through.

“I love working and I get to experience with people like y’all plus you met those folks in there,” Maynard said. “What in the hell do I wanna do.”

So Maynard sits sprouting off, endearing himself to some while others aren’t sure how to react to his random rants. In the end, if you can cut through to the core of this sometimes crotchety but cared for man you’ll find a very spirited Texan who simply takes life, one car at a time.

“It is part of the culture of El Paso,” Shelly said. “It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. Just the whole El Paso experience when I get here.”

The Texas Bucket List – Galaxy B&G in Killeen

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KILLEEN, Texas — In the downtown quadrant of Killeen Texas, you’ll find a fine food establishment that does not attract a hive of scum and villainy, it brings in burger lovers.

Jaime Myers is one of the owners here and she works side by side with her fellow far away galaxy good friend Veictor. This is Galaxy’s second location, the first being in Harker Heights.

Well we’ll throw it into hyper drive for a hot hamburger with one heck of a name: The Outer Rim. A quarter pound patty of 90/10 beef gets seasoned and hits the cast iron cooker.  As it cooked, Veictor cleared his mind and told us the real inspiration behind his bold burgers.

“My mom always told me, you know, she said ‘Si sabes cocinar, nunca morirás de hambre,’” Veictor said. “If you know how to cook, you’ll never die of hunger. … So ever since then I’ve never ever doubted myself and I can go upon the limits every time. My expectations of my food.”

Four massive tortillas land on the grill and get filled with Colby jack cheese, while the burger is topped with swiss.  The queso filled quesadillas will bring balance to the burger, serving as the bun. Top those with the burger, lettuce, tomatoes, and a homemade spicy ranch aioli.

“It’s just cool and the burgers are so good,” Carola said.

So we will land on in, with the Outer Rim burger. A quesadilla with a burger inside of it. Quesadillas on both sides, a crazy looking concoction. It’s like the cross section of the Millennium Falcon. Well, it’s time to see if we can kick this into light speed. BITE.

“I just like a good burger,” Scooby said. I just like good burgers. They give you a good burger.”

Well, there’s no reason to go to a galaxy far, far away, Galaxy Burger is right here in Killeen and it’s well worth a stop on a Texas bucket list.

“May the fork be with you, I guess would be the only thing I have left to say,” Jamie said.

 

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The Texas Bucket List – Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary in Montgomery

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MONTGOMERY, Texas — Down long windy road on the west side of Montgomery County, just a few miles from the Sam Houston national forest you’ll find facility where you won’t mind getting thrown to the wolves.

In 2002, the Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary got started after a mischievous wolf named Mystery was spotted roaming the woods nearby.  After being shot and captured, Mystery rehabbed and lived out her days at the sanctuary started by a local woman who really loves all of God’s Creature, Jean LeFevre. Now 13 wolves and wolfdogs called Saint Francis home.

Brittany McDonald said she dreamt of working with wolves since she was eight years old and is now one of the caretakers at the Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary.

“So wolf is obviously the pure form and the dog is mixed in with dogs,” Brittany said. “Wolves occur naturally in the wild whereas wolf dogs rarely do. The wolf dog thing is kind of a new fad that people created when they started mixing wolves with their domesticated dogs to make a really cool looking pet that they hope to be as friendly as man’s best friend. Typically, it doesn’t work out that way and that’s exactly why we’re here.”

Popular culture has made pups of this kinds a bit of a problem.

“We do definitely have a lot more of them around and not to blame the Game of Thrones but they probably are responsible for the fad,” Brittany said.

Turns out once these guys get long in the tooth, they can be handful.

“They assume that because it’s mixed with dog that it’s going to have the dog temperament and the wolf looks and that doesn’t really apply,” Brittany said. “The wolf characteristics are very dominant. That fear of humans, the destructiveness. The desire to escape and do wolfy things.”

Miko shares his pen with two other female wolves, sort of a wolf pack that the sanctuary creates for each of their wild friends. Mico is particularly friendly with people because he was born and raised in a zoo where he was used as a sort of photo prop to take photos with videos, according to Brittany.

“We sometimes call ourselves the OkCupid or the wolf word because we do have to make sure they can match up because having a companion is really important to them just like it is for people,” Brittany said. They really rely on that social bond.”

These wolves depend on the sanctuary not only for social interaction but vaccines and most importantly meal time.

“These guys eat an all raw meat diet so depending on the size of the animal, the activity level, they might eat more or less than others but we have two animals currently that eat four pounds of food a day and that is way up there but they burn it off,” Brittany said.

If you’re lucky or if you plan on overnight stay to camp with the wolves, you’ll be able to hear the serenade that makes a stop at the sanctuary all worth it.

“Some of our wolves actually howl a little less wolfy than you’d expect,” Brittany said. “So Lapore back here we joke that she sounds like a hyena or a coyote rather than a wolf. She hasn’t quite figured it out yet. It’s impressive. Every single time it’s just this beautiful sound. The neighbors around here love it. They sit out on their porch and drink coffee and they listen for that howl. It’s magical.”

Wolves are no longer found in the Lone Star State but for an up-close encounter with these magical animals with sizable smiles, a stop at the Saint Francis Sanctuary in Montgomery Texas is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“The best part is when you have an animal that is really distrusting of people and eventually you get to watch it grow into an animal that has learned to forgive and to rely on you and you build a relationship with it. It doesn’t always happen but when it does there’s nothing better than that,” Brittany said. “That’s what we do this for.”