This is a photo of my grandfather, Roland Warnock, in 1916 after he was bitten by a rattlesnake near Christoval, TX. A short time later he went to a big 4th of July party near Mertzon, TX.
This is his description of it, from the oral history archives at Baylor University.

The Big Dance
by Roland Warnock

After I was bitten by that rattlesnake I was out of commission for about a month or so. I came back to the ranch in June. On the Fourth of July, 1916, there was a big celebration over at Mertzon. Two or tree of the boys came up in a. Model T Ford and wanted me to go over to the celebration with them. We went over and took it in. A lot of people were there from everywhere, Ozona, El Dorado, Christoval, Barnhart, Big Lake, Angelo I ever saw as many people in one spot. The ranchmen furnished the meat and the had dug a pit 300 feet long and covered that whole pit with meat. It was four foot deep and about five fee wide. I believe that it had 21 calves on it and a whole bunch of mutton and goats. I don't know how many hogs were killed.
They built a dance platform on the ground that covered a half acre, and they sandpapered it as slick as glass. There were enough people there that they started serving the meal about 11:00 o'clock. At one o'clock in the morning they were so thick on that dance platform that you could dance, you just stood there. That's all, there wasn't any way you could dance, but it began to loosen up about two or three o'clock.
They had the biggest rodeo I had ever seen, and they served all night long. It was there for you and and didn't cost anyone that came to eat anything.
I danced all night and I got into the ranch the next morning about daylight and ,oh, I was all in. I got there just in time to drive up the saddle horses, and when dinnertime came, why I felt like a nap would do me a lot of good, so I crawled under a peach tree out in the back yard to take a little nap. I had just stretched out good and there was a rock, or something, under my side. I raised up to knock this rock out and I happened to look back where I had my head and there was a six-foot rattlesnake looking me straight in the eyes. I'm telling you now, I come alive! I wasn't sleepy anymore.

Thanks for sharing.

Hey, my granddad lived a charmed life.
Amazing he lived through it all !!!

Do I have you mixed up with another poster. I thought you grew up in Mississippi?

I did.
But my grandfather and father were both Texas born and raised.
My dad married a Mississippi girl (my mom) so we lived in MS, but came out to Fort Stockton every Xmas and summer while growing up.
Dad was an only child, so he got to see his parents twice a year!!!

That was a long drive in those days. Before Stuckey's lol.

Always love the stories Pecos!

Happy 4th!

Great stuff, Pecos! Hope your crew had a great 4th!

Aliceinbubbleland said:

---

That was a long drive in those days. Before Stuckey's lol.

---

OH, no!
There WERE Stuckey's and we insisted dad stop at every one.
Of course he didn't, but he did stop at one of them for us.
Each way.
Two-day drive from MS to Fort Stockton, Always spent the night in Oak Cliff on the way out, and back.