‘Come and Take It’ in Gonzales and ‘Thump’ in Luling
Small towns are famous for their history and quirky celebrations. As Gary Maler discovered, Gonzales and Luling are two Texas standouts.
My latest road trip starts in Gonzales, a town with a population of 7,221 and a rich and important place in Texas’ history. Since its beginning, Gonzales has played a pivotal role on the path to Texas independence, and residents are deeply proud of the town’s heritage.
A Proud History
Across town, there are signs touting the “Come and Take It” slogan, which refers to a small cannon the Texians borrowed from Mexico’s government in San Antonio de Bexar to counter frequent attacks from Native Americans. After the first shots were fired in Gonzales during the Texas War for Independence, the Texians reneged on their promise to return the cannon, taunting their enemies instead to come and take it.
In another tribute to the past, the words “The Immortal 32” are prominently displayed around Gonzales in remembrance of Lieutenant George Kimble and his Gonzales-based ranging battalion. They were the only Texas Militia to answer Colonel William B. Travis’s plea for reinforcements at the Alamo. Kimble and 31 others—some as young as 17 and 18—had to fight through enemy lines to get into the Alamo, only to perish a few days later when it fell. Kimble County is named in honor of Lt. Kimble.
Economics of Gonzales
As an architecture buff, it was heartbreaking to see meticulously crafted late 19th and early 20th century period homes in advanced states of disrepair and decay. In a few areas of town, magnificent architectural gems have been restored and maintained, but in others, time and weather have taken their toll. It wasn’t that long ago that my wife and I would travel to Gonzales to shop for antiques—among them architectural antiques for my insatiable penchant for building things. The number of those uniquely special businesses has diminished.
Gonzales is the county seat of Gonzales County and benefits from the economic advantages afforded by being a center for government services and regional commerce. The townspeople are served by Walmart, H.E.B., healthcare facilities, and pretty much all the retail services that collectively form the underlying community structure to meet the wants and needs of residents. The courthouse is massive and one of the most attractive in the state.
Commute times are approximately 16 minutes. Located about an hour from both Austin and San Antonio, a few hardy souls make the commute to those urban centers for work. There are signs of a few new businesses coming to the outer edges of town.
Natural Beauty
The land around Gonzales marks the beginning of true ranch and cattle country, but the town has an even stronger history as a leader in poultry. Gonzales County is second in the state in poultry and egg production and ninth in the U.S.
With rich historic sites, Pioneer Village, Independence Park, museums, and stunning architecture, tourism remains important to the local economy. Located strategically on the confluence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers, Gonzales offers an attractive park, which provides great access to the Independence Paddling Trail that is a major draw to outdoor enthusiasts. Palmetto State Park lies a few miles north of Gonzales, adding to the recreational draw of the area.
Welcome to Luling
Luling, population 5,752, was an uplifting and final stop for my day on the road. The town lies in Caldwell County, which is part of the Austin metro area. It’s just off I-10, 58 miles east of San Antonio and 47 miles south of Austin. Lockhart, the county seat, is only 15 miles away, Shiner is 36 miles away, and Bastrop is about 40 miles away.
I mention these neighboring towns because I confirmed with local shopkeepers in Luling that there is somewhat of an interdependence among small towns. If jobs are not available where they are, residents reportedly commute to these other small towns for work instead of opting for the major metros of San Antonio and Austin.
Luling’s Evolving Economy
There are signs just about everywhere that Luling is faring well. Founded in 1874, Luling was a railroad town. Railroads, as I’ve learned from my research and travels, were among the most critical catalysts that led to the growth of many towns and cities around the Lone Star State. For example, the seal of the City of Houston prominently displays a locomotive as an acknowledgement to the city’s role as a regional railroad hub.
Luling was the first town on the San Marcos River to have a grist mill. Prussian immigrant Fritz Zedler bought out an existing grist and sawmill and upgraded it to a thriving business in the late 1800s. Today, Zedler Mill is a museum and park that serves as the terminus of the Texas Parks & Wildlife six-mile Zedler Mill Paddling Trail. Like the Independence Paddling Trail in Gonzales, this stretch of river is highly popular with paddlers.
From an economic history perspective, a case can be made that the railroad, cotton, and, later, oil created and sustained Luling. The town served as a center for cattle drivers on the Chisholm Trail. As evidence that art often depicts reality, it seems that the western movies us boomers watched weren’t that far from the truth. History reveals that cowboys driving cattle were an unruly, sometimes violent bunch in Luling as they were in Flatonia, Cuero, and other towns all along the major cattle trails. To underscore the importance of oil to Luling, there are reportedly more than 180 oil wells in the city limits.
By the 1950s, the local economy morphed from cattle, cotton, and oil to truck farming of tomatoes and watermelons. The annual Luling Watermelon Thump has attracted thousands of visitors since its inception in 1954. Today, the town is viable and growing with decent population growth and new businesses coming to town. Tourism, agriculture, light manufacturing, and healthcare are important economic drivers for the town. Both Luling and nearby Lockhart are noted for their many highly rated barbecue joints. Luling is well-maintained, clean, and attractive. It also has some of the widest residential streets I have ever seen in a small town.
All notations on the history of towns in this blog were sourced from the Texas State Historical Association.
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