"THANK YOU
PARTY!"
League City's developing Butler Longhorn Museum staged a
"Thank You Party" for the League City Heritage Foundation
and volunteers at the museum, 1220 Coryell St. In photo,
from left with "Classic Ace' pure breed Butler Longhorn
Steer, former League City Mayor Pat Hallisey, Butler's
Courtyard's Nancy Richards, Rick Wade, museum curator
Jennifer Wycoff, City Councilman Tommy Cones, and Johanna
Wycoff. Other guests included: Dr. Ned and Faye Dudney,
McCree Ford Mitchell Dale, Toby Hall, Ronnie Richards,
Hometown Bank Steve Nicklow, Amegy Bank Diana Dornak,
singing cowgirl Misslette, artists Skeez David Flores and
Texas Tim, Bette, John, Rich and Jill Specion, Mark Stelly,
Chris Wood, Jamie De Fabio, Cheryl May, Marta Vargas, Kathy
Sabolcise, South Shore Harbour's Cathy Cheatham and Wray
Lindersmith, Wiredin's Eddie Harper and Chiquita Taylor,
Joann and Jason LaCognata, Jane McFadden, Justice of the
Peace Debbie Groce, Glenda Lancon, Pat and Mike Conwell,
Lana and Craig Kress, Tad Ackers, Theresa Vencil, Candace
Runaas, Gail Kozian, Jackie Hilshire, J'Nean Henderson,
Marie and Kim Sesher and Paula Tomas. Friends of the Butler
Longhorn Museum located on a 10-acre tract, housed in the
former residence of former long-time banker Walter Hall
(deceased), is calling on public assistance to help provide
a home to a wealth of artifacts and documents that pay
tribute to the noble breed of cattle that led the way to a
pioneer settlement in the West. Wildlife artist W.D. (Bill)
Gaither has produced a sculpture of a typical Butler
Longhorn which is being given as a token of appreciation to
doners who contribute $600 or more to the Butler Museum
Development Fund. This fine sculpture, which has a retail
value far in excess of the donation amount, is being
offered exclusively by The Friends of the Butler Longhorm
Museum. The sculpture will be limited to 1,000 copies made
from molds of Gaither's original work. The sculpture
measures twenty-five inches from horn tip to tail, and
stands thirteen inches in height on a solid oak base. Each
piece is hand cast and finished in fine bonded bronze at
the Sculptor's Studio in Galveston. The hardy breed of
livestock known as the Texas Longhorn descended from
Spanish Andalusian cattle brought over by early
16th-century explorers, missionaries and ranchers. By the
late 18th century, Spanish missions maintained the largest
domesticated cattle herds, where they provided food,
clothing and other products for Spaniards and Native
Americans. Missions like San Antonio de Bexar and Mission
Espiritü Santo were among the earliest ranches in Texas.
Despite the ultimate decline of the missions, the ranches,
vaqueros and longhorns remained. In the early 1800s, Spain
lost control of the region and abandoned the area, but
ranchero and vaquero traditions lingered, affecting the
look, equipment and vernacular of American cowboys. Terms
like lasso, remuda, lariat, mustang, chaps and bandera
became a part of everyday speech, and America's cowboys
adopted the Spanish traditions of open-range ranching,
branding and round-ups. After the Texas revolution, and the
change in governmental control, many cattle were left to
roam free in sparsely populated ranch land. Abundant food
and water, and little human contact allowed the breed to
adapt to the land and the cattle population grew into the
millions. Milby Butler was a League City resident who
became internationally known for his bloodline of Texas
Longhorn, being one of the seven foundation families that
saved the Longhorn from extinction.
