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a presentation hosted by the Wimberley A Dallas native, Mary Francis “M.F.” Johnson met Bill at UT. After marrying, they
Historical Society. Invited guests parked settled in Wimberley, when fewer than 250 people lived in the town.
their cars and walked down a path to find
chairs assembled at the placid water’s start asking folks if they knew where we sure what she’d made of us, but after a
edge, waiting for Bill and M.F.’s stories could find Little Arkansas, a 640-acre little lecture we got the go-ahead.
of Wimberley’s early days. ranch run by Liza Harris six miles south Giving us a map to the waterfall, she said,
of town. Mrs. Harris allowed folks to camp “I’m gonna let y’all stay up there, but I’m
Bill told how William and Isabella Cruze, on her ranch - a true paradise along the comin’ round time t’time a’checkin’ - hear?
along with two other men named McKin- river - but she had to check you out first. Y’all can drink the water from the falls.”
ney and Maverick, ranched cattle in the “We’ll keep everything exactly the way we
area we now know as Wimberley during Pulling up to the dusty porch, we weren’t found it - promise!” I meant every word.
the early 1830’s. In 1847, the town that sure whether we’d be able to even camp She waved us through, refusing to accept
cropped up was called Glendale. In 1855, there. We had not called ahead and had no money. If she liked you it was free - just
the name was changed to Montgomery’s real plan. A co-worker in our company told don’t screw up or leave any litter.
Mill. Not until 1880 was the town finally us about the place, but that was the extent Our Sears tent went up quickly and our
called Wimberley, named after Pleasant of our research. Both Terry and I must folding chairs and table provided a homey
Wimberley whose gin mill made the town have looked like hippies to the diminutive feeling in our spot of paradise. From our
a center of commerce. In fact, during the lady who came to the front porch, asking, campsite we could see the Blanco River,
1880’s, Wimberley was larger than Fort “Can I hep’ y’all?”
Worth. Citizens lived among large num- Continued on the next page
bers of buffalo, deer, bears and panther. “Yes ma’am!” I replied. “We’d like to camp
These early residents also faced invasions out on your ranch, if that’s okay?” I wasn’t J U LY 2 0 1 6 SUNRAYS | 71
from the Comanche, who were at war
with these early Hill Country settlers.
The abundant water and boundless game
made this area particularly valuable, and
the Comanche aggressively resisted the
inevitable onslaught of immigrants from
the east.

Sitting below the stunning canopy of Cy-
press trees, we listened as Mr. Johnson
recounted gripping stories of those wild,
early times in the Wimberley Valley,
stories which he had received from locals
who had received them from their own
mothers and fathers. He spoke of George
McGhee, who in 1852 killed 988 buffalo
between Wimberley and San Marcos. He
described Felix Blackwell, a horseman
and mail carrier who would ride in from
San Marcos “feeling no pain” and was
occasionally inclined to shoot up the town
square. After a while Felix would pass out,
and a brave woman or two would escort
him to his creekside home to sleep it off.

Listening to Bill and admiring the beauty
of Blue Hole’s swirling, icy waters, I
couldn’t help but conjure up the memory
of Terry’s and my camping trip to “Little
Arkansas,” so many, many years ago.

We’d been advised to drive into town and

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