The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-07-12
MARBLE FALLS.
A Trip From Austin to Marble
Falls.
During the Last Week of June,
'99, by o. M. Roberts
and Wife.

m, we pdSs6u IHrOuRu Dedubllul, W6lN Gull
tivated farms to Mcneil, at the crossing
of the International railroad, where, in a
few feet of the junction of the two roads,
may be seen the mouth of cave which
has been explored only to limited ex-
tent. Thence the cars pass in north
west course through woods and farms,
and villages, with an occasional view of
mountains in the distance, gradually as
cending all the way from Austin until the
forty seventh mile-post is reached, at an
altitude of about 1,6O0 feet above the gulf,
and 1000 feet above the city of Austin.
At that point was exposed to view the
valley of Hamilton creek, with the
mountains in the west and southwest
reaching out beyond the Colorado river,
far into Llano county; thence, by de-
scendiug grade, we soon reached the town
of Burnett at 11:30 o'clock q, m. From the
the depot we we're carried, without charge,
to the Burnett house, where, In cool
dining room, a most excellent dinner was
enjoyed with relish, which was superin-
tended by the good landlady in person.
Burnet is situated in the beautiful valley
of Hamilton creek, which widens out as it
goes southwark to the Colorado river,
lined with mountains on the east side and
filled with fertile farms for dis
lance of fifteen miles. Burnet is already a
market place for large scope of noun
tain and valley country, to which wool,
cotton and peltries are brough for sale or
shipment; and from its Typographical
position and it's contiguity to the ex-
tensive mineral regions, it is likely, in the
near future, to become a center from
which railroads will be run out in different
which road is now nearly graded, and on
westward to Lano and northward to Lam
pasas, distance of only twenty five
miles; then to connect with the Gulf,
Colorado and Santa Fe, and, in about
forty miles further, in the same direction,
the st. Louis, Arkansas and Texas, SCOT
ton Belt" railroad, would be tapped at
Gatesvile.
At 2 O'Clock p. m, by the kindness of
Mr. Robert johnson, son of Gen. A. R.
Johnson, we started in hack, behind
good team of grays, for Marble falls,
distance of fourteen miles in south
ward course. Very soon We left the culti
waited valley and assembled upon plain,
partly wooded, west of the valley and
passed through pasture lands In which
lime rock abounded for about eight or
nine miles, when reaching the southern
edge of the plain, where we looked down
upon the valley of Backbone creek, filled
with rich FARMS. bordered by high hills,
backed by mount4ins rising higher and
higher, until in the distance of twenty and
thirty miles to the south and west their
irregular line looked like dim blue clouds
resting upon the earth beneath
clear blue sky. We stopped and
gazed with ed niration at the magnificent
scene before us, and then there was
pointed out to the south of us, at a dis
lance of three or four miles amidst the
green trees of the valley below, a large
dark brown knob of circular shape, with
the evening sun beaming on its bare form,
which, with its bright surroundings, made
it look as if it was great meteoric stone
that had fallen from the heavens, there to
stand conspicuously amidst all the pro-
fusion of beauty high, huge, homely OBJ
iect, giving grotesque variety to the en-
chanting view. That object was the
famous granite mountain, rising 100 feet
from the plain, from whose side was taken
the granite with which our magnificent
capitol at Austin was constructed.
Upon going down the noun
tain, along a well worked road,
we entered the valley where the
the crops looked finely, and we We're re-
freshed by drink of water from cool
spring. Leaving the farms to our right,
we Travelled down the valley, covered with
blackjack, post oak and mesquite woods,
passed on our left neat little stone
church and school house for the use of the
neighborhood, and soon after, on our
right, stood in the level plain, a lone
mountain, with its brow capped with
line of large sand stones that looked down
upon us we passed. From there we could
see two similar mountains, apparently
meeting to stop our progress, when sud
denly we found ourselves in a deep tim
bered, narrow pass right between them,
and saw at their base near the road great
rocks as large as small houses, that had
tumbled down from their rock-bound
SUBMITS. Upon getting near the
granite mound, we found that the Back
bone creek had turned eastward, passed
between the mountains and was running
over a granite bed, near the base OF the
mound, where the woods had been thlnned
out and cleared off for the erection OF a
town for the working of the granite rock,
There also was fine spring OF water IN a
shady grove. Passing the creek, we visited
that part of t1e mound from which the
granite had been taken to build the state
capitol, ard WAS astonished to see how
little of the mound bad been taken away
for that purpose, there being enough re-
fuse rock left, piled up III long llne, to
build another such house, and enough
left untouched in. the mound, above the
ground, to build 5000 such houses az
the capitol, and perhaps 100 times
that much in and near the
same locality, both above and under
the surface of the earth. Indeed, there Is
so much of it, that the amount of it Is
mere guess work al best. It's debris, con-
stituting grani'e, sand and gravel, is
spread all around over the country, and
flows down the creek to the river. From
there we went on the level plain one and
half or two miles, reaching the town
tract of Marble Falls, keeping west OF
the creek, and, Just before reaching the
creek, we passed the residence of Capt.
B. Badger, beautiful granite structure OF
two stories in height, now approaching
completion, and then entered the bend OF
the creek, consisting of ten acres OF land
thlckly shaded with splendid forest OF
lartge pecan trees, which is designated
onI the town plat as johnson park."
80 h. II &c Tho praak which Is