The Lives Within Bland: The Waters That Changed Texas
All that remains of Bland, Texas, a community that embraced a simple way of life, can be found near Owl Creek in northern Bell County under the waters of Belton Lake. The population of this small Texas town never rose above sixty-three inhabitants between 1880 and 1954.[1] However, despite its small numbers, the people of Bland maintained a very rich sense of community and kept their way of life alive until 1954 when the waters of Belton Lake inundated the town. This can be seen both literally and figuratively. Although the waters represented progress, they washed away the old way of life that flourished in rural Texas.
A common activity in the community of Bland was moonshining or making illegal alcohol. It was so called because the best time to make it was at night under the light of the moon and outside the eyes of law enforcement.[2] Moonshining has been around since the American Revolution, but the industry received a boon with the passage of the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution in 1919. The eighteenth amendment, along with the Volstead Act, prohibited the sale, production and distribution of any alcohol throughout the entirety of the United States. This lasted from 1919 until 1933 when the twenty-first amendment repealed the eighteenth. This fourteen-year period was known as Prohibition. During this time, Americans saw the origination of organized crime in some of the larger urban areas, the surge of the illegal alcohol industry, and corruption at all levels of government, even local law enforcement.[3]
A quote from the former postmaster of Bland, Mrs. T.J. Ludwick, provides a glimpse of how the people of Bland felt about Prohibition. “There has been enough ‘likker‘ made in ‘them there‘ hills to float the Queen Mary...”, and to show why the farmers needed to do this during those times in rural towns she added, “ In those days man could not live on bread alone, so a little extra income was necessary.” According to her words, it was well known that laws posed no barrier to the people of Bland getting their alcohol by any means, legal or not.[4] It has been suggested that Bland's population peak of sixty-three residents in the year 1925 was connected to a form of anti-prohibition. Many local law enforcement officers turned a blind eye to moonshiners due to bribes or empathy for the people who had no other means of making a living. During the Great Depression, townspeople turned to moonshining as a preferable alternative to farming or trying to find a employment.. Moonshine was simple to make and they could do it where they were.
Few farmers preferred moonshining to farming, so they sold their farms for money. Most farmers only ran their stills seasonally due to obligations to their crops. Because moonshine required corn as one of its main ingredients, farmers had ready access to the much-needed vegetable.. The four main ingredients for moonshine were corn, sugar, yeast and water. A common distillery received its supplies from an outside supplier.[5] Not all the people of Bland were moonshiners. Some people purchased it from the producers.
Bland's original name was Pokerville when it was founded. In 1880, John Atkerson opened the first general store in the area. Rumor has it that when Atkerson sold a bill of goods, he asked customers to come to the back of the store to “play for their change”. Atkerson had a great love for the game of poker; therefore the name Pokerville was selected for the community.[6] Poker in the general store only preceded the other vices that soon surfaced in the area. Everyday activities among the residents included school, farming, moonshining, and searching the land for Indian artifacts. According to The Story of Bell County, the primary recreational activity involved digging up Native American burial grounds. For whatever reason, the residents of Bland found this quite enjoyable. There were many graveyards throughout the area in Owl Mountain, down in the valley, and around the streams that surrounded the area.[7] The people also enjoyed swimming in the place near the Baptist Church where baptisms were held. Some of the citizens said that on Sundays the swimming hole was holy and washing sin away and come Monday, they were all swimming in everybody’s sins.
In 1894, Pokerville changed its name to Bland upon the establishment of a post office. Pokerville might not have received a post office if the community had not changed its name. Bland was perhaps named after D.T. Bland, an early settler of that area in the 1840’s. On the other hand, perhaps it was intended to be witty due to the rowdy nature of the residents. However, no concrete explanation exists for the name change.
Overall, given the recorded history, Bland is an implausible name for a not so “bland” little community. As exciting as this way of life might have been, all things come to an end. In 1933, prohibition on a national level came to a close and World War II caused an increase in the price of sugar, a vital component for moonshine. These factors among others caused a rapid decline in the illegal alcohol industry, crippling it severely. The establishment of Camp Hood in Coryell and Bell counties took away a large portion of farmland and thrust Central Texas in an urban direction. After Camp Hood was established, the idea for Belton Lake was introduced. Many communities like Bland were faced with moving or being swallowed by the waters. Not only were physical communities washed away but a unique way of life was destroyed by the coming of the lake. Little remains of life in "them there hills" next to Owl Creek
Bibliography
1.Mark Odintz, "BLAND, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvb68), accessed June 23, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
2.Grabianowski, Ed. "How Moonshine Works" 11 November 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/moonshine.htm> 23 June 2013.
3.“Prohibition,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition (accessed Jun 23, 2013).
4.Story of Bell County, Texas Pg. 240(2 vols., Austin: Eakin Press, 1988)
5.Grabianowski, Ed. "How Moonshine Works" 11 November 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/moonshine.htm> 23 June 2013.
6.Mark Odintz, "BLAND, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvb68), accessed June 23, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
7.Story of Bell County, Texas. Pg. 240 (2 vols., Austin: Eakin Press, 1988)
A common activity in the community of Bland was moonshining or making illegal alcohol. It was so called because the best time to make it was at night under the light of the moon and outside the eyes of law enforcement.[2] Moonshining has been around since the American Revolution, but the industry received a boon with the passage of the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution in 1919. The eighteenth amendment, along with the Volstead Act, prohibited the sale, production and distribution of any alcohol throughout the entirety of the United States. This lasted from 1919 until 1933 when the twenty-first amendment repealed the eighteenth. This fourteen-year period was known as Prohibition. During this time, Americans saw the origination of organized crime in some of the larger urban areas, the surge of the illegal alcohol industry, and corruption at all levels of government, even local law enforcement.[3]
A quote from the former postmaster of Bland, Mrs. T.J. Ludwick, provides a glimpse of how the people of Bland felt about Prohibition. “There has been enough ‘likker‘ made in ‘them there‘ hills to float the Queen Mary...”, and to show why the farmers needed to do this during those times in rural towns she added, “ In those days man could not live on bread alone, so a little extra income was necessary.” According to her words, it was well known that laws posed no barrier to the people of Bland getting their alcohol by any means, legal or not.[4] It has been suggested that Bland's population peak of sixty-three residents in the year 1925 was connected to a form of anti-prohibition. Many local law enforcement officers turned a blind eye to moonshiners due to bribes or empathy for the people who had no other means of making a living. During the Great Depression, townspeople turned to moonshining as a preferable alternative to farming or trying to find a employment.. Moonshine was simple to make and they could do it where they were.
Few farmers preferred moonshining to farming, so they sold their farms for money. Most farmers only ran their stills seasonally due to obligations to their crops. Because moonshine required corn as one of its main ingredients, farmers had ready access to the much-needed vegetable.. The four main ingredients for moonshine were corn, sugar, yeast and water. A common distillery received its supplies from an outside supplier.[5] Not all the people of Bland were moonshiners. Some people purchased it from the producers.
Bland's original name was Pokerville when it was founded. In 1880, John Atkerson opened the first general store in the area. Rumor has it that when Atkerson sold a bill of goods, he asked customers to come to the back of the store to “play for their change”. Atkerson had a great love for the game of poker; therefore the name Pokerville was selected for the community.[6] Poker in the general store only preceded the other vices that soon surfaced in the area. Everyday activities among the residents included school, farming, moonshining, and searching the land for Indian artifacts. According to The Story of Bell County, the primary recreational activity involved digging up Native American burial grounds. For whatever reason, the residents of Bland found this quite enjoyable. There were many graveyards throughout the area in Owl Mountain, down in the valley, and around the streams that surrounded the area.[7] The people also enjoyed swimming in the place near the Baptist Church where baptisms were held. Some of the citizens said that on Sundays the swimming hole was holy and washing sin away and come Monday, they were all swimming in everybody’s sins.
In 1894, Pokerville changed its name to Bland upon the establishment of a post office. Pokerville might not have received a post office if the community had not changed its name. Bland was perhaps named after D.T. Bland, an early settler of that area in the 1840’s. On the other hand, perhaps it was intended to be witty due to the rowdy nature of the residents. However, no concrete explanation exists for the name change.
Overall, given the recorded history, Bland is an implausible name for a not so “bland” little community. As exciting as this way of life might have been, all things come to an end. In 1933, prohibition on a national level came to a close and World War II caused an increase in the price of sugar, a vital component for moonshine. These factors among others caused a rapid decline in the illegal alcohol industry, crippling it severely. The establishment of Camp Hood in Coryell and Bell counties took away a large portion of farmland and thrust Central Texas in an urban direction. After Camp Hood was established, the idea for Belton Lake was introduced. Many communities like Bland were faced with moving or being swallowed by the waters. Not only were physical communities washed away but a unique way of life was destroyed by the coming of the lake. Little remains of life in "them there hills" next to Owl Creek
Bibliography
1.Mark Odintz, "BLAND, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvb68), accessed June 23, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
2.Grabianowski, Ed. "How Moonshine Works" 11 November 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/moonshine.htm> 23 June 2013.
3.“Prohibition,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition (accessed Jun 23, 2013).
4.Story of Bell County, Texas Pg. 240(2 vols., Austin: Eakin Press, 1988)
5.Grabianowski, Ed. "How Moonshine Works" 11 November 2004. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/moonshine.htm> 23 June 2013.
6.Mark Odintz, "BLAND, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvb68), accessed June 23, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
7.Story of Bell County, Texas. Pg. 240 (2 vols., Austin: Eakin Press, 1988)