Onwards to Kerrville and LBJ

Next morning, Tuesday 16^th October. We move campsites in a few minutes. Cruise America say they are working on our leak problem, can maybe arrange a swap at their San Antonio depot. We say we’ll go to Kerrville via San Antonio, so please have one ready. Let’s push them along. We arrive San Antonio depot at 1:00pm. The manager there says he JUST received a call from the Assistance desk, but he does in fact have a spare motorhome, old and grubby, but weatherproof. Yes, we’ll take it.

Now rainproof in Kerrville, the next day we visit a local attraction: LBJ’s ranch. You wonder- who was LBJ?

Lyndon B Johnson was the 36^th President of the USA. This is his most iconic photo, being sworn in as President on the day of Kennedy’s assassination. Johnson, as vice-president, automatically took over. Jackie Kennedy is standing alongside.

Johnson’s family story is interesting. His grandparent came as settlers in the 1850’s and started out in this “dog trot” cabin. It is so named because a dog could trot through the empty space between the two sections. One part was living quarters, the other for sleeping, and the separating space a working or even sleeping area in hot weather.

                           

The Comanche tribes were a frequent threat, understandably, because, they were being driven off their lands. LBJ’s grandmother hid in the crawlspace under the cabin with her daughter whilst they plundered the cabin on one occasion. They’re not looking happy in the photo, so let’s hope they didn’t scalp the photographer.

Granddad made a fortune organising 4 cattle drives from 1867 to 1870, then lost it all when the market collapsed. Cattle thrived in this area, called the Hill Country, with the lush, tall grass as in the next photo.  Me there for scale. It misled the early settlers into thinking it was rich soil. However, it was thin and poor for crops and only suitable for grazing.

LBJ was born in 1908 in this a dog trot cabin a few miles away from his grandparents dog trot home. The family photo shows the cabin at the back. It’s worth looking at some of the formally posed characters, particularly the two ladies who appear to be bound together with barbed wire.

LBJ’s schoolroom also takes a good photo, particularly the heating system: a wood stove with a long hot pipe. LBJ himself taught for a time in a poor Hispanic area and this fired his political aim to provide a good education for all children. His many education reforms substantially achieved this, the most significant of which was signed into law outside this very schoolroom in the presence of his original teacher!

The LBJ family moved to Johnson City, named after a relation, 15 miles away. His parents were comfortably well off and involved in politics inspired young Lyndon’s political ambitions. He gave his first speech from the veranda of the home. He addressed an invited audience rather haranguing, bible-puncher style, the few passers-by from the local farming community.

Following political success by election to the US Senate in 1948, LBJ bought his aunt’s run-down ranch estate in 1951, which also included the house he was born in a few photos above. He steadily improved it so it become known as the Texas White House during his Presidency, but even then it was more a large family home than a grand mansion.

An airstrip was built on the ranch that could accommodate executive size jets but nothing as large as the Air Force Ones of other Presidents. In fact, he would refer to his small aircraft as Air Force One-Half.

Inside, the plane was modestly furnished and rather cramped.

 LBJ had a weakness for cars, not just the big showy models, of which he had several. He would take visitors in a particular car to a lake and drive the car straight into the water, much to their alarm. But it was an amphibious car and so became a boat. This is it, made in Germany.

The most bizarre vehicle used for transporting guests was LBJ’s fire engine. This was a gift from a town in Texas, being out of date for regular use.

So much for the trappings of LBJ’s office. As person he could be crude, aggressive and domineering. His was not an endearing personality, but in his 5 years of office he signed more bills into legislation than any other President: over 1,000. He made into law bills on civil rights, education, environmental protection, gun control and social security, including Medicare and Medicaid. He truly believed in equality of opportunity.

The downside of his term was the escalation of the Vietnam War, but that was an unwinnable situation for any President. Without the war his even more ambitious plans for a fair, just and equal society might have been realised. He really was a great President, an unsung hero, and perhaps heroes can’t always afford to be nice people.