Big Spring, Texas

Joseph Heneage Finch, English nobleman and sportsman, was born in Middlesex, England, to Heneage and Jane (Wightwick) Finch on February 21, 1849. Heneage was the sixth earl of Aylesford; Joseph, the seventh earl, was a minor but legendary figure on the West Texas frontier. He married Edith Williams, the daughter of a member of Parliament, in 1871. They had two daughters. In late 1874 Finch lavishly entertained the prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, at his estate, Packington Hall, outside London. Finch quickly became a member of the prince's inner circle of raucous intimates, infamous for their materialistic, extravagant lives. The prince invited Finch to accompany him on a seventeen-week goodwill tour of India in 1875–76. Though he arranged the sporting events and served as his sponsor's personal hunting guide, Finch abruptly returned home in early 1876 to confront his unfaithful wife and her lover. The divorce suit that followed involved the highest members of English society and resulted in Finch's being exiled, in effect, by Queen Victoria herself. No longer welcome in polite company in England, he dropped out of sight, but in late summer 1883 he arrived at the West Texas cattle town of Big Spring. There he bought a 2,500-acre ranch north of town and a $40,000 herd of cattle on "range delivery," or sight unseen. Because the rustic boomtown had few conveniences, in quick succession Finch bought a hotel and a bar, the former, at least, at an inflated price. He also built a meat market. Though initially unable to gain the acceptance of the local cowboy-cattleman fraternity, the earl won them over in time by his generosity with his liquor, by his being introduced formally at roundup by a prominent cattleman, and by his pleasant personality. He spent his waking hours partying, drinking, and hunting, to the neglect of his ranch and stock. Although mysterious and remote, he became a valued and respected member of the community, for the frontiersmen did not pry into one's personal life. On January 13, 1885, after hosting a two-week party that was spoken of in awe for years, he unexpectedly died. His hard drinking had apparently caught up with him. Finch's significance, however, does not lie in his self-destructive antics but rather in his being a classic example of a little-publicized but stock frontier character who, along with the buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, and cowboy, helped settle the frontier West-the remittance man. Few in number, perhaps never more than a few hundred, remittance men were typically wealthy Europeans, mostly Englishmen, who for various reasons were exiled to reform or to perish, to the remote regions of the world, where they regularly received money (remittances) from home. On the United States frontier, where men were expected to be rugged individualists, these outcasts were generally not admired. Finch was an exception.

Patricia Lee McCormick, bullfighter and artist, was born on November 18, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the daughter of E. B. McCormick and Frances Lee “Bob” (Owen) McCormick. At the age of seven, McCormick and her family vacationed in Mexico City. The family decided to attend a bullfight, which introduced young Patricia to the sport. When she was thirteen years old, the family moved to Big Spring, Texas, where her father became chief engineer at Cosden Petroleum Corporation. While attending Big Spring High School, she enjoyed landscape painting as a hobby. After graduating high school in 1948, McCormick attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied opera . She discovered that she lacked musical talent and transferred to Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso) in El Paso to study art. McCormick crossed the Texas-Mexico border to visit Juárez and rediscovered bullfighting at the Plaza de Toros there. She began studying the method by practicing in her dorm with her father’s World War I blanket as a cape and reading as much as she could about matadors. Not long afterwards, McCormick left college and pursued a career in bullfighting. Before her career even began, McCormick faced criticism. A lack of Latin blood—meaning a lack of proper temperament—financial support, and contacts all hindered her way. However, gender quickly emerged as McCormick’s greatest obstacle. She convinced former matador Alejandro del Hierro to mentor her in the sport despite his skepticism of her abilities. On September 9, 1951, Patricia McCormick premiered as a guest bullfighter in Juárez. Although the bull trampled her a couple of times during this first appearance, the crowd enjoyed her overall performance, and the judges deemed it superior. Three months after her debut, McCormick received an invitation to Mexico’s Matadors’ Union; she was the first American woman so invited. After joining Mexico’s Matadors’ Union, she performed in her first professional bullfight in Juárez on January 20, 1952. McCormick performed under the same rules as men per the Matadors’ Union and her own insistence. She believed that she needed to “fight by the same standards” of a male matador for others to take her seriously. Other female bullfighters, called toreras , rode horses in the ring during their performances and only dismounted to deal the killing blow. McCormick spent the entire fight on her feet, standing her ground and pivoting when necessary. Despite the equality of the rules, the Matadors’ Union authorities insisted McCormick wear a traje corto , which included an Andalusian waistcoat, as described by news features, and had a higher waist than the uniform of the male matadors. Male matadors traditionally wore the traje de luces uniform. The Union considered the traje corto to have more dignity than the traje de luces , although the clothing differentiated McCormick from the male matadors. The different uniform emphasized the discrimination McCormick faced throughout her career, specifically the glass ceiling that blocked her from a promotion. To become a full-fledged matador, a ceremony, or alternativa , had to occur before apprentices advanced to the senior rank; the ceremony also required a sponsor. McCormick remained an apprentice, or novillera , fighter. She never advanced to the rank of matador because no male matador offered to sponsor her. Renowned matadors praised her skill and courage, and she often received top billing. Despite the praise she received, including for her decision to bullfight with larger animals in contrast with other women bullfighters, male matadors lamented McCormick’s gender. News features often quoted one matador’s comment, “Had she not been born a woman, she might have been better than any of us.” The macho atmosphere of the predominantly male sport of bullfighting left McCormick with a need for an escort. She did not date during her time as a bullfighter. She also observed the local standard

Will R. and Lillian Settles built this hotel after the discovery of oil on their ranch in 1927. The grand opening was October 1, 1930. Designed by David Castle (1884-1956), the 15-story brick highrise was for many years the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso. Under construction for one year, the hotel boasted 150 guest rooms, grand public rooms, office and retail space, furnished apartments, restaurants, ballrooms, and a private club on the top floor. Although the Settles family operated the hotel for only two years, it remained open under new ownership. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1987

In 1881, as Big Spring was being established, Joseph Fisher (1845-1906), born in Austria, opened a general store in a tent. William (1855-1932), a brother, joined him in 1883. They had a trade territory as large as four New England states. Their free delivery pushcart doubled at times as the city hearse. The firm served as the first local bank, sometimes open until 2:00 a.m., to cash paychecks. The Fishers aided farmers and ranchers, often carrying debtors for years. Their generosity benefited fraternal orders, schools, and churches. The store was closed in 1941. (1976)

Big Spring, the county seat of Howard County, is at the intersection of Interstate Highway 20, U.S. highways 80 and 87, State Highway 350, Farm Road 700, and the Missouri Pacific line in southwest central Howard County. The city is in a rocky gorge between two high foothills of the Caprock escarpment in West Texas. It derives its name from the nearby "big spring" in Sulphur Draw, which was a watering place for coyotes, wolves, and herds of buffalo , antelope, and mustangs ; the spring was a source of conflict between Comanche and Shawnee Indians and a campsite used by early expeditions across West Texas. Signal Mountain, ten miles southeast of Big Spring, was a landmark used by early cattlemen. In 1849 Capt. Randolph B. Marcy 's expedition reached Big Spring on the return trip from Santa Fe and marked it as a campsite on the Overland Trail to California. The spring was also a campsite on the Santa Fe Trail from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to El Paso. Early ranchers, among them Adolph Miller and C. C. Slaughter , reached the area in the late 1870s, and after the ranchers came four-section plots with squatters' dugouts. In the late 1870s the community of Big Spring began near the spring as a settlement of hide huts and saloons for buffalo hunters. In 1880 the Texas and Pacific built through the area, following the line of Sulphur Draw several miles north of the spring. The community moved to the tracks, and Big Spring became the site of railroad shops and a station. When Howard County was organized in 1882 Big Spring became the county seat. That same year a post office started operating in the community, and its first general store opened. By 1884 Big Spring had an estimated population of 1,200, six saloons, four general stores, and a weekly newspaper (the Pantagraph ). Several private schools were operating in the community by 1890, and the town had a public school by 1898. By 1900 Big Spring had a population of 1,255. The Big Spring Herald was founded as a weekly in 1904 and became a daily in 1928. In 1905 an opera house opened, and in 1907 the city incorporated with an aldermanic form of city government. Big Spring installed a waterworks in 1913. In 1914 the city had a hotel, three banks, and Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Christian, and Methodist churches. In 1920 Big Spring was a small city of 4,273 that served as a shipping point for livestock, cotton and small grains. Oil was discovered in the vicinity in 1926, and the city experienced a boom over the next ten years. In 1927, in response to rapid growth, Big Spring switched to a council-manager form of city government . The population of Big Spring had grown to 13,375 by 1930. By 1936 there were 810 wells in production in the surrounding oilfields, and Big Spring State Park , developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps , opened. The Big Spring State Hospital for the mentally ill was opened in 1939. The city's growth was halted briefly in the late 1930s, and its population fell to 12,604 in 1940 but then revived again during World War II . Big Spring Army Air Corps Bombardier School was opened on land southwest of the city in 1942 and during the war graduated more than 5,000 bombardiers. After the school was closed as a military installation in 1945, its airfield served as the municipal airport for a number of years. Howard County Junior College opened in 1946. In 1950 the city reported 650 businesses and 17,258 inhabitants. Big Spring again grew dramatically during the 1950s, when its population increased by 80 percent-to 31,230. It flourished through its petrochemical industries and as a banking and distribution center for the county. Part of this growth was also due to a renewed military presence: the airfield was reactivated as a military base in 1951, and in 1952 it was renamed Webb Air Force Base . Over the next several decades the city's population began a slow decline, falling to 28,735 by 1970, 24,804 by 1980, and 23,093 by 1990. In 2000, however, the population incr

For Comanche war parties, about 1750 to 1875, the Big Spring was an oasis. Here paths from northeast, north and northwest twined into the War Trail that led to San Antonio and other Texas points, and down into Mexico. At the Big Spring, parties from far away as the Arkansas Valley could rest their horses. At this point on return trips northward, their weary captives might find water, rest, and possibly food. The Comanches harrassed settlements, robbing and burning stores, mills, farms, ranches; killing men and capturing women and children to be held for ransom, slavery, or adoption into the tribe. The War Trail was well marked, for warriors took on their long expeditions numerous pack and riding horses, hordes of dogs, and their women and children to wait upon the men and assist in the looting. Indians in the Civil War years, 1861-1865, had much freedom to invade Texas. By 1866 they were selling to New Mexico traders thousands of cattle stolen from Texas ranchmen. Most of the Comanches were put on reservations in 1875. Afterward their old trails were used by white settlers and by hunting parties on special leave. In 1881 a hunting party attacked builders on the T. & P. Railroad working near here. Incise on base: Early travel, communication and transportation series Erected by Moody Foundation