Talk:Cisco, Texas

Red Gap

Cisco wasn't the first town at the present location. There was a crossroads located about a mile to the west and a small community called Red Gap sprang up there in 1875-78. Legend has it that the red clay located in a gap in the nearby hills gave rise to the name. One source states that by 1879 Red Gap had six saloons and as a result cowboys would ride in from far and wide to quench their thirst.

I theorize that the crossroads resulted from two military roads: one connecting Fort Phantom Hill to the west and Fort Worth to the East, and one connecting Fort Belknap to the north and Waco to the south. This is still a theory and is unproven.

In 1880 the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railway laid its tracks across Eastland County and bypassed Red Gap. This was the beginning of the end for the small community, and unfortunately was a common practice. Many thriving communities died when they were bypassed by the railroads, which often declined to deviate from their surveyed routes in order to connect with existing towns. On May 17, 1881, the Central Texas Railway, moving from south to north, crossed the tracks of the T&P Railway and Cisco was born. It was the only railroad intersection west of Fort Worth. The brand new town was named for New York banker John Jay Cisco, who arranged the financing for the railroad. This was the death of Red Gap and the post office was moved from there to Cisco in 1884. Today, no one knows for sure exactly where Red Gap was located, but it was in the vicinity of the historic Oakwood Cemetery on the north side of Cisco.

Cisco became a transportation hub. Unfortunately, a few years later the railroad moved its main operation to Baird, Texas, located 25 miles to the west. Still, transportation played a major role in the growth of Cisco.

Hiltons First Hotel

Congressman Michael Conaway Leaves the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas.

Oil was discovered south of Ranger, Texas in 1917. It has been said that the Ranger oilfield caused the Germans to sue for peace and end World War One. The whole area became a beehive of activity. Cisco was on the edge of the oilfield and while the center of the oil boom was at Ranger, Cisco with its railroad intersection was the transportation center.

The oil boom attracted people from far and wide, including a young veteran of WWI who wanted to invest in a bank. The young man, Conrad Hilton, found a bank for sale in Cisco in 1919 but then the owner reneged on the price he had quoted. Mr. Hilton went to find a room for the night and walked to the Mobley Hotel, located across from the large brick train depot. He discovered that the rooms were rented for eight hour shifts and people were sleeping in the lobby. He quickly decided to go into the hotel business and the rest is history. He sold the hotel a few years later and the old building now houses a museum, a dinner theater, and the Cisco Chamber of Commerce. These were made possible by a generous gift from the Hilton Foundation.

THE FIRST BANK ROBBERY

Cisco was, I would think, much like the western towns we have all seen in the movies and on TV. And, just like in the westerns, the four bank robbers who struck in February 1887 made their escape on horseback. The town marshal and a posse followed the robbers to the west but lost the trail near present day Putnam and the crime was never solved.

Texas author J. Frank Dobie, in a newspaper column printed in the Fort Worth Press in 1936 and later reprinted in book form, stated that a old timer told him that a man by the name of Tom Bybee had claimed to help rob the bank in Cisco in about 1885. The account in the story matches in details with the other accounts I have read. (J. Frank Dobie, "The Flavor of Texas," c. 1936, 1975, published by The Jenkins Company, Austin TX, pages 121-22)

FIRE

Cisco was plagued by fire during the 1800s, as were many towns and cities in that era of wood frame construction, wood burning stoves and kerosene lamps. One account states that early Ciscoans were summoned to fires with pistol shots. A volunteer fire department was formed in April 1886. 21 year old Burt Strickland, a volunteer fireman, was killed in the 1890s when a wall collapsed at the scene of one fire. I am still researching this area but at the present he is the only firefighter I am aware of who gave his life for the citizens of Cisco. I would like to hear from anyone who has additional information on either Burt Strickland or the history of the Cisco Volunteer Fire Department.

THE 1893 TORNADO

Real tragedy struck at 8 PM on Friday, April 28, 1893. A giant tornado struck the center of the business district of Cisco and virtually wiped out the community. The city hall, every church and school, and an estimated 500 homes were destroyed. According to one account, only one commercial building escaped damage. No one knows for sure how many were killed outright or died later of their injuries but some accounts put the number as high as thirty, with some 100 persons injured. The population of Cisco at the time was estimated at 2,000. I calculate that the the number of killed and injured was in the neighborhood of six percent of the total population. This would the equivalent of present day Los Angeles suffering over 200,000 casualties in a natural disaster.

Mr. and Mrs. Hickman operated a cafe in the two story masonry Blake Building located on the main street. Their living quarters were upstairs and they had already put their children to bed when the tornado hit. According to my source, when they heard the roar of the approaching monster they tried to climb the stairs to get to their five children but the building collapsed around them. They survived but all five children were killed. The children are buried side by side in Oakwood Cemetery in Cisco. I do not know what became of the Hickmans as they are not buried with their children. I would certainly appreciate hearing from anyone with any knowledge of the Hickmans.

I have been told that the National Weather Service was formed as a result of the Cisco Tornado, and that all their records begin on April 28, 1893. This is currently unverified.

== THE SANTA CLAUS BANK ROBBERY

==December 23, 1927 is a day that will be long remembered as the day that Santa Claus robbed the First National Bank in Cisco. The incompetence of the robbers would have been almost comical, but the loss of life took away any humor. Marshall Ratliff needed a disguise because he had once lived in Cisco and would be recognized. He decided to use a Santa Claus suit, complete with mask, apparently not realizing the attention he would draw to himself. The other three robbers did not use masks or disguises. When the robbers pulled their guns a woman customer fled out a side door and gave the alarm. The robbers stayed in the bank so long that citizens had time to arm themselves and assemble outside. When the robbers attempted to leave a bloody shootout ensued. The robbers managed to drive away with two young girls as hostages, leaving Cisco Police Chief G. E. "Bit" Bedford dying and Officer George Carmichael mortally wounded. They abandoned a mortally wounded comrade at the edge of town after failing in their attempt to hijack a second car. This was attempted because they forgot to fill their car with gas before the robbery! In their haste they also left the money behind with the wounded robber, and all of it was recovered. They abandoned the car and the hostages outside of town and fled on foot. 

One of the hostages recognized Ratliff and the fugitives were all in custody within a week. Ratliff was later taken from his cell and lynched by a mob in Eastland, the county seat, after mortally wounding jailer Tom A. "Uncle Tom" Jones, a popular jailer, in a failed escape attempt.

Of the four robbers, Louis Davis died of gunshot wounds sustained during the shootout at the bank, Henry Helms was convicted of murder and executed, Marshall Ratliff was lynched, and Robert Hill served out his prison sentence, changed his name, and disappeared. In all, six persons died violent deaths before the whole affair had ended.

LARGEST CONCRETE SWIMMING POOL IN THE WORLD

Cisco in its early days was plagued with inadequate water supply. In the 1920s the Williamson Dam was built north of town, resulting in the formation of Lake Cisco. It was named after James Milton Williamson, long time mayor and survivor of the 1893 Tornado. At its base was built what was billed as the largest concrete swimming pool in the world. The complex boasted a two story building with a skating rink upstairs, a zoo, an amusement park with rides, and a park. Bob Wills was only one of the celebrities to entertain there. For decades it was a major attraction for folks from miles around. The hollow dam was open to the public but this is no longer the case. Going into the blackness of its inner chamber was spookier than any horror movie. During the 1920s the high school football team, the Loboes, were called the Big Dam Loboes. I would think that some were probably scandalized by this nickname!

The pool closed in the 1970s and the vacant skating rink burned a few years later. The property is now in a state of disrepair, but one is still captivated by the size of the swimming pool. It is so darn big!

There is a legend around Cisco that a man fell to his death and was entombed in the wet concrete of the dam while it was being built. Supposedly, the authorities were either unwilling or unable to retrieve his body so they left it there. I have not been able to prove or disprove this story but personally do not believe it. I have learned that on December 4, 1922 Thomas Jefferson (Jeff) Powell fell to his death on his first day on the job at the dam (Eastland County History, p. 436). His body was recovered and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Cisco. I heard that Jimmy Hoffa was the person buried inside the dam. This would point towards a 'mob hit' if true. Who knows? Not me.

CISCO JUNIOR COLLEGE

On the hill just north of town is the campus of Cisco Junior College. The school has a long and colorful history that, like the history of Cisco itself, is more than I can tell in the space available here. The citizens of Cisco purchased the land in 1908 and constructed school buildings. Britton Training School was housed there, then Randolph College, then Randolph Junior College. This last school closed during the Great Depression. Cisco Junior College was then created and formally opened in the fall of 1940 and has been in operation ever since.

== CONCLUSION

==

If you find yourself crossing Texas on Interstate 20 please consider taking an hour or so to visit this historic little town. Just watch for the big silver water tower, 45 miles east of Abilene and 100 miles west of Fort Worth. The First National Bank moved to a new building in the 1980s but the original building still stands. Dan Dixon operates a business there and will probably offer you a cup of coffee. The bank, which is now a few blocks down Conrad Hilton Avenue, has printed a small booklet about the Santa Claus Bank Robbery that is available for the asking. While you are there, be sure to study the details in murals above the tellers. They were painted by Western artist Randy Steffen in the 1950s, and were moved from the old bank to the new one and depict the history of Texas.

Next door is the old Laguna Hotel, the largest building in town, and across the street from it you will find the Mobley, which was Conrad Hilton's first hotel. Ask anyone in town how to get out to the old swimming pool, which is about a three minute drive to the north. The dam and pool, as well as the old zoo set in a hillside, are worth the three minutes. On the way back to town you could take a few minutes to drive up the hill to Cisco Junior College. After you come back down the hill, consider driving past the Oakwood Cemetery. Simply turn right onto the brick street just past the railroad tracks. The cemetery is just a few blocks down the street. If you catch the caretaker there, he will probably be happy to help you locate the the plot containing the graves of the five Hickman children who were killed in the 1893 tornado. If you do, say a little prayer for them for me.

== LAKE CISCO DAM == 160 m., impounds an artificial lake covering 1,000 acres (fishing, for bass, catfish, perch, bluegill, crappie, fishing permit 25 (cents) a day; swimming in artificial pool, 25 (cents); picnic facilities). CISCO, 163 m., (1,608 alt., 6,027 pop.), has a one-street business section dominated by a hotel built during an oil boom in 1918. Although the oil flurry left some untenanted buildings, Cisco has suffered less from declining petroleum production than most similarly situated communities. There are no shanty areas. Some of the pretentious residences built with oil money are in need of paint, but an oil company "village" in the southwest city limits is neat. On the streets three classes mingle, but do not mix: farmers who speak German by preference, and wear the thick brogans needed in their fields; ranchmen in custom-made clothes, using the slow drawl of the West; and the oil workers in "ready-mades" or jeans, speaking a trade jargon that often is almost unintelligible to outsiders. Cisco was the first town west of Fort Worth to have two railroads. In Cisco is the junction with US 80 (see Tour 19). Southward, oil developments have dotted the farm lands with derricks.

(a note of explanation- the book outlines a trip southward on US 283 through Cisco and the 160 at Lake Cisco and 163 at Cisco are mile markers)

(Hwy 283 no longer goes through Cisco. It goes south from Albany to Baird to Coleman.) --209.30.197.163 19:16, 15 July 2007 (UTC)????

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