Black Beans and Big Feet - Ranger, TX
N 32° 29.459 W 098° 33.045
14S E 542206 N 3594949
The Eastland County Safety Rest Area on westbound I-20 has a history sign relating the infamous story of the decimation of escaped prisoners of the Mier Expedition, and how Bigfoot Wallace was spared from lending his name to a Texas county.
Waymark Code: WM1537E
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/06/2021
Views: 1
They're called "Safety Rest Areas" because there are storm shelters to be found, a change from the classical rest stops along the Interstates. They're a little more than facilities with picnic areas and vending machines, in that there are signs and exhibits for notable attractions in the county that sponsored the rest area. This sign is hiding behind one of the displays, and it reads:
It is probable the first Anglo to visit Eastland County was W.A. Big Foot Wallace, who would later become a famous Texas Ranger. He entered on what would become Eastland County on a surveying expedition. It is claimed that Big Foot Wallace actually did have big feet. When he was in jail in Mexico, all the other prisoners were issued prison clothing including sandals, except for Wallace whose feet were so big they had to have his footwear made special. But whether this story is true or not, he did play a small part in the story of how Eastland County was named. In 1843, during the Texas Revolution, a group of Texas prisoners, including Wallace, were being marched to Mexico City. On the way, 176 of the men escaped, yet were soon recaptured. As punishment, it was ordered that every tenth man be executed. The victims were chosen by lottery, each man drawing a bean from an earthen jar. Among the white beans there were seventeen black beans, each black bean signifying death, a white bean meant life. Big Foot had noticed that the black beans were slightly larger, and when his turn came, he fingered the beans and selected one of the smaller ones. Captain William Mosby Eastland was not so cunning. He drew a black bean and was unshackled from his companions, taken away and shot. Those who witnessed the incident were impressed with the cool courage and dignity of Captain Eastland as he was led away. The story spread, his fame grew, and when the county was formed in 1858 it was named for this hero of the Texas Revolution.
Two men whose lives touched the history of Eastland County. One is remembered for his courage and grace under pressure, the other for his shrewdness and his big feet.
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Insets show a photo of Bigfoot Wallace and Frederic Remington's 1896 rendering of the incident, "The Mier Expedition The Drawing of the Black Bean". Note the reference to "Siep Springs" at the bottom of the sign: It's better known today as "Sipe Springs", but the spelling is an unusual way of rendering the pronunciation, which refers to the seepage of water from nearby rock formations. You'll have to drive south of here into Comanche County to find what remains of the town, which is very much a ghost save for the residents living in what remains of the downtown area.
Group that erected the marker: Eastland County
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Eastland County Safety Rest Area (Westbound)
I-20
Eastland, TX USA
76470
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.