Pecos Texas- November 3

We walked around this small town today hoping to get some errands done. It turned out to be a depressing walk. So many stores have closed. There is a post office,hardware store,banks,and also buildings for a title and oil company. We talked to one resident who informed us that at one time the town was doing better because the oil companies were booming,and farming was good with such crops as cotton,onions,field grains,pecans and pistachios. Two events then happened for the farmer;the government saw fit to pay them for not working their land,and it also became too expensive to irrigate the fields because of the skyrocketing costs of gas and electricity. Pecos is still known for its delicious cantaloupe(unfortunately for us the season ended about two weeks ago). We did enjoy West of the Pecos Museum,located right in the town. It is housed in the old Orient Hotel. The hotel first started as a saloon with a few rooms above it,in 1896. In 1904 the three story Orient Hotel was added,and in fifty of its rooms are now housed many displays encompassing the history of the town of Pecos. There is one room entirely devoted to the legendary Pecos Bill. The first rodeo was held in Pecos,there is a room displaying that history. The saloon is still there,complete with the bullet holes it attained during one famous shootout. The gravestone pictured here is that of a famous gunslinger of the 1800s. And the last picture posted here is of a barbershop in Pecos where John got a haircut. He certainly would never have found it without the help of a salesman at the hardware store!