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Sugarloaf Mountain - Gause, Milam County, Texas

16,882 Views | 71 Replies | Last: 11 mo ago by GSS
Pantera
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1:20p, 6/22/23
AG
Hey! My parents place is about 1 mile upriver from there and my mom's family are from Cameron/Milano! My grandmother is going on 94 and tells stories about going there when she was little. My mom grew up camping on a sandbar a little upstream, and I spent all of my childhood running the banks of the Little River.

There is SO MUCH history in this part of Texas. Going back thousands and thousands of years. I love it.

Just wanted to say I appreciate all of the info compiled and posted here about the land.
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In reply to Pantera • 1:27p, 6/22/23
justnobody79
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3:45p, 6/22/23
ran across this article a while back, crazy to think that a steamboat made it all the way up the Little River to Cameron

https://www.tdtnews.com/archive/article_2348c8b7-0af8-5b23-88f9-bc517ab1173f.html
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Build It
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11:09p, 6/22/23
AG
Very cool history there. Looks like the Herzogs still own it.


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Pantera
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In reply to [removed post] • 11:35p, 6/22/23
AG
Sure! I'll have to ask around to different family members and see what all I can find on the bridge or sugarloaf over the years.

As far as artifacts and arrowheads, I actually went hunting on a creek that runs to the river about a month back just on a whim, and found a really nice point! Over the years I've collected quite a few arrowheads and stone tools just by hunting around after storms and stuff, but never to the extent that some have with full scale heavy machine mining and shaking operations. I was big into it as a kid and lost interest for a while, but am getting back into the hobby. Because of the flint in the area, this is one of the hotspots for stone tools in Texas. I have a couple uncles who are big into hunting arrowheads and they have found points that go back over 4000 years that were found here on the river. There was an old seasonal settlement of field laborers around the turn of the century that was located on my folks place and I've found a lot of pottery, cool old bottles, horseshoes and the like on a few hills sound where that was located as well.
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In reply to Pantera • 11:48p, 6/22/23
forumjunkie
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11:50p, 6/22/23
So......I should hike this mtn at night so I don't get caught?
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normaleagle05
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In reply to justnobody79 • 11:51p, 6/22/23
AG
justnobody79 said:
ran across this article a while back, crazy to think that a steamboat made it all the way up the Little River to Cameron

https://www.tdtnews.com/archive/article_2348c8b7-0af8-5b23-88f9-bc517ab1173f.html

Sandbars and Sternwheelers: Steam Navigation on the Brazos
By: Pamela Ashworth Puryear and Nath Winfield, Jr.
ISBN-10 1585440582
ISBN-13 978-1585440580

I checked this out from Evans ~2010. A great history of real commercial navigation on the Brazos and I thought it a good read in general. Its available on Amazon. I might did just now buy a copy.
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Pantera
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In reply to forumjunkie • 12:06a, 6/23/23
AG
Stars are nice at night up there if it's clear.
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In reply to forumjunkie • 12:09a, 6/23/23
SanAntoneAg
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12:10a, 6/23/23
AG
Great post and thread here. Never been there or nearby.

But…this is why we OB.
Gig 'em! '90
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TX_COWDOC
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4:39p, 6/23/23
AG
Used to do some work for a Charolais breeder on the south side of the highway. Never knew that land feature existed.
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Gunny456
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In reply to Pantera • 5:06p, 6/23/23
AG
My dad and uncles and aunt were born in Lott, Texas. My dad spent a lot of time in Cameron.
We almost bought a ranch in Milano in 1992. Bunch of land that I believe a Mr Caufield owned? Guy by the last name of Cooper I think was this old guys Executor or something.
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redaszag99
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5:23p, 6/23/23
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94678794/hubert-hardison-coffield

HH Coffield

He owned a bunch of land in milam county
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Gunny456
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In reply to redaszag99 • 5:48p, 6/23/23
AG
That's him. Jack Cooper was his executor on selling all of it. We were looking at 1400 acres right off Hwy 36. Never could get an agreement on it. Railroad track on one side of it we just could not get away from the noise.
Pretty place though.
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BaronDeBishopville
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7:13p, 6/23/23
"Pete" Coffield made a lot of money by buying up military surplus for pennies on the dollar after WW1 and then selling it back to the military at full price at the start of WW2. He was also on the Texas prison board and used prisoners to fence a lot of his properties.
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a07nathanb
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In reply to BaronDeBishopville • 9:18p, 6/23/23
AG
BaronDeBishopville said:
"Pete" Coffield made a lot of money by buying up military surplus for pennies on the dollar after WW1 and then selling it back to the military at full price at the start of WW2. He was also on the Texas prison board and used prisoners to fence a lot of his properties.


Two sides of my grandparents place was Coffield land. That fence was awesome. 5 wire with posts painted in that aluminum paint. Held up for close to 60 years.

Jack Cooper is still around Milam Co. Was Coffield's pilot up until Coffield died in the late 70s. Worked for the estate for the next 30 years while they finished settling the estate!
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Gunny456
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In reply to a07nathanb • 9:30p, 6/23/23
AG
Yep. Jack and I and the wife rode horses with him to look at many of the properties. Think it was around 1999 or 2000. Really a good guy. Spent a lot of time with him then lost track.
I have often thought I messed up. Could have bought some of that land for about $500 acre.
Every property had that same kind of fence. Hell for stout.
Glad to hear Jack is still around. He told us all the money went to the Episcopal Church and the Boy Scouts.
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In reply to BaronDeBishopville • 11:06p, 6/23/23
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In reply to CS78 • 1:35a, 6/24/23
iamtheglove
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In reply to [removed post] • 8:29a, 6/24/23
FAT SEXY said:
If you ever stumble across any old photographs of the area, share them!

I'm also curious to know if you have ever found any arrowheads or other artifacts around there.
Thanks for starting this thread, fascinating info posted so far.

When I was around 7 or 8 years old my mom enrolled me in a class at the old museum that was above the pro shop at the Bryan municipal golf course (now Travis Bryan "Central Park" I believe). This would have been around 1971. One of the field trips we took was to sugarloaf mountain.

On our way to the top I found this really unique looking small stone that was dark red, concave on one side, rounded on the other side, that was perfectly oval except that one end came to a gentle point. One of the people who ran the class and field trip who likely was a prof or TA at A&M told me it was an Indian artifact used "to apply war paint." Who knows if that was true or if he was just trying to spark the imagination of a young kid. I kept that rock for years, it may still be lurking in some sealed up box in the garage.
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Ribeye-Rare
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In reply to KALALL • 9:06a, 6/24/23
AG
kaleb_allison said:
I knew Mr. Jackson very well. He just knocked the top off of it looking for the gold. He sold it after people got up in arms about him taking the top off it. I think it happened in my life time which would put it in the early 90s. Knowing James he probably made more off selling the land than any hypothetical gold was worth.
I've gotta ask. How'd they get the dozer up there, and how big a dozer was it?

EDIT: I've never seen Sugarloaf, so maybe I assumed wrongly about it being steep on all sides and rocky.

I'm now guessing it's just soft rock and there's a more 'gentle' side too, right? So, they just drove the dozer up without a problem.

If that's so, is that the path you fellas have been using to hike to the top?
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In reply to Ribeye-Rare • 11:47a, 6/24/23
jja79
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4:20p, 6/24/23
AG
I've seen this but does anyone know it's elevation? I'm not sure mountain is the right term.
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In reply to jja79 • 4:56p, 6/24/23
jja79
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In reply to [removed post] • 5:31p, 6/24/23
AG
Missed the elevation. Thanks. I'm very familiar with it having driven through there many times over the past 45 or so years.

I grew up in far west Texas and now in Arizona. The people here chuckle at the notion the Davis Mountains are Mountains.
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a07nathanb
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9:18p, 12/1/23
AG
The Milam County historical commission posted this today

"Exciting Announcement for Milam County! The Tonkawa Tribe has signed a management agreement for Sugarloaf Mountain with El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association. It is their intention to finalize the purchase of Sugarloaf Mountain (also known as Red Mountain and La Tortuga) on December 12.
There will be a recognition ceremony at the Sugarloaf Bridge 12/12/2023, around 2 pm on that day. You are invited to attend!"
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GSS
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In reply to a07nathanb • 10:10p, 12/1/23
We did a short road trip today, including Green's Sausage at Zabcikville, while on FM485 heading towards Hearne, I pointed out Sugarloaf to my bride. Not really a mountain, but sure sticks out in the landscape.
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tmaggies
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In reply to jja79 • 8:03a, 12/2/23
AG
jja79 said:
Missed the elevation. Thanks. I'm very familiar with it having driven through there many times over the past 45 or so years.

I grew up in far west Texas and now in Arizona. The people here chuckle at the notion the Davis Mountains are Mountains.


Do they also chuckle about anything in the Appalachians? West Texas does have mountains.
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BaronDeBishopville
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In reply to GSS • 8:24a, 12/2/23
When looking at Sugarloaf from FM 485, as you pan left you see Long Mountain, which is just as high. You can even see a friend of mine's house upon top. Continue panning to the left, the next "mountain" is Jimbo's
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GSS
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In reply to BaronDeBishopville • 10:16a, 12/2/23
BaronDeBishopville said:
When looking at Sugarloaf from FM 485, as you pan left you see Long Mountain, which is just as high. You can even see a friend of mine's house upon top. Continue panning to the left, the next "mountain" is Jimbo's
Jimbo's spread? Milam county CAD
https://esearch.milamad.org/Property/View/10194?year=2023&ownerId=10040823
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jja79
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In reply to tmaggies • 11:19a, 12/2/23
AG
Even most people in Texas don't know Texas has mountains.
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BaronDeBishopville
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In reply to GSS • 12:08p, 12/2/23
that is correct
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ZoneClubber
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In reply to a07nathanb • 11:37a, 12/13/23
AG
KBTX story on it. very cool. I wished they hadn't lopped off the top of the mountain.

https://www.kbtx.com/2023/12/13/tonkawa-tribe-reacquires-sugarloaf-mountain-gause-with-intent-open-public/?fbclid=IwAR0T0YzTuJ-NflvhrK-STL_DvuLep_l2Z26iugoDKQskjne-5hpCFMuIGwQ
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Andrew Dufresne
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1:40p, 12/13/23
This was a cool thread. Too bad it's gutted now.

Does this mean that Milam County will pay me back that $400 trespassing citation I got up there a few years ago??

Fun Fact: Jimbos ranch is a stones throw from the loaf.
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