A low category threat level but still, anyone know why (for years) a little known E. Tx town was on a strategic Soviet Missile Target Grid system ?

Late 1980's INS Treaty with the Soviets erased it all.

(Hint: Few miles away, for years a local Uncertain, Texas beer joint was named "The Rocket Club."

Many old theories are floated as to how Uncertain got its name. One grizzly old bar maid (with cigarette precariously hanging from lip) once told Bop, folks in Uncertain were certainly uncertain if there would be any tomorrows.

(Hint #2: Morton Thiokol, Incorporated.)

The R-27-Zyb (or NATO designated SS-N-6 Serb) launch time from a Soviet sub in the Atlantic or Caribbean (speed 5 miles per second) would give folks at The Rocket Club (or Louisiana - Bossier City's Barksdale USAF Base) about 61 seconds to TAKE COVER; that is if they had the initial launch warning.

"Errr Honey, I'll have another Bud, please."

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/2/2012 1:18p).]

Because Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant was there?

Yes.

If you can tell us who's Daddy owned the land, prior to the 1943 construction of the Longhorn Ammunition Plant, you'll get an A+.

(Hint: Wife of prominent Texas politician.)

Has to be Lady Bird Johnson.

A+
Correct, Claudia (Lady Bird) Taylor Johnson's daddy TJ was Thomas Jefferson Taylor II, wheeler and "Dealer In Everything" (sign on his Karnack store).
Once owned 15,000 acres of cotton in Harrison County. He donated 400 acres to Texas for Caddo State Park.
Liked Lyndon a lot and once said Lady Bird had previously brought only boys home for him to meet. When she brought Lyndon she finally "brought a man for me to meet"...(or something to that effect).

At one time the Soviet rocket forces had 279 SS-20 launch stations in East Germany and Czechoslovakia with 837 nuclear warheads all aimed west.
As a counter balance Morton Thiokol, Inc. at the Longhorn facility built solid propellant rocket motors for the U.S. Army's Pershing 1A intermediate range ballistic missile.

With the INS Treaty (May 1988) both the Soviets and the U.S. began destroying their intermediate-range ballistic missile programs. The INS Treaty was proported to be the beginning of the end of the nuclear arms race between the world's two atomic super powers.
On the grounds of the E. Tx. Longhorm missile facility on September 9, 1988, VP George Bush said,..."This is a moment we'll be able to tell our children and grandchildren about. This is the day we began destroying weapons of destruction."...

The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989.
In late 1991, the Soviet Union imploded.

(According to INS treaty accords, U.S. sent observers to Russia, Soviet military observers came to Karnack, Texas. Trust but verify.)

"Err Honey, I'll have another Bud, please. And while you're at it, set up those Ruskies over there on Bop's tab. "

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/3/2012 6:50p).]

For the bonus question, what is the LAAP now and what famous celeb got the project rolling?

aggiedent...
US Dept of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, established old LAAP as Caddo Lake National Widllife Refuge (all 8,500 acres once owned by T.J. Taylor).
Now, will you please tell Bop, and others:
1) the name of the airstrip in downtown Uncertain now owned by the environmentalist celeb who helped create the CLNWF;
2) give us the E. Tex hometown of the noted celeb who promoted the CLNWF;
3) give us how many charitable performances he has made in his litttle hometown (pop 8,500);
4) and the easiest question of all, in his youth in what county did this well known celeb reside (no, no, no it was not Harrison or Marion County).

Surely his identity is to be forthcoming if Bop gives out this littl' hint: Sept 15, 2004, "The Eagle Came Home", and Bop was there for the performance - $100 a seat in a 420 seat Music City Theater auditorium, (or in celeb's youth - the old American Legion Hall).

P.S. aggiedent - Ever hear of Starr Ranch ?

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/4/2012 7:19p).]

Don Henley from Gilmer TX has a home in Uncertain, TX on Caddo Lake....

Oh yeah and the Flying Fish

Spellcheck. Fly-n-Fish airport

4. Cass county and the little concert you speak if was in Linden.

And I've heard of Starr Ranch. (the Starr family. The old Starr Mansion is in Marshall)

[This message has been edited by TexAgg2004 (edited 1/4/2012 10:03p).]

[This message has been edited by TexAgg2004 (edited 1/4/2012 10:04p).]

Reel & '04...
All correct, except Don's hometown is Linden and number of charitable performances in Linden - 3.

You certainly know those woods or you just went to Google Earth to get that Uncertain grass air strip - Fly-N-Fish.
Starr Ranch - old house (for years in terrible shape) is directly south across Goose Pond - from Crips Camp. Goin' south in boat on Starr ditch into Goose Pond, you can't miss it (that is, if it is still standing). Once had great blackberry bushes nearby.

Summer 2004 Bop reads in Dallas Morning News (Entertainment Section) about Don Henley's impending Sept. concert in Linden. By that time it was sure to be a sell out (from locals and Don's old friends snapping up tickets).
But, Bop decides to call over anyhow.
Lucked-out.
None other that head of Linden's Music City Theater, Richard Bowden, (quite a musician in his own right, and an old high school buddy of Don's) answers the phone.
Conversation went something like this:

"Richard, this is BeBopAg calling from over in Corsicana. I figured you've already got a sell-out crowd on Don's September performance but just thought I'd try anyhow.

You see Bop's Doctor just told Bop a few days ago that Bop had somehow, someway incurred this incurable disease.
So, Bop figures-out in this remaining lifetime he'd never have another opportunity to see Don perform, that is, in-person.
Could you, would you please consider putting Bop on some sort of "wait-list of compassion", well just in the event there's a ticket to come back, or a last minute a cancellation ?"

There was this sort of pregnant pause on the other end of the line and Richard finally says, "Just what kind of incurable disease did Bop's Doctor say Bop had ?"

Bop replies, "Well Richard, the Doc said there was no cure for diabetes, and Bop would have it in his body till-the-day-he-died."

THEN, for two or three minutes all Bop could hear over the phone was loud boisterous laugher.
Richard finally says, "Hell Bop I've had diabetes for the last 25 years. Where do you wanna sit ?"

Richard placed Bop three rows from the front, asile seat.

After giving Richard the credit card number (ticket to be picked-up at will-call window) Bop says, "Oh, by the way Richard, how much was that ticket."
Richard says, "$100 per person." Gulp, WOW !!!
Bop thought he was jest kidding around.
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for Linden, Texas ?
On arrival, found folks outside the hall trying to scalp tickets for $300-$400 each.

AND WHAT A SHOW !!! WHAT A GREAT E.Tx. MEMORY !!!

Still have ticket stub tacked to Bop's Caddo cabin wall.
And, all thanks to a belly-laughing, compassionate, and Good Ol' East Texan - Richard Bowden, of Linden, Texas.

P.S.
Anyone ever hear of ah once-upon-a-time C&W group called, "The Cass County Boys" ? Fred Martin, lead singer, from Cass County. How about "Frosty The Snowman", Gene Autry & The Cass County Boys, 1950 ?

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/5/2012 12:30a).]

Bop,

I've enjoyed all of your East Texas trivia.

I'm originally from Jefferson (right down the road from Linden) so alot of this us familiar.

Since we're on the topic of Don Henley, in about '99-'00, Don shot part of a music video at my parents ranch for his single titled "Taking You Home."

I'm not particularly familiar with the area, but my wife was involved in the establishment of the NWR, and we attended the official opening. Only question I knew was that Don was from Linden.

Two more trivia questions.

1. What politician gave a really bad speech about Don at the official opening of the NWR?
2. What conservation organization in Texas held their gala last October in honor of Don & the NWR, but Don did not show up, sending a representative instead?

Congressman Louie Gohmert '75 TAMU and... why specifically was Gohmert's speech so bad ?

Sorry, Bop was not in attendance.




[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/5/2012 4:15p).]

Bop,

Thanks for the history. I grew up in Linden. Hunted and fished Caddo quite a bit. Never knew a lot of the history. Thanks again for sharing.

Lived in Marshall in 80s when the Russians were there "dismantling" the rockets. Saw the Ruskies around town.

Camped there at caddo sp between xmas and new years, took paddlewheeler and saw fly-n-fish. Tell the story about the cabin on stilts in the cypress stand across the way from Johnson ranch marina.......

Beer joint story told on "Oldest Marina in Texas" thread.

Good information, its neat to hear the history of places you visit. Thanks for the info.

Bop was once told Russian inspectors got to see a Friday Night Lights - Marshall H.S. football game.

Sure wish someone could verify this info.

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/11/2012 5:31p).]

quote:

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Bop was once told Russian inspectors got to see a Friday Night Lights - Marshall H.S. football game.

Sure wish someone could verify this info.

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/11/2012 5:31p).]

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Verified. I was in HS in Marshall when they were there. Cannot remember if it was the Permian game or not, but they did come.

Rider...
Do you recall if they were in military uniform or, civis ?

quote:

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that Uncertain grass air strip - Fly-N-Fish

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I thought that was a family oriented drug running air strip? It certainly has some well maintained fences.

I'm just sayin'

Back in 1930's-40's (before big Texas lakes made their appearance)...
heavy air traffic out of Dallas to the Fly-N-Fish and the Dallas Caddo Club (club house still there - heavily endowed; oldest hunting/fishing club in Texas, 1906).

Never hear of any landings anymore, legal or illegal.

Great Caddo article, Oct 2002, by Joe Nick Patoski, entitled WATER FOUL.

http://www.joenickp.com/water/waterfoul.html

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/12/2012 11:52a).]

Bop - Want to say they were in unis, but it has been a long time and at that age I really did not consider it much of a big deal.

From bits and pieces of info gathered, Bop understands that Marshall rolled out the Red Carpet for the Russians (excuse the pun).

Actually, it was all sort of an East Texas end of a beginning "to the end of the Cold War" which started back in post WW II on March 5, 1946 with Winston Churchill's Fulton, Missouri (Westminister College) speech concerning a Soviet "Iron Curtain" decending between East and West Europe.

Yep, there in a 1988 little unknown, certainly uncertain Karnack, East Texas:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
(from wartime - W. Churchill - Nov. 1942)

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 1/16/2012 12:49p).]

quote:

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From bits and pieces of info gathered, Bop understands that Marshall rolled out the Red Carpet for the Russians (excuse the pun).

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Marshall indeed "rolled out the red carpet" for them. The Russians were wined and dined as best they could be in Marshall with several of the local "dignitary". I also think we had a special concert put on by the high school band and choirs for them.

Good Bull - E.Tx. hospitality.

(Hopefully somewhere in Russia there are still a few who will not forget those days.)