I note with interest the Boerne Sunrise Rotary Club’s desire to place markers around Boerne commemorating the Great Western Trail.

The trail that passed through Boerne was the Matamoros Trail, which began in Brownsville and passed through George West, San Antonio, Leon Springs and Boerne on its way to Kerrville. At Kerrville, the Matamoros trail converged with other trails that served the cattle market there. The Western Trail began at Kerrville and proceeded north to reach the Santa Fe Railroad at Dodge City, Kansas, and the Union Pacific at Ogallala, Nebraska.

John T. Lytle, whose ranch was about 25 miles southwest of San Antonio, was one of the earliest trail drivers in the region. He began herding cattle north into Kansas in 1871. In 1874, when he formed a partnership with Charles Schreiner of Kerrville, the heyday of the Western Trail began. South of Kerrville, Lytle used the Old Trail (Lytle, Castroville, Bandera, Camp Verde, Kerrville) and perhaps the Matamoros trail to the east.

Trail nomenclature is imprecise and has faded with time. Some in Bandera believe that their town is on the Western Trail, making the mistake that Boerne seems poised to repeat. But for picky folks like me, Boerne was not on the Western Trail, any more than the railroad through town was the Old Number 9. And there was no “Great” Western Trail, unless we wish to bestow that honor upon it.

The Rotarians are great folks, and their hearts are in the right place, but I hope those markers weren’t too expensive.

Jeff Morgenthaler
Boerne, Texas

Improvements are a bargain

As a member of the Quality of Life Bond committee, I appreciate the factual and informative coverage by your newspaper of the proposed and much-needed improvements to our city’s infrastructure. By addressing each proposal in the bond issue separately, the public got a first-hand look at the real issues facing our city’s growth and future. After personally touring all the facilities, evaluating costs, looking at growth projections and examining alternatives, it was clear to me that the items listed in the upcoming bond election are necessary to provide the public safety and lifestyle that all the citizens of Boerne expect and deserve. Our city’s bond-issue ratings are excellent, allowing the city to finance improvements at minimal interest costs. By acting now, we can avoid higher acquisition and construction costs,

Our Quality of Life Bond committee was made up of a diverse cross section of Boerne residents, from homemakers to private business people to retired individuals, all who cared enough to spend the considerable amount of time and effort tot come up with those items we felt all the citizens of Boerne would choose had they participated in this process. The cost of all of these improvements? It amounts to about $120 per year to the average homeowner. That’s a real bargain given the wonderful improvements to our city. As we go to the polls in May, I hope each resident of Boerne recognizes the importance of this election and supports the bond issue by voting “for” all the proposals.’

Tom Harris
Boerne, Texas