This is a story I wrote for The Daily Texan in like 2003. I still try to swing by the ’Bone a couple of times a year.
If you happen to run your finger over a bullet hole in the wall of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern, don’t worry—it’s just a remnant of rowdier days.
Most of the old-timers who shot up the walls and ceiling of the small rock structure are dead and gone, and the ones still around say they are now too old to bother. Instead, they sit back and drink their Milwaukee’s Best Light, the cheapest beer in the house, and tell stories that mingle legend with history.
For instance, the place is haunted. Always has been.
“Oh, there are ghosts, I guaran-goddamn-tee you,” said Robert Kelly, a regular who said he sometimes sees shadowy figures on a steep nearby ridge called the Devil’s Backbone, for which the tavern is named.
Brushes with the paranormal are to be expected in a place like this, where the face of the Devil himself is manifest in a rock mortared into the stonework above the fireplace at the back wall.
In fact, many claim the Backbone—the ridge and the tavern—is the most-haunted spot in the state.Amanda Joan Couve, a bartender who studies sociology at Southwest Texas State University, has had her share of run-ins with the ghost. He tends to stick to the south end of the place, rearranging furniture, turning off lights and causing all-around mayhem, said Couve. On summer nights when the air is still as death, the door that leads to the adjoining dance hall inexplicably slams to and fro. Other nights, before they went ahead and tied it to the wall, the box fan fell to the floor whenever Couve walked nearby.
“It was weird,” she said. “It was like the ghost was mad at me or something.”
Couve thinks the tavern is haunted by a man shot dead as he walked into the bar years ago, when the place was rowdier. But the older folk, who remember those lawless days, tend to agree it’s a Native American killed in some ancient and forgotten Indian battle. Still others say their spooked friends are full of it.
“My daddy, my grandpa and my great-grandpa lived around here, and we never saw anything,” said Floyd Fischer, who spends most afternoons at the table by the window, swapping stories and sipping on a cold beer.
At 62, he’s frequented the tavern for decades, as his father did before him. He grew up along the Backbone, trapping ringtails that fetched $50 at a time when a full day’s labor could bring in as little as a dollar a day.
Today, he lives in a little ranching community on the other side of the ridge named for his ancestors, the Fischers, German immigrants who settled the area in the 1850s. He maintains a spread of land passed down through the generations, and his cousins still populate the area. In short, Fischer is one of the old-timers.
Fischer distinguishes between several different types of folks at the Devil’s Backbone Tavern. You’ve got your old-timers, the people who grew up around the ridge; college kids driving in from San Marcos; bikers; and the newcomers.
First, there are the guys with the Harleys, who in recent years have begun frequenting the place on nights and weekends: “We’re overrun by bikers, but they’re all good people now,” he said. “When I grew up in this country, they rode the old Indian bikes. Now those were bad people.”
Back in those days, if you saw a bike parked in front of the tavern, you didn’t stop. But now the bikers are mostly doctors and lawyers, a fine sort, he said.
Then there are the newcomers.
They’re the folks who made their money at big-city jobs and then retired to places like Wimberley – where you don’t ask people where they’re from, but what part of Houston they’re from – or they live out on Canyon Lake and commute to Austin and San Antonio.
Pretty much anybody who has moved into the area within the past two or three decades is considered a newcomer, it seems. The winding road to the tavern from Wimberley is dotted by billboards advertising Hill Country land for sale, and people continue to take up the offers in droves.
Development is driving up the cost of land in the area, and Fischer said ignorance on the part of the newcomers has transformed the landscape of the region and has even led to an invasion of coyotes.
“In the old days, my daddy and relatives wiped the coyotes out of this country, or you couldn’t raise sheep and goats and make a living,” he said. “They were gone the whole time I grew up in this country, until I retired. Things got populated, and nobody would cut the cedar or do anything, so, hell, they had all the cover they needed.”
While the coyotes move in, the old-timers’ children continue to move off. Fischer said most have to leave to find a living wage.
“There’s no jobs around here unless you work in the bar or at a convenience store,” he said. “I don’t know what else there is to do but drive a school bus or something.”
Fischer’s only daughter, now 38, found work in Austin and later in San Antonio.
“It was the same way when I grew up,” he said. “When I got out of the military, I said, ‘What am I gonna do? Go back to cutting cedar or shearing sheep and goats?’ No. I went to state work and retired from there, so I can get a pension and all that.”
He worked for the state in San Antonio for 30 years, coming back on the weekends to help the family. When he retired, he moved back for good.
Now he shares his table at the Devil’s Backbone Tavern with all classes of people, rubbing elbows with developers and retirees. They claim to be a little more laid back than the people who haunted the tavern in its early years.
The tavern sits near the tail of the Devil’s Backbone, a narrow, winding ridge in northeastern Comal County that tears through two river basins, the Blanco and the Guadalupe. The ridge, wide enough for a two-lane ranch road and a little shoulder, for years was the vein of commerce between San Marcos and the town of Blanco.
Built in 1932 on the site of an old blacksmith’s shop, the tavern had originally been a stop at the base of a treacherous stagecoach trail.
People from Hays County, which was dry, began flooding the tavern on the edge of Comal County—the only place for miles where a person could get a beer. Johnny Jenkins, 59, remembers growing up in nearby Wimberley. He and his friends would hang out in the parking lot trying to convince patrons to buy them a few beers, and they succeeded more often than not, he said.
These days, Jenkins is welcome inside the establishment. He meets up with his friend from San Marcos, Rusty O’Bryant, the retired owner of a plumbing supply store who donated the trough in the men’s restroom.
They usually play shuffleboard, another holdover from the rough-and-tumble early days, but lately their opponents have stopped coming by. So instead, Jenkins and O’Bryant sit at a back table drinking Milwaukee’s Best.
“I’m retired, and it gets boring at home,” Jenkins said.
Currently, Jenkins and O’Bryant are mad at one of the bartenders, so they time their visits to coincide with Couve’s work schedule.
But even in the midst of their bartender boycott, they know things will not escalate to the point where pistols are drawn.
“Once in a while we get pissed off at one another and raise hell, but that doesn’t last more than a day or two,” O’Bryant said. “We’re too old to fight.”
This story was originally published Aug. 12, 2003, in The Daily Texan, the student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin. The featured image is courtesy of Flickr user yep.photo.
7,063 responses to “Legend of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern”
GG With The WAP OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Only Fans Leaks Mega Folders
The town is nestled between the southwestern Ridge-and-valley Appalachians and the foot of Walden’s Ridge; the river separates the ridge from the western aspect of downtown.
Bulma XO OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Genesis Mia Lopez OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Only Fans Leaks Updates
I have realized that in digital camera models, exceptional sensors help to {focus|concentrate|maintain focus|target|a**** automatically. Those sensors involving some digital cameras change in in the area of contrast, while others utilize a beam of infra-red (IR) light, specially in low lumination. Higher specs cameras occasionally use a combination of both techniques and likely have Face Priority AF where the dslr camera can ‘See’ your face and focus only in that. Many thanks for sharing your opinions on this blog.
TheRealRebeccaJ OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Caaart OnlyFans Mega Link Download
I do agree with all of the concepts you have offered for your post. They are really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are too short for starters. May just you please prolong them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.
Lexi 2 Legit OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Taylor Hall OnlyFans Mega Link Download
You could certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for rookie blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.
A further issue is that video games are normally serious naturally with the principal focus on learning rather than entertainment. Although, we have an entertainment facet to keep your young ones engaged, every game is usually designed to work with a specific group of skills or programs, such as instructional math or scientific research. Thanks for your publication.
Heya are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you need any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I appreciate, lead to I discovered exactly what I used to be having a look for. You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
This was an insightful read! I picked up some great insights. For foundation repair work, visit our site.
This was an informative post! I got some useful insights. For Toronto Underpinning work, visit our site.
Awesome post! It was very eye-opening. For foundation repair services, visit The Foundation Kings.
Awesome article! It was very educational. For foundation repair services, visit The Foundation Kings.
I believe that avoiding processed foods may be the first step to lose weight. They will often taste fine, but prepared foods have got very little vitamins and minerals, making you consume more just to have enough vitality to get throughout the day. In case you are constantly consuming these foods, converting to whole grains and other complex carbohydrates will aid you to have more strength while feeding on less. Good blog post.
Great read here! Appreciate the details. For basement lowering and underpinning work, visit The Foundation Kings.
TheRealRebeccaJ OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Great job here! I really learned a lot. For Toronto Underpinning work, visit The Foundation Kings.
Black Ass Jenny OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Daalischus Rose OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Currently it appears like Expression Engine is the preferred blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re using? I’m having some minor security problems with my latest website and I would like to find something more safeguarded. Do you have any suggestions?
After Barr used the Pressure to show the Imperial stormtroopers current towards them, the Tenth Brother was killed within the ensuing combat.
TheRealRebeccaJ OnlyFans Mega Link Download
They were close to being bankrupt but came away with $350 million in new fairness funding and now are regular within the recovery section.
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation? My site has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my agreement. Do you know any solutions to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d genuinely appreciate it.
Lauritzen: “Victor A Lauritzen.-His house, Wilbur, WA.
Only Fans Leaks Updates
They’ve access to the best offers and in flight extras to maintain your costs low.
Rubi Rose OnlyFans Mega Link Download
Generally I don’t read article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to take a look at and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, quite nice article.
Sassa status check
Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the excellent work!
Black Ass Jenny OnlyFans Mega Link Download
The core of your writing while appearing agreeable in the beginning, did not really work properly with me personally after some time. Someplace throughout the paragraphs you actually managed to make me a believer but just for a short while. I nevertheless have got a problem with your jumps in logic and one would do nicely to fill in those gaps. If you actually can accomplish that, I could surely be amazed.
I needed to create you this little note to thank you as before on your exceptional solutions you have documented on this site. It’s quite remarkably open-handed of people like you to supply freely what exactly a lot of people would’ve offered for sale for an e book to generate some profit for themselves, most importantly considering the fact that you might well have done it in the event you wanted. These secrets likewise acted to become great way to know that other people online have the identical zeal like my personal own to grasp whole lot more concerning this matter. I’m certain there are many more pleasurable sessions ahead for individuals who looked at your blog.
Thanks for your article on this blog site. From my experience, occasionally softening upward a photograph may well provide the photographer with a bit of an creative flare. Often however, the soft blur isn’t just what you had planned and can often times spoil an otherwise good photo, especially if you consider enlarging this.
Sassa status check
Taylor Hall OnlyFans Mega Link Download
I’m really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..
It? really a cool and useful piece of information. I? happy that you just shared this useful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Mega Link Store
If once you begin down the dark path, without end will it dominate your future, consume you it’ll, because it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice.