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.
6,526 responses to “Legend of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern”
I do agree with all the concepts you’ve presented for your post. They are really convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are too brief for beginners. May you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
Everything is very open with a very clear explanation of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
Having read this I thought it was rather informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So nice to search out anyone with some authentic thoughts on this subject. realy thanks for starting this up. this website is one thing that’s needed on the net, somebody with a little bit originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
Thanks for expressing your ideas with this blog. Furthermore, a myth regarding the lenders intentions any time talking about foreclosures is that the bank will not getreceive my repayments. There is a specific amount of time the bank will take payments occasionally. If you are way too deep inside hole, they will commonly call that you pay the particular payment completely. However, that doesn’t mean that they will not take any sort of repayments at all. In the event you and the financial institution can be capable to work anything out, the foreclosure process may cease. However, if you ever continue to pass up payments within the new program, the foreclosures process can just pick up where it was left off.
Right here is the right web site for anyone who wants to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic that has been written about for years. Great stuff, just great.
Thanks for the advice on credit repair on this particular blog. The things i would tell people will be to give up the actual mentality they can buy at this point and pay back later. Like a society most people tend to try this for many factors. This includes vacation trips, furniture, in addition to items we’d like. However, you need to separate the wants from the needs. While you are working to fix your credit score you really have to make some sacrifices. For example it is possible to shop online to save money or you can look at second hand suppliers instead of expensive department stores intended for clothing.
After examine a number of of the weblog posts in your website now, and I actually like your method of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website checklist and can be checking again soon. Pls try my site as nicely and let me know what you think.
When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you.
Hi there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better! Going through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this information to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a great read. Many thanks for sharing!
I think one of your advertisings triggered my browser to resize, you might want to put that on your blacklist.
Hi there! This blog post could not be written any better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I will send this article to him. Fairly certain he’ll have a very good read. Thanks for sharing!
I?ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this info So i?m happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to do not forget this web site and give it a glance on a constant basis.
Heya i?m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and help others like you helped me.
You got a very superb website, Gladiola I found it through yahoo.
I enjoy reading through an article that can make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment.
Hey there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same topics? Thank you!
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you need to write more about this issue, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t speak about such issues. To the next! Cheers.
Just about all of whatever you point out happens to be astonishingly precise and it makes me wonder why I had not looked at this with this light previously. This particular article really did turn the light on for me personally as far as this particular subject matter goes. Nevertheless there is actually one factor I am not too comfy with so while I attempt to reconcile that with the central idea of your point, let me see just what all the rest of the visitors have to point out.Well done.
There are some interesting deadlines on this article but I don?t know if I see all of them middle to heart. There is some validity however I will take maintain opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish extra! Added to FeedBurner as well
Having read this I thought it was extremely informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
There is noticeably big money to understand about this. I suppose you have made certain nice points in functions also.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after going through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely pleased I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!
Hey very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your website and take the feeds also?I am satisfied to find numerous useful information here in the publish, we’d like work out more strategies on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
eye glasses are not only stylish but they can also protect your eyes from contaminants”
You made some respectable points there. I appeared on the internet for the problem and located most individuals will go together with with your website.
One more thing. In my opinion that there are several travel insurance web-sites of reliable companies that allow you to enter a trip details and acquire you the prices. You can also purchase an international travel cover policy on internet by using the credit card. Everything you should do will be to enter your own travel specifics and you can begin to see the plans side-by-side. Just find the plan that suits your capacity to pay and needs and use your bank credit card to buy them. Travel insurance on the internet is a good way to do investigation for a respected company pertaining to international travel cover. Thanks for discussing your ideas.
I’m extremely inspired together with your writing abilities and also with the layout for your weblog. Is that this a paid subject or did you modify it yourself? Anyway stay up the excellent quality writing, it?s uncommon to peer a great weblog like this one today..
Great information. Lucky me I came across your site by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve book-marked it for later.
As I web site possessor I believe the content matter here is rattling excellent , appreciate it for your hard work. You should keep it up forever! Best of luck.
Buy Drugs
May I simply just say what a relief to discover someone that actually knows what they are discussing over the internet. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More people ought to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular since you definitely have the gift.
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re using? I’m experiencing some small security issues with my latest website and I would like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any suggestions?
I have learn some just right stuff here. Certainly value bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you put to create such a excellent informative site.
I blog often and I genuinely appreciate your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to bookmark your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.
Things i have generally told individuals is that when searching for a good internet electronics store, there are a few components that you have to factor in. First and foremost, you want to make sure to discover a reputable and in addition, reliable shop that has gotten great testimonials and classification from other individuals and marketplace advisors. This will ensure you are handling a well-known store that delivers good service and assistance to it’s patrons. Thank you for sharing your ideas on this blog site.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be interesting to read articles from other writers and practice a little something from other sites.
Sex
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So nice to search out any individual with some authentic thoughts on this subject. realy thanks for starting this up. this website is one thing that is needed on the net, somebody with a bit of originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
I always was interested in this topic and stock still am, thankyou for putting up.
Thanks for the strategies presented. One thing I should also believe is that often credit cards supplying a 0 rate of interest often entice consumers along with zero interest, instant endorsement and easy internet balance transfers, but beware of the real factor that will void your current 0 easy street annual percentage rate plus throw one out into the terrible house quick.
My brother recommended I might like this website. He was totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
I was recommended this web site by my cousin. I’m now not positive whether or not this publish is written by him as no one else understand such targeted approximately my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thank you!
Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
You’ve made some good points there. I looked on the net to learn more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
Sex
I blog often and I genuinely appreciate your content. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your site and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed too.
I have mastered some important things through your blog post. One other point I would like to state is that there are lots of games on the market designed specially for toddler age children. They involve pattern acceptance, colors, dogs, and patterns. These often focus on familiarization as an alternative to memorization. This helps to keep a child engaged without having the experience like they are learning. Thanks
Would you be taken with exchanging hyperlinks?
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Thanks!