Boys Ranch of Copperas Cove

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Boys Ranch of Copperas Cove. Now, the Great Depression had a way of reachin' into a family and just hollowing it out. By the time the 1930s were in full swing, there were children all across this country with nowhere particular to go — orphans, kids from broken homes, boys who'd found their way into the juvenile courts.

Society had a name for them, and it wasn't a kind one. They called them the lost boys. But two people in Copperas Cove, Texas — Roy and Viola Dawson — looked at those same boys and saw something different.

They saw children who needed a chance. And despite discouragement — and there was discouragement — the Dawsons pursued their dream to build a sanctuary where the Great Depression's child victims could salvage their childhoods and learn to be productive citizens. In 1934, the state of Texas chartered the Society for Friendless Children.

The name was soon changed to the Boys Ranch of Copperas Cove. And the Dawsons and their supporters didn't hire that work out — they built the first structures on the ranch themselves, stone by stone. Every single one.

The operation they built was a working ranch in every sense of the word. The boys tended livestock. They operated a dairy.

They cultivated gardens and orchards. The ranch even had its own grist mill, which made it largely self-sufficient. These weren't kids bein' handed a soft ride — they were doing real work, essential work, the kind that gives a young man something to stand on.

And in return, they got new clothes and shoes, access to school and church, and medical care. For boys who'd had precious little of any of that, it must have felt like a different world. Between 1934 and 1949, more than a hundred boys came through this place.

They came from everywhere. And Roy Dawson served as surrogate father and ranch manager, keeping the whole operation running. While he did that, Viola was out on the road, traveling the state to raise the funds that kept the dream alive.

That's a partnership right there. Now, here's where the story takes that bittersweet turn the marker mentions. Eventually, the Dawsons gave up control of the ranch — gave it over to an organization called the Variety Club.

Well-funded, well-connected, and sympathetic to the cause. The Variety Club had the backing of Hollywood celebrities, and they used it. They increased the ranch's treasury and properties.

And they brought names out to Copperas Cove that those boys probably never expected to see in person — Myrna Loy, Gene Autry, and Audie Murphy, coming out to lift the spirits of the kids at the ranch. Bittersweet, yes. Because Roy and Viola Dawson had poured themselves into that place, stone by stone, mile by mile across the state of Texas.

Giving up the reins couldn't have been easy. But the dream survived them holding it, and it survived them letting it go. The marker puts it plain: many of those boys, once predicted to become burdens to society, instead became contributing members.

That's the whole story, right there. A hundred lost boys — found.

What the marker says

Between 1934 and 1949, more than a hundred boys escaped the harsh realities of the Great Depression at the Boys Ranch at this site. They came from everywhere; many were orphans, while others were from broken homes or the juvenile courts. They were considered society's "lost boys." Despite discouragement, Roy and Viola Dawson pursued their dream to establish a sanctuary where the Great Depression's child victims could salvage their childhoods and learn to be productive citizens. In 1934, the state of Texas chartered the Society for Friendless Children. The name was soon changed to the Boys Ranch of Copperas Cove. The Dawsons and their supporters built the first structures on the ranch themselves, stone by stone. Roy was surrogate father and ranch manager, while Viola traveled the state fundraising. Each boy completed chores that were essential to a working ranch: they tended livestock, operated a dairy, and cultivated gardens and orchards. The ranch also had its own grist mill, making it largely self-sufficient. The boys received new clothes and shoes, could attend school and church, and receive medical care. In a bittersweet turn of events, the Dawsons gave up control of the ranch to the well-funded, well-connected and sympathetic Variety Club. Supported by Hollywood celebrities, the club increased the ranch's treasury and properties. The Variety Club brought celebrities such as Myrna Loy, Gene Autry and Audie Murphy to lift the spirits of the boys. Thanks to the Dawsons and the Variety Club, many boys, once predicted to become burdens to society, instead became contributing members. (2017)