Howard Bland, Sr.

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Howard Bland, Sr., born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1848. He came to Texas in 1878, found himself a homestead near this very site, and started raising sheep.

Now, that right there sounds like a quiet beginning for a man who was anything but quiet. He started holding sheep shearing contests on his land, and here's where it gets good: those contests, year after year, evolved into a full community fair. And Bland, being Bland, went ahead and donated the land to make it official.

That's the kind of move that tells you everything about a man. But sheep and fairs were just the opening act. Real estate, a commodities warehouse, a flour mill, an ice house, a hotel, a local power company, a theater.

And if that weren't enough, he got himself into the newspaper business, running the Taylor Daily Press, which the marker is careful to note was an anti-prohibition newspaper. The man had opinions, and he had the printing press to back them up. He served on the city council, the chamber of commerce, and took a seat in the 34th Texas Legislature.

Howard Bland, Sr., passed in 1933, and when you look back at that long trail from Zanesville, Ohio, to a Texas homestead, to the statehouse, one thing is clear. The sheep shearing was just where the story started.

What the marker says

(1848-1933) Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Howard Bland, Sr., came to Texas in 1878 and began raising sheep on his homestead near this site. An annual sheep shearing contest evolved into a community fair, and Bland donated land for the annual event. His other business interests included real estate, a commodities warehouse, a flour mill, and ice house, a hotel, a local power company, theater, and the Taylor Daily Press, an anti-prohibition newspaper. A community leader, he served on the city council and chamber of commerce, and was a member of the 34th Texas legislature.