DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of J. Evetts Haley, as recorded right here in Randall County. Now, some men seem like they were born already pointed toward a purpose.
J. Evetts Haley came into the world on July 5, 1901, in Belton, Bell County, Texas. But it was the wide open country of Midland where the boy grew up — working ranches, competing in rodeos, breathing dust and learning cattle the hard way before he ever cracked a history book in a proper classroom.
And then he did crack those books. Haley attended Midland College, and then West Texas Normal College right here in Canyon, where he earned himself a degree in history. He wasn't finished.
He went on to the University of Texas in Austin, earning his master's degree in 1926, with his eyes fixed on post-Civil War Texas cattle trails. A man studying where the cows went — fitting, for someone who'd worked the ranches himself. The very year before that degree, 1925, Haley was appointed the first field secretary of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society and Museum in Canyon.
First. Field secretary. Nobody had held that post before him, because there was no post before him.
And oh, did he take to it. He reveled — and that's the word the marker uses, reveled — in interviewing the ranchers and farmers who remembered the old trail drives, men who had watched the cattle industry take root in west Texas with their own two eyes. Haley collected artifacts, collected documents, pulled together the physical memory of early ranches and pioneers, pieces that have since found their way into museums and collections all across the region.
He was also a writer, a prolific one. Articles, acclaimed books, a whole shelf of work chronicling the lives and times of early west Texas. Most notably, his work on Charles Goodnight and on the XIT Ranch — names that carry serious weight in the history of this land.
Haley was an original member of what is now the Texas Historical Commission, back when it was called the Texas State Historical Survey Committee. The honors followed him across the years — induction into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in 1990, and the Heritage Hall of Fame at the State Fair of Texas in 1994. He passed away in Midland on October 9, 1995, ninety-four years after that July morning in Belton.
And his library and personal papers didn't scatter to the wind — they became the initial collection of the Haley Memorial Library and History Center in Midland. He is buried in Moffat Cemetery, Bell County, the same county where he first drew breath. A man born in one Texas county, buried in the same one, and in between — he spent a lifetime making sure west Texas would never forget itself.
What the marker says
(July 5, 1901 - October 9, 1995) A noted historian, writer and public figure in Texas during the early 20th century, J. Evetts Haley was born in Belton (Bell County). He grew up in Midland, working on area ranches and competing in rodeos. Haley attended Midland College and West Texas Normal College in Canyon, where he earned a degree in history. He went on to earn his master's degree at the University of Texas in Austin in 1926, focusing on post-Civil War Texas cattle trails. In 1925, Haley was appointed the first field secretary of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society and Museum in Canyon. During his time at the museum, Haley reveled in interviewing ranchers and farmers regarding old trail drives and the initial development of the cattle industry in west Texas. He began collecting artifacts and documents of early ranches and pioneers which have been installed in numerous museums and collections throughout the region. Haley was also a prolific author, writing articles and numerous acclaimed books chronicling the lives and times of early west Texas, most notably Charles Goodnight and the XIT Ranch. Haley was an original member of the Texas State Historical Survey Committee (now Texas Historical Commission). He received many honors throughout his life, including induction into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center (1990) and the Heritage Hall of Fame at the State Fair of Texas (1994). His library and personal papers became the initial collection of the Haley Memorial Library & History Center in Midland. Haley passed away in Midland and is buried in Moffat Cemetery (Bell County). (2019)