DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Menger Hotel in Bexar County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. William Menger didn't start out building legends.
The man started out keeping a boarding house in early San Antonio — humble enough work. But in 1859, Wm. Menger opened a fine stone hotel right there beside Alamo Plaza, and when I say fine, the marker calls it the 'new' Menger, which tells you the man had standards worth naming.
What he built wasn't just a place to sleep. It became a crossroads for just about every kind of soul you could imagine walking the earth. Indians, presidents, poets, actors, generals, singers — and then, in the marker's words, the public of the world.
That's a guest list most hotels couldn't dream up. Now, if you were wondering what a man feeds that crowd, Menger had answers. Venison, quail, mutton, beef — and soup.
Not just any soup, mind you, but soup made from turtles pulled right out of the San Antonio River. You want local sourcing, there it is. And the bar — the bar was something else entirely.
The vintages on offer came with ice. Ice, in Texas, in the 1800s. That ice was imported by Gulf steamers and then expressed to San Antonio in special wagons, just to make sure a man's drink arrived cold and proper.
Someone went to considerable trouble for that ice, and it shows. But here's the detail that stops people cold — no pun intended. Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders were recruited right here, inside these walls.
The Menger Hotel didn't just host history passing through. Some days, history got made there on the premises. That's the Menger for you — born a boarding house keeper's dream in 1859, and it ended up standing beside the Alamo, feeding the world, and sending men off to ride into legend.
What the marker says
Early San Antonio boarding house keeper, Wm. Menger in 1859 opened fine stone hotel, the "new" Menger, beside Alamo Plaza. To host Indians, presidents, poets, actors, generals, singers, public of the world. Served venison, quail, mutton, beef, soup made of San Antonio River turtles. Bar's vintages had ice imported by Gulf steamers and expressed to San Antonio in special wagons. Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders were recruited here.