DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Old Riedel Dam and the early industries that grew up around it in Karnes County. Now, 250 yards west of where you're standing — or sitting, if you're rolling through on the road — lie the remains of a dam. Not much to look at today, maybe, but back in 1869, that dam was the beating heart of something brand new out here on the Texas frontier.
Carl Edward Riedel built it. A pioneer, and a man with plans. He didn't throw up that dam just to watch the water go by.
He used it to power a sawmill, a gristmill, and a cotton gin — three different industries humming away in a place where, not long before, there'd been precious little of anything. And he didn't do it alone. That same year, 1869, another German immigrant by the name of Max Krueger came out and helped install Riedel's gin.
Now here's a detail worth savoring: that gin was the first steam cotton gin in all of Karnes County. The very first. Krueger knew his way around a big project, too — shortly before that, he'd built the barracks that housed fifty U.S.
Cavalrymen near Helena. The man had range. With a sawmill running, a gristmill grinding, and a cotton gin working, folks started noticin'.
Within two years, a town grew up right there near Riedel's industries. They named it Riddleville, in his honor. By June 9, 1871, Riddleville was doing well enough that the U.S. postal records were moved here from the Ecleto post office — three miles up the creek, where Kelly's Stage Stand had stood — and the post office set up shop right here in town.
Riddleville sat at the crossing of the Helena-Gonzales Road and the Yorktown-Sutherland Springs Road. That's not an accident, friends — crossroads towns either grow or they don't, and this one grew. Between 1870 and 1886, Riddleville was counted among the five principal towns in Karnes County.
By 1876, it had a population of about 75 souls. Riedel, for his part, kept building. With lumber from his own mill, he constructed a hotel.
Now, about 1905, that hotel was destroyed by fire. A lesser man might've sat down in the ashes and called it done. Riedel immediately built a second hotel.
You read that right — immediately. Also in 1905, the name of the town was changed to Gillett. And here's the part that gives me a little chill, in the best way.
Many of the homes and business houses in this area were constructed from Riedel's lumber — and that lumber can still be found today, right now, in existing Karnes County buildings. A dam built in 1869, and the wood it helped cut is still holding up walls somewhere out there. Carl Edward Riedel's work hasn't finished working yet.
What the marker says
250 yards west lie the remains of a pioneer dam built in 1869 by Carl Edward Riedel to supply the power for his sawmill, gristmill and cotton gin. That year another German immigrant, Max Krueger, helped install Riedel's gin-- first steam cotton gin in Karnes County. Shortly before, Krueger had built the barracks to house 50 U.S. Cavalrymen near Helena. Within 2 years a town grew up near Riedel's industries and was named Riddleville in his honor. On June 9, 1871, the U.S. postal records were moved from Ecleto post office (3 miles up the creek, where Kelly's Stage Stand stood) to the post office here. Between 1870 and 1886 Riddleville was one of the 5 principal towns in Karnes County. It was located at the crossing of the Helena-Gonzales Road and the Yorktown-Sutherland Springs Road. In 1876 its population was about 75. In 1905 the name of the town was changed to Gillett. With lumber from his mill, Riedel had built a hotel, which was destroyed by fire about 1905; but he immediately built a second hotel. Many homes and business houses in this area were constructed of Riedel's lumber, which can still be found today in existing Karnes County buildings. (1969)