DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, you want to talk about a visit that put a little Texas town on the map — and I mean that literally, because the town already had the president's name before he ever set foot in it. We're talkin' about San Patricio County, the Taft Ranch, and the October 1909 arrival of President William Howard Taft himself.
Pull up a chair. This one's got golf courses, a brand-new hotel, ice cream, and fifteen thousand people hollerin' in Corpus Christi — and it all starts with a letter written in 1908. Charles P.
Taft — director of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company, which most folks knew simply as Taft Ranch — decided to extend an invitation to his half-brother. That half-brother happened to be the newly-elected President of the United States. The invite?
Come on out and see the 165,000-acre ranch. Come see the community that bears your name. The President agreed to come in October 1909.
Now here's where things get interesting. Charles Taft and ranch manager Joseph F. Green did not sit on their hands.
They immediately began preparations, and when I say preparations, I mean the kind that involve construction. Green had a nine-hole golf course built — built, from scratch — at La Quinta, his estate near Gregory. That's where the President would be stayin'.
And if that wasn't enough, Green also built the 22-room Green Hotel in Gregory to house the press corps and all the additional visitors comin' along for the ride. The man built a hotel. For a visit.
On October 20, 1909, President Taft's special railroad car rolled into Gregory. An automobile procession carried the presidential party out to La Quinta, where they were greeted by Texas Governor Thomas M. Campbell.
The following day, the President made his way into Taft — the town — where he spoke to citizens assembled at the local school. And after the speechmaking, he enjoyed ice cream at the company creamery. Now I ask you: is there a more perfectly Texas afternoon than that?
Then came a barbeque and a rodeo, held out at the Rincon Ranch in the President's honor. And before the visit was done, President Taft traveled to Corpus Christi, where he addressed a crowd of fifteen thousand people. Fifteen thousand.
Charles P. Taft sent one invitation. And for a stretch of days in October 1909, the whole stretch of South Texas held its breath and put on its finest.
That's what the marker says — and friend, some stories don't need embellishing.
What the marker says
In 1908, Charles P. Taft, director of the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company (also known as Taft Ranch) extended an invitation to his half-brother, newly-elected President William Howard Taft, to visit the 165,000-acre Taft Ranch and the Taft community. The President agreed to come in October 1909. Charles Taft and ranch manager Joseph F. Green immediately began preparations for the event. Green had a nine-hole golf course built at La Quinta, his estate near Gregory where the President would stay during his visit. He also built the 22-room Green Hotel in Gregory to house the press corps and additional visitors. President Taft's special railroad car arrived in Gregory on October 20, 1909. An automobile procession took the presidential party to La Quinta, where they were greeted by Texas Governor Thomas M. Campbell. The following day the President visited Taft, where he spoke to citizens assembled at the local school and enjoyed ice cream at the company creamery. A barbeque and rodeo were held at the Rincon Ranch in the President's honor, and he later visited Corpus Christi, where he spoke to a crowd of 15,000 people. (1991)