William B. Fleming

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about William B. Fleming, out of Gonzales County. Now, some men leave a mark on the land, and some men leave a mark on the bloodlines.

William B. Fleming managed to do both. He started his story in Lumpkin County, Georgia, born there in 1830.

But Texas called to him early. He was here before 1850, and once he arrived, he didn't ease in quietly. He enlisted in Company C of the Texas Rangers Mounted Volunteers.

That right there tells you something about the kind of man he was. Then came the Civil War, and Fleming served in the Confederate Army through that as well. When the war was done, he made his way to Gonzales County, and that's where the real story takes root.

In 1871, Fleming entered into a partnership with Charles Erasmus Littlefield, and together they purchased land along the south bank of the Guadalupe River. Fleming set to building on that ground, and what he built was a dog run-style cabin, hewn from black walnut logs. Remnants of that cabin can still be found today.

Think about that. Black walnut, cut and fitted and raised by hand, still standing in pieces after all this time. But the land and the cabin were only part of what Fleming was putting together.

He purchased a horse. One horse, to start. He called that horse Old Billy.

Now, Old Billy wasn't just a good horse. Old Billy was the beginning of something. Fleming used him to breed a line of quarter horses, and those horses became known simply as the Billys.

Word spread. Cowboys wanted them. Rodeo performers sought them out.

Racing enthusiasts coveted them. The Billy horses built a reputation that followed William B. Fleming all the way to being counted among the premier horse breeders of his day.

One man, one horse, one river bottom in Gonzales County. That's how you leave a legacy.

What the marker says

Born in Lumpkin County, Georgia, in 1830, William B. Fleming came to Texas before 1850 where he enlisted in Company C of the Texas Rangers Mounted Volunteers and later the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After the war, Fleming moved to Gonzales County. In partnership with Charles Erasmus Littlefield in 1871, Fleming purchased land on the Guadalupe River south bank. Fleming erected a dog run-style cabin of black walnut logs where remnants can still be found. Fleming purchased his first horse known as "Old Billy" and used him to breed a line of quarter horses known as "Billys". Cowboy, rodeo performers and racing enthusiasts coveted Billy horses and Fleming was one of the premier horse breeders of his day. (2014)