Lon Roberts

John (Cactus Jack) Garner (1868-1967)
Served as vice president to Franklin Roosevelt from 1933 to 1941. Prior to that he had been Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a congressman from Texas. Garner started his career in 1893 as a county judge in Uvalde, TX and later served in the Texas House before being elected to Congress. While serving in the Texas House he advocated relentlessly for having the flower of the prickly pear cactus designated as the official Texas flower. Ultimately the bluebonnet won out, but because of his persistence the nickname “Cactus Jack” stayed with him the rest of his life.
 
Mariette (Ettie) Garner (1869-1948)
Ran for Uvalde County Judge in 1893, opposing the man she would later marry: John Garner. Though women weren’t allowed to vote at the time, she entered the race because she detested Garner’s card playing and whisky drinking. After the election they put their differences behind them and were married two years later. During the years that John Garner spent in Washington, DC, Ettie was by her husband’s side the entire time. She was paid as his secretary and even cooked meals on a small stove they kept in his office. Ettie was born in Sabinal, TX, about 20 miles east of Uvalde. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth Rheiner drowned at age 21 while trying to save Ettie from flood waters in Blanco Creek. Ettie was only 13-months old at the time.
 
Uvalde, Texas
County seat of Uvalde County Texas, situated 83 miles west of San Antonio. Current population is approx. 16,000. In addition to being the home place of John and Ettie Garner, it’s the childhood home of actress/singer, Dale Evans and actor, Matthew McConaughey. In 1905 Uvalde was designated as the Honey Capital of the World
 
Sabinal, Texas
Current population of approx 1600, lies 20 miles northeast of Uvalde. Sabinal is noted for its Turkish Angora goats, which were introduced in the late 1800s. Also, in the late 1800s hogs were herded and driven (akin to cattle drives) to the railhead in Sabinal. Specially trained dogs were used to corral the hogs. Feasting on the abundance of acorns along the way, the hogs were fattened up by the time they reached Sabinal.
 
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Lies near the point where the Navasota River flows into the Brazos. WOTB is known as the birthplace of Texas because 59 delegates met here in March 1836 to announce Texas' intention to separate from Mexico and to draft the constitution of the new Republic of Texas. In Dec. 1835 the town became Sam Houston's headquarters for his army of volunteers. WOTB was also a terminal for shipping freight to and from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the town is a ghost town and few original structures remain.

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Pneuma Center
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Email: Lon@pneumacenter.com

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