Dobbs Valley

Dobbs Valley Detour

If you go north on Hwy 281 from I-20, like you’re going to Mineral Wells, you’ll cross over the beautiful steel-girded Brazos River Bridge. Then on your right veer slowly onto two-lane Dobbs Valley Road. If you take out an old map, you’re in Dobbs Valley already. Palo Pinto County got its money’s worth from the Brazos River, it twisting and turning more than a decapitated water moccasin – eager to please.

Chesley S. Dobbs was scalped here in 1872. Here’s a link to the whole horrific story. http://www.forttours.com/pages/dobbs.asp. This valley rightly bears his name. Some say this valley was settled partly because the mountains to the north broke the cold winter wind. The soil appears to be good. The Brazos flows strong and constant through the middle. There are mature pecan witness trees in the bottoms. Anglos came here fleeing the Civil War, Northern soldiers “burned their homes, killed their stock and took what they could.”

Just off Hwy. 281 you come to Dobbs Valley Baptist Church, established in 1886 according to the sign, a tabernacle to its left, the Dobbs Valley Cemetery to its right. The well-kept church and cemetery are still very much in business. There are Dobbs (including Chesley), Gilberts, Inces, Chestnuts, Hoppers, Whartons, and many other names from the surrounding community here. There’s a list of the residents of this cemetery at along with a cool photo of Chesley Dobbs’ tomb: http://www.landrethcemetery.org/dobbsvalley/list.html.

The asphalt road turns to gravel, then dirt, climbing then falling to creek branches and high ridges over and over. Before long, if you’ll study the left side of the road you’ll see the Goen Cemetery, still muddy from the snow the day I went. Get out and walk around. There’s an old chimney just beyond, same side of the road.

The Goen Cemetery is full of Goens, as one might expect. The place dates back to 1893. Several of the graves are meticulously “paved” with stark red bricks laid in gentle arching quilts…perhaps the family worked at the Bennett Acme Brick plant up the road. The masonry is beautiful, however it came to be there. Capt. Robert W. Goen, Jr. circled our recent Tabernacle trail back to B-17s, he falling in battle in 1944 near Piraeus, Greece “while flying his fiftieth mission”, a too-young-to-die 23-years-old.

Ellen Campbell wrote in the Palo Pinto County History Book that “Grandmother Mary Goen told how the Indians made their raids, how they would gather at one house when they thought the Indians were going to raid. When they would go to church at Soda Springs, across the river, the men would take their guns, because they didn’t know when they might run into Indians. She told of a Millsaps girl just barely getting into the house when the Indians shot an arrow and it pinned her dress to the wall.”

I almost want to tell folks to stop right after they pull off 65 MPH roads for these detours. You’ve got to drive slow and it’s tough after fighting traffic getting here. Look left and right. You’ll likely see things I didn’t. Old roads tend to be like crotchety old mules. They don’t do anything without a damned good reason. If a road suddenly makes a hard left or right turn, there was probably a homestead there at one time. If it crosses a creek in an unusual way, there’s a reason for that too. Enough said.

Just past one bridge there’s a neatly-hewn cut-rock wall on the south side. I’d put this forgotten rock mason’s craftsmanship up against any of the multi-million dollar show homes in Aledo. There’s not enough wall left for me to more than guess – a school, church, a nice house? Right by the creek, I tend to think school. The wall sits behind a game fence, at least still able to provoke further study.

There was a Red Bluff school in Dobbs Valley on the old Benton Hatlfield place. I don’t know where that is. The Red Bluff School was later moved. Again, no idea where it ended up. Feel free to teach me about this.

Near the end of this road, on the left, the north I’d say, there’s a hollow brown rock building’s walls which on first glance looks like an abandoned schoolhouse. Also just past a bridge. Windows spaced evenly, symmetrical architecture. As my zoom lens stretches long I notice a cross made from rocks cemented into the front face of the wall, so a church or a church school, perhaps. It feels 1920s or 1930s, but I have no clue. There was no one around to ask.

This road crosses over into Parker County just before it hits the Bennett Road, another peaceful sojourn if you have the time.

I guess I skipped telling about the old farm house. Not that old, 1930s I’d guess. Sitting empty, behind a big long fence, behind a big red and white For Sale sign. Though the old home is different in design and karma and location and almost everything else, it reminds me of my Brown County Clark Family grandparents’ place. I don’t know why. The house I’m looking at was probably nailed together by whoever lived there. I suspect through the years they invested the money they saved in other ways. That might explain the long fence. I suspect grandparents lived here too.

There are more photos in the Palo Pinto Photo File. If you get down Dobbs Valley way, and aren’t in a hurry, I recommend it as a short detour. Today was my first time, so I’m sure I missed much of what’s out there. If anyone knows where Red Bluff was, or what stone wall was, or the church-like building skelteton was (you get the point), I’d appreciate your help.