If you know anything about Galveston's past, you surely know that it's always been the town's hobby to cover up one body of water while opening up another.
For an example, 25th Street used to be a canal. For some reason it was filled in, then named Bath Street. Never mind the water was gone.
And then there's what's known as English Bayou. It's the big pond that's on the east side of 61st Street. It's manmade. The dirt and sand and stuff that were there were dug up and used to raise the area to its east. From that came streets like Bayou Shore and Borden.
My lifelong friend, Bob McCulley, passed away a few days ago by the hand of a very aggressive cancer. Bob was a great storyteller. This is one that he told me.
<<==Jody and Bob McCulley
Ellis Badgett was the father of the famous Galveston quadruplets, Joan, Joyce, Jeanette, and Jeraldine. But he and his friend James R. McCulley, who was Bob's dad, also owned a small heavy equipment company.
They dug, dredged and filled-in holes all over Galveston Island. Built an entire company around this Island obsession with finding water in one place, hiding it in another.
One time they were digging a big hole in the sand just after the west end of the Seawall. The sand was being used to fill parts of the undeveloped area around Harve Lafitte.
And like you'd suspect, they'd hit the water table and the water was rising around Sis, the old tractor. The hole had grown in its perimeter to a gargantuan size.
McCulley was operating Sis; Badgett was driving the dump truck.
Sis, began belching smoke and coughing even more than usual.
And then wouldn't you know, one morning just before noon, Sis coughed, wheezed, bounced up and down a few times, and then died.
McCulley and the tractor were now sitting in this huge water hole, and neither of them was moving.
"Ellis, what do we do now? McCulley yelled at Badgett.
"Aren't you about ready to retire?" Badgett responded to McCulley.
"Yep," McCulley said back.
"Wade on over here. I'll take you home in the truck."
Badgett and McCulley and their loyal friend Sis retired on the same day.
Sis, left all alone, stayed behind, knee deep in the muck of that big hole filled with water, for many years thereafter.
Copyright 2010 - William S. Cherry
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS - PARK CITIES
Our 45th Year
214 503-8563
Love the way you dab a story, Cherry.
Great story, keep em coming.
Thanks Bill, I am sorry for the loss of this great story telling friend. I love regional humor. Having lived in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and now Dallas I can tell you there is no negative comparison to the story tellers from each place. This story is filled with such regional understanding and humor. Thanks again for sharing