CONNECTING THE DOTS

BOOZEFIGHTERS STYLE

If I started relating to you some historical facts about a man and what important thing he did in 1861 I’d probably loose your interest right away. But if I connected the dots, working from current to past, I might make it more logical. Especially if I showed how our National meeting and convention site for 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, etc was originally established by that historic pioneer. Now are you curious?

Listen up prospects…this just might end up on my history test (ha). So here goes dot #1. We had our business meeting in the “Horizon Room” in the Best Western – Inn Suites. It use to be called the “Cattle Barons Ball Room” When the hotel was first known as the Ramada Inn.

Stick a dot on that ball room for 1973 when another special gathering happened. Miss Texas (ole what ever her name was) had just returned from Atlantic City with the Miss America crown and the Fort Worth Who’s Who whoopee do’s put on a big press conference and celebration for her right there in our meeting room. Damn we missed that one.

That Ramada Inn stuck their dot on that hill in 1971. It was know at the time as “Ayers Hill.” So what’s in a name? Well if we back it up with some more dots we’d discover that in 1878 a bunch of cowboys were permitted to campout on that hill while they over saw their herds of long-horn cattle below. I’ll bet the Ayers family collected a little camp hook up fee as well as sold them some previsions for their continuation travels on the “Chisholm Trail.” As we all know present day cowboys still camp there. It’s just that our horses are chunks of metal and breathe fire

So who ta hell was Ayers? You might ask. Now for that 1861 final dot. It was in that year that Benjamin Ayers moved his family to Texas and bought 320 acres on top of a hill over looking the Trinity River. He set aside a little plot for a family and community cemetery. One year later he was buried in it at age 61. Two years after that his wife Emily was laid to rest by his side.

Next National meeting you attend take time to visit the little fenced off cemetery in the south parking lot. Hoist a cool one to the weathered 145 year old tombstone of the Ayers. Read the inscription at the bottom that states “GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN” and chant out loud…”We know who you were and thanks for sharing your hill with the Boozefighters.”

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NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY:

Okay you short attention span bikers can quit reading now and go kick some tires or have a drink. But for you history buffs here’s some more dots to connect:

When the Ayers moved to Texas the Civil War had just started. Neither Fort Worth nor Dallas existed yet. The first community of any size was about 15 miles east by south – east of Ayers hill. It was a stage-coach stop known as “Johnson Station” where most travelers, new settlers, supplies and provisions entered what now is known as the DFW Metroplex (take that DFW Airport). By the way, that general location is now known as the “Parks Mall” of Arlington and has thousands of customers daily.

The first town and hence the county seat sprang up across the Trinity River and a few miles north east of Ayers hill. It was known as “Birdville,” Now we call it “Haltom City.” The Ayers clan and some other politicians maneuvered the relocation of the courthouse to the up-stream cattle town around the new army compound known as “Fort Worth.”

The Ayers children and in-laws grew up to be community leaders, to include charter members of the “First Christian Church” of Fort Worth. That church sponsored a business college…that now is known as “Texas Christian University” (TCU).

JQ `HISTORY’