Folks that weren't raised in Texas don't understand how serious we take cattle rustling in this state. Property laws and laws about animals of husbandry or probably the first taught laws to children in the state of Texas.
My father is buried on a ranch here, and my son is a deputy. Loving County has been in my life since I was 12. Yes it is desolate, but desolation has it's own magic, it's own draw. Look past the present oil field noise and traffic, and you will see that magic. But that oil field provides good jobs, as a Texan, I will never knock that industry; in fact, I defend it. I was born in Pecos, raised in Toyah, lived in Balmorhea ( Go Bears!), lived in Kermit( my oldest son was born there), spent time playing around Mentone's old school house during community dinners. It hurt to hear that it was torn down in the name of progress. This county is in my blood, and my father is there forever. How can I not love that old county?
My immediate superior, in the first job I got by asking for one, was Maria, who was raised in Toyah, TX. She was a very nice lady, who was very tolerant of my many nervous mistakes. It was a Mexican restaurant, and I was in the kitchen, watching them make green chile. Someone broke a glass, and since I was learning the job, Maria ordered me to clean it up. So I swept it carefully, into a dust pan, then looked around for a garbage can. Finally I spotted a big, fiberglass-looking barrel, with a matching top on it. I didn't see the galvanized can I was expecting. I was so nervous I was afraid to ask where the garbage can was; how could I be so stupid? I quickly lifted the top on the barrel, and dumped the broken glass, seeing, when I finished, and the top was floating back into place, the sight of about 50# of dried pinto beans, in the barrel I'd just dumped broken glass in. I was doing that stupid thing, where you're so scared, you leap from here to there, afraid to ask any questions, and that's the results you get. Well, I had to tell Maria. She just took a deep.breath, and we took the whole, new barrel of beans, out to the dumpster; we sure couldn't serve them. She knew I couldn't afford to pay for them, and that the boss would fire me, so she just said nothing..That was around 1972, and I have never paid for those beans, although I guess I need to pay his descendants the cost of a barrel of dried beans. I was caught in a situation that kept me very poor, and I just kept pushing it aside. Maria told me about the area, including how they used to love to go to Toyahvale; I now know that is where San Solomon Springs and the state park are, south of Balmorhea. She told me how she left Toyah with her first husband, so eager to get somewhere else; Toyah, where her father had a gas station (not sure if he owned it, or just worked there all her life), and always called his out-of-town customers "pardner". Her husband abandoned her, and their baby son, picking cotton somewhere in the south; they woke up, and he and the motorcycle were gone. A few months later, she met a kind young gentleman from Tennessee, fell in love, and they married; he adopted Maria's son. That's how they got to where I was working with her in an El Taco. I often wonder about her: if she is alive, and how her life came out. she was a great first boss.
I ruff necked in the huge gas field next to Kermit. There was a Pizza Hut in town & I was starving after tripping pipe for 12 hrs. Long story short, don't order halipenos on your pizza in Kermit Texas!
Back in the 1980s, I was building houses in San Antonio, and a street name I remember to this day was called Goodnight Loving. The contractor was bitching at how often the street sign was stolen. Now, I know where that came from, thanks.
I recently worked out in that area for 3 months, we stayed at a man-camp in Orla (pop. 2) and the project was in NM, just north of Loving County. We drove past that sign you showed every day. I looked at the Pecos River from the bridge every day. Either there was more water than I thought, or they had a lot of rain before you got there. Years ago, I had a coworker that was a direct descendant of Oliver Loving. He looked exactly like the photo you showed. You definitely got a LOL from me when you said it was a workday. EVERY day is a workday in the oil patch.
I worked for Petty-Ray Geophysical in 1981-82 In Alpine, Snyder, and Bandera on a seismograph crew. Got to see a lot of places not many people see. Interesting, but a rough way to make a buck.
I was working in Orla when that Pilot opened. They sold out of diesel, gas AND food almost daily for about two weeks. Even after that, the store was almost never full and ran out of fuel at least once a week for about a month. And that road from Orla to Carlsbad is scary as hell. I think it claimed four lives just in the short time I was there.
4th generation West Texan but have ties to New Mexico as well. My Grandmother rode through this country on horseback when she was 8 yrs old about 1916. Hard to imagine how independent and tough you had to be in such a harsh expanse of nothingness. Proud to be from Texas and Charlie Robinson for me captures the true Texas culture in his music.
Our Dad came to Texas at Logan's Crossing, Louisiana in 1923 when he was 10 yrs old and on a wagon no less. Always love to hear people's stories about Texas history.
@@georgeford6439 Appreciate your story as well. Also, have a pic of my Grandmother in Sanco, Texas on horseback in the early 1920s and she actually has a side arm holstered. Different times but things in West Texas tend to change a little more slowly as a lot of the open country has not been altered.
Sorry for mispronouncing the county of BEXAR - it should be pronounced like BAIR. Thanks to EVERYONE who has pointed that out in the comments haha. I'm not from Texas, but I really enjoyed visiting Loving County!!! Want to see more Texas videos? Here is my entire playlist of Texas: ruclips.net/p/PL4jqwLUrhjNSpzEvXMoov0pSxEGvBwKR6
So whar you from wiseguy? And it looks like nobody was home in Mentone! Ha Ha. Been really close to Loving County, just twert no need to detour while l was going to Pine Springs at the bottom of El Capitan in Guadalupe Mts. Natl. Park.
As a Nebraska resident with a love of geography, I find it interesting that 9 of the 11 least populated counties in the US are either in Texas (Loving, King, Kenedy and Borden) or Nebraska (McPherson, Blaine, Arthur, Loup, and Grant), with Hawaii (Kalaweo) and Montana (Petroleum) each having 1 of the 11.
I was at a 6 man football playoff game in Gail(Borden County ) when the stadium lights went off. They finished the game by having everyone pull their cars up to the track and leave their lights on. It was great! I can't remember who won but 6 man football is great fun. BTW....I always thought it funny that Borden county (yes the milk company Borden) is bordering the county where Post, Texas(yes, the cereal company). And there's not a dairy or farm in sight. It's all ranch land with beef cattle and oil wells.
Enjoyed your video. I worked in that area years ago, north of Orla. TX. You may not know but while standing under that bridge on Hwy 285, you were about 50 feet from a mastodon skeleton that was found when building the bridge.
I saw it over 25 years ago, bones protruding from the bank of a gully near the bridge. It was pointed out to me by someone that lived/worked around Orla. He told me that it was found when the bridge was constructed (do not know the date) and some of the bones may have been taken to the museum in Pecos TX.
Really enjoy visiting alongside you the small towns and out of the way places in our beautiful America. I just placed the Underground Chefs book on my Amazon cart and hopefully others will as well. He seems like a wonderful man and I wish him well. Perhaps there are other folk who prefer the wide open places like Mentone offers and will visit the nice cafe and friendly owner. Thanks for taking us along.
Thanks for the video! This area reminds me of eastern Wyoming and eastern Colorado where you drive for miles and miles without seeing a thing! A word of advice: Don’t drive thru these areas without a full tank of gas!! You won’t see a gas station for several miles!!
I really like this. A native Texan that has never drove father west in Texas than Uvalde. I have been to New Mexico , Arizona , Nevada , Colorado , Utah and all the Pacific Coast states but flew. I’m pretty old now but hope I’m able to drive all over west Texas before my days are up. Grew up in Houston area but I really like visiting rural areas to relax and enjoy the slow pace. I’m in Tennessee now so my drive would be even longer.
BEXAR is pronounced like the word “BEAR”. San Antonio, TX is the county seat of BEXAR County! At the time of the Battle of the Alamo, the town was called San Antonio de BEXAR. Look it up! It’s interesting.
I have lived here in Yano Estacado or geographicly known as the Northern Region of the Chihuahuan Desert for half of my life. I call Pecos Texas my home Reeves County, and I do love this with all its diverse animals
Thanks, brother, for the video! I have been through Mentone many times when I was a young man. I was born in Wink, Tx. in 1960, but not long after that, my family moved again. But, when I turned 18, I left Arkansas and returned to Kermit, Tx. where I went to work in the Oil Fields. I'm now in Missouri, where I raised my kids, but I have a lot of good memories from West Texas. God bless.
@Sun Search Exactly! My parents told me that Roy would, at times early on, play for the neighbors, and that included them. That was back when he was just a pimple faced kid with coke bottle glasses.
Visited Loving County about 15 years ago-life long Texan--Want to see all of our great state---I first learned of Loving County in 1960--There was a newspaper story about the recent census and the population decline in Loving---The headline was "Not Much Loving in Loving County ------"Roland Moore
Because of the baron nature and low population. I made a side trip to Loving County when visiting Guadalupe Peak National Park. There are no people but there are big traffic jams because of the oil and water trucks. I got off the highway in Mentone. It took me five minutes to get an opening big enough to get back on the road. It is one barren place.
One of the best books I have ever read. I almost gave up at first but my brother in law made me promise to read at least 100 pages. The first 100 took me a week - the rest took far less; I could NOT put it down.
I stayed in an rv park about a mile west of Mentone while working in the area. I don't work in the oil field but west Texas is our main base of work. I'm currently staying in Wink birthplace of Roy Orbison. I ate at that restaurant a few times.
Black gold Texas tea!!! That is what this county is about. That cook is showing the USA that anything is possible if you want to go to work. Another great show.
365 miles away in north central Texas, lies the town of Loving, TX. It also lies on the Goodnight-Loving Trail and is named after Oliver Loving's grandson, who had a ranch in the area. If I ever get to Mentone (which I may), I will most definitely drop in to The Stop for some lunch!
Yep, modern Vernon was called " red river station" where they would pit stop the herds for grass and water, to beef up for a hard run across Oklahoma which was the danger zone.
@jon henson ... 2 weeks ago, my husband and I were in Vernon. We were driving around visiting some towns along the Red River for the day. We tried to drive to the spot, which was supposedly where the "Great Western Cattle Trail" crossed the river, but we got got stuck in the sugar sand on a very sketchy back road. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive trucks!
As soon as I saw the title, I started singing, Charlie Robison's song called "Loving county". It's a good Texas story-telling song. And then I see that you mentioned it In your video.
So thrilled that he's playing again, I'd heard that he was retired from a throat surgery. And 'Porterville' is an old Creedence Clearwater Revival song but I'm pretty sure it's about a different place in California but not sure
You're right about it being busy. Hwy 285, which just skirts Loving County, didn't come to be called Death Highway for nothing. When the traffic is bad enough to be mentioned on Bloomberg TV, that tells you something. Live in Pecos myself. It's amazing how much money has been poured into this area in the last 6 to 7 years.
Thanks for your production. My hometown, Hebbronville, Texas, is another unincorporated town that is the county seat of Jim Hogg County in south Texas, one hour east of Laredo. This town is the "Vaquero Capital of Texas and the United States. It is from this very region that the Mexican vaquero style of raising and training horses to work cattle from horseback that was largely adopted by Americans. During the great Depression, Hebbronville became the largest cattle shipping town in America. Even today, like many big cities, Hebbronville has five highways centered there as a remnant of its cattle shipping history. BTW, "BEXAR" is a surname in Spanish and is pronounced, "Behh - Ahr." Currently, San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar county.
I remember working in the oil fields in the late 70's in SE NM and west texas in that area. Drilled many a well through there and Jal and Loving, Hobbs etc. Fun times good money
Cool video! I live in Loving, Texas, about 350 miles from Mentone. We are in Young county and our community is also named after Oliver Loving. The last descendant of Oliver in our community recently passed away. I’ve been to Kermit, Pecos, and Carlsbad, but I don’t guess I’ve ever actually been to Mentone. Much like Loving, it’s out of the way from everywhere, and you won’t find yourself “passing through,” 😂 Thanks for posting.
I was in the oil business and used to occasionally work in the Loving County Clerk's office. When I was there last around 20 years ago, there was an old gas station on the corner (at 8:59) west of the Courthouse where you could get a packaged sandwich, soft drink and candy bar. There was also an old cafe across the road (where that Valero gas station is now) that was closed most of the time. But if they knew you would be in town, they would fix a lunch daily. All you had to do was tell them you'd be back tomorrow or the following week, and they would have lunch for you. Never a menu, but always a good lunch and friendly. So much has changed since I was there. Chef Sam was a young child in New Orleans and The Stop was not conceived then.
I got my Atlas out and really enjoyed this one. (This is an indoors type day, as you probably know the cold front made it here to Kansas... 19 now in Overland Park). Would like to meet the owner of the restaurant and partake in some of the specials. BTW if my time at basic training at Lackland makes me recall correctly, Bexar county is pronounced "Bear". The closest I have been to Loving county is Carlsbad Caverns just up the road from there in New Mexico.
Been a fan of Charlie Robison for years and love the song. Been through Loving county a few times...Definitely God's country out there. If you haven't already you should check out Lajitas and Terlingua near Big Bend national park.
Oh yes, I know it well. No pun intended. I spent five years in the oil patch out there. I lived in Monahans I lived in Pecos and I lived in Carlsbad New Mexico. I ran through Mentone almost nightly. Have a buddy who still living out there, actually in Mentone. There's something cool about the country out there but yes, it is unforgiving at the same time.. nice video. Ty.
In these modern times and fast paced world we live in small towns and sparsely populated counties have a slower pace which helps which reduces stress that many people have,but you also need to be able to make a living so it can be a trade off .
As interesting and educational as always! Traveling while sitting at the kitchen table. Who knew that travel was this easy? Having a college employee as our travel guide, I was wondering if there might be an assignment included with this video. Is each of us given homework to compose a country song about the county of our choice? And what county would each of the viewers choose? I would have to pick on my native Louisa County, Iowa. Very fitting since when I moved away, it was the smallest county both land wise and population wise of Iowa.
Interesting history. I’ve been to Menton a couple times! Bexar County is actually pronounced like “bear “. It’s hard to believe back when Spain was in this area they use to take vessels up into New Mexico up the Pecos River Great video! Stay safe stay healthy
@@charleselsey8241 The Pecos River starts north of Pecos village New Mexico and flows 926 mi into the Rio Grande River. Which part did you canoe the 54 miles?
Great video brother! Loving County Is very charming even though It’s very small! The population for Loving County in 1890 was 3! My uncles sister lives in Mentone and she loves it there!
The one time I've been close to Loving county I was in a driving rain on 385 coming south from New Mexico. I had started the days in Las Cruces and just wanted to get to Balmorhea state park for the night. I still want to get out there at some point though as I've known its the least populous county even before I heard the Charlie Robison song but got a good laugh out of it. I'm glad I'll be moving to more central Texas soon as the western part of the state is a long drive from the Houston area. I eventually want to visit all 254 county seats in Texas and have a lot of traveling to hit that.
Even the water tastes like oil. 😜I like that post office. One desk, no waiting, even at Christmas time🤠. Oh yeah, the chef is definitely a Louisiana transplant. Texas got some great people from there after Katrina.
...while traveling out to CA. in 1997 we saw an article on Mentone in Nat'l Geo. Mag. it told of the 'boot track cafe' in Mentone. we looked in the window of the BTcafe, but, found out they only opened if someone called and said they were coming! they had maybe 3 tables(we peered thru the windows). .. so went down to Pecos and saw the Judge Roy Bean Museum... really neat time in Texas!
Suggestion for a video. Years ago there was a huge ranch in Texas called the XIT. It stood for Ten in Texas because it covered 10 counties in Texas. They were in the Panhandle. I had a school teacher who worked on the ranch. They went year around going from windmill to windmill to do maintenance. You could travel those counties and tell the story. Also you could do a series on huge ranches.
I worked 3 years in those badlands of SE New Mexico and west Texas. I had to get used to the dust and the blistering heat but I made alot of scratch out there .
Crazy to think that you first heard of loving county from that song, as that was my first time hearing about it too. I was just out in orla last fall and the amount of oilfield traffic was insane. Much more than the Eagle ford. Really enjoyed the video
Loving county has the best star fields in the country. I worked on wells in the 80's near Mentone and had my telescope with me and during slack time during well operations went off from the rig pad to view the stars and planets. Is the PO cafe still around?
All private land folks. Better come get you a thousand acres, cheap. Hot as hell in the summer and freezing in the winter, just don't have a heart attack here, or even a tooth ache. Oh, I forgot about the dust storms.
I work here in this county almost every week… you see what you see.. but what you don’t see… is damn we make a lot of money here in this area lol. Single father of one 8yo.. I started working here a few years ago and finally I bit the bullet and moved my son and I down here. It doesn’t take long to realize the path less travelled is where it’s at..
Been through there a couple of times years ago. Didn't know anything about it at the time. I live in Navarro county Texas where oil was discovered in 1894. A good movie to go see is Corsicana if you like westerns. Thanks for your time and info.
I used to haul sand and oil in Mentone. Small population yes,but heavy oilfield traffic. Also be extremely careful on hwy 302 leaving Mentone going to Kermit. My goodness!!!!
Great video! Love the cookbook story. I'm surprised that run down gas station still has pumps. Makes me wonder what's going on underneath them. Great song as well. TFS
I did subscribe to your channel several months ago. I like the places you go. Some might find these type places boring, but to me, they are peaceful. Somehow, I missed this video
Have been in that church when I was living in Kermit Texas was involved in a church Bible class at the age of 15yrs supported by Grace Temple Baptist Church
My wife and I are retired landmen (oil and gas ownership records) and worked in the Loving County courthouse in Mentone. I used to joke that we took the subway to the courthouse.
Awesome place! Love the remoteness of it! Not sure I could LIVE there, but would be interesting for a time! Great video and great success to that cook! That food sounds awesome! I would buy that book too!😊
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Meeting and talking with the "locals" is such a great part of experiencing the location. I love that part of stopping and "experiencing" a location.
No Walmart or mall close by Kathy. Not sure if you can get anything on TV or the radio without satellite. I am willing to try living there if you are. I could get a job in the oilfield and you could work as a waitress at the cafe.
I worked for a company that serviced the natural gas company cooling stations. This was back in 1972 + - and I remember it would take less time to pass this town than it takes to watch this video.
I really enjoyed this one and thought you outdid yourself ! You always take the time to do your research on the places you travel to and that's what makes your videos so interesting. I'm only seven hours from there and would love to take a day trip and have lunch with the guy from New Orleans LOL ! As always, thanks for the worthwhile videos and the info on Charlie Robison too ! Safe travels out there Brother !
I live in San Antonio which is in Bexar County. When I moved here in 1985, I learned Bexar is pronounced like the animal, "Bear". It is a Spanish name so the "X" is silent. Loved the video. They say everything is big in Texas but Love County is the exception.
There's a county in Hawaii that consists of a leper colony with a population just slightly larger than Loving County. Though if you count the number of fingers, toes, noses etc. Loving County is undoubtedly much bigger.
@@TravelwithaWiseguy I used to think that Alpine County CA (pop. 1150) was the least populated in the U.S. It is very beautiful up there in the Sierra Nevada mountains. A few years ago I heard about Loving County, so I had to visit it on the way back west from Tarrant County TX where I have a friend that I visit most years. On the way back to CA I take different routes to explore TX and the Southwest. There is also a low-population county in Nevada named Esmeralda County, pop. 750 or so. The largest town there is Goldfield, which is mostly a ghost town as it is an old mining settlement.
Around 2008 I was working in the area. There was a cafe and that old gas station and you had to pay with cash no cards accepted. Looks a lot different now.
Honey honey bless your heart I waited very impatiently 10.54 minutes to say Bexar is sounded like Bear the X is silent. That's the San Antonio area my hometown. Also thanks I've been looking for an itty bitty town to move to when I retire. So this may be it. Safe travels 💕
Great piece. I travel through this area whenever I head to the mountains in SE NM. It's weirdly hypnotic despate substantial oilfield traffic. In the for what it's worth category, "Bexar" is pronounced "bear."
I used to have a contract for “landscaping” telecommunication towers and had a route that ran through Mentone and on to Orla, which is another small place similar to Mentone. I started that route before the current oil boom and there is a tower in Mentone. At that time there might have been 2 occupied houses there and all the abandoned type buildings shown in the video. Those are the remnants of the previous oil boom and then abandoned in the following bust. The current cafes and gas stations and widening of the road is the result of this oil boom as is the traffic. Without the current boom it would be very quiet. The purpose of the landscaping was to keep the weeds such as tumbleweeds from growing up around the communication equipment so technicians could both get to it and it safely. I saw rattlesnakes somewhat commonly at the Mentone and Orla location along with blue (scaled) quail. I enjoyed the solitude of those trips. After the oil boom the traffic increase removed the relaxing nature of the trip. The drone shots at the end of the video do a great job of displaying what most the county is like. Nice video Sir. Thank you.
Diverse animals and rich history of the Apache, Comanche, Spaniards, Mexican, Ranchers, Outlaws. and all things of the wild west are here! I call it home!
Very interesting....thanks for the video. Went there in the 80s for oil field related surveying. If you ever want to see old topos or aerial photos to try to find where building, etc. were you can go to historicaerials online.
Loving County Texas I spent a week there one day Oliver loving it's buried in my hometown of Weatherford Texas along with other notables from history such as Mary Martin mother of Larry Hagman of Dallas Fame.
I live in the nearby Winkler county and the community building there is it on the site of the former school before attendance got so low that they closed it
Loving is sitting on a sea of oil and natural gas but It bakes in he summer . Excellent video of this isolated region, west of the Pecos. That's Judge Roy Bean - Vinigeroon country..so don't insult miss Lilly. BEXAR is bay har with an aspirated H, I lived in Texas for 40+ years and that's how the natives pronounce it who know history. Have fun !.
Ozona is the county seat of Crockett County and it is also unincorporated. Ozona has a much larger population than Mentone. Both Mentone and Crocket share a distinction that they are in counties that have no incorporated cities. Under Texas law places like Mentone are referred to as villages.
4 people, including the Loving County Judge, were arrested last year by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for cattle rustling.
That means 6.25% of the population was in jail. What a police county!
John C. Loving, the son of Oliver Loving, was a founding member of TSCRA
Wow. Now there are only 6 people left in the county!
@@KabobHope it takes over an hour to drive 100mph from one end to the other. POLICING????🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦♂️
Folks that weren't raised in Texas don't understand how serious we take cattle rustling in this state. Property laws and laws about animals of husbandry or probably the first taught laws to children in the state of Texas.
My father is buried on a ranch here, and my son is a deputy. Loving County has been in my life since I was 12. Yes it is desolate, but desolation has it's own magic, it's own draw. Look past the present oil field noise and traffic, and you will see that magic. But that oil field provides good jobs, as a Texan, I will never knock that industry; in fact, I defend it. I was born in Pecos, raised in Toyah, lived in Balmorhea ( Go Bears!), lived in Kermit( my oldest son was born there), spent time playing around Mentone's old school house during community dinners. It hurt to hear that it was torn down in the name of progress. This county is in my blood, and my father is there forever. How can I not love that old county?
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I worked in Kermit for sometime. And I must say I loved those towns the locals were very inviting!!
The old school is gone? Dang, sad. 😢
My immediate superior, in the first job I got by asking for one, was Maria, who was raised in Toyah, TX. She was a very nice lady, who was very tolerant of my many nervous mistakes.
It was a Mexican restaurant, and I was in the kitchen, watching them make green chile. Someone broke a glass, and since I was learning the job, Maria ordered me to clean it up. So I swept it carefully, into a dust pan, then looked around for a garbage can. Finally I spotted a big, fiberglass-looking barrel, with a matching top on it. I didn't see the galvanized can I was expecting. I was so nervous I was afraid to ask where the garbage can was; how could I be so stupid? I quickly lifted the top on the barrel, and dumped the broken glass, seeing, when I finished, and the top was floating back into place, the sight of about 50# of dried pinto beans, in the barrel I'd just dumped broken glass in.
I was doing that stupid thing, where you're so scared, you leap from here to there, afraid to ask any questions, and that's the results you get.
Well, I had to tell Maria. She just took a deep.breath, and we took the whole, new barrel of beans, out to the dumpster; we sure couldn't serve them. She knew I couldn't afford to pay for them, and that the boss would fire me, so she just said nothing..That was around 1972, and I have never paid for those beans, although I guess I need to pay his descendants the cost of a barrel of dried beans. I was caught in a situation that kept me very poor, and I just kept pushing it aside.
Maria told me about the area, including how they used to love to go to Toyahvale; I now know that is where San Solomon Springs and the state park are, south of Balmorhea. She told me how she left Toyah with her first husband, so eager to get somewhere else; Toyah, where her father had a gas station (not sure if he owned it, or just worked there all her life), and always called his out-of-town customers "pardner". Her husband abandoned her, and their baby son, picking cotton somewhere in the south; they woke up, and he and the motorcycle were gone. A few months later, she met a kind young gentleman from Tennessee, fell in love, and they married; he adopted Maria's son. That's how they got to where I was working with her in an El Taco. I often wonder about her: if she is alive, and how her life came out. she was a great first boss.
I ruff necked in the huge gas field next to Kermit. There was a Pizza Hut in town & I was starving after tripping pipe for 12 hrs. Long story short, don't order halipenos on your pizza in Kermit Texas!
Back in the 1980s, I was building houses in San Antonio, and a street name I remember to this day was called Goodnight Loving. The contractor was bitching at how often the street sign was stolen. Now, I know where that came from, thanks.
I recently worked out in that area for 3 months, we stayed at a man-camp in Orla (pop. 2) and the project was in NM, just north of Loving County. We drove past that sign you showed every day. I looked at the Pecos River from the bridge every day. Either there was more water than I thought, or they had a lot of rain before you got there.
Years ago, I had a coworker that was a direct descendant of Oliver Loving. He looked exactly like the photo you showed.
You definitely got a LOL from me when you said it was a workday. EVERY day is a workday in the oil patch.
Haha I should’ve said weekday! 😂
Yep, not much in Orla, but a bit more than Mentone!!
Sunday steaks at that man's camp aren't bad...
I worked for Petty-Ray Geophysical in 1981-82
In Alpine, Snyder, and Bandera on a seismograph crew. Got to see a lot of places not many people see. Interesting, but a rough way to make a buck.
@@stubeast4031 My dad worked for them too. We moved around a lot until my mother got tired of all the moving and ended up in Odessa tx in late 70's
I was working in Orla when that Pilot opened.
They sold out of diesel, gas AND food almost daily for about two weeks. Even after that, the store was almost never full and ran out of fuel at least once a week for about a month.
And that road from Orla to Carlsbad is scary as hell. I think it claimed four lives just in the short time I was there.
4th generation West Texan but have ties to New Mexico as well. My Grandmother rode through this country on horseback when she was 8 yrs old about 1916. Hard to imagine how independent and tough you had to be in such a harsh expanse of nothingness. Proud to be from Texas and Charlie Robinson for me captures the true Texas culture in his music.
Our Dad came to Texas at Logan's Crossing, Louisiana in 1923 when he was 10 yrs old and on a wagon no less. Always love to hear people's stories about Texas history.
@@georgeford6439 Appreciate your story as well. Also, have a pic of my Grandmother in Sanco, Texas on horseback in the early 1920s and she actually has a side arm holstered. Different times but things in West Texas tend to change a little more slowly as a lot of the open country has not been altered.
I'm from West Texas myself a small town named Loraine in Mitchell co on interstate 10 between Abilene and Midland.
@Tim Rich may I know your grandmother's name? My third and fourth great grandparents helped settle Sanco and San Angelo.
@@JohnSmith-uw9or
Vida Belle Fletcher, also have kin with the last name Austin buried in Sanco.
"And her diamond, how it sparkled in the lights of Loving county "
-Charlie Robinson
Rest in peace Charlie
I first heard of loving county when I went to get my driver license. It was the only county (at the time) that has no traffic deaths in the whole US.
Last year we had 12 fatalities, 8 in one day.
At that time, there was only one car in the whole county!! ........ The rest were pickup trucks and 18-wheelers!
Very low volume
Sorry for mispronouncing the county of BEXAR - it should be pronounced like BAIR. Thanks to EVERYONE who has pointed that out in the comments haha. I'm not from Texas, but I really enjoyed visiting Loving County!!! Want to see more Texas videos? Here is my entire playlist of Texas: ruclips.net/p/PL4jqwLUrhjNSpzEvXMoov0pSxEGvBwKR6
It's actually "Behhar" but they americanized it to "ber"
Who Americanized it?! Hicks?! Coz I’m from San Anto & my parents & grandparents are from here & we’ve always pronounced it “bear” county.
No big deal. Excellent video.
BAY-har!
So whar you from wiseguy? And it looks like nobody was home in Mentone! Ha Ha.
Been really close to Loving County, just twert no need to detour while l was going to Pine Springs at the bottom of El Capitan in Guadalupe Mts. Natl. Park.
As a Nebraska resident with a love of geography, I find it interesting that 9 of the 11 least populated counties in the US are either in Texas (Loving, King, Kenedy and Borden) or Nebraska (McPherson, Blaine, Arthur, Loup, and Grant), with Hawaii (Kalaweo) and Montana (Petroleum) each having 1 of the 11.
Very interesting indeed! I’d love to visit all of them!
I was at a 6 man football playoff game in Gail(Borden County ) when the stadium lights went off. They finished the game by having everyone pull their cars up to the track and leave their lights on. It was great! I can't remember who won but 6 man football is great fun. BTW....I always thought it funny that Borden county (yes the milk company Borden) is bordering the county where Post, Texas(yes, the cereal company). And there's not a dairy or farm in sight. It's all ranch land with beef cattle and oil wells.
@ DamonNomad82 -- Thanks for the low-population county trivia.
That chef sounds like he has a New Orleans accent. You stumbled onto a gem with that interview.
He was great!
Enjoyed your video. I worked in that area years ago, north of Orla. TX. You may not know but while standing under that bridge on Hwy 285, you were about 50 feet from a mastodon skeleton that was found when building the bridge.
Oh wow that’s interesting! I had no idea! Thanks!
That is awesome to know, thanks for sharing that information.
I just left Orla last hitch. Around Pecos now but I’m sure we’ll be back in the Lovington county area soon. Mentone, Artesia, Loving, etc
What year was the skeleton found?
I saw it over 25 years ago, bones protruding from the bank of a gully near the bridge. It was pointed out to me by someone that lived/worked around Orla. He told me that it was found when the bridge was constructed (do not know the date) and some of the bones may have been taken to the museum in Pecos TX.
Not gonna lie when I read “least populated” I wanted to move there immediately 😂
😂😂
Really enjoyed this - particularly the discussion with the Chef. Interesting!!!
Thank you! Yeah he was really great!
Really enjoy visiting alongside you the small towns and out of the way places in our beautiful America.
I just placed the Underground Chefs book on my Amazon cart and hopefully others will as well.
He seems like a wonderful man and I wish him well. Perhaps there are other folk who prefer the wide open places like Mentone offers and will visit the nice cafe and friendly owner. Thanks for taking us along.
That’s so awesome! I’m hoping he sees this eventually and sees all the nice comments! Thank you very much for watching and for the great message!
Thanks for the video! This area reminds me of eastern Wyoming and eastern Colorado where you drive for miles and miles without seeing a thing! A word of advice: Don’t drive thru these areas without a full tank of gas!! You won’t see a gas station for several miles!!
Thanks and great advice!!! I love those areas as well!
I really like this. A native Texan that has never drove father west in Texas than Uvalde. I have been to New Mexico , Arizona , Nevada , Colorado , Utah and all the Pacific Coast states but flew. I’m pretty old now but hope I’m able to drive all over west Texas before my days are up. Grew up in Houston area but I really like visiting rural areas to relax and enjoy the slow pace. I’m in Tennessee now so my drive would be even longer.
Awesome! Safe travels!!
BEXAR is pronounced like the word “BEAR”. San Antonio, TX is the county seat of BEXAR County! At the time of the Battle of the Alamo, the town was called San Antonio de BEXAR. Look it up! It’s interesting.
I was aboutta say and make fun like "HE SAID "BEX-AR" 🤣
I Bexar-ly wanted to live in San Antonio that's why I left.
@@johnnewman8322 San Antonio might be the best big city in Texas
And Mexia, Texas is another interesting sounding town pronounced "ma Hay ya."
@@georgeford6439 just like Texas is “Tay Hoz” . Tortilla is “ Tor-Tee-yah” , just Spanish 101
I have lived here in Yano Estacado or geographicly known as the Northern Region of the Chihuahuan Desert for half of my life. I call Pecos Texas my home Reeves County, and I do love this with all its diverse animals
Thanks, brother, for the video! I have been through Mentone many times when I was a young man. I was born in Wink, Tx. in 1960, but not long after that, my family moved again. But, when I turned 18, I left Arkansas and returned to Kermit, Tx. where I went to work in the Oil Fields. I'm now in Missouri, where I raised my kids, but I have a lot of good memories from West Texas. God bless.
Thank you very much! I’m glad so many people have found and enjoyed this video. I really enjoyed visiting too! Thanks for the nice comment!
Wink...Roy Orbison, right?
@Sun Search Exactly! My parents told me that Roy would, at times early on, play for the neighbors, and that included them. That was back when he was just a pimple faced kid with coke bottle glasses.
Visited Loving County about 15 years ago-life long Texan--Want to see all of our great state---I first learned of Loving County in 1960--There was a newspaper story about the recent census and the population decline in Loving---The headline was "Not Much Loving in Loving County ------"Roland Moore
😂😂
Because of the baron nature and low population. I made a side trip to Loving County when visiting Guadalupe Peak National Park. There are no people but there are big traffic jams because of the oil and water trucks. I got off the highway in Mentone. It took me five minutes to get an opening big enough to get back on the road. It is one barren place.
Loving & Goodnight are the men the Larry MacMurturry book & TV mini-series Lonesome Dove were based on.
One of the best books I have ever read. I almost gave up at first but my brother in law made me promise to read at least 100 pages. The first 100 took me a week - the rest took far less; I could NOT put it down.
Brings back memory's many years ago I lived in the area working for Haliburton in Odessa. TX.
I stayed in an rv park about a mile west of Mentone while working in the area. I don't work in the oil field but west Texas is our main base of work. I'm currently staying in Wink birthplace of Roy Orbison. I ate at that restaurant a few times.
Fun fact; Oliver Loving and Charlie Goodnight were the inspiration for Woodrow Call and Augutus McRea in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove.
Nice!
Oliver Loving came from Mortons Gap Kentucky and has relatives living there today.
@@l.peytonadams8570 was oliver loving gus mcrae
@@tylerjones2695 Gus was based upon Oliver Loving.
My all time favorite on the screen
Black gold Texas tea!!! That is what this county is about. That cook is showing the USA that anything is possible if you want to go to work. Another great show.
Absolutely about the cook! He was great!
365 miles away in north central Texas, lies the town of Loving, TX. It also lies on the Goodnight-Loving Trail and is named after Oliver Loving's grandson, who had a ranch in the area.
If I ever get to Mentone (which I may), I will most definitely drop in to The Stop for some lunch!
Awesome! I’d love to visit it as well!
Yep, modern Vernon was called " red river station" where they would pit stop the herds for grass and water, to beef up for a hard run across Oklahoma which was the danger zone.
@jon henson ... 2 weeks ago, my husband and I were in Vernon. We were driving around visiting some towns along the Red River for the day. We tried to drive to the spot, which was supposedly where the "Great Western Cattle Trail" crossed the river, but we got got stuck in the sugar sand on a very sketchy back road. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive trucks!
@@unrulyjulie4382 lol, yea that area was made for our friends with hooves.
As soon as I saw the title, I started singing, Charlie Robison's song called "Loving county". It's a good Texas story-telling song. And then I see that you mentioned it In your video.
Awesome! Did you watch til the very end after the credits? More Charlie Robison!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Was that a recent concert? Where was he playing at? Did you know that Charlie used to be married the Emily from the Dixie Chicks.
That was an older show, but he has recently started doing shows again in the past few months. And I didn’t know that about his former wife!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy That's awesome and good to know that he is still performing. Thanks for the insightful video.
So thrilled that he's playing again, I'd heard that he was retired from a throat surgery. And 'Porterville' is an old Creedence Clearwater Revival song but I'm pretty sure it's about a different place in California but not sure
You're right about it being busy. Hwy 285, which just skirts Loving County, didn't come to be called Death Highway for nothing. When the traffic is bad enough to be mentioned on Bloomberg TV, that tells you something. Live in Pecos myself. It's amazing how much money has been poured into this area in the last 6 to 7 years.
Hey fellow Pecosonian...lol. But yeah 285 is bad, but atleast it is slowly getting better
Thanks for your production. My hometown, Hebbronville, Texas, is another unincorporated town that is the county seat of Jim Hogg County in south Texas, one hour east of Laredo. This town is the "Vaquero Capital of Texas and the United States. It is from this very region that the Mexican vaquero style of raising and training horses to work cattle from horseback that was largely adopted by Americans. During the great Depression, Hebbronville became the largest cattle shipping town in America. Even today, like many big cities, Hebbronville has five highways centered there as a remnant of its cattle shipping history.
BTW, "BEXAR" is a surname in Spanish and is pronounced, "Behh - Ahr." Currently, San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar county.
Thank you very much!! I’d love to visit Hebbronville too!
Zapata county too neibor to the north.
Fun fact: When the old west cowboys tried to pronounce "vaquero," it turned into "buckaroo."
GREAT visit with the guy from New Orleans!
He was awesome! Thanks!
I work in the oilfield and am in loving county a lot...pretty weird place, but it's a pretty incredible place. Some of the best views I've ever seen
I remember working in the oil fields in the late 70's in SE NM and west texas in that area. Drilled many a well through there and Jal and Loving, Hobbs etc. Fun times good money
Loved this video ! I'm in Lubbock Texas, not to far from loving county. Gonna go get some pie and coffee ☕️ at the STOP CAFE!
Tell him the Wiseguy sent ya! 😊
Cool video! I live in Loving, Texas, about 350 miles from Mentone. We are in Young county and our community is also named after Oliver Loving. The last descendant of Oliver in our community recently passed away.
I’ve been to Kermit, Pecos, and Carlsbad, but I don’t guess I’ve ever actually been to Mentone. Much like Loving, it’s out of the way from everywhere, and you won’t find yourself “passing through,” 😂
Thanks for posting.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I was in the oil business and used to occasionally work in the Loving County Clerk's office. When I was there last around 20 years ago, there was an old gas station on the corner (at 8:59) west of the Courthouse where you could get a packaged sandwich, soft drink and candy bar. There was also an old cafe across the road (where that Valero gas station is now) that was closed most of the time. But if they knew you would be in town, they would fix a lunch daily. All you had to do was tell them you'd be back tomorrow or the following week, and they would have lunch for you. Never a menu, but always a good lunch and friendly. So much has changed since I was there. Chef Sam was a young child in New Orleans and The Stop was not conceived then.
Thanks for the history!!
Oliver Loving is buried in my home town of Weatherford, Texas.
I got my Atlas out and really enjoyed this one. (This is an indoors type day, as you probably know the cold front made it here to Kansas... 19 now in Overland Park). Would like to meet the owner of the restaurant and partake in some of the specials. BTW if my time at basic training at Lackland makes me recall correctly, Bexar county is pronounced "Bear". The closest I have been to Loving county is Carlsbad Caverns just up the road from there in New Mexico.
Been a fan of Charlie Robison for years and love the song. Been through Loving county a few times...Definitely God's country out there. If you haven't already you should check out Lajitas and Terlingua near Big Bend national park.
Definitely on my list!!
Oh yes, I know it well. No pun intended. I spent five years in the oil patch out there. I lived in Monahans I lived in Pecos and I lived in Carlsbad New Mexico. I ran through Mentone almost nightly. Have a buddy who still living out there, actually in Mentone. There's something cool about the country out there but yes, it is unforgiving at the same time.. nice video. Ty.
In these modern times and fast paced world we live in small towns and sparsely populated counties have a slower pace which helps which reduces stress that many people have,but you also need to be able to make a living so it can be a trade off .
When I was driving for Werner, I liked stopping at these small towns.
Both my Grandpa's grew up in Loving the town. Little one horse place, too, but charming.
As interesting and educational as always! Traveling while sitting at the kitchen table. Who knew that travel was this easy?
Having a college employee as our travel guide, I was wondering if there might be an assignment included with this video. Is each of us given homework to compose a country song about the county of our choice? And what county would each of the viewers choose? I would have to pick on my native Louisa County, Iowa. Very fitting since when I moved away, it was the smallest county both land wise and population wise of Iowa.
I’m all for it! Haha!
Interesting history. I’ve been to Menton a couple times! Bexar County is actually pronounced like “bear “. It’s hard to believe back when Spain was in this area they use to take vessels up into New Mexico up the Pecos River Great video! Stay safe stay healthy
Thank you! It was a lot of fun to explore!
I’m familiar with Mentone, but that’s all oil patch work.
@@brucelombardo yes sir it is
I have canoed down the Pecos from Pandle to the high bridge. About killed all of us. Think it was 1988. about 54 miles/3 days.
@@charleselsey8241 The Pecos River starts north of Pecos village New Mexico and flows 926 mi into the Rio Grande River. Which part did you canoe the 54 miles?
My dad used to delivery the drill bits . We lived in Hobbs but he made deliveries bits to the oil well drillers. on the rigs, in Loving Texas!
Great video brother! Loving County Is very charming even though It’s very small! The population for Loving County in 1890 was 3! My uncles sister lives in Mentone and she loves it there!
Thank you! I really enjoyed visiting as well! Interesting place!
The one time I've been close to Loving county I was in a driving rain on 385 coming south from New Mexico. I had started the days in Las Cruces and just wanted to get to Balmorhea state park for the night. I still want to get out there at some point though as I've known its the least populous county even before I heard the Charlie Robison song but got a good laugh out of it.
I'm glad I'll be moving to more central Texas soon as the western part of the state is a long drive from the Houston area. I eventually want to visit all 254 county seats in Texas and have a lot of traveling to hit that.
You should drive through that area at night. There are burnoff flares everywhere and the truck traffic increases even more. It’s positively surreal.
That would be interesting to see!
I love your tour ... small places are fascinating in this modern day. I love the West.
Thank you very much!
Even the water tastes like oil. 😜I like that post office. One desk, no waiting, even at Christmas time🤠. Oh yeah, the chef is definitely a Louisiana transplant. Texas got some great people from there after Katrina.
The chef was great!
I lived in El Paso most of the '70s . You get used to it after a while.
I grew up in Wink and Kermit, Winkler County. No plans to go back. I like trees&rain.😁
...while traveling out to CA. in 1997 we saw an article on Mentone in Nat'l Geo. Mag. it told of the 'boot track cafe' in Mentone. we looked in the window of the BTcafe, but, found out they only opened if someone called and said they were coming! they had maybe 3 tables(we peered thru the windows). .. so went down to Pecos and saw the Judge Roy Bean Museum... really neat time in Texas!
Great story! Thank you!
I used to travel through there often, I grew up in the Artesia and Roswell, NM area.
I’m like you. The first I heard of loving co was the song I love that song. Nice seeing Charlie doing it live Thanks for the video 👍😎
Nice! Would love to see him live!
Suggestion for a video. Years ago there was a huge ranch in Texas called the XIT. It stood for Ten in Texas because it covered 10 counties in Texas. They were in the Panhandle. I had a school teacher who worked on the ranch. They went year around going from windmill to windmill to do maintenance. You could travel those counties and tell the story. Also you could do a series on huge ranches.
Thanks for the suggestion! Sounds interesting! I don’t know a lot about the big ranches, but it would be fun to learn. 😊
I worked 3 years in those badlands of SE New Mexico and west Texas. I had to get used to the dust and the blistering heat but I made alot of scratch out there .
Crazy to think that you first heard of loving county from that song, as that was my first time hearing about it too. I was just out in orla last fall and the amount of oilfield traffic was insane. Much more than the Eagle ford. Really enjoyed the video
Thank you very much! Great song and very interesting area to explore!
Loving county has the best star fields in the country. I worked on wells in the 80's near Mentone and had my telescope with me and during slack time during well operations went off from the rig pad to view the stars and planets.
Is the PO cafe still around?
I bet the stars are great there! And I didn’t see that cafe - just The Stop.
I like this content and the creator.
All private land folks. Better come get you a thousand acres, cheap. Hot as hell in the summer and freezing in the winter, just don't have a heart attack here, or even a tooth ache. Oh, I forgot about the dust storms.
I work here in this county almost every week… you see what you see.. but what you don’t see… is damn we make a lot of money here in this area lol.
Single father of one 8yo.. I started working here a few years ago and finally I bit the bullet and moved my son and I down here. It doesn’t take long to realize the path less travelled is where it’s at..
Been working around Mentone for a couple of years. Not a bad road in that small town and much needed road construction on 302..
Been through there a couple of times years ago. Didn't know anything about it at the time. I live in Navarro county Texas where oil was discovered in 1894. A good movie to go see is Corsicana if you like westerns. Thanks for your time and info.
Thanks for watching! Thanks for the info!
Last Picture Show!
Know where Emhouse is? That's where my'Ma was born. Out yunder in a cotton patch!
I used to haul sand and oil in Mentone.
Small population yes,but heavy oilfield traffic. Also be extremely careful on hwy 302 leaving Mentone going to Kermit. My goodness!!!!
Great video! Love the cookbook story. I'm surprised that run down gas station still has pumps. Makes me wonder what's going on underneath them. Great song as well. TFS
Thank you! Hoping he sold a few cookbooks from this video!
Charlie Robison brought me here
I did subscribe to your channel several months ago. I like the places you go. Some might find these type places boring, but to me, they are peaceful. Somehow, I missed this video
Thank you for the support! Glad you found it!
There's also a Loving,nm. Just a few miles north across the state line, just south of Carlsbad,nm.
I saw that on the map! Haven’t been there though.
Lived in both places for a while. Really nice people and hard weather.
Have been in that church when I was living in Kermit Texas was involved in a church Bible class at the age of 15yrs supported by Grace Temple Baptist Church
My wife and I are retired landmen (oil and gas ownership records) and worked in the Loving County courthouse in Mentone. I used to joke that we took the subway to the courthouse.
😂😂
My stepmom worked at the courthouse until she retired. Tana
@@camodown I probably met her. I remember a sweet gal who worked in the County Clerk’s office.
Awesome place! Love the remoteness of it! Not sure I could LIVE there, but would be interesting for a time! Great video and great success to that cook! That food sounds awesome! I would buy that book too!😊
I agree! I liked visiting - very interesting area and people were nice!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy Meeting and talking with the "locals" is such a great part of experiencing the location. I love that part of stopping and "experiencing" a location.
No Walmart or mall close by Kathy. Not sure if you can get anything on TV or the radio without satellite. I am willing to try living there if you are. I could get a job in the oilfield and you could work as a waitress at the cafe.
I've eaten there, the guy definitely knows what he is doing
I worked for a company that serviced the natural gas company cooling stations. This was back in 1972 + - and I remember it would take less time to pass this town than it takes to watch this video.
I really enjoyed this one and thought you outdid yourself ! You always take the time to do your research on the places you travel to and that's what makes your videos so interesting. I'm only seven hours from there and would love to take a day trip and have lunch with the guy from New Orleans LOL ! As always, thanks for the worthwhile videos and the info on Charlie Robison too ! Safe travels out there Brother !
Thank you very much! It was fun! I’m a big fan of Robison too. He just came back to performing after a long hiatus!
I live in San Antonio which is in Bexar County. When I moved here in 1985, I learned Bexar is pronounced like the animal, "Bear". It is a Spanish name so the "X" is silent. Loved the video. They say everything is big in Texas but Love County is the exception.
Thank you very much!
Just like Cairo - this has long been on my list of places to see. Thanks!
Im in mentone working right now. Definitely busy with the oil and gas industry 👌🏽
Orla & Mentone Tx 😆 I remember it before it had the pilot truck stop or the man camps
There's a county in Hawaii that consists of a leper colony with a population just slightly larger than Loving County. Though if you count the number of fingers, toes, noses etc. Loving County is undoubtedly much bigger.
I’ve heard of that! Very interesting!
@@TravelwithaWiseguy I used to think that Alpine County CA (pop. 1150) was the least populated in the U.S. It is very beautiful up there in the Sierra Nevada mountains. A few years ago I heard about Loving County, so I had to visit it on the way back west from Tarrant County TX where I have a friend that I visit most years. On the way back to CA I take different routes to explore TX and the Southwest. There is also a low-population county in Nevada named Esmeralda County, pop. 750 or so. The largest town there is Goldfield, which is mostly a ghost town as it is an old mining settlement.
Around 2008 I was working in the area. There was a cafe and that old gas station and you had to pay with cash no cards accepted. Looks a lot different now.
Honey honey bless your heart I waited very impatiently 10.54 minutes to say Bexar is sounded like Bear the X is silent. That's the San Antonio area my hometown.
Also thanks I've been looking for an itty bitty town to move to when I retire. So this may be it.
Safe travels 💕
Great piece. I travel through this area whenever I head to the mountains in SE NM. It's weirdly hypnotic despate substantial oilfield traffic. In the for what it's worth category, "Bexar" is pronounced "bear."
Thank you!
I used to have a contract for “landscaping” telecommunication towers and had a route that ran through Mentone and on to Orla, which is another small place similar to Mentone. I started that route before the current oil boom and there is a tower in Mentone. At that time there might have been 2 occupied houses there and all the abandoned type buildings shown in the video. Those are the remnants of the previous oil boom and then abandoned in the following bust. The current cafes and gas stations and widening of the road is the result of this oil boom as is the traffic. Without the current boom it would be very quiet. The purpose of the landscaping was to keep the weeds such as tumbleweeds from growing up around the communication equipment so technicians could both get to it and it safely. I saw rattlesnakes somewhat commonly at the Mentone and Orla location along with blue (scaled) quail. I enjoyed the solitude of those trips. After the oil boom the traffic increase removed the relaxing nature of the trip. The drone shots at the end of the video do a great job of displaying what most the county is like. Nice video Sir. Thank you.
Thank you for the perspective! Very interesting area for an outsider like myself. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Diverse animals and rich history of the Apache, Comanche, Spaniards, Mexican, Ranchers, Outlaws. and all things of the wild west are here! I call it home!
Like it or hate it....oil has kept this country alive and prosperous! ....going all electric will never work and could end life!
Very interesting....thanks for the video. Went there in the 80s for oil field related surveying. If you ever want to see old topos or aerial photos to try to find where building, etc. were you can go to historicaerials online.
Thank you!
That little church reminded me of the movie, Kill Bill!
Big oil has to love that area… all the oil to drill with no supervision!
Very cool video!
Thank you!
Love the drone shots, great video!
Outstanding.
My University of Texas Degree was paid for as a Ruff Neck & Oil Worker
.. Gota Love Loving County
Thanks for video. The histories of the cattle drive trails are pretty interesting. If you want another Texas topic to investigate.
Thank you! Yeah I live in Wichita and the Chisholm Trail comes through here. Lots of interesting history like that out there!
Went through there once - saw this & knew right away it had to be THAT county!
Loving County Texas I spent a week there one day Oliver loving it's buried in my hometown of Weatherford Texas along with other notables from history such as Mary Martin mother of Larry Hagman of Dallas Fame.
I live in the nearby Winkler county and the community building there is it on the site of the former school before attendance got so low that they closed it
I have eaten at that abandoned cafe. As I remember they had a good CFS there. Early 70's I think.
Loving is sitting on a sea of oil and natural gas but It bakes in he summer . Excellent video of this isolated region, west of the Pecos. That's Judge Roy Bean - Vinigeroon country..so don't insult miss Lilly.
BEXAR is bay har with an aspirated H, I lived in Texas for 40+ years and that's how the natives pronounce it who know history. Have fun !.
Ozona is the county seat of Crockett County and it is also unincorporated. Ozona has a much larger population than Mentone. Both Mentone and Crocket share a distinction that they are in counties that have no incorporated cities. Under Texas law places like Mentone are referred to as villages.
Should hear the song Loving County by Charlie Robison! On RUclips!
Yes! That’s why I put it at the end of the video. Great song!
Betcha the Chef has heard some really good stories.
Haha absolutely! He was a cool guy!