Presenters: Nancy Herron
Ken Pollard
Commission Agenda Item No. 6
Briefing
Huff Wagon Train
April 2005
I. Executive Summary: Staff will provide a pictorial review of an educational project that took students by covered wagon across West Texas.
II. Discussion: For three weeks in January 2005, staff led students from Texas and California in covered wagons across West Texas. California teacher and historian Bill Coate, armed with the diaries of 1849 Gold Rush hopeful William Huff, requested the department's help to retrace the steps of Huff. Staff across divisions orchestrated a safe and adventure-filled trip with the help of communities, the Texas Historical Commission and many private landowners who allowed the entourage to camp on their ranches. Huff's descendents and nearly 150 students braved biting winds, blowing tents and jostling wagon rides to experience a taste of 1850s Texas.