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Features
Norman Livingston was born in Hamilton County, where his parents had a farm on the Leon River, on November 16, 1925. Norman was one of seven children, all of whom worked on the farm; he remembers that they had “horses all over the place,” so when his father traded 21 horses for a J.I. Case tractor, they still had plenty left over.
Joe Randerson is a charter member of what Tom Brokaw so famously calls “The Greatest Generation.” You’d never guess his age if you just happened to see him riding by on his motorcycle, but he was born in 1921, and grew up during the depression on an 60-acre farm about five miles south of the capitol building (a farm long since engulfed by the spreading city of Austin.
San Marcos has been prime real estate for thousands of years; its unique location at the edge of the Hill Country is considered by many to be the longest continuously inhabited area in the Northern Hemisphere. To the east of San Marcos lies the vast blackland prairie; the beautiful Texas Hill Country rises dramatically to the west. San Marcos is blessed with fertile fields, abundant wildlife, spectacular scenery and a never-ending supply of cool, clear water.
Stories & Photos
Most of the Texas Hill Country’s recorded history has occurred since the first expedition of German settlers reached New Braunfels in 1845. The German settlements were ultimately successful, and museums in New Braunfels, Fredericksburg and even as far north as Mason are packed full of artifacts and first-person accounts to document their Hill Country adventure.
The “town” of Utopia may be small, but it has a rich history and the people have big hearts.
Captain William Ware had been to the Sabinal Canyon in 1835, looking for recruits to fight against Mexico. In the early 1850’s he returned with family members and soon was joined by other groups. In 1852 Waresville (south of current Utopia) was the first non-military colony in what became Uvalde County. In 1856 Uvalde County was established, with the first document filed being the plat for “Montana.” The name had to be changed because there was already a town by that name in Texas.
