Reese Lockett

Reese Lockett was the owner of a clothing store in Brenham. He also was the mayor of Brenham and the boss of the Salt Grass Trail, a ride to publicize the Houston Fat Stock Show. Lockett was tall but walked with a limp because of a horseback accident. He refused to allow the leg to be amputated, and it was stretched tight. This gave him a peculiar walk. In his youth Lockett had been involved in rodeo, and once rode on the circuit, and also in London, England. He also had developed a demanding personality, and had been known to call me and tell me to meet him in Brenham at 8 o'clock the next morning. He still kept horses at a stable on the outskirts of his city. If I drove him anywhere he would stretch out on the back seat so that he could rest his leg. I would say that Lockett was the prototype of a native Texan in the days when Texas still had a distinct personality. It was Lockett who developed the Salt Grass Trail, a movement which I joined and was actively involved with for eight years. The other character involved in the Salt Grass Trail was E. H. Marks, who raised cattle, including longhorns, on his ranch west of Houston. These two men were opposite in personality, but together they represented the basic spirit of Texas.