Balmorhea Histroical Doc

A Personal Storyof

John Dunbar SellersFebruary 22, 1908 – May 28, 1941

Born in Teague, TexasGraduated Texas A&M 1931

Started Civilian Conservation Corpsduty August 22, 1935 in Balmorhea, Texas

Commander of CCC Company 1856

Constructed the world’s largest swimming pool

of 77,000 square feet, flowing 22,000 gallons per day

This is the World’s Largest Swimming PoolBuilt by the CCC in 1935-36, still in use today

A Texas State Park - San Soloman Springs - Balmorhea Texas

This is a short story about my dad, John Dunbar Sellers, and my mother, Louise Woerner Sellers.

Mom and Dad had been married only a little more than five years when Dad died on May 28, 1941.

My sister was born on December 14, 1939. I came along on August 30, 1941, so neither my sister nor I have any memories of our dad except that which we have been able to glean from old photos, documents and other memorabilia, and what we

have been told by Mom and others who knew him.

Mom was born on July 24, 1912, in Dallas, to what might be called a middle-income family. She was a good student and would have

gone to college, but the depression denied the money for that. After all, at that time, women didn’t need to go to college – right?

J.D., as Dad was called, was born on February 22, 1908, to a poor but God-fearing family in East Texas. We don’t know a lot about his early years except that he was hard-working and also a good student. Dad worked his way through Texas A&M University,

graduating in 1931.

After graduating from A&M, Dad stayed in the Army Reserves and, with his Dairy Husbandry degree, went to work for Borden

Milk Company in Dallas. It was in Dallas that Mom and Dad met and dated.

Dad was a first lieutenant when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) called him to serve. The decision to go was not a difficult

one for him to make, even though it meant a two-year commitment and would require that he be stationed somewhere in West Texas or Eastern New Mexico. His pay would be a generous $200 a month.

In February of 1940, Dad made captain, and on March 20, 1941, hereceived his orders to report for active duty in the regular army. Dad was due to report on April 2, 1941. This was one order he

could not obey; he died 50 days later.

The illustrations I have put together show the state park built by the CCC, as well as Dad and Mom’s first two years together in

Balmorhea.

In case you don’t know where Balmorhea is, you’ll find it just south of I-10 between Ft. Stockton and Ft. Davis.

Balmorhea State Park

Before 1887, the San Solomon Springs of Balmorhea State Parkwere known as the Mescalero Springs. This was Apache country.

The U.S. Army’s roll in the CCC was to provide officers to command the civilian personnel. These commanders provided administration, supplies, medical

care, education, and welfare to the civilian workers, or “enrollees,” as they were called.

Company 1856 Staff

Lt. J.D. Sellers, C.O. -- Dr. Kelley, Phys. -- Mr. Gross, Educ. Adv. -- Mr. Trigg, Const. Supt.

As Commanding Officer, J.D. was in charge of all personnel, as well as all of their activities. He supervised payroll for the enrollees. The “boys” made about $30 a month, part of which wentback home to their families.

Even the boys’ personal problems had to be addressed:

Dr. W. N. Kelley, MD

The physical health of the CCC personnel was very important.

Mr. Grady Gross - Educational AdvisorEducation of the CCC personnel was a high priority at many camps.

The camp library wasn’t fancy, but it did have over 400 books.

Enrollees took correspondence courses and received vocationaltraining in a variety of subjects.

Barracks where 150 to 200 CCC personnel lived.

J.D. at work in his “corner office with a window and central heat.”After all, rank has its privileges.

View of the pool under construction, January 9, 1936, from the shallow end toward the circular area.

30,000 square feet of hand-cut limestone was used to build the pool.Lt. Sellers is standing on the wall of the pool to the right,

still wearing his Aggie boots.

Note: You see only picks & shovels – The pool was dug by hand.

Here you see the limestone walls & the floor of the shallow end.

Construction photo taken the same day with an opposite view, from the circle to the shallow end.

The deep and natural part of the springs is visible in the foreground.The barracks and the Davis Mountains are in the background.

The pool was completed in a little over two years.

First Lt. J.D. Sellers surrounded by some of his CCC boys.

Life was not just work for the boys.Baseball games were held with other CCC camps.

Dances were organized several times a year.

Some participated with the local citizens in other activities.

They even receivedsome special Christmas

treats.

When was the last time yourChristmas dinner menu included

ice water and cigarettes?

Pool at its grand opening June 26-27, 1936.The circle is 200 feet in diameter, and each leg is 343 feet long.

Posters announcing the openingwere distributed all over West

Texas and Eastern New Mexico.

The speed boat races, bathing girl review, swimming races, baseball game, fancy diving, and barbecue were all free.

There was a $1.00 admissionfor the dances.

The pool opening was the biggest event in Balmorhea history,

before or since.

The barbecue pit was 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. The beef, pork, and

lamb, donated by local ranchers, were cooked on iron wagon wheels.

2,000 people attended the grand opening.The cottages referred to above, 18 total, are still in use today.

Adobe brick for Caretaker’s House:“One of the finest homes in Madera Valley.”

Brick-making on fast track for cottages.

CCC boys enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Similar view of the pool 67 years later.

View from the 25-foot deep end up to the circle.The pool contains over 3-1/2 million gallons of spring water.

The water temperature is 72 to 75 degrees year round.

View from the shallow end to the circle.Some trees have been planted, and the lawn is being watered.

View from the circle end. The pool is 1-3/4 acre in size.

View from the center of the circle to bath houses.

Same view 67 years later.

Springs flow from the pool at a rate of 22,000 to 28,000 gallons per day.

Clear artesian springs with fish, turtles, etc. Approximately 50% of the pool is 25 feet deep. People come from all

over to get their scuba diving certifications here.

Recreation center with men’s and women’s bath houses.

Recreation center and bath house 67 years later.

A finger over the lens hides some of the shelter at the end of the circle. The limestone walkways are now covered in concrete.

Looking toward the shallow end. The depth ranges from 3 to 5 feet deep here.

First Lt. J.D. Sellers was unmarried when he came to Balmorhea in August 1935.

He proposed to Louise Woerner on Thanksgiving Day of 1935.

His long distance phone proposal was “witnessed” by the Balmorhea phone operator. Phone service was not very extensive or private in 1935. Louise’s phone number in Dallas was 3-8056, and J.D.’s

in Balmorhea was three rings at the camp office.

J.D. and Louise were married on February 22, 1936.

Wedding announcement in theDallas Morning News

After a one-night honeymoon at the Texas Hotel in Ft. Worth, the couple came to Balmorhea to start their married life.

Their home was a four-room adobe house that they shared with theirlandlady. There were no indoor plumbing, bathroom, or kitchen, and

they had only a wood stove for heat.

Occasionally, the irrigation gates were opened and the yard would be flooded, covering stepping stones to the “facility” out back.

Quite an adjustment for a young city girl to make.

The following are some photos of J.D. and Louise’s first two years of marriage in Balmorhea:

Things were not very expensive in 1936but at $4.00 for the night this was obviously not the honeymoon suite.

Maybe these were weekend rates.

We are not sure, but we believe this to be their house 67 years later.The irrigation ditch is visible in front.

The young couple and their prized possession.How their car got that name is unknown.

First AnniversaryFeb. 22, 1937

It does snow in West Texas . . . sometimes.

Taking a horse ride in July 1937 while visiting a neighboring “small” ranch -- only about 20 sections.

The CCC boys also built some of the furniture for the Indian Lodgelocated near Ft. Davis and McDonald Observatory.

After work, rattlesnake hunting was a fun activity.

Balmorhea State Park is just one of 32 state parks built in Texas by the CCC that are still in operation today. With its 18 adobe-walled cottages and 34 camp sites, this park is truly an Oasis in the Desert. These facilities have provided fun and recreation for many millions of people for over

six generations and will continue to provide the same for many generations to come.

Note:

All of the black and white photos seen here were either taken personally by J.D. and Louise, or they were pictures that Louise had saved. The older photos were taken during the depression years, and becausephotography was expensive, photos were only taken on special occasions. The quality of the photos leaves something to be desired, but they do tell a story. The color photos were taken in August of 2004 when Louise went back to Balmorhea. This was her first visit since she and J.D. had left in 1937.

The excerpts from newspaper articles were taken from some of the items that Louise has saved over the years. They make interesting reading, for they give some idea of what life was like at that time.

The family of Captain J. D. Sellers, deceased, provided this story and all photos and articles.

September 2004.

This photo was taken in 2002 on Louise’s 90th birthday.With Louise are her and J.D.’s two children,

eight grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.