BRACKETTVILLE - A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST News from the Las Moras 1920 - 1929 (17)

The Final Episode of the live for Mary West: Mary West lived during the era when Uvalde was considered a “Cowtown” because of the presence of some of the biggest cowmen in Texas who had ranches or headquarters in Uvalde and the surrounding counties. Her parents were known as one of these cowmen. The San Angelo Standard - Times of July 28, 1929 published an article describing Uvalde as a real Cowtown.

“All is well in the real cowtown of Texas, Uvalde, whose boundaries include the residence and operating headquarters of some of the biggest cowmen in Texas. Estimates are that from 150,000 to 200,000 head of cattle are owned by men who either reside here or make this city their headquarters.” 

The article listed some of these cowmen. Frank and Eugene Kincaid and West and Van Ham were mentioned. West was Mary’s father and Frank Kincaid was her second husband for just a couple of day. “The ranches of these men were located in Kinney, Uvalde, Zavala, Real Maverick and Dimmitt counties.”

The article went on to describe Frank Kincaid. “Frank Kincaid does the big buying for Kincaid brothers. He owns the hotel here (Uvalde), where he does much of his trading. They own ranches on the Dry Frio and in Uvalde and Zavala counties. The firm also runs many goats on the Dry Frio and at one time Frank Kincaid had 30,000 goats.” “Half million dollar cattle sales aren’t unusual in this steer county.”

It was reported in the San Angelo Evening Standard of July 28, 1927, “Frank Kincaid of Uvalde, the owner of the new $165,000 Kincaid Hotel which has opened for business is interested in more goats probably than any man in the state and Texas has more goats than any of the other forty-seven. He owns and is partner in about 20,000 goats which are valued conservatively at $100,000. Bill Winn is his partner of 12,000 of them. 

On his ranch north of Uvalde he runs them and about 4000 sheep on about 40,000 acres. In addition there are about 300 cattle on the place. He figures on about two acres to the goat.”

Frank and brother Eugene ranched together. Frank was also in the hotel business. The San Angelo Evening Standard of April 17, 1928 reported, “that Mr. Kincaid lived in Uvalde and built a modern, two-story hotel that opened in August of 1927. The hotel was built as a monument to his father, W. D. (Billy) Kincaid.

The San Angelo Evening Standard of September 11, 1927 had an article describing the new hotel. It was a “sixty room, four-story fireproof hotel…It had a roof garden, dining room, coffee shop, large hobby and sixty guest rooms, each with a private bath…Speaking of the new hotel, the Tavern Talk, a hotelman’s magazine, has the following to say, “The Kincaid is the pride of the town…An Otis high-speed elevator is installed…All rooms on the south side have individual tub baths while the north side rooms are provided with connection shower baths. Steel furniture is installed throughout the house with Sealy box springs and coil mattresses, and bedrooms and corridors are laid with high-grade carpets throughout.”

Frank Taylor Kincaid was born on September 6, 1893 in Marfa. His father was W. D. Billy Kincaid who worked the cattle trails in the 1800s and became a prominent rancher. His mother was Cordelia Taylor, granddaughter of Captain William Ware, a pioneer of Uvalde County and a distinguished military man. Frank had an older brother Eugene (1892 - 1965), two younger sisters ‘Mae’ (1895 - 1975) and ‘Tincie’ (1898 - 1974). Frank came to live in Uvalde in 1904 and remained a resident there all his life.

Two years after Frank’s marriage to Mary West was annulled, he, age 37, married Jewell Pink Armstrong (August 12, 1908 - July 19, 1989) on February 21, 1931. Together they had three daughter. Frank died on March 23, 1965 in Uvalde, Texas. His brother Eugene died the same year.