Folktales from the Helotes Settlement

John Igo

University of North Texas Press, Dec 15, 2014 - History - 184 pages

The Texas Folklore Society has been publishing a regular volume of folklore research (our PTFS series) for the past several decades. Most of these books are what we call miscellanies, compilations of the works of multiple folklorists, and they feature articles on many types of lore. We’ve also published over twenty "Extra Books," which are single-author manuscripts that examine a more focused topic.  Folktales from the Helotes Settlement by John Igo is Extra Book #25. It's a collection of personal memories from our longest active member, who first joined the Society over fifty years ago. Here we find legends, customs, and beliefs of the people of the Helotes Settlement near San Antonio. These stories capture the lore of a place similar to lots of other places--our places. They're familiar to us all because, when we get right down to it, the Helotes Settlement is not very different from wherever we're from.

Contents

• The White Chapel: 1
• Hitzfelder: 2
• What Toll Road?: 5
• Freddie at Maudes: 9
• Shavano: 10
• The Mobile Market: 13
• Stations of the Cross: 15
• John Marnocks Dog: 18
• The Other Barber: 20
• The Dowser: 24
• Spring: 27
• By Any Other Name: 29
• Wayfaring Strangers: 31
• Charcoal City: 34
• Cave Dwellers: 36
• Seabirds: 38
• Chewing Tobacco: 40
• The Natural Cure: 43
• BirdBoy: 45
• Edwards Flat: 48
• Daisy and the Stork: 50
• The Indian Tree: 52
• The MoellerMarnock Shootout Marnock version: 53
• The Culvert: 55
• The Devil in the Outhouse: 56
• The Trophy Buck: 59
• Nomad: 61
• Indian Middens and Graves: 63
• Fools Gold: 67
• The Skeleton House: 70
• Phantom Cemetery: 72
• Cisterns?: 75
• The Wolf Man: 77
• The Buzzard Colony: 80
• The Rustler: 83
• Snakes: 87
• The Invisible Bootleggers: 89
• The Devils Slide: 92
• Lost Gold: 94
• The Totem: 96
• Postal Service: 99
• The MerryEye: 102
• The Barn Ghost: 107
• Lucys Treasures: 110
• Murder I: 112
• The White Witch: 114
• Murder II: 117
• Artifacts: 118
• Cleto: 120
• Mr Brauchles School: 122
• Scaring Indians: 124
• The Kid: 125
• Sams Innocent Heart: 127
• July 4 1976: 128
• The Fence: 131
• The Famous Stew: 133
• Our Lady of Zion: 134
• Watermelons: 137
• Infant Mortality: 138
• A Place with Three Mothers: 139
• Lilys Bottle: 142
• St Cecilias Eyes: 143
• The Waltz Contest: 145
• StoryTeller: 147
• An Elegy: 149
• Index: 160

About the author

John Igo is an award-winning poet and author of many books and plays. He won an Emmy in 1985 for his writing for a one-hour documentary.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Folktales from the Helotes Settlement; Volume 25 of Texas Folklore Society Extra Book
• Author: John Igo
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press, 2014
• ISBN: 1574415891, 9781574415896
• Length: 184 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / State & Local / Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX); Social Science / Folklore & Mythology