Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Houston: maintenance, residences)

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by wCat

That's amazing! I may have some info on your family that you may not have.....at least some historical references that tie into them. I will have to DM you later. I also have an ancestor that was an early downtown resident.
They probably hung out together! He came to Texas in 1849....and was assassinated on E. Commerce ST about 3 miles from San Fernando Cathedral. SA was wild and wooly back then.

Wow! No telling all the things that went on with other relatives we don't know about. lol

Let me know if you have anything!!!! TIA!!!

[linskie]

Originally Posted by CL78248

Does anyone remember BarQ on West Avenue? They had the best barbecue. I still live in the same neighborhood and remember many of the places you are mentioning (not Connies Taco's though)

I remember the BarQ. It was on the right-hand side of West Ave heading east. I believe it was where the road dips a bit, farther down past El Bosque. Good food.

[jg1208]

Bud B, My dad used to call the Salado the "slough" creek also and it used to
confuse me. I had mentioned the Log Cabin Inn around the corner from the old
bridge on Old CC Rd. and she said they might have sold BBQ there many, many
moons ago.

[BudB]

Salado being a Hispanic word, when spoken quickly it sounds more like Slough which rhymes with cow or plough to be more exact. In other words, "Slough" is the Anglo/gringo version of Salado since that's how they heard it. I don't recall the Log Cabin as such but do remember there being some funky old structures out there. That area is close to where the important but mostly forgotten Battle of the Rosillo was fought in 1813 that resulted in the establishment of the first "republic of Texas." It's where the Salado and Rosillo Creeks meet and those nearby pastures used to be great places to hunt dove and quail. Meanwhile, the mystery bridge issue, which is still going on, may be about the old South Loop Bridge at Bergs Mill. It is still there but closed to traffic and was just off Old Corpus Christi Road/South Presa. Perhaps that is the span that wCat is remembering but I still believe that the Goliad Rd. bridge is more likely. Where exactly did you grow up jg1208, if I may ask?

[catriona]

Originally Posted by BudB

Salado being a Hispanic word, when spoken quickly it sounds more like Slough which rhymes with cow or plough to be more exact. In other words, "Slough" is the Anglo/gringo version of Salado since that's how they heard it.

A "Slough" comes from an old English word meaning either a river/creek bed or a swampy/muddy area, which is probably why some people call the Salado a "slough". The part of Salado Creek that comes to mind for me is that section that weaves through Southside Lions Park on Pecan Valley. If that isn't a 'slough', I don't know what is! We used to go fishing down there - never caught anything but some small perch. I've also heard the word pronounced two different ways -- here, it rhymes with 'cow', but my Georgia mom pronounced it like "slew", which is how I always pronounced it. My kids corrected me when they read Pilgrim's Progress!

[wCat]

Originally Posted by catriona

A "Slough" comes from an old English word meaning either a river/creek bed or a swampy/muddy area, which is probably why some people call the Salado a "slough". The part of Salado Creek that comes to mind for me is that section that weaves through Southside Lions Park on Pecan Valley. If that isn't a 'slough', I don't know what is! We used to go fishing down there - never caught anything but some small perch. I've also heard the word pronounced two different ways -- here, it rhymes with 'cow', but my Georgia mom pronounced it like "slew", which is how I always pronounced it. My kids corrected me when they read Pilgrim's Progress!

Learn something new in this thread everyday. We also pronounced it "slew"...but that was also inherited from Southern ancestors. I have never heard of the "cow" pronunciation...but it's obvious that it is commonly used in South Texas from the replies here. Just to make it interesting, I've also heard it pronounced "Sluff" and "Sloff"...rhyming with "rough" and "cough". I think everyone is correct.

Now....about the pronunciation of "Salado"!

[BudB]

Each of these other pronunciations of Slough is correct in the various regional ways mentioned but I'll stick by my explanation of Salado Creek being pronounced to rhyme with cow. That's how it sounds phonetically in TexMex and I've heard black Eastsiders say it this way as well. And it's not a South Texas thing but rather an old East Side San Antonio thing. As fourth generation from that part of town, it was always the most common way to hear it and thus say it. It's good to see someone write about fishing at Lions Park as I too have done tho not in a long time. But long before that park was made my family fished and even swam near Comanche Park under the bridge where Rigsby crosses the "Slough." Once upon a time believe it or not, it was a big deal to dive off that bridge when water depth allowed. This Forum is great for swapping such memories and I thank everyone for chiming in; it's a good way to keep the history alive and somehow that's important.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by BudB

Each of these other pronunciations of Slough is correct in the various regional ways mentioned but I'll stick by my explanation of Salado Creek being pronounced to rhyme with cow. That's how it sounds phonetically in TexMex and I've heard black Eastsiders say it this way as well. And it's not a South Texas thing but rather an old East Side San Antonio thing. As fourth generation from that part of town, it was always the most common way to hear it and thus say it. It's good to see someone write about fishing at Lions Park as I too have done tho not in a long time. But long before that park was made my family fished and even swam near Comanche Park under the bridge where Rigsby crosses the "Slough." Once upon a time believe it or not, it was a big deal to dive off that bridge when water depth allowed. This Forum is great for swapping such memories and I thank everyone for chiming in; it's a good way to keep the history alive and somehow that's important.

Interesting Bud....that's its an Eastside SA thing. So it was not called the Salado "Slough"....it was called the "Slough Creek"? That really does make sense when you explain the pronunciation of "Salado"....sort of slurred together. So the "slough/cow" part had nothing to do with it being a "swampy marshy" area that would be true of a "slough/slew".

When doing some property research in near Uvalde and Hondo, those wide broad dried creek beds (now more flood plains) were most likely very swampy when the water table is higher. This would support what Catriona said. The county officials pronounced it "slew" as well. So you're also right about it not being a South Texas thing.

As far as how anything gets named "Salado" probably goes back farther than what is on record. I only know that "Salado" has several connotations....those being salty or briney as far as rivers, creeks and water sources. But Texas also has a lot of areas with salt domes and salt mines, which probably is why the word "Salado" is fairly common around Texas. I'm just guessing here. I really don't know for certain.

[catriona]

Originally Posted by BudB

Each of these other pronunciations of Slough is correct in the various regional ways mentioned but I'll stick by my explanation of Salado Creek being pronounced to rhyme with cow. That's how it sounds phonetically in TexMex and I've heard black Eastsiders say it this way as well. And it's not a South Texas thing but rather an old East Side San Antonio thing. As fourth generation from that part of town, it was always the most common way to hear it and thus say it. It's good to see someone write about fishing at Lions Park as I too have done tho not in a long time. But long before that park was made my family fished and even swam near Comanche Park under the bridge where Rigsby crosses the "Slough." Once upon a time believe it or not, it was a big deal to dive off that bridge when water depth allowed. This Forum is great for swapping such memories and I thank everyone for chiming in; it's a good way to keep the history alive and somehow that's important.

Bud B, a bell went off in my head when I read this! I do remember some people calling the Salado Creek the Sah-lah-oh Creek! (Accent on the middle sylable.) That's where the "slough" (rhymes with cow) comes from!

[BudB]

Yes catriona and many thanx for verifying my theory. And another yes to wCat about Salado meaning salty or briney. It must have been something minerally in the water because you reminded me of another stream farther east in Bexar County, Chupederas Creek. I'm told that chupederas means pucker or bitter so again its water tasted odd. This reminds me to mention that many of the old places, hills, valleys, trails, roads and rivers of Texas were named by early Spanish visitors. And often they were given the Spanish name most closely resembling the Indian name already in place. This is fascinating and certainly touches on what we have been discussing regarding Salado Creek or as many old timers call it, simply "the slough" as in cow. Meanwhile north of Austin is the well known town of Salado which is pronounced with the long a, as in Sa-lay-do, but spelled exactly the same. Cheers, Bud