July 26, 2006

I was shopping with Jackie in one of the department stores in Denton a couple of weeks ago. As we were leaving the store, someone walked up to me and gently tapped my right shoulder. When I experience this type of greeting, I always know I am in for a great surprise.

Sure enough, I was surprised to look up and see Johnny Button standing there. Johnny was one of Red and Clara Button’s sons. They lived to the west of my house on the next block over. Red’s mother and father lived one block to the north on Hill Street. We referred to this house as the Old Button house for a quick reference to the place where they lived.

I remember Johnny as a teenager. George Button and his dear wife were homey couple who greeted everyone with southern hospitality.

Jackie and I, with our two oldest daughters, moved to Aubrey in 1957, from Muenster, after I obtained a job in Dallas. We moved into my grandparents old family home. My Dad made the arrangements for us to live in the old family home.

I knew all of the neighbors in the area. Mr. and Mrs. George Button could sit and visit for hours talking, laughing, and telling some old funny yarns that were so popular back during that time.

George Button’s parents were involved with the stage coach station that was located on top of Zilla Boy Mountain. All that remains of the old station are the native iron stone rocks where they lived and operated the livery stable which was designed to welcome incoming and outgoing passengers.

There was another stop in Pilot Point. After stopping at the Zilla Boy Station, and going out west on the old wire road, which is what it was called back then, they stopped again in the Bolivar area. That was the general schedule of the stage coach. The stops gave the lady passengers a time to freshen up for the journey between stops. Mr. and Mrs. Button (Red’s Grandparents) provided food and resting quarters for the travelers.

When the newly arriving stage came to the stop, the wheels and coach were inspected to determine if they needed repairs. If the coach required repair, the coach was switched out, and the stage was then sent off with as little time wasted as possible. Fresh rested horses were exchanged with the tired horses, so they could travel to the next stop.

Time was important to the stage coach workers. The passengers were trying to make a quick trip through the hostile Indian Territory. Many times the trip could become dangerous, but generally they were secure.

From the east coast, the stage coaches were spaced out all of the way to St. Louis, Missouri. The stage coach traveled from St. Louis to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, and through the Zilla Boy Mountain on into California. The Butterfield Stage coach came through Onega for a short period during the time of the Civil War as it made its way to the Denton Square. The coach came through Onega about twenty years before the name was changed to Aubrey. It stopped close to where the old steel water tower was located from 1938 to the 1990's.

George Button’s family first settled at Little Elm before the stage coach adventure which took place in the late 1850's and through the 1860's. It proved to be a valuable asset during the time of the Civil War, especially when the coaches transported the mail.

The old Button house in the 500 block of Hill Street had been a livery stable at one time before the Button’s resided in the old Victorian house.

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. and Mrs. George Button were real talkers. They could hold your attention for long periods of time. I found that making tape recordings back during that time were especially helpful in keeping to the memory of the many visits to their home.

The Button home and stagecoach livery stable and passenger rest stop was partially in existence until the 1960's. Down the mountain and on to the old skeleton bridge was the road that was referred to as the old wire road.

Bill Falzett and his family built their home about 200 yards from the old stagecoach livery stable where the rocks are piled up in the new Butterfield State addition that has been platted for future homesites.

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