Texas Wagon Train Ends 6-Month Trek; Met by Gov. White

The Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train ended its six-month, 3,000-mile circle of the state Wednesday by meandering into town for a rendezvous with Gov. Mark White.

The 150 wagons, many of them actual 19th-Century models that were refurbished for the trip, and 600 horseback riders reined into Gateway Park about 2 p.m.

White arrived by helicopter an hour and a half later.

“I think these people have something they can talk about for the rest of their lives,” said White, who was dressed in blue jeans. “They had some ups and downs along the way, just like in Texas today, in our economy.

“Some people wanted to turn back, I suspect, and some wanted to drop out, but most kept coming on, and that’s the way Texans do,” he said.