Bigfoot Wallace

The finest publication in the Commonwealth (internet or print) is the Rockbridge Advocate, a monthly print-only publication from Lexington edited and published by Doug Harwood. Every issue is a perfect blend of local (Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County) politics (often development-related), true crime, W&L and VMI news, and history. In this month's issue Doug starts a three-issue serialization of an excerpt from a 1871 book by John C. Duval called "The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace, Texas Ranger and Hunter." William "Bigfoot" Wallace was a Lexington native who left for Texas at age 19 and became legendary for his prowess as an Indian and Mexican fighter. The except from the book concerns Wallace's only return trip to Lexington, after the Mexican war. Alas, Google Print has not scanned it yet so I can't share it here.

Virginians, take note: There are generally considered to be three larger than life 19th Century Texans who "defined" Texas: Bigfoot Wallace, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett. Wallace and Houston were both from Rockbridge County, Virginia-- Wallace's father's farm was in Lexington, Houston's cabin was a couple of miles northeast of Lexington.