The little community of Salado, where we live, almost washed away this past weekend. We had about 15 inches of rain in 24 hours. Salado Creek became a raging river that engulfed the park. Some folks had to evacuate their homes and others were isolated because of the inundated bridges. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Salado is truly a unique place. It’s been around since the 1850s and was even a dwelling site for the Indians long before then. Folks who live here prefer to call it a village. It was only officially incorporated as a town a few years ago. The name of the weekly newspaper is even called the Village Voice.

The main street of the village is the famous Chisholm Trail, known for the cattle drives through Texas. The trail crosses Salado Creek which is feed by springs, bubbling cold clear water. Indians first discovered this oasis located on the Balcones Fault. Salado sits on the demarcation between the east and western parts of the state. A mile or two to the east is the rich blacklands that is the southern extent of the Great Plains and a mile or two to the west is the rocky, arid land of west Texas.

Salado was the site of a stagecoach stop and the Inn is still there taking us back to the past with its old world ambience. It was a place that saw guest like Robert E. Lee and George Armstrong Custer. Sam Houston made a famous antisecession speech from the balcony. The place has weathered the years and even storms like the current downpour but, unfortunately, the current ownership is inflicting more damage than time or the weather.

Because of its central location, Salado host some special event almost every weekend. It is a favorite spot for weddings and reunions and is the site for meetings of Scottish Clans, Civil War reenactments, antique car shows and a major art show each year. The village lights up each year with a Christmas stroll. There are numerous art galleries and boutique shops filled with all sorts of wearing apparel and expensive goodies for the home. The Institute for the Humanities features several nationally known speakers each year and Music in Salado host a number of artist who match performances in some of the big concert halls in the country. We have a library that is second to none.

There are numerous bread and breakfast establishments and the village was even the site for Jenna Bush’s rehearsal dinner and pre-wedding activities. Horse drawn carriages carry tourist around and the experience is literally a step back into the nineteenth century and a much simpler time.

All of this got a big bath this past weekend. Debris is everywhere but I’m sure the village will recover as it has in the past. I, also, almost forgot to mention that Salado is the home of one of the largest pesky deer herds in the country. To add to our uniqueness, I wish the village alderman would add bear and wolves to the wildlife population in an attempt to thin the deer. We would really be a great tourist attraction if we could just spruce up the wildlife population. At least the view from my porch would be more attractive as I watched tourist who were watching a bear or wolf devour a deer. The other alternative would be to issue guns to the tourist and they could blast away at the deer from the horse drawn carriages