Our time in Fredericksburg had to an end. The final morning began with a slow drive through the hills and roadsides of the Willow City Loop which were fairly bursting with Texas Bluebonnets and red Indian Paintbrush with lots of other flowers making an appearance in this riot of color which this area is well known for. I could have stayed a bit longer in the Texas Hill Country as there was a lot more to see -- a few good museums, historic buildings, and some popular parks with interesting features including the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Old Tunnel State Park to name only two. These are located within the city limits or a short distance from Fredericksburg.
The remainder of our morning schedule called for driving on to the city of Waco where we had a reservation for the night, and so we had a good drive ahead of us. Unfortunately it was not a very sunny day. Leaving on Rt. 18, we then turned east on Rt. 281 considered a scenic route though a less traveled one. Turning more easterly, we made our way back to Interstate 35 going north ‘til we hit
Waco. We chose not to go to Austin on this trip though it would definitely be on our list if we revisit Texas.
Waco may be considered famous or infamous depending on your recall of historic events. Many people will remember the name Waco for one event and one event only -- the 1993 Waco Siege, sometimes called the Waco Massacre. The Waco Siege was a fatal confrontation between religious zealot David Koresh and his followers, the Branch Davidians, and the governments Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) federal agents. The Branch Davidians are an of the Seventh Day Adventists Church, a Protestant Christian religion that derives its name from its observance of Saturday as the Sabbath, among other religious distinctions and beliefs. What happened at the Branch was the result of set of events and past history which Ill only touch on briefly here.
The Branch Davidians were a splintered religious sect from Sheperds Rod, one of several offshoots, created by schisms in other branch sects; it had history in which top members struggled for power over the group. Apparently, this internal struggle ended after a series of
violent shootouts between rival leader, George Roden, and David Koreshs group; this notorious confrontation resulted in Koresh and his followers, the Koreshians, winning the Mount Shades of the wild west!!
What originally had drawn the federal governments attention to Koresh and this sect were allegations of physical and sexual abuse involving minors, and illegal weapons violations stemming from fact that the sect was harboring a weapons arsenal. ATF agents attempted to execute a search warrant relating to these alleged crimes which ended in the deaths of both federal agents and Davidians. There was a standoff between the Koreshians and ATF/federal agents before the incidents ended in tragedy for all concerned. I remember watching the events as they unfolded on TV. It was this Mount that was later burned to the ground and where 80 people died. Apparently, portions of can still be seen today including a new church or chapel which stands on the foundations of the original building destroyed by conflagration. Other remnants of the are visible as well. Its been said that to this day, no one know who fired the first shots which led to this incident.
Waco is a big city crisscrossed by major routes and Interstate 35, so we stopped in at the Waco Tourist Information Center (WTIC) located on Texas Ranger Trail for maps and other information to make our visit The Centers attendant was friendly and very helpful. A little shop here sold small souvenirs but I only purchased a couple of packets of Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush seeds.
