Even the atmosphere at freeway rest areas in Texas is different from California. Perhaps because this is a region of frequent gusts and tornadoes, they even have temporary shelters.
I leave the RV park early and stop first in Austin, the state capital, to look around. The city, I learn, takes its name from the pioneer Stephen Austin, known as the “Father of Texas.” Austin is a center for the cattle trade and other agricultural markets, as well as country music. It is also known for several distinguished universities, each proud of its history and academic traditions. At the University of Texas are the presidential library honoring Texas-born Lyndon B. Johnson, with his strong cowboy image, and the Texas Memorial Museum. I take a leisurely look around the city along Interstate 35, then head for the day’s destination: Waco.
Waco came to the world’s attention more than 30 years ago when the U.S. government used force to end a standoff with the Branch Davidians, a religious sect. Having emerged from the Adventist tradition, they lived as a community and proclaimed that the end of the world was near.
Their leader began attracting public attention after news reports alleged that he practiced polygamy, had married several women, including girls aged 12 and 13, and had fathered at least 12 children. The Branch Davidians were also suspected of stockpiling illegal weapons. After a detailed investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) moved to conduct a search and make arrests. When agents raided the ranch to execute warrants on the morning of February 28, 1993, a gunfight left four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians dead. The FBI then took over the operation, and a 51-day standoff followed. Heavily armed FBI personnel moved against the compound. A fire of undetermined origin broke out in the ranch buildings, and the episode ended with 76 deaths, including the leader, Koresh.
Preconceptions are powerful things. Ever since I learned about that episode, Waco had not been a city that called up pleasant images for me.
MEMO
The Branch Davidians were a religious sect that emerged from the Adventist tradition and proclaimed the imminent end of the world. They lived as a community on a ranch 8 miles northeast of Waco. Their leader became publicly known through reports that he had declared all the women in the community his own and practiced a form of polygamy centered on himself, marrying several women, including girls aged 12 and 13, and fathering at least 12 children.