An Original Short Story by Susan Rektorik Henley

Forever on the flat coastal prairies of Texas, the winds have been at war. One day a fierce sustained wind of thirty-five miles per hour with gusts over forty, rushes from the south to the north. The next day an equally fierce wind rushes savagely from north to south. In our times, the same litter can be seen coming and going for days (just kidding, sort of). These wind battles between high and low pressure areas usually occur in the spring, fall, and some of winter. The summer gales and thunderstorms usually move inland from the Gulf of Mexico. It must have added a whole new set of circumstances for the Texas Czech settlers who moved down here after the land opened up for development. They came because the black clay soil was thought to be so fertile that it could be farmed and fertilizer would never be needed. In addition, the land was basically flat which made it easier to farm and less likely to erode.

By 1919, my paternal Grandparents, Alois (Lois) and Johanna (Jennie) Mrazek Rektorik, had been married and living on their farm for over ten years. They had three sons: Frank; born in 1911, Julius; born in 1913, and Edward, born in 1915. They had a house, large barn, several outbuildings and even a garage for their first car, a Model T Ford. My grandfather was a forward looking man and he always strove to have the newest technology. While the family home was constructed of wood and set on a pier and beam foundation (due to the shifting clay soil), the construction of the garage for the Model T relied heavily on the use of concrete and brick. This would become important when the family feared that the house would collapse on them during the worst of the great storm.

Agnes Agatha Rektorik was one of Louis Rektorik's younger sisters. In 1915 she had married Rudolph E. Hrncir, one of the sons of Frank Hrncir and Julia Holub Hrncir. Their first son, Wilson, was born in 1918 in Lavaca County. Rudolph, Agnes, and their baby son made the move to South Texas in early 1919. At first they stayed with Louis and Jennie Rektorik and then they rented a farm adjacent to the Louis Rektorik farm which was owned by the Jallufka family. This land had been picked by the Jalufkas because it was free of the "running mesquite" which was the bane of early settlers. It was only after a house was built and the rains came that they learned that the land was clear of mesquite because it would stand water for month and months at a time. A number of young Czech families rented the house and farm and it was said that anyone who lived there went on to be successful.

Again, unless you have lived on a farm on the coastal prairies of Texas, you cannot realize how constant a factor the weather is. Young Rudolph planted his first cotton crop that year. In early September, it was still in the field. Over the years, the Czech cotton farmers would learn to pick the same field of cotton several times as the bolls opened. This diminished the amount of cotton which would be lost if a hurricane came.

The farms of the Coastal Bend were isolated. Back then anyone who lived within 25 miles was considered a close neighbor. The Weather Bureau Office in New Orleans issued hurricane advisories via the telegraph. The advisories were read in the nearest city, Corpus Christi, but no warning was made to those in the outlying area. And, in truth, those advisories were of little use for they usually told of where a storm had been and there was no way then to predict where it would go. Louis Rektorik was, as were many farmers of that time, a keen observer of the weather and nature. He had noted during the week starting on September 9th, 1919, the appearance of high clouds which we know as "Mare's tail's" or Cirrus clouds. These clouds usually only appear down here during the winter. About midweek the wind shifted and blew to the northeast. For three days this unusual wind blew. And, towards the end of the week, flocks of sea birds could be seen flying inland. Until this very day, we look for these signs to alert us to coming of a hurricane.

Saturday night the winds grew in intensity. Early Sunday morning, September 16th, 1919; Rudolph, Agnes, and Wilson, went to the home of Louis and Jennie Rektorik. Sunday dinner was the weekly gathering time for the extended family. Jennie and Agnes began to make kolaches. In a big, heavy crockery bowl, they placed cakes of yeast, sugar, and warm water. The earthy scent of the yeast filled the kitchen as it dissolved, fed on the sugar, and multiplied. Squall lines of heavy rain overran the farm with greater and greater frequency. By the time the scalded milk, salt, and flour had been added to the yeast mixture and kneaded into dough, there could be no doubt that they would be hit by a hurricane...they just didn't know how hard.

The dough doubled beneath a clean white cloth. Jennie and Agnes pitted the still steaming prunes with which they would make the filling for the kolaches. The sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla were worked to proper consistency for the popsika while the men silently watched the storm. Sheets of rain fell. The wind ripped the leaves from the trees and plastered their shredded remains against the windows of the house. The women punched down the dough and began working it into egg-sized balls which they placed into the baking pans. A drumming sound came from under the house as the wind funneled and surged through the pier and beam foundation. The men looked out but could see nothing but dark.

 The kolaches were filled, buttered, and rising when Louis truly became alarmed. He had been through the hurricane of 1913; but, it had not reached this intensity. The house groaned and cracked. It felt as if it would rise off the very foundation. The decision was made, they would wait until the kolaches were baked, and then they would move to the garage which would be able to stand more than the house could. It must have been around eleven o’clock that morning when the last coat of melted butter was dabbed on the still hot kolaches and the popsika sprinkled.

At about this time in Corpus Christi, Texas, some thirty miles to the east, the strongest part of the storm was just hitting North Beach. This was a Class Four Hurricane packing winds of up to 150 miles per hour and a storm surge of what is believed to be over twenty feet. Buildings not shattered by the wind were crushed by the surge. There was no sea wall then. The devastation caused by this storm still gives it the dubious honor of being named the third most deadly hurricane to hit the mainland of the United States between 1900 and 1996 (latest records to which I have access). The bodies of its victims would was up for months after the storm. ass graves became necessary.

The Rektorik and Hrncir families bundled up and headed for the garage. The littlest of the boys were carried. It was only with great difficulty that progress was made towards the garage against the force of the wind. They walked through quickly rising water and the rain stung like a swarm of hornets as it hit them. Once in the garage, they all climbed into the Model T Ford which kept them above the water level. They listened as the wind shifted from north to west, and finally south. For hours after hours after hours they sat in the car. The sound of the wind was so loud and intense they could not hear the nearly constant crack of thunder. The rain fell so heavy and was driven so fiercely by those hurricane force winds that the great white-light bolts of lightening which hit all around could not be seen if one were adventurous enough to look out. The storm finally passed and by Monday morning calm prevailed.

When daylight came, the two families found that the houses and other buildings were still standing. The cotton fields were flattened, the cotton ripped from the bolls, and standing in water. Rudolph silently observed the scene while he himself stood in the dirty, debris-filled water. "Rudolph, please say something!" beseeched Agnes again and again. Not a word did Rudolph say.

"If this is what life is like in South Texas, I think it would be best to move back to Moravia (Texas)!" is what Rudolph was actually thinking at that time...according to family lore. Rudolph and Agnes stayed. They had two more sons and a good farm of their own. Uncle Rudolph died early so I do not recall him but dear Aunt Agnes was one of the highlights of my childhood.
 

Kdo chce s vlky býti, musí vlky výti!

If you run with the wolves, then you must howl with the wolves!

Remember who your people are, keep and tell their stories to keep the fires of the culture alive!

Susan Rektořík Henley

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