Farmers, Ranchers, the Land and the Falls - Texas Parks & Wildlife ...

A History of the Pedernales Falls Area, 1850–1970
The Wheatleys also collected what Harriet called “memorabilia”—artifacts
relating to the people who once lived on their land. They were particularly fond
of two pistols they found: one, a .45-caliber revolver, embedded in a tree limb
near the cemetery; another, a .31-caliber Colt “lady’s pistol,” picked off the ground
near Eagle Bluff. Visitors to the ranch were often given arrowheads found by the
Wheatleys or their employees as souvenirs of their stay at the Circle Bar. 90
Figure 30. Christmas at the Wheatley’s home on the Circle Bar in 1957. Here (left to right)
Diana, Janet, Candy and Doug Roberts, Harriet Wheatley’s great-grandchildren, pose in front
of the fireplace. Photo courtesy of Sherill East, Diana L. Cooper, and Candace K. Sandefur.
C.A. and Harriet never lived on the ranch year-round. For them, the Circle
Bar served as something like a retreat. From the beginning of autumn to the end
of spring, they normally spent much of the week at their home in San Antonio:
Harriet remained active in church and civic groups in the city during the time
they owned the ranch, and C.A. continued to rent office space in the Maverick
Building until 1961. Usually they spent “a few days a week” at the Circle Bar.
During the hot Texas summers, they repaired to another home they had in
Colorado, or traveled to various wilderness areas around the U.S. and Canada
for hunting, fishing and camping. 91
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