Cedar Choppers

I recently saw a promotion of this book on the TV:
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/cedar-choppers-once-ruled-texas-hill-country/

I've been intending to get a copy.

From the time we moved to Austin about 1952 until Austin became terminally gentrified about 1980, cedar choppers were a feature in Austin society.  In junior high through college, it was widely held common knowledge that you don't mess with cedar choppers.  Especially the ones you might encounter in beer joints.  They were especially physically fit.  And not necessarily even tempered.

There used to be a string of semi-rough beer joints along North Lamar; Threadgill's being one.  In college, I remember one project one night was to see how many of those bars could be visited, drinking one beer at each.  I don't remember how that came out.  As I recall, there were similar beer joints on Congress, just north of the river.  Out the Jollyville Road (183) there was a notable bar, "The Cap Rock", at the top of a hill.  I can still identify the location.  A church or somesuch.  A memorable high school geography teacher first enlighted me on the significance of the west Texas Cap Rock.  The Cap Rock beer joint was perched on the top of a ridge somewhat similar to the real Cap Rock.

All the area NW of Austin was "cedar chopper country".  Jollyville, Spicewood, etc.  They lived in modest to marginal self built homes up and down the roads.  You would see well worn single axle stake bed trucks parked at the houses.  Loaded with the very durable local cedar posts destined for fence construction through out the state.

Cedar choppers were not well integrated.  If I went to school with any of the kids, I am unaware.  I'm not aware of any running for elected office.  Before this book was published, I was unaware of their social history.  Something like gypsies but more clustered and geographically stable.

As well as having the reputation of being extreme tough and strong, and  sometimes irrascible, cedar choppers had the reputation of being honest and honorable.