Back in 1885, there wasn’t much in Anson but a few dirt roads, some cowhands and the Star Hotel, which was a fine hotel for its day. But Star Hotel operator M. G. Rhodes had big ideas, and one of them was to host a Grand Ball at his hotel for entertainment for the cowhands of the area. He picked the weekend just before Christmas and began to spread the word among the cowhands about the Ball at his hotel.
No one had any idea back in 1885 that anyone in the year 2014 would still be dancing to “Home on the Range,” or swinging around the dance floor to such traditional dances as the Virginia Reel or the Cotton-Eyed Joe or anything else.
But they’ve been doing it now for 80 years, ever since 1934 when a group of women in Anson decided to re-create the original Ball that was held at the old Star Hotel in 1885. It’s hard to believe, but 129 years later, the old West is still alive in Anson, Texas.
