Charles H. Noyes
Ballinger, Runnels County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Charles H. Noyes, 21, died when his horse fell while rounding up cattle on the Noyes' Ranch. His father and mother, Gus and Lula Noyes, erected monument in 1919 as a tribute to their son and all Texas cowboys. Pompeo Coppini of Chicago studied horses two years before sculpturing statue.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When 21-year-old Charles H. Noyes was killed in 1919 by a fall from his horse while working cattle on his family's ranch, his grieving parents commissioned a monument not only to their son but to all Texas cowboys. Sculptor Pompeo Coppini studied horses for two years before creating the bronze, producing a work that memorializes the vanishing world of the open-range cowhand.
Why it matters
The statue elevates the individual cowboy into a symbol of the ranching heritage that defined Texas identity and the American West.
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Related people
- · Charles H. Noyes
- · Gus Noyes
- · Lula Noyes
- · Pompeo Coppini
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Runnels County Courthouse
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After Runnels County organized in 1880, its residents fought a heated contest with Runnels City before Ballinger—on land the Santa Fe Railroad had platted in 1886—won the county seat, and the courthouse rose here in 1888-89. It stands on one of the largest courthouse squares in Texas, a full two city blocks. A 1941 remodeling added two wings faced with stone from the same local quarry reopened along the Colorado River.
Runnels County
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Carved from Bexar and Travis counties, Runnels County was created in 1858 and formally organized in 1880. It honors Hiram G. Runnels, a lawyer, Mississippi governor, and later Texas legislator. Its first county seat was Runnels City, but that role passed to Ballinger in 1888.
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Site of Pickettville
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