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Carl Smith

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  1. My great uncle was ranch manager here in the 50s and early sixties, He and my aunt Dorothy lived in the big two story ranch house that was right next to the mansion.In the summers I got to go play cowboy on the ranch which belonged to Rice but was leased out to run cattle on. My uncle Buddy was also somewhat a caretaker for the mansion.I had the chance to visit the property many times.There used to be servants quarters behind the mansion that were connected to the main house by an underground tunnel so servants could be summoned to work and show up without being seen on the grounds. It has been a long time, but I seem to remember about a dozen bathrooms each with a different scene done in tile.Much of the original furniture was gone by the time I first saw the house but I remember the dining table being at least 30 feet long with highbacked chairs. the dining hall had a huge fireplace at one end and a very high vaulted ceiling with a hand painted mural. In the master bath there was a very heavy marble rub down table and an old time steam cabinet. I am not sure, but I believe Silver Dollar Jim West lived in River Oaks. There were stories about him [or maybe a brother] who had a tennis court built there with fences and netting that were built on a hydralic lift system to comply with building codes in River Oaks. When not in use they dissapeared underground.
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