Posse members react to Clyde Biggins' BBQ

There is no shortage of opinions on the Texas BBQ Posse. Often we differ among ourselves.

That wasn't the case when we ate lunch last week at Clyde Biggins' house.

We all agreed that the former Dallas BBQ King, trying to make a comeback after nearly 17 years in prison, can still cook.

Clyde is back, cooking some of the best BBQ in Dallas, but you can't buy it

Sometimes, the only place to start is at the beginning.

In early January 2010, a large manilla envelope came to me in the mail from the federal prison in Fort Worth. A reader commented on a story I had written for The Dallas Morning News about the Posse's very first barbecue tour, to the Central Texas BBQ heartland.

"It's all good," the reader wrote. "'But' have you really tasted the best barbecue in Texas?"

The reader said his name was Clyde Biggins and that he once owned "Clyde's Old Fashion Hickory Smoked Barbecue" on Westmoreland Road in Dallas.

One last shot: FSA photographer Russell Lee and the 1940 Pie City Fair

I wanted to share one last batch of Farm Security Administration (FSA) photos shot by Russell Lee. These were shot during a free community BBQ at the Pie Town (NM) Fair in 1940.

As a photojournalism student at the University of Missouri in the early 1980s, I was exposed to his work along with fellow FSA staffers including Dorthea Lange, Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans and Walker Evans. Outside of Life magazine in its heyday, this has to be the most talented photo staff ever assembled. Their documentation of the Great Depression gives us an irreplaceable visual record of the struggles and triumphs of the American people during that time.

Each of Mr. Lee's photos from the fair capture and preserve a moment in time as a small community of homesteaders copes with the end of the depression.  These images bring humanity to the forefront as Pie Town residents gather together to share stories, friendship and a barbecue dinner.
 
Such is the power of photojournalism, but I would also argue that such is the power of barbecue.

Click here to read more about Russell Lee's journey to Pie Town in Smithsonian magazine.

Friends meeting at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair

Grace was said before the barbeque was served at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair

Serving pinto beans at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair barbeque

Getting ready to serve the barbeque dinner at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair

Homesteader feeding his daughter at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair free barbeque

Homesteader and his children eating barbeque at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair

Crowd eating free barbeque dinner at the Pie Town, New Mexico Fair

Men of the community of Pie Town, New Mexico eating at the barbeque

Main Street, Pie Town, New Mexico.

More historic BBQ photos from the files of the Farm Security Administration

Here's another set of barbecue photos from the collection of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photo archive. These were shot in 1940 by photojournalist Russell Lee at a free community barbecue picnic on Labor Day in Ridgway, Colorado.

After my blog post last week on FSA images of Texas BBQ, I spent some more time going through their photo archive searching "barbecue." I found an amazing set of color photos from a community BBQ in New Mexico, also shot in 1940 by Russell Lee, a rarity as almost all FSA images were shot on black & white film. I'll put up several more posts of these historic photos in the coming months.

You can click here to see a slideshow of some of the more famous FSA depression era photos on flicker.

Getting barbecue and coffee at the free barbecue at Ridgway, Colorado, on Labor Day.

Slicing barbecue at the free barbecue on Labor Day at Ridgway, Colorado.

Ringing the gong for dinner at the free barbecue, Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Serving the barbecue at the free barbecue on Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Barbecue pits and people standing in line to be served at the free barbecue at Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

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Barbecue pit on Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Boys' sack race, Labor Day celebration, Ridgway, Colorado.

Spectators at childrens' races, Labor Day celebration, Ridgway, Colorado.

Woman and her baby waiting in line for barbecue on Labor Day at Ridgway, Colorado.

Photos: Depression era Texas BBQ through the eyes of legendary FSA photographers

I was recently researching some historic photos in my job as a photo editor at the Dallas Morning News when I ran across the Library of Congress website for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photo archive. Initially created in 1935 as part of the New Deal, the FSA was an effort during the Depression to document and combat American rural poverty.

The FSA photo collection houses some of the most famous photographs in history, including Dorthea Lange's migrant mother photo and Arthur Rothstein's Oklahoma dust bowl photo. Other legendary FSA photojournalists included Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans and Walker Evans.

I was immediately curious if there were any Texas BBQ photos. When I put in the search term "barbecue" I got 98 hits, much to my delight. Four of the photos were from Texas, including the photo above, taken in 1939 by Russell Lee. The caption reads: Man slicing barbecue at lunch stand at the Gonzales County Fair. Gonzales, Texas.

Here are the other three FSA barbecue images shot in Texas. I'm looking forward to digging deeper into the photographic history of Texas BBQ. You can click here to see a slideshow of some of the more famous FSA depression era photos on flicker.

Caption: Negro sitting on bench at side of barbecue stand made of galvanized metal, Corpus Christi, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1939.

Caption: Harlingen, Texas. Barbecue stand. Photo by John Vachon, 1943.

Caption: Barbecue drive-in restaurant. Fort Worth-Dallas highway, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1942.