Donkey Lady (San Antonio, Victoria, Live Oak: eviction, lawyer, house)

[wCat]

I read the nostalgia thread and was completely confused about all the tails of the Donkey Lady. Having lived in Windcrest in the 70's, I remember very vividly Robards Land (a land development that went under)....plotted streets that were over grown with trees and weeds that you almost didn't know they were there. It was fun but creepy driving through there....especially at night.

I remember distinctly that the "Donkey Lady" lived out there. We knew where her shack was and we sort of just left her alone.

When all the stories popped up about her in other areas of town, I wondered if my memory was failing. Ironically this story surfaced on www.mysanantonio.com I'm glad to know I'm not crazy!
Northeast Bulletin Board
October 26, 2006
Chuck McCollough: Donkey Lady update
Reaction to the Donkey Lady story that ran in the Express-News and on MySA.com has been strong indicating a lot of folks enjoyed the fun story on a dreary Wednesday.

Apparently many local people have heard the Donkey Lady legend whether the South Side version or versions from other parts of town.

I enjoyed reading local folks telling their own Donkey Lady stories on a feed back forum and I learned a lot more than I knew before.

One question that came up over and over was what happened to the Donkey Lady of Live Oak and Windcrest? Her real name was Doc Anderson.

Reader Noel H. sent a version of what happened to Doc Anderson aka Donkey Lady Northeast.

Noel wrote -- She (Doc Anderson) was such a neat lady that I only knew briefly. I was 14 when we met in the fields by the house I grew up in. Her shack was closer to O'Conner than it was to Wiederstein. Her and her husband had been squatting on that land for years and just at the time I met them, the man whom thought he owned the land had torn down there shack and ruffed them up. I was going to Central Catholic downtown for High School at that time, so I contacted KSAT with the help of my Mother. I think it was KSAT because it was right across the street from school, or it could have been KMOL. At any rate, they did a story and the newspaper picked it up as well. This old couple was living in their old dodge pick up thanks to the landowner. I remember a lawyer volunteered to help and he found that the eviction was illegal and was going to help them fight for their rights pro bono. However, she had a severe stroke and died a day or two later and the husband went out to California, so it was dropped. I'm not making this up. The time frame was mid February 1982 to early March of that year. She (Doc Anderson) had the most fascinating stories. She said her and her husband were extras who worked on "Rawhide" or one of those type 50's serial Westerns. She said that was because they could ride and she would often drive the wagon. She was missing her arm from the R. elbow down. She stated it was because of a tumor that she lost it. I used to help her feed her Donkeys when I could. It's hard to believe how afraid of her we all were. Come to find out she was just a sweet old lady. I believe she was buried here in SA.

Posted by: Judith K at October 26, 2006 06:55 PM

[smuboy86]

I was always told by my dad that the Donkey Lady lived off Lookout Rd....so that would be in Live Oak. This was back in the early 90's, never heard of a different version until a few years ago.

[irnag]

I've heard about the donkey lady for as long as I can remember 60-70's. She was kind of this nebulus creature that haunted all parts of the outlying areas of SA. It's like everyone had a story about the donkey lady, but no one could ever have claimed to have seen her. wCat's story could be the lady in which the legend grew from.

How about anyone ever hear of the Giant Chinese woman that haunts a graveyard around Applewhite Rd.?

[googie2525]

Originally Posted by irnag

How about anyone ever hear of the Giant Chinese woman that haunts a graveyard around Applewhite Rd.?

Isn't she out by the haunted train tracks? I've always thought the idea of a giant female Chinese spectre was kinda amusing. But I imagine if I actually saw a giant Chinese ghost, I wouldn't find it so funny.

[irnag]

I found this blog to be pretty entertaining. Lots of stories that I had heard bits and pieces of growing up in SA.

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/feedback/archives/2006/10/9077.html (broken link)

[n0vemberHAWK]

what?

The donkey lady from mexico?

[irnag]

Originally Posted by n0vemberHAWK

what?

The donkey lady from mexico?

It would seem that the Donkey Lady was ubiquitous.

Anybody have any ghost stories featuring SA? As many ghosts that there have been purported to be, surely someone on this board has bound to have encountered one.

[Trivet The Fool]

The Donkey Lady I know was down Applewhite Rd; you would drive onto the old bridge, turn off your car lights, honk three times, then turn your lights back on. While I'm not sure if it was 'her' some friends and I encountered, something dented the hell out of the hood of the '73 Impala we were driving.

I've heard of two different locations for the G.C.L.: the run-down cemetary near Zarzamora & Applewhite (believe it is called Loma Linda), and the tiny cemetary located at the end of the runway facing Roosevelt on Stinson Muni.

A warning & caveat to those choosing to go to Loma Linda, especially after dark: it has a guardian. No, you probably won't see it, but it sees you.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by irnag

It would seem that the Donkey Lady was ubiquitous.

Anybody have any ghost stories featuring SA? As many ghosts that there have been purported to be, surely someone on this board has bound to have encountered one.

There are a few urban legend books out about SA hauntings. I have met the author of "Spirits of San Antonio". She's a wonderful lady, but not the best writer, however. But, she is a good story teller. The part that bothers me about her stories are that people "tell her" info and that they found "things", but she never claims to have seen any of them first hand. But her purpose is mainly showing local folk lore, not really proving it.

I had an odd experience about 10 years ago when I was resarching public records downtown. I was contacted by a local "paranormal" group to do a blind study on Victoria's Black Swan on Holbrook Rd near Ft. Sam. They were conducting electro magnetic readings and staying over at the VBS....and I was to do all the historical searching. I was not informed of their findings, and afterwards we compared the factual names and events there vs any paranormal things they found. They did in fact stay there and recorded a few minor "disturbances"....but the history is much more interesting! I took it back to the original Spanish land grant and traced the owners forward. It was really a lot of fun. One owner actually went insane and ended up in the county Sanitarium. That was about 1890. From there the property was troubled with all kinds of tragedies. I still have my notes, but everyone wants me to "give" them away. I don't mind sharing a fact or two, but the information I gathered took me over 6 months to compile. Something has just told me to hold on to it for the right time.

[Trivet The Fool]

wCat, may I PM you as to how you decided where to start your research? I've a few properties I'd like to trace the history of, and haven't the slightest idea where to start!