The Real Dobe Grant
Col. Quiros with a javelina taken with his 8 3/8ths S&W Model 29.
This picture was on top of Bart’s gun safe.
One of Skeeter Skelton’s most beloved fictional characters he wrote about was Dobe Grant. Anyone reading his stories loved the rugged character, and many secretly wanted to be like him. Who wouldn’t? He was Skeeter’s good friend and confidant, described as being a burlwood tough rancher on an expansive spread in Texas border country.
Family-owned for generations, Dobe’s family ran cattle. After years of hounding from the gas/oil companies, he eventually relented and leased the gas/oil rights. Dobe was also a part-time lawman, WWII Seabee and, to a lesser extent, a vigilante, helping Skeeter whenever needed. Dobe and Skeeter’s adventures were legendary and exciting to read.
The Colonel is on left, a young Bart Skelton,
and Skeeter on right, at the Shipp ranch.
Real McCoy
Fiction is often based on fact, and this was the case for Dobe Grant. After learning about Skeeter’s close friend, Lt. Col. Evan Quiros, you’d have to be Jug Johnson not to see the similarities between the Col. and Dobe. There’s no doubt Quiros lived a full and interesting life. Skeeter’s son, Bart, told me his dad met the Col. when he was a U.S. Customs narcotics investigator in Laredo, Texas.
And imagine, of all places, meeting in a Laredo gun shop. The two became fast friends, having many shared interests — namely guns, hunting, handloading and general “knocking around” while carrying favorite sixguns. Both men possessed the warm, charismatic South Texas sense of humor while telling stories or swapping lies that drew people to them.
The Col. and his family owned the large Shipp Ranch in Webb County, Texas. Besides being large in size, the ranch was rich in game, among other things.
A young Col. Quiros.
Col. Quiros’ Life
Evan Belisario Quiros was born in New York, New York, on May 5, 1918. He joked that all of Mexico celebrated his birthday each year. At age 14, the family moved to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Once there, Evan’s father, Jose Belisario Antonio Quiros, wanted Evan to perfect his skills in Spanish, sending him to live with a traveling priest who visited villages around Monterrey.
Evan was given the task of harvesting game with a 1917 Enfield rifle given to him by his dad. Besides learning Spanish, he developed into a good hunter with a strong interest in guns during his time spent with the padre.
The Quiros family later moved to Laredo, Texas, in Webb County. Evan joined the United States Army in August 1941 and completed Officer Candidate’s School. He was deployed to North Africa, where he participated in a brutal campaign. Later, he was assigned to Puerto Rico as second in command of training for the infantry force scheduled to invade Japan.
The war ended while en route to Japan. Quiros left the Army in 1947, at the age of 27, earning the rank of lieutenant colonel and numerous medals for his wartime service.
Ranch Life
Evan met and married Mary Elizabeth Walker, whose family ranched in Webb County. Upon leaving the Army, the Quiroses moved back to Laredo, and Evan was asked to work for his father-in-law. The Colonel was assigned the task of overseeing contracts and payment from the oil and gas leases from the ranches, as he possessed an uncanny skill when it came to negotiating with big oil companies. It was a skill he practiced and perfected, resulting in mammoth gains for the family ranch and causing much frustration for the big oil/gas companies.
A New Life
During his work with the family ranching business, the Colonel always found time for guns and hunting. He had a large collection of firearms, accompanied by reloading dies, bullet molds and other equipment for each gun. He successfully hunted around the World, including many African safaris.
Col. Quiros shooting on his ranch.
Bart’s Experience
Bart told me he was fortunate to have hunted with Col. Quiros on the Shipp with his dad over the years. He shot his first buck there, along with javelina, quail and varmints of all sorts. Bart reminisced, “I’ll always remember the Colonel and his constant companion, an 8 3/8ths-inch S&W Model 29 .44 Magnum in a fine belt and holster outfit — he could shoot it, too.”
“I’m not sure how long Dad and Col. Quiros were friends before I was allowed on the Shipp, but when it happened, I was surely taken by it. We spent a lot of time shooting, hunting, and generally knocking around. Col. Quiros hosted numerous get-togethers at the Shipp, including several fascinating characters Dad had known and introduced to the Colonel. Among them were Colonel Charles Askins, master gunsmith Jimmy Clark, U.S. Customs Agent Jack Compton, and champion pistol shot Bill Blankenship, along with several other gun writers and industry bigwigs.”
“Fortunately, I was invited to many of these pachangas. Nights in front of the Shipp’s mighty fireplace were more educational than any university as the stories flowed freely. After dad passed on in 1988, the pachangas continued with the old gang until the Col. also died in 2009.”
Dead Ringer Recipe
As we learn more about Col. Evan Quiros, it’s easy to see the similarities of his life and Dobe Grant’s. Obviously, a sprinkling of Skeeter’s own life stories and experiences were mixed in for good measure and entertainment. One thing is certain: those who have read Skeeter’s stories were always left with a warm feeling in their gut, feeling as though they were hearing a story from a lifelong friend because he was.
Bart thought so much of the Col. he named his daughter, Evan, after him. There’s no higher compliment than that. Gone are the golden days of yesteryear when all seemed right. Thankfully, we can all escape today’s problems by re-reading a Dobe Grant story and pretending we’re there with him.
