The Inimitable Blink Drummond

Elizabeth Blink Drummond (nee Thomas) was born in 1906 while her family was stationed in Manilla. Her parents thought it cute that she had a habit of always blinking her eyes, so they gave her the nickname Blink. It stuck with her for the rest of her life. Blink came from a long line of military officers. Her father, calvary officer, Colonel Charles Oscar Thomas, Jr. was born in 1871. His father before him, was born in 1838 in New York State and fought for the Union in a regiment in Michigan.

From an early age, Blink showed a propensity for athleticism, leadership and horsemanship. As a teenager, while living in La Jolla, California, Blink became one of the first girls in the country (1917) to win the Golden Eaglet Award, the highest award given to the girl scouts. As her father and grandfather knew before her, a life of pleasure was a mounted one. Her father’s equestrian example left a lifelong impression on Blink, one that would later define her in many respects. She was known in La Jolla as being their most daring horsewoman.

In her early 20’s, Blink, as an up-an-coming debutante, graduated from the prestigious Pomona University in California, shortly before the family relocated to Texas. It is in Texas that we see the first competitive evidence of Blink’s outstanding horsemanship. In an Army event held in San Antonio, she tied for first place after competing against 28 of the militaries finest mounted entries. This would be the first of her many equestrian awards. In 1923, she competed against 400 other riders in a massive equestrian event held at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Once again, Blink took first place.

After a brief time living in Texas, she married native Texan Headrick Loran Drummond. Headrick’s father William grew up in Hidalgo at the famous mission of Lomira. Regardless, after having a son, the relationship quickly ended and once again, she found herself living with her parents.

Blink’s parents moved to Buckhead in the late 20’s and shortly after Blink first came to live in Pickens County. Colonel Sam Tate’s new development, the Tate Mountain Estates had a Dude Ranch. The Dude Ranch was one of a limited few located east of the Mississippi River. Blink and a fellow horseman, Laurence Beau Gay, were the main trail leaders of Col Tate’s Dude Ranch. There were two Dude Ranch locations. The second Dude Ranch was named Triple C, after the location near the shore of Clear Creek on the west side of Lake Sequoyah.

Blink and Bo Gay at the 3C Ranch

The first Dude Ranch was built on the former property of Charles Whittington and was originally located on the present-day fairway of the sixth hole of Bent Tree Community, located near Jasper, Georgia. There were about 25 trail horses at the ranch. In addition to the stables there was a kitchen, a dining hall, and a sleeping quarter for guests. There was also a giant farmhouse - the former Whittington house with a small guest building across the driveway known as the Twin Oaks.

Blink and Sharp Top Mountain as seen in early marketing material for Tate Mountain Estates

Riders would arrive from all over the southeastern United States to visit the ranch. From the ranch they would ride up the mountain pass to the top of Mount Oglethorpe, and then head to Lake Sequoyah. From there, sometimes even by moonlight, they would take the horses as far as Amicalola Falls. Once a week Blink would take her horse down the dirt Jasper-Dawsonville Road to Jasper to check her mail and to get a coke. In most instances, Blink was known to be seen with her German shepherd Pal.

Blink is fourth from the front and is wearing a tie. Her German Shephard Pal follows along. (Photo taken near Lake Sequoyah and the second Dude Ranch location.)

One of Blink’s other duties was as the hostess of parties at the Connahaynee Lodge. She had led socialite events like the Halloween Ball and others. Growing up in higher circles of the military had taught her these skills. Formerly she had led similar parties at Fort McPherson and other venues prior to her arrival at the ranch.

Connahaynee Lodge (1930-1946)

Sadly, as popular as the ranch was, Blink only stayed at the Dude Ranch for a couple of years before moving to Michigan. While there, Blink met a military man named Louis Gray. They had a whirlwind romance and traveled by cruise ship to the Hotel Gloria in Rio De Janeiro to get married. As her son got older, she taught him trick riding and other equestrian skills. Like his mother, grandfather and great grandfather, Peter was an amazing horseman.

Peter Gray standing on two moving horses.

Blink moved yet again to Colorado. There she became the leader of a prestigious riding club in Denver known as the Hottentot Riding Club. Like the former Dude Ranch, the riding club had 30 horses for girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 18 to learned to ride.

Picture of one of the countless Hottentot Riding Club members

In her later years Blink sadly became bedridden and sickly. Her granddaughter Stephanie would listen to her tales of her younger years and exploits with a grain of salt. That was until I reached out to her with archival evidence of not only her times here in Pickens County, but from all over the United States.

Other Adventures

One such tale, published in a newspaper in South Carolina, had detailed the time Blink had encountered an injured duck while traveling near Chatsworth, Georgia. She, being quite the expert at animal husbandry, decided she would take the duck with her to the hotel she was staying at in Knoxville, Tennessee. While there, she kept the bath half-full, so the duck had a place to wade. On that Sunday morning, the housekeeper, being completely unaware of the waterfowl guest, was astonished to find a duck in Blink’s room. As it turned out, the duck was similarly astonished to hear a vacuum cleaner. The maid panicked and fled the hotel room screaming, only to be followed by the duck into the main lobby of the hotel!