
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The future of an Ellis County landmark remains uncertain after sustaining severe damage during area storms in May.
A large white cross, located near Yocemento on Old Highway 40, has been a silent witness to those traveling the road since the '50s, but following heavy rains, a significant portion of the ground on which the cross was placed shifted, exposing the limestone underneath.
And in the intervening months, the shifting has continued, effectively destroying the iconic landmark.
"Whatever is underneath, what the dirt and everything is sitting on, is just shifting with all the heavy rain," said landowner Troy Robinson.

Many people had thought the worst and feared the damage was intentional, but Robinson said the soil had just given way following severe storms in late May.
"The dirt just slid," Robinson said.
He recently had a local dirt work company survey the hill, and while the commitment to restore or rebuild the cross remains, he said the current location might remain unsuitable as dirt on the hill sits atop limestone rock, giving little anchor to the soil.
"Unfortunately, until everything stops moving, there is really not much we can do right now," Robinson said.
He said further rain would likely push the dirt down the hill again.
"Unfortunately, you go pile dirt back up there (and) the next rain, it might shift again," Robinson said. "So, we are trying to come up with some other ideas."
He said moving the icon is an option if a safe location on the same hill can be identified.
Another location nearby might also be suitable.
"I'd hate to move it too far from that area," he said, but if the current hill cannot be secured Robinson said that may be the best option.
Another solution proposed is a rock border around the cross after the soil is secured that might keep the dirt and the cross in place, he said.
"It's up in the air right now what we can do to fix it," Robinson said.
But he said the icon will be restored one way or another, carrying on a tradition of area residents caring for the landmark.
After the initial landslide was noticed, many on social media said they had been part of teams over the years that helped maintain the cross, with many offering to help.
In the last few years, Robinson said an individual from Ellis had increased the cross's visibility by installing lights and applying highly reflective paint to the cross.
But while the dirt remains unstable, he is asking people to stay off the hill for safety.
But he said it will return, one way or another.
"We are going to do something because it has to be fixed," he said.
Robinson has owned the land since around 1992. Before that, he said the land was a part of the Rupp family farmstead, owners of the land when the cross first appeared.
Their old stone farmhouse still stands on his property.
The origins of the cross still carry some mystique, with no one since its initial construction taking credit for the icon that appeared one Easter Sunday morning in the 1950s, he said.
Even then, people were curious as to who and why the cross had been built.
"There were a number of rumors," Robinson said.
The cross has been attributed to a memorial for plane crash victims, victims of the 1951 area flood, among other speculation, but to his knowledge, the intent of the original builders is lost to history.
"It just appeared," Robinson said. "No one ever claimed it."