By Tumbleweed Smith
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First, there were wagon yards. People went to town in wagons or buggies. The first stop was the wagon yard, where the horses were unhitched and fed. At night, people slept in the wagon yard, either in the wagons or in the stables. They cooked and had their meals there.
Then came tourist camps, which offered places for travelers to pitch tents next to their vehicles. Then came tourist courts, usually a row of small rooms with small garages next to them. These were the forerunners of our modern motels.
Rainbow Courts became a bed and breakfast long before the term came into popular usage. Overnight guests would pay 25 cents for a breakfast of eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, grits, biscuits, hot cereal, chicken fried steak, gravy and potatoes, fresh cream and butter and homemade jams and jellies. Rooms cost one dollar. An old register shows playwright Tennessee Williams stayed there in 1935. Rainbow Courts is modern, with all the amenities you'd find in any upscale hotel. The rooms, suites and cottages have Ralph Lauren bedding, Ethan Allan and Thomasville furniture, cable television, refrigerators and Starbucks coffee.
The owners are Joan and Dan Ratliff. Joan had a 20 year career in the medical field and returned home to Rockdale in 1991 to take over the family business from her mother. Joan's husband Dan was a successful banker before becoming a motel proprietor. Both Dan and Joan are active in Rockdale. Joan was named the Outstanding Citizen of the Year of the recent Rockdale Chamber of Commerce banquet. Dan and Joan have renovated most of the cottages. "It's an ongoing challenge", says Dan. "But we see people from all over the world and it's fun." Most of the foreign visitors come to do business with Alcoa, which has a lignite coal operation in Rockdale and employs 1,400 people. The motel property covers an entire city block. Dan and Joan have recently purchased a historic and picturesque old church, which they plan to move onto the complex. They've already added an old school building, which has been converted into motel rooms. The Texas Historical Commission is so impressed with the facility it wants to make Rainbow Courts a State Historical Site. 
Tumbleweed Smith is the producer of "Sound of Texas" radio show, which is one of the longest running syndicated shows in the state and is the acclaimed author of a syndicated newspaper column. According to Texas Highways Magazine, he has recorded and interviewed more Texas characters than anyone else. In addition to winning international awards for his work, his honors include the Governor's award for tourism, The West Texas Chamber of Commerce Cultural Achievement Award and two Freedom Foundation Awards. He works his magic all over Texas from Dumas to Dime Box and back to Big Springs where he makes his home. For more information on Tumbleweed Smith and for ordering tapes or CD's, write: P.O. Box 95 Big Spring, TX 79721 or e-mail: tumbleweed@xroadstx.com.
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In 1918 N. M. Bullock opened Rainbow Courts in Rockdale. It has remained in the same family ownership since then and has never closed.
The motel has large areas of green grass, several swings and petrified wood picnic tables and benches. The grounds are landscaped with graceful Oak and Redbud trees. With all this, you'd expect to pay a premium price, but the rates are comparable to those in Rockdale area motels.