Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > The Lighter Side

ROAD TRIP: A BBM Game

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Meryl:
White Shed, TX

jpwagoneer1964:
Diana, Texas

DIANA, TEXAS. Diana, also known as New Diana, is at the junction of State Highway 154 and U.S. Highway 259, eleven miles east of Gilmer in eastern Upshur County. New Diana was established in the 1930s by residents of Diana (also known as Old Diana) after oil was discovered three miles south of the old town. In the mid-1930s New Diana had a school, a church, a store, and a number of houses. The town continued to prosper after World War II,qv and by the mid-1960s, when it was generally referred to as Diana, it included two churches, a school, and three or four stores. In 1990 Diana was a commercial center for area farmers and ranchers; at that time it had an estimated 200 residents and a dozen or so businesses. In 2000 the population was 585 with fifty-two businesses.


 Diana Motors Company of St. Louis, Missouri was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Moon Motor Car Company. The company never dwelled on the fact their car was named after a Roman mythology goddess of the Moon. The radiator shell was a carbon copy of the Belgian Minerva car. In late May of 1925, the new car and company was announced by Steward Macdonald (the president of Moon and Diana). When the Diana car arrived June 25th it was very well received. The company referred to it as the "the easiest steering car in America," "the only car built entirely for balloon tires," and "a car for women drivers." The Moon Company had projected that they would sell 7,000 Diana in the first year of production. The car's engine was a 72hp Continental straight-eight, hydraulic four-wheel brakes, and as well as the Lancaster Vibration Damper, both progressive features of its time. It got about 15 to 18 miles per gallon, with a maximum speed of 70mph. The price was around $2,000.00, but had to pay extra for wire wheels and radiator in bronze, which was the fancy sports roadsters. A town car at $5,000.00 was another limited production model. With some early structural problems in the car itself, and unfortunately the public never did forget - the Diana just faded away. Though the 1928 models were announced, it never produced one and the Diana became a Moon Aerotype 8-80 model for 1928. The Diana still has one the loveliest radiator mascots on an American car.


Mark

MaineWriter:
Aguilares, TX

Aguilares dates from the 1870s and was named after first settlers and ranchers José, Locario, Francisco, Próspero, and Librado Aguilar. It became a stop on the Texas-Mexican Railroad in 1881 and was granted a post office nine years later. The population (thought to be a huge exaggeration) was given as 1,500 in 1910 - but four years later it was reportedly a mere 300. The Aguilar family owned a store - one of the town's two businesses.

Oil was discovered nearby in OIlton and for a short time the town seemed to have a future - but although (or because) it was on a railroad - it lost population to the nearby county seat of Laredo. In the 1930s the post office was discontinued and in 1939 Aquilares' population was given as 10.

It rose to 25 by 1945 but the 1990 census again reported ten residents. Aguilares modest claim to fame was being the birthplace of television and movie character actor Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez.

Here is a picture of the family store, circa 1911:



Leslie

Fran:
Stirling, AB

Agricore United's grain elevator in Stirling
Stirling is a village in southern Alberta, Canada.  The village is one square mile in area and has a population of almost 900.  It is situated on a major highway between Lethbridge and the United States-Canada border.

memento:
Groesbeck, Texas

You want history? Groesbeck's got history. Originally the settlement of Springfield (five miles north of town on Hwy 14) was the county seat. It had to be - for years it was the only town in the county. It died shortly after the Houston and Texas Central railroad came through and bypassed the town in favor of Groesbeck. To add insult to injury, Groesbeck was named after a director of the railroad.

Today a cemetery alongside the road to Fort Parker State Park is all that remains of Springfield.

The Parker Family Saga >
If you're not familiar with the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, then you haven't been in Texas long. Kidnapped at nine by Comanches at a Fort Parker, she gave birth to the "last of the great Comanche Chiefs" Quanah Parker. Cynthia was reunited with her original people some 24 years later. She and her young daughter died shortly thereafter. Quanah grew up to go wolf hunting with Teddy Roosevelt and Burk Burnett up on the Red River. He built a fine two-story house complete with veranda up in Oklahoma.

Quanah nearly died - not in combat - but by blowing out the gas light in a white-man's hotel. His companion did die, but the unconscious Quanah was revived.

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