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Never enough games, never enough! This one is adapted from "Cities of the World," a game I used to play on another message board.
GAME RULES:
One person posts the name of a town or city. The next person takes the last letter in that name and posts a new town or city that begins with that letter.
Example: New York City is followed by Yakima, which is followed by Annapolis, etc.
The twist here (pun intended) is that only towns and cities from WYOMING, TEXAS, ALBERTA and MEXICO will be accepted. ;D
Edit 5/4/07: A new twist! The XYZ Rule: When a town is posted that ends in X, Y, or Z, an automatic SIDE TRIP is in effect. The following town can begin with any letter. (You still must leave 2 posts between before you can post again, though).
Some clarifications:
Leave at least two turns between each of your posts.
If you play out of turn, start with an incorrect letter, or repeat the name of a town already played, you may be asked to edit or delete your post, or in some cases I may declare a SIDE TRIP and let the next poster start with a fresh letter. Check the Answers Played List (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=5119.msg99205#msg99205) on this forum or use the Search function at the top of the page to find out whether a name has been played.
Any name found not to be an actual incorporated town will be subject to disqualification (using Google is recommended).
The name must be a town or a city of any size. Counties, geographical formations, military bases, parks and such aren't acceptable.
If we reach a point where there are no more towns beginning with a certain letter, I will declare a ROADBLOCK and ask the last poster to begin with a fresh name and new beginning letter.
If you'd like, feel free to add a brief comment about your choice of city for our edification and enjoyment. Photos are okay, too. 8)
I hope you enjoy! :-*
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The first city is:
Bar Nunn, WY
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Newcastle, Wy
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Edmonton, Alberta
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Nacogdoches, Texas
--the county seat of Nacogdoches County, and one of the oldest settled communities in the Lone Star State, having been the site of a Spanish mission in 1716 (permanently established in 1779). Home of Stephen F. Austin State University.
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Sheridan, Wy
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Needville, TX
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Ennis, Texas
--situated in Ellis County, site of National Polka Festival
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Superior, Wyo.
Good one, Scott!
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Rock Springs, Wyoming
- ugly as all get-out, in the badlands of the Green River Basin.
(http://www.rockymountainroads.com/wyoming080/bl-080_wb_rock_springs_10.jpg)
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***side trip***
I left the "s" off the end of Rock Springs. Sorry. Too busy with Google Images...
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Sage, WY
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Finally a game I can get into! Well I am an Albertan, so you will be seeing a lot of me! ;D
Edson, Alberta
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Newcastle, WY
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Oops, one_on_one! Newcastle was used already. Also, you should wait for two posts before you post again. Sage was a great one, though! 8)
We need someone to post another "N" city.
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Egbert, Wyoming
-- almost in Colorado, almost in Nebraska. Doesn't look like a town, but it's in my road atlas. Of course, so is Lightning Flat...
(http://www.pawnee.com/cam/campic!.jpg)
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Taxco, Mexico
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Oyen, Alberta
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Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico
(http://www.tablada.unam.mx/archivovis/otros/imagenes/i74-3-640.jpg)
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Innisfail, AB
:D
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Lacy-Lakeview, TX
I love the pictures, Mel! 8)
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Worland, Wy
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Dallas, TX - home of some of our beloved BetterMostians.
(I love that you said Worland, Mark.)
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thank you Elle!
Signal, WY
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Laramie, Wy
Some photos of city hall and areas around including medicine Bow where Ennis ans Jack went camping.
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thank you Elle!
Signal, WY
Signal, WY does not exist.
From the Wyoming information page GoWyld.net:
"Other locations mentioned in the movie do exist, such as Riverton, Casper, and Lightning Flat. Lightning Flat is a discontinued post office in Crook County. On the other hand, the town of Signal, does not exist. "
http://gowyld.net/wyoming/farq.html#brokeback (http://gowyld.net/wyoming/farq.html#brokeback)
Possible replacement:
Shell, WY
It ends also with an "L". Then Laramie would still fit. But I don't own a National Geographic Road Atlas of the US, and Shell is a very tiny place. So Meryl should check my suggestion.
BTW: Shell, WY can be found in the German Wikipedia, but not in the English one. Strange, isn't it?
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Shell is in my atlas, so let's keep playing! :) (Not only that, it's just up the road from the town that wyomen and shakestheground think is the model for Signal, so... good choice!)
Emblem, Wyoming
(http://www.waynewirs.com/UserImages/WayneWirs_1/20030504_01.jpg)
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Marbleton, Wy
Ag center at fairgrounds.
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Navasota, Texas
--situated in Grimes County; site of oldest cottonseed oil mill in Texas (as of 1945).
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Amarillo, Texas
"Quarries in the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument have been used for more than 12,000 years. In Amarillo are the Western Stockyard auctions on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Discovery Center (Harrington Planetarium)." -- Rand McNally Road Atlas & Travel Guide
Great idea, Meryl!
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Osage, Wy
Population 352.
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El Paso, Texas
--the county seat of El Paso County, this is one of the oldest communities in the state (nearby Ysleta was established by Spanish settlers in 1682). Well known to Brokies as Jack's presumed entry point into Mexico on his first (or the first we see) trip there.
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Olds, AB
Home of OLds Agricultural College
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Spotted Horse, Wy
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Elk, Texas
Elk, between U.S. Highway 84 and Farm Road 2957 four miles southeast of Axtell in eastern McLennan County, was formed in the 1880s, mainly by settlers of Czech and German descent. An Elk post office was established in July 1894 with Martie Emma McKinley as postmistress. Elk had a general store in 1896 and a population of eighteen in 1900. Its post office was discontinued in 1906, and mail for the community was rerouted through Axtell. By the 1920s Elk had seventy-five residents, a cotton gin, two churches, a saloon, and a school. Its population fell to thirty-eight in the early 1930s but rose again to seventy-five by the end of the decade. A church, a few businesses, and several houses represented the community on county highway maps in the 1940s. The Elk common-school district was consolidated with the Axtell high school district in 1955. A church and a gas station were all that remained at Elk in the early 1980s. In 1990 it was a dispersed rural community.
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Kemmerer, Wyoming
"The Fossil Fish Capital of the World.
Kemmerer, Wyoming is a small town with a population of 103 Pronghorn Antelope, 113,000 Fossil Fish and 3000 people located near the Fossil Butte National Monument, some of the best hunting and fishing in the world, and the majesty of Yellowstone Park."
It's also very, very close to Sage.
(http://cc.usu.edu/~sharohl/greenr9.jpg)
(http://paleoprep.com/images/mvc-136s.jpg)
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Rawlins, Wy
Where Ennis received his very special gift from Jack in '131 MILES TO RIVERTON'
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Sanderson, Texas
"Old West charm, exemplary schools, low-cost living, high-speed internet, Cactus Capital of Texas...."
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New Braunfels, Texas
--the county seat of Comal County; founded in 1845 by German colonists sponsored by the Prince of Solms-Braunfels. Popular tourist destination, being site of an annual Oktoberfest.
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Stegal, TX
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Loveless, Texas
West Texas Ghost Town - "Southeast of Eden"
Concho County, Panhandle/ West Texas
Once 11 Miles SE of Eden
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San Antonio, Texas
(http://top2bottom.net/San%20Antonio,%20TX.jpg)
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Odessa, TX
home of Ballaire Park
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Airdrie, AB
finally some mediocre pics!
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Eagle Pass, Texas
--the county seat of Maverick County. Like El Paso, a border town, facing Piedras Negras across the Rio Grande.
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Speaks, Texas
Lavaca County, Central Texas S
FM 530
20 Miles SE of Hallettsville
Population: 60
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/Speaks/SpeaksTexasCityLimits061006CherylDraper.jpg)
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Shawnee, Wy
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Escuinapa, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Escuinapa.gif)
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Alpine, Wyoming
- Where the Snake River turns west to go into Idaho, there's Palisades Reservoir, and at a road intersection at the head of the reservoir, there's Alpine.
(http://www.starvalleywy.com/alpine/images/alpine.jpg)
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Emigrant Gap, Wy
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Poteet, Texas
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Poteet.jpg)
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Ten Sleep, Wyoming
- wyomen and shakestheground think this is the town that Annie Proulx based the fictional Signal on. The real Brokenback Mountain is near it.
"The range war which erupted between cattlemen and sheepherders at the turn of the century came to a head near Ten Sleep with the Spring Creek raid in 1909. Masked cattlemen surrounded a sheep camp, killing three sheepherders and about 5000 sheep. The resulting trial and convictions brought an end to open hostilities between the cattle and sheep ranchers."
(http://kennethtucker.com/kb/apps/gallery2/d/127-2/mman.jpg)
(http://www.worlandchamber.com/cloudpea.jpg)
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Post, Texas
-- Founded in 1907 by breakfast cereal magnate Charles William Post. His vision drew him to one of the most beautiful locations in west Texas -- the area where the head waters of both arms of the Brazos River join to outline the scenic caprock escarpment of the Llano Estacado. Here C. W. Post carved a county out of nature's provisions which provided a home for cattlemen, plentiful oil and bountiful cotton....
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Tecoman, Mexico
--situated in the State (estado) of Colima, one of the smallest states of the Mexican nation. This is the hometown of one of my dearest friends, with whom sadly I have lost touch.
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Newsome, Texas
NEWSOME, TEXAS. Newsome is on the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway and State Highway 11, ten miles southwest of Pittsburg in western Camp County. Settlement of the area began in the 1860s; Newsome grew up around a railroad switch station established in 1887 and was named in honor of John Newsome, an early settler. A post office was established there in 1902, with John M. Newsome as postmaster. By 1914 the town had a bank, a picture show, a hotel, a garage with two car salesmen, a newspaper, the Newsome Argus, a number of stores, and a population estimated at 450. The community, located in an agricultural and lumbering area, served as a shipping and supply point for area lumbermills and farmers. A cyclone in April 1919 killed at least eight people, and the town apparently never recovered. By 1925 its population had fallen to 165. It had 200 residents and ten rated businesses in 1931 and a population of 100 in 1968. The post office was closed in 1972, and from that year to 1990 the population of Newsome was reported as 100. In 1988 the town had no rated businesses.
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Evantson, Wy
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Newcastle, Texas
--situated in Young County; former coal-mining center before the discovery of oil in the area closed the mines.
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Elk Point, AB
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Trochu, Alberta
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Ten Sleep, WY - wyomen and shakestheground think this is the town that Annie Proulx based the fictional Signal on. The real Brokenback Mountain is near it.
Yes, it was. Signal Butte is this butte/bluff IMMEDIATELY west of Ten Sleep, about a mile west of the middle of town. The ONLY other use of the name "Signal" in the entire state is Signal Peak in the Tetons.
I never thought much of Signal Butte till the movie came out but I did take this quick photo not too long ago...but I guess I might get a better one when I'm up there in a week taking care of ranch business.
The old rodeo ground along Nowood Road before the bends is a dead-ringer for the corrals in the movie (when we came down off the mountain in 63 and Aguirre got all upset at us)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/signal-butte.jpg)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/signal-butte-map.png)
-Ennis
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Urie, Wy
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Exshaw, Alberta
- a small town down the valley from Canmore. Hey, the Alberta trip people could stay there!
(http://www.rocky-peak.com/photos/rm_exshaw.JPG)
And Ennis, thank you for that extra info about Ten Sleep! 8)
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Wink, Texas ;)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/RoyOrbisonMuseum.jpg)
Roy Orbison Museum, Wink, Texas
I'd stay in Exshaw, Mel!
Ennis, thanks for the info. You shoulda played the game, though! Next time, add a city. ;D
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Keller, Tx
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Rosenberg, Texas
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I forgot a town name for the game. OK how bout the next one... 2 hrs east of here,
Gillette WY
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Eden, Wy
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Nederland, TX
Nederland was founded in 1897 by Dutch settlers. The more prominent families were named Rienstra and Doornbos, and their descendents still live in the area today. Allegedly, they were attracted to the flat coastal terrain that reminded them of their homeland (although the heat and humidity most certainly did not). Nederland's Dutch heritage is commemorated by the Dutch Windmill Museum located on Boston Avenue.
Perhaps the most famous person ever to hail from Nederland is country/western singer, Tex Ritter, father of actor John Ritter, also recently deceased. Tex is buried in the Oak Bluff Cemetery in neighboring Port Neches. Members of the Ritter family are still prominent in Nederland, and the name still graces the Ritter Lumber Company.
Basketball player Kendrick Perkins of the NBA's Boston Celtics was born in Nederland.
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Drumheller, AB
I am quite familiar with the Drumheller Valley, I used to go camping there a lot in my earlier days, it is a spectacular place to see, a big long valley just gouged out of the earth, about 50 miles long, just beautiful. For anyone who has seen the movie Quest For Fire, Horseshoe Canyon is where they filmed the opening scenes. And finally I can find pictures that measure up to the fine pictures that you all have been posting!
Approaching the badlands can be a stunning experience. Most vacationers who come to Calgary, southern Alberta's major city, head west to the mountains and lakes, places of undeniable majesty. The road less taken is to the northeast, through the prairie to Drumheller 90 miles away. For most of the way it is a drive through order: broad rectangular fields of wheat, crossroads at neat right angles, grain elevators and barns that seem to celebrate all that is plain and durable. Finally, over a crest, I was surprised by the prospect of chaos.
Below the rim of the prairie lies the jumbled terrain of wide canyons and narrow gullies, bald mounds and rock pedestals resembling lithic mushrooms. It is treeless except for some cottonwoods along the meandering Red Deer River and is bounded by steep bluffs. At first sight, all I could do was repeat the immortal exclamation of the old prospector, who upon seeing the Grand Canyon is supposed to have said, "Something awful happened here!"
What happened was a natural catastrophe. At the end of the most recent ice age, about 12,000 years ago, the receding glaciers released torrents of meltwater, sweeping away topsoil and gouging out canyons to expose dinosaur-bearing sediments. The eroded result is badlands. The term is a translation from "les mauvaises terres," which French trappers in the early 19th century used to describe the rough terrain of the western Dakotas. So apt is the term that geologists and cartographers adopted it into their own nomenclature for similarly barren and rugged landscapes elsewhere.
Drumheller is a human-created oasis in these badlands. From the early years of this century through World War II, it was the commercial center for several mines scattered in the hills and canyons. As the mines shut down, the town went into a decline, now being reversed mainly by the discovery of "gold" in dinosaurs.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/DrumhellerHorseshoeCanyonpanorama.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/Drumhellertrestlebridge.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/Drumhellerexcavatingforfossils.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/Drumhellerbadlands2.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/Drumhellerbadlands.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/DrumhellerHorseshoeCanyon.jpg)
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Richmond, Texas
--the county seat of Fort Bend County, an area rich in alluvial soils (my late grandfather called it "some of the best dirt in the world") and steeped in Texas history.
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I am new to the game and just went through the posts quickly but I don't think I saw
Denton, TX
Leslie
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Nueva Rosita, Mexico
(http://www.flash.net/~park29/restaur.jpg)
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Afton, Wy
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This fits my name:
Nickelson Place, WY
Leslie
(my last name is Nicoll, pronounced like the coin)
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Evansburg, AB
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Greybull, Wy
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Another one with a family tie
Lance Creek, WY
(my son is named Lance)
Leslie
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Koockville, Texas
Mason County, Texas Hill Country
2 Miles NW of Mason
Population: Part of Mason
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/KoockvilleTexas/KoockvilleTexasBuilding0806BareclayGibson.jpg)
German settlers transmigrating from Fredericksburg began arriving in the early 1850s. These were joined by Irish immigrants in the middle of that decade. The towns namesake(s) were William and Minna Koock who opened a store in their log house just after the Civil War. Due to its proximity to Mason, the Koocks never saw the need to apply for a post office.
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Edgerton, Wy
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Natrona, WY
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Alma, Texas
Alma is a town in Ellis County, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The community is in the Central Standard time zone.
The latitude of Alma is 32.285N. The longitude is -96.545W. Elevation is 469 feet.
The population, at the time of the 2000 census, was 302.
Alma and Ennis are very close to each other.
(http://pics2.city-data.com/city/maps6/clt6174.gif)
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Albany, Wy
You can rent this lovely vacation home in Albany.
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Yanceys, WY
with a population of 39!
Leslie
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Sundance, Wyoming
near Lightning Flat
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East Thermopolis, Wy
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Sleepy Hollow, WY
It's not just in New York!
Leslie
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Weatherford, TX
Named by the State Legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas, Weatherford and Parker County growers produce the biggest, sweetest, juiciest peaches in all of Texas. The Peach is celebrated each year at the Parker County Peach Festival, Weatherford's largest one-day event.
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Dubois, Wy
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Saddlestring, WY
Lat: 44.455
Long: -106.89667
Pop: 19
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Grimshaw, AB
[(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/grimshawbigstreet.jpg)
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Waltman, Wy
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Natalia, Texas
--situated in Medina County. At one point, home to my late aunt and her family.
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Acapulco, Mexico
(http://www.mexicoinvestigations.com/images/Acapulco%20beach.JPG)
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Orchard Valley, Wy
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Yoakum, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YoakumTX.jpg)
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Mexicali, Mexico
(http://www.sandiegan.com/images/mexicali/mexicali_main1.jpg)
Located on the US/Mexico border across the from Calexico, California, is the city of Mexicali, Mexico. Covering an area of approximately 5,200 square miles, it is home to over 900,000 people and is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California.
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Inez, Texas
- because we need some new letters! ;D
(http://imgsrv.homes.com/imgsrv/d6/01/139002016.jpg)
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Zack, Tx
ZACK, TEXAS. Zack, twelve miles northeast of Bryan in Brazos County, was started on March 29, 1904, when Zachariah R. Guess opened a Zack post office in his general store. In 1906 Guess sold his store to Cyrus Koontz, who owned the land on which the store stood. Koontz operated the store until 1932, when it was closed and boarded up. A few years later the building was dismantled. The population of the community was estimated at twenty-five from 1925 through 1950. Maps of 1948 indicate a school and widely dispersed rural dwellings on the site. The community did not appear on 1988 highway maps.
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Kinnear, WY
another hopping place with a population of 133
Leslie
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Riverton!
-Ennis
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Node, Wy
Apparently the entire town is for sale @ $70,000.00
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El Sueco, Mexico
(http://www.echinocereus.de/habitat/84_1.jpg)
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Owl Creek, WY
in my story (A Love Born From Steel), Don Wroe's cabin is in the Owl Creek Mountains, and not too far from the town of Owl Creek.
Leslie
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Kirby, Wy
The census reported 57 people in 2000. The only resturaunt is Butch's Place.
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TIME OUT! What are you using for sourses?
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TIME OUT! What are you using for sourses?
I use the National Geographic Road Atlas of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Others clearly are using something else, though, because many names are not in my atlas. However, googling usually proves that those towns do exist, so I accept them. :)
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Yorktown, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YORKTOWNTX.jpg)
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Needmore, TX
This town was founded in the 1920’s and they desperately needed more settlers. So the existing settlers named the town “Needmore.” Unfortunately, their little public relations stunt did not bring the desired results. The population never broke the 100 mark.
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Encarnacion de Diaz, Mexico
Just northeast of Guadalajara. There's got to be a story behind the name, don't you think?
(Julie, I'm using a AAA road atlas, and then googling for images and stories.)
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Zapopan, Mexico
Nuestra Señora de Zapopan
(http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//images2/zapopan.jpg)
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Novice, Tx
NOVICE, TEXAS (Lamar County). Novice is a rural community located at the junction of Farm roads 2648 and 195 about eleven miles northeast of Paris in northeastern Lamar County. The village began sometime around the early 1900s and was possibly named after a Navis family. Another explanation says that an earlier settlement called Cross Roads was renamed when a local resident donated land for a church and school, and citizens chose the name Novice to reflect the community's new beginning. Novice had a Methodist church about 1913. In the 1930s the population was listed as ten with one business, and highway maps depicted the hamlet as a crossroads with scattered farms and dwellings. After the 1950s no population statistics have been available, but Novice is included on county maps. Springhill Cemetery is located in the area., Tx
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Elmo, WY in Carbon County, with a population of 47
Leslie
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Old Dime Box, Texas
There's an Old and a New Dime Box. The name comes from the practice of leaving a dime in a box at Brown's Mill to get a letter delivered to Giddings. This was before a Federal Post Office opened in 1877. "Old" Dime Box is the second oldest (Evergreen is the oldest) town in Lee County.
(http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/15044/51392/t/284790-Old-Dime-Box-Sunset-0.jpg)
Note: For the next letter, I thought we could do "Ex" if that's okay with Meryl.
Now that I found out from Leslie that there are "X" cities in Mexico, scratch that idea.
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Old Dime Box, Texas
Note: For the next letter, I thought we could do "Ex" if that's okay with Meryl.
Why? There are X cities in Mexico...unfortunately, I can't take a turn, yet!
Leslie
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Xtul, Mexico
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Lost Cabin, WY
I wonder if it is anywhere near the lost weekend? LOL
L
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Nojack, Alberta
:'(
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Kenedy (sic), TX
Home to Camp Kenedy, a German-American and German-Latin American internment camp during World War II.
Following are excerpts from "Roosevelt's Wrong Enemies," by Andy Lindstrom (For the complete article, click here http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/summer2004/enemies.html .)
"More than 4,000 Latin Americans of German heritage—the vast majority of them with no apparent connection to Adolf Hitler's National Socialism or its rabid anti-Jewish ranting (and most of them men whose families were sent to separate internment camps)— ended up behind barbed-wire fences in a desert Texas internment camp. A few were later released after agreeing to return to Germany; others stayed until U.S. courts finally ordered them freed, in some cases as late as 1947, two years after World War II ended.
“Now, when I read about Guantanamo (the American military prison in Cuba where uncharged Afghan detainees are being held indefinitely and without legal recourse or representation), and I hear about the revival of racial profiling, I hear echoes,” he said during a recent interview. “And I worry that we may be repeating some of the same mistakes.”
(http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/summer2004/images/interns.jpg)
German deportees from Latin America arrive at Camp Kenedy, Texas in 1942
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Youngstown, AB
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North Rock Springs, WY
Leslie
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Saratoga, Wy
You can stay at the Hood House BB when you visit.
Mark
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Antioch, TX
All 14 of 'em in the following counties:
Antioch...Brown
Antioch...Cass
Antioch...Delta
Antioch...Henderson
Antioch...Houston
Antioch...Johnson
Antioch...Lee
Antioch...Madison
Antioch...Panola
Antioch...Shelby
Antioch...Smith
Antioch...Stonewall
Antioch...Trinity
Antioch...Van Zandt
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Halfway, WY
yes, we are halfway there, kids...
Leslie
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Yard, Texas
YARD, TEXAS. Yard is a rural community in northwest Anderson County, twenty miles northwest of Palestine on Farm Road 321 by the Trinity River. Originally part of the Tennessee Colony, Yard reportedly received its name when Bruce Gray, the owner of the first store in the community, sent in a list of potential names to the post office department and accidently included a customer's request for a yard of cloth on the paper. Yard post office functioned from 1903 through the mid-1950s. The community had some ten inhabitants in 1925, twenty inhabitants and one business establishment in 1949, and eighteen inhabitants in 1968. In 1982 Yard had a church and several scattered dwellings, and the population was still eighteen in 1990.
I bet they have some good yard sales.
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Durango, Mexico
(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/welton/images/Mexico%20-%20Durango%20021%20resized%20(Changed).jpg)
The city was founded in 1563. In the Spanish colonial era, it was the capital of the Nueva Viscaya province of New Spain, including the present day Mexican states of Durango and Chihuahua.
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Orin, Wy
Orin Juction Rest Area
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New Haven, WY
It's not just in Connecticut, and it's not just the home of Yale!
Leslie
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North Pitchfork Corner Windmill, TX
in Dickens County
33°33'56"N 100°37'49"W
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Lander, Wy
In '131 MILES TO RIVERTON' On his way back to Riverton, Ennis missed junction of HWY287 to Lander and had to backtrack.
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Rendezvous, WY
Where Jack and Ennis like to meet, perhaps?
Leslie
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Saltillo, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Coahuila de Zaragoza. The oldest city in northeastern Mexico, and one-time capital of Mexican Texas.
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Orpha, wy
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Acme, WY
Acme always makes me think of Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner...and thinking about it, maybe they were in Wyoming...
Leslie
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Elkwater, Alberta
Elkwater is a community at the western edge of the Cypress Hills in southeastern Alberta, Canada. The community is mostly a collection of cabins. Shopping is restricted to a convenience store, gas station and restaurant. Recent development (Fall 2005) has brought the Elkwater Lodge to town featuring some very comfortable rooms, cabins and excellent dining. Elkwater town site is in a Provincial Park and, as a result, residents can never own the land under their houses. Leases are negotiated with the Provincial Government.
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Rozet, Wy
you can purchase this lovely home in Rozet, the only one for sale, for $295,000.00!?!?!?!?
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Thermopolis, WY located in Hot Springs County.
When you visit, make sure to check out this HOT spot!
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/front.jpg)
Leslie
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Shamrock, TX
Two of 'em
Shamrock...Dallas
Shamrock...Wheeler
A hailstone from a tornado
(http://www.tornadoproject.com/graphics/hail6.jpg)
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Killeen, Tx
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Natwick, WY
Leslie
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Kananaskis Village, Alberta, Canda
Home to three hotels, this tiny village at the base of Nakiska Ski Resort was used as a base when the crew filmed various campsites (Canyon Creek, Elbow Falls, Upper Kananaskis Lakes, Mud Lake) and King Creek (where Ennis meets the bear).
(http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/enjoying_alberta/parks/featured/kananaskis/images/kc_village.jpg)
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Ethete, Wy
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We have had Elk, TX but there is also
Elk, WY
Leslie
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Kermit, Texas
While the only town in Texas to be named after one of Theodore Roosevelt's sons, Kermit also shares its name with a certain celebrity frog. In honor of Kermit the Frog's 50th year in showbiz, the residents of Kermit, Texas, population 5,714, painted his likeness on their most prominent water tower.
(http://muppet.wikia.com/images/thumb/3/36/Kermit_tx.jpg/300px-Kermit_tx.jpg)
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Thayne, Wy
Pop. 341
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Elkol, WY
Are the residents here referred to as Elkolics? ;D
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Leo, WY
if there was a town across the river, it might be Rex? LOL
L
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Olney, TX
Leland Snow, 1956
For over 40 years, Leland Snow has been manufacturing agricultural aircraft: first the Snow, then the Thrush, and since 1972, the Air Tractor. These planes have played a major role in the history of agricultural aviation. Over 2000 Snow-designed and manufactured aircraft have rolled off the Olney, Texas assembly line and into the hands of operators throughout the world.
Design work on Snow's first ag-airplane, the S-1, began in 1951 and was test flown in 1953. It was used for dusting and spraying in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in Nicaragua until 1957. This was followed by the S-2A and S-2B which were the first models built when Snow moved to production facilities in Olney, Texas in 1958.
Snow sold his company to Rockwell - Standard in 1965 and was appointed a Vice-President of the Aero Commander division. During this time, the S-2R was developed and named the Thrush. The first 100 Thrushes were built at the Olney Division before the plant was closed and the Thrush production moved to Georgia in 1970.
Snow resigned from Rockwell and spent the next two years designing the Air Tractor. Construction began in 1972 on the AT-300, which later became the AT-301. Air Tractor's first turbine model, the AT-302, was introduced in 1977.
Today, Air Tractor produces about 100 planes a year, with an extensive product line that includes 400, 500, 630, and 800 gallon capacity planes powered by Pratt & Whitney piston or turbine engines. Whether utilized for spraying, seeding, fertilization, or firefighting work, operators choose Air Tractor because it is regarded as one of the most productive, highest quality, and cost effective ag planes on the market.
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Yecora, Mexico
(http://www.raventours.com/mex_maps_files/image004.gif)
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Alcova, WY
(http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/multimedia/files/ptv/4111_mormonhandcart_st.jpg)
Stop in at the Mormon Handcart Visitors' Center
Alcova, Wyoming
"Although most early pioneers traveled west using a covered wagon and team of oxen, there were many who couldn't afford such travel accommodations. The less expensive handcart, much like a large shallow wheelbarrow, allowed the poorer pioneers to afford the journey west. Because travel was more difficult with a handcart, it became a familiar symbol of dedication and duty to God."
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And not all that far away from Alcova is
Alcova Po, WY
Leslie
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Oaxaca, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Oaxaca. A city famed for its history and rich artistic heritage, the hometown of Rufino Tamayo, one of modern Mexico's greatest artists. British novelist Malcolm Lowry called Oaxaca the most beautiful city in the world.
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Arapahoe, Wy
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Let's continue with the Elk theme
Elk Basin, WY
Leslie
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Northcrest, TX
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Tijuana, Mexico
Anybody remember Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass?
(http://www.whc.net/rjones/TJB.jpg)
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Grab your magic carpet, everyone, we are heading to
Aladdin, WY
Leslie
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Nevada, TX
Pop. 563
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Africa, TX
"Clyde Lister, 68, lives in Africa , as he has for about 30 years, but works in a mortuary in Center on Martin Luther King Drive. In the 1960s, during the civil-rights movement, Lister and Logan say they admired the road's namesake, Martin Luther King Jr., and his work from a distance.
Logan recalls being asked by a friend to go to one of the protests and marches taking place in the South's larger towns and cities. So does Lister.
"We had jobs and families to watch out for, so we just didn't get involved," Lister says."
For full article, http://www.toledo-bend.com/shelbyco/history/index.asp?request=africa
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How would you like to live in a city called
Airport Road, WY ?
Leslie
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Douglas, Wy
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Sinahuisa, Mexico
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Athabasca, AB
Coming up in Athabasca this Saturday evening!
Ducks Unlimited Dinner & Auction
Date: October 21, 2006
Location: Community Center
For further information please contact 675-2273.
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Auburn, Wy
Pop. 691
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Noria de Santa Cruz, Mexico
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Zipperlandville, TX
What a name!
Leslie
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Edna, Tx
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Aguascalientes, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Aguascalientes. The hometown of the noted artists Posada and Herran.
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Sexsmith, AB
(http://www.town.sexsmith.ab.ca/index_revitalization2.jpg)
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Hartville, Wy
Miners & Stockmans Bar
307-836-2008 • 608 E Main St, Hartville,WY
This is one of two bars in Hartville.
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Eden, Texas
--situated in Concho County.
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Nanton, AB
This Saturday in Nanton:
Coming Events
• FASHION SHOW featuring wedding dresses, Sat. Oct. 21, 2006 2 - 4 p.m. at the UCW tea & bake sale at the United Church lower hall. Admission $5.
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New Territory, Tx
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Yates, Texas
--situated in Kimble County. Barely a town anymore, but can still be found on maps (not sure about National Geographic though!). Here is what I found online:
Yates, also known as Yates Crossing, is twelve miles northeast of Junction in eastern Kimble County. It was named by Joseph A. Yates, who opened a post office in June 1907 on his land near a ford of the Llano River on the road from London to Fredericksburg. Between the late 1860s and the early 1880s herds of cattle, averaging 1,800 to 2,000 head, crossed the Llano 200 yards downstream at what was called the Beef Trail Crossing. The crossing was part of a feeder trail to the Western Trailqv used by ranchers in Bandera, Edwards, Kerr, Kimble, Medina, Real, and Uvalde counties. Camp meetings were held by early settlers under the live oaks near Yates. Tully J. Lange became Yates's second and final postmaster in June 1909. By the 1920s Yates was the center of a farming community in the Llano River valley. Throughout the decade Yates had a post office, a general store, a gas station, and a population that reached at least fifty-one. The area was advertised as a vacation spot for tourists and campers. The post office closed in March 1930, and though Yates continues to be shown on maps, its last reported population was ten in 1958.
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Spirit River, AB
The Broncho School is in Spirit River. (Isn't 'broncho" what they were calling the NY brunch that happened last month?)
(http://www.centralpeacedirectory.ca/DCP_1082_WEB.jpg)
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Raymondville, Tx
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Enchanted Oaks, TX
"We can hug on November, caress a nice oak..."
Leslie
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Sonora, Texas
-the county seat of Sutton County. Here is something I wrote about Sonora on this forum back on June 29th:
Have spoken with mom and sis, and had my basic memories of Sonora and area confirmed. Sister Cathy has been to Sonora many times (including the Caverns near town), having once gone there to help build a house for an underprivileged family, and she has a pretty detailed recollection of the place.
She tells me that the land around Sonora is neither hilly nor flat, but is rather characterized by gently rolling terrain. The vegetation is sparse and scrub-like--the juniper and oak of Kerrville gives way to mesquite and prickly-pear cactus. It's definitely not Hill Country.
The town itself is small, with some green spots to be seen. There is one main road through town, and a scarcity of any big-name stores.
The Caverns are a short drive outside of town. Both mother and sister remember them as being pretty, with distinctive "bacon rind" patterns to be seen on some walls and stalactites; Cathy also recalls an unusual "butterfly" pattern to be seen on some of the formations. My mother remembers seeing sparkling mica on the walls of one chamber. The caverns are a living cave system, and are very steep and deep.
A guidebook I consulted stated that Sonora and Sutton County is a major center for the production of Angora wool in the U.S. The goats are descended from a flock donated to some man from the Ottoman Sultan back in 1849, in recognition of some good service which I cannot now recall with certainty.
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Altamont, Wy
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I am getting ready for bed so I think a good one for me to post is:
Tenmile, WY
I was going to use Ten Sleep but that had been taken. Still walking ten miles in my shoes should get me ready for bed....
Leslie
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Eckville, AB
(http://www.equipmentlocator.com/photos/equip/220246-1.jpg)
This Forage Harvester-Self Propelled CLAAS JAGUAR 860 2WD is available in Eckville, at Kasha Farm Supplies, for $179,000 CAD.
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Erna, Wy
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Arriaga, Mexico
(http://www.distributiondrive.com/Mexico%20Trip%20-%20Oscar%20and%20PeterSM.jpg)
Oscar and Peter in Arriaga
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Anahuac, TX
(OK, next poster, you can post the famous "C" town in Texas if you're quick) ;D
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Childress, Tx
The Newsomes competition, plus some scenes of Childress. Actually Westen Equipment seems to be the only dealer of new farm machinery.
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Shady Grove, TX
This many of 'em
Shady Grove...Angelina
Shady Grove...Burnet
Shady Grove...Cherokee
Shady Grove...Cooke
Shady Grove...Dallas
Shady Grove...Fannin
Shady Grove...Houston
Shady Grove...Kerr
Shady Grove...Rains
Shady Grove...Smith
Shady Grove...Upshur
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Erendira, Mexico
....is located on the Pacific Coast of the Baja, where one can get shrimp tacos.
Looks like there's a hostel there for budget accommodations (picture)
And back in 1983, a movie was made, set there, based on a work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085501/
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Allendale, Wy
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El Jardin Del Mar, TX
A slide show of "the Garden by the Sea," on Galveston Bay:
(http://www.eljardindelmar.org/images/Slideshow2.GIF)
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Rafter J Ranch, WY
zip code: 83001
Leslie
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Hereford, TX
http://www.lone-star.net/mall/txtrails/hereford.htm
Hereford is named after the breed of cattle
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/hereford/
and home of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Yee-haw! It's in the panhandle, so I did a mapquest and it's about 160 miles west of Childress - you would drive on US 87/287 thru Amarillo to get there.
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Atlantic City, Wy
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Y-O Ranch, WY
Another ranch that has turned into a town. We sure don't have these in the East!
Leslie
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Henderson, Texas
--the county seat of Rusk County. Benefited from the oil industry in the area.
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North Richland Hills, Tx
You too can live in the North Richland Hills estates.
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Smoot, WY
Leslie
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Tampico, Mexico
--the largest city in the State (estado) of Tamaulipas. A significant resort area for the people of Mexico.
Edit: Correction of spelling of 'Tamaulipas'.
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Ovalo, Texas
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Oshoto, Wyoming
Cayuse Ranch in Oshoto Wyoming where pure Spanish Mustangs are still bred.
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Oscar, Texas
OSCAR, TEXAS. Oscar, which was also known as Jones Gin, is on Little Elm Creek and Farm Road 3117 six miles east of Temple in eastern Bell County. It was founded by Czechs in the late nineteenth century and had a post office from 1892 to 1904. In 1896 Oscar reported a population of 115, a cotton gin, a hotel, a general store, a blacksmith, and a barber. The community declined thereafter and had forty residents, two businesses, and a school by 1946. In 1990 Oscar reported a population of forty and no businesses.
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Ranchester, WY
is north of Sheridan (where Annie saw the cowboy who inspired her to write Brokeback Mountain) on I-25. Google info on Ranchester shows it to be kinda unremarkable
http://www.city-data.com/city/Ranchester-Wyoming.html
But there was a link to a Ranchester, WY forum, and I thought it interesting that a town would have its own forum
So, I checked the link and found that it's really a forum for the State of Wyoming!
http://www.city-data.com/forum/wyoming/
Neat.
Edit: Added additional info about Sheridan...-Lynne
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Rimbey, AB
Frostfree Nosepumps Ltd. is owned and operated by Jim and Jackie Anderson of Rimbey, Alberta, who also operate a second generation cattle ranch. The motivation to develop this pump came from the desire to utilize remote pastures and alternative winter feeding sites and to protect riparian areas. They are enthused to share this useful tool with other producers. (http://www.frostfreenosepumps.com/images/about_us.jpg)
The construction and operation of the nosepump is simple and energy free, other than the energy required by the cow to operate the lever.
The design of this waterer includes a small, enclosed trough with a lever apparatus that is pushed by the cow's nose. This is set on top of a culvert, set vertically into the ground to whatever depth is required to make use of the ground water or dugout level. An installation depth of at least 20' with a minimum 24" diameter culvert is recommended in order to capture sufficient geothermal heat. The nose-powered lever apparatus operates a piston pump which is suspended in the well - much like the old hand pumps. With provision for frost protection (outlined on Prevent Freezing page), the pumps work trouble free.
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Yoder, WY
According to the database I am using, we have posted all three Y towns in Wyoming: Y-O Ranch, Yanceys, and Yoder.
Leslie
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Somewhere over the Rainbow, Texas
"... Among the first settlers was William Porter, who established a school in the late 1860s; for several decades the area was referred to as the Porter school district. By the 1890s a community had developed, and the residents requested a post office. When the townspeople gathered to name the community a thunderstorm broke out, followed by a rainbow. The residents, struck by the beauty of the rainbow, named their town after it...." From The Handbook of Texas
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Wyarno, WY
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Odem, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OdemTX.jpg)
Trains passing each other near Odem, TX
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Medicine Hat, AB
From today's "Ticked Off & Tickled Pink" section of The Medicine Hat News"
Ticked off
I’m ticked off with the thousands of smokers in Medicine Hat who don’t think cigarette butts are litter. Maybe they should ask the fish in the river that have to put up with all the butts that get flushed down the storm sewer every year. Just think of what the parking lots and streets would look like if everyone threw their pop bottles and cans out wherever they happen to be.
Ticked off
I’m ticked off. I moved down from Edmonton a year ago. I’ve never been a rich person. Sometimes in Edmonton I’d go to second-hand stores and I would take things I need. They always cleaned up the mess. Then I come to Medicine Hat and the same places are just a horrid mess. Here it’s like a tornado went through. There’s no respect.
Ticked off
By a local school they’ve made it all nice. They’ve put in grass and new ball diamonds. But they still have those ugly barricades there. I don’t know why they don’t open that up and let the traffic go through there? It’s kind of an eye sore.
Ticked off
During the first game of the Western Hockey League season I wasn’t impressed with the new rules. There’s absolutely no flow to the game. It’s a constant penalty parade. I think it’s made a mockery of the game. It’s high scoring but there’s no flow to the game. I think something has to be done.
Tickled pink
I’m tickled pink with the couple who stopped to see if we had a ride home following a late bingo evening and then waited in the parking lot until our ride arrived. Your concern was greatly appreciated.
Ticked off
I’m ticked off about the bus shelter across from the hospital. It’s a pigsty. Everyone goes in there to smoke. There are cigarette butts everywhere. If they’re going to smoke, they should clean up behind themselves.
Ticked off
There’s no need for change at the intersection of Eagle Butte Road and the Trans-Canada Highway. It’s a perfectly safe intersection as long as drivers entering the Trans-Canada Highway from Eagle Butte Road obey the highway code and stop. Proceed only when it’s safe to do so. After a major accident at the intersection, drivers are still not stopping. Unmarked police cars at this intersection would encounter numerous violations.
Ticked off
To the person who hit the mother duck and her ducklings. He or she should have their licence taken away.
Ticked off
I’m ticked off with the person who suggested we destroyed crows nests every spring. Crows wouldn’t be waking you up every morning if we humans wouldn’t build our big houses in the middle of their territory destroying the ecosystem as we go. Just imagine what the rest of Mother Nature’s creatures think of us. The sun wakes me every morning but I didn’t try to destroy it. I bought bigger drapes. Invest in earplugs.
Tickled pink
I’d be tickled pink if we could find out for sure which stores are coming to Medicine Hat.
© Copyright by Medicine Hat News.com
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I have actually been to Medicine Hat, AB. We bought a case of beer there at the liquor store (the only place to buy beer in the town) and as we left, the guy there said, "Drink up! And hurry back!" That was in 1979 and we haven't made it back since.
On with the the game. A T town...how about:
Toltec, WY
Leslie
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Canmore, Alberta
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Evansville, Wy
You can by this house in Evansville for $395.000.
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Elkhorn Junction, WY
Leslie
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Newark, TX
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Kortes Dam, Wy
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Morelia, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Michoacan de Ocampo. Historic city founded by Spanish conquerors in sixteenth century, noted for its rich and beautiful architectural heritage. Central city protected as historic and artistic treasure by UNESCO.
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Arrowhead Springs, WY
Leslie
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Sinclair, Wy
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Rio Lagartos, Mexico
(http://www.travel-notes.org/photos/flamingos_lagartos.jpg)
Rio Lagartos, located within an special Biosphere Reserve on the northern coast of Yucatan on the Gulf of Mexico, is an extraordinary natural refuge famous for its pink flamingos.
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Stranger, Texas
Stranger dates to the 1840s, although it is hard to imagine people settling such a remote area this early. Before it was given it's unusual name, it was connected to the community of Blue Ridge and was referred to as "Upper Blue Ridge".
A plaque near Stranger says the name was given to the town by a visiting Frenchman. That seems like an unusual way to get your town named, no matter how gracious your town is to visitors. We checked the Handbook of Texas Online and their version is that a post office representative was asking the local blacksmith (who may or may not have been French) what to name the town. Why he would be doing this is anyone's guess, but he supposedly asked the man (a newcomer) who answered that he shouldn't decide since he was a stranger. The agent wrote down at least this part of the man's reply and there you have it.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/StrangerTexas/Stranger_Texas_church.jpg) (http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/StrangerTexas/Stranger_cemetery.jpg)
One of the two Stranger churches The Stranger Cemetery
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Riverside, Wy
As there is a Riverside in california there is one in Wyoming.
Previously known as Dogget, the town of Riverside came into being as a means of getting to the important town of Encampment. It was merely a stopping point along the way. A man named Dogget established a store and a few cabins where travelers could stay overnight. Along about 1900, the town changed its name to Riverside. A forty-room hotel was constructed, burned and was re-built. The hotel was about all Riverside had to offer. When Encampment started to decline because of low copper prices and eventually was abandoned, so was the hotel and Riverside.
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Ebano, Mexico
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Onoway, AB
(http://www.cakeworkscentral.com/cakedec/images/Jy19_002.jpg)
Home of Germain Country Cakes
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Yantis, Tx
You too can own this lovely home on almost 2 acres for $92,000!
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Skull Creek, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/soskullrim1_sm.jpg)
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Kingman, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/summerview.jpg)
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Nordheim, Tx
Pop. 323. You can buy this home for $100,000.
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Meeteetse, WY
Latitude 44.1572 Longitude -108.8708 Altitude (feet) 5859
Lat (DMS) 44° 9' 26N Long (DMS) 108° 52' 15W Altitude (meters) 1785
Time zone (est) UTC-7(-6DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 28
This is one happenin' place!
Leslie
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Elkhurst, WY
today's Elkhurt weather report: rain and snow. Probability of measurable precipitation 80 percent. West wind 29 mph. High 45.
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Turnerville, Wy
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Elk Mountain, WY
Leslie
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Naco, AB
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Opal, Wy
This is Opal resedent Spencer Preece.
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Lone Tree Crossing, WY
Leslie
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Guess it's my turn, right? :)
Galveston, TX
here's some typical Galveston food: (http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/naamloos.jpg)
enjoy!
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Northcliff, Tx
Pop. 1819
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Oh, the first F town of the game!
How about
Ferguson Corner, WY
Leslie
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Rocky Mountain House, AB
"Rocky" is the home of the annual Alberta Aerobatics Competition
(http://www.cyrm.ca/CE6.jpg)
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Etna, WY
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Almy, WY
Leslie
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Yoloxochitl, Mexico
Pop. 4689
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Leduc, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/LeducAB.jpg)
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Chihuahua, Mexico (It is the capital city of the state with the same name.)
Because tonight in chat I learned that one of hopefulheart's pets is a Chihuahua :)
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/tonysarticles/tbchihuasouth.html
Chihuahua seems to have a colorful history and looks to be a place worth a visit.
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Archer, Wy
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Ranchettes, WY
Are the girls who work on ranches the ranchettes? LOL
Leslie
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Spruce Grove, AB
the Edmonton Boys' Pipe Band marching in Spruce Grove
(http://www.ebpb.ca/Band/spruce_grove_3.jpg)
Formed in 1929, by Pipe Major John Robertson, the Edmonton Boys' Pipe Band is the oldest pipe band in the City of Edmonton.
The official tartan of the Society and the Band is the Red Erskine, which is derived from the ancient Barony of Erskine, in Renfrewshire, Scotland, during the reign of Alexander II. It was also the tartan of the now disbanded Royal Scots Fusiliers.
The dress uniform of the Band is comprised of a kilt, silver-buckled belt, black Argyle jacket, black glengarry, and seal skin sporran. Each piper provides his/her own bagpipes and practice chanter. Drummers provide their own drum sticks. Drums are the property of the Band Association.
The Band will accept as members, youths whose ages range from 10 to 18 years. No experience in piping or drumming is required. Band members will be given instruction, and admitted to the Marching/Competition Band with full status (i.e. issued a uniform, and allowed to march with the Band in parades and competitions), when the Pipe Major determines they are ready for promotion.
The Edmonton Boys' Pipe Band has a long history of accomplishments and awards, and is recognized as a valued contributor to adult bands, a proud achievement of the Edmonton Boys' Pipe Band Association.
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Edcouch, Tx
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Heath, Texas
Heath, Texas is situated on the eastern shores of Lake Ray Hubbard in southern Rockwall County and northern Kaufman County. Heath enjoys spectacular views of the Dallas skyline and easy access to Metroplex business, cultural, and entertainment amenities. Residents and visitors enjoy a growing trail system, two municipal parks, Rush Creek Yacht Club (home to Olympic sailors!) and the Buffalo Creek award-winning golf course. The mostly residential community has welcomed the advent of low impact office, service/retail and restaurant development. Development principles are distinguished by prudent growth strategies, preservation goals and commitment to protecting and enhancing property values.
(http://imgsrv.homes.com/imgsrv/d2/32/164429322.jpg) 4 br,6 full ba,1 half ba 105 sq. ft. 1.05 acres
This can be yours for $1,300,000.
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Hirsig, WY
another booming place with a population of 25.
Leslie
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Green River, Wy
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Red Deer, Alberta
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Ryan Park, WY
Leslie
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Keeline, Wy
Off a a real road trip, Santee, Ca to Corona, Ca a little less than 100 miles, to my Niese's 7th birthday.
Mark
Keeline history below.
July 1, 1986
From “Niobrara Historical Brevity” published by the
Niobrara Historical Society, in observance of the Lusk Centennial 1886-1986
Keeline, Wyoming is situated 16 miles west of Lusk, Wyoming on Highway 20. George A. Keeline and Sons working their way north, established the 4J Ranch on the Platte River in about 1876 in the Glendo area. Later George Keeline moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa and yearly made a journey to Wyoming to see how his ranch investment was doing. He traveled on the CNW Railroad to Keeline and then south to the ranch. He made this trip into the 1940’s.
To the north and west of Keeline along the railroad, a fenced pasture and loading chute for shipping out cattle from the 4J was established. Therefore the shipping point was known as Keeline.
In 1892 George Blaine bought land form a Claus Sothman that later became the Blaine Bros. sheep headquarters. Here at Keeline Siding on the CNW Railroad they located their shearing pens.
Addison A. Spaugh came up the trail at the age of 17 in 1874. He worked for big ranching operators and soon became manager of them. Later he had herd interests of his own.
In 1902 he purchased the Blaine Bros. Sheep Co. In 1910 Mr. Spaugh decided to build a town called Keeline to honor George A. Keeline—owner of the 4J Ranch. In 1910 the invasion of farmers and homesteaders began in this area. There was an abundance of cream accumulated from the homesteaders, so Keeline Siding was fixed so the train would stop and pick it up and take it to the Blue Valley Creamery in Nebraska.
On October 8, 1913 Mary E. Spaugh dedicated the 80 acres platted for public use for the town.
It was a well planned town-the plat had 1st thru 4th streets running east and west. Eight avenues ran north and south.
A post office had been established elsewhere and Mr. Spaugh played a roll in moving it. There was a store known as the Applegate store. Two small houses were there, a boxcar was placed for the depot and there was a one room school. This was the extent of the town in 1912. Mike Conners ran a blacksmith and repair shop at his homestead on the south edge of Keeline.
Mr. Spaugh had a man by the name of Abbott as a promoter for the town of Keeline. Between 40 and 50 lots were sold the second day.
The Applegate store became the Walker Freeman store and later became Bushnell General Merchandise and Coal. The town had a post office, lumber yard and elevator, livery barn and dray service, restaurant, grist mill, several churches, drug store, bank, hotel, grade and high schools, potato cellar, creamery, which had a butter and cheese contract with Blue Valley Creamery, a depot agent and telegraph operator, a hardware store, a newspaper-The Keeline Record-a four page newspaper and six pages on special occasions, an attorney, Chevrolet garage, barbershop, pool hall, dance hall, Keeline Telephone Co. and various other stores.
Keeline shipped out more cream, hogs and grain than any other place between Chadron and Douglas. It had dry land fairs. Keeline never had a bar nor a police officer.
At one time Keeline had a population of 440—In 1986 it has a population of 4. The post office is still in use.
The names of the honored dead of World War II are engraved on the Keeline Park Stone setting between the Highway and the Post Office.
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Empalme, Mexico
Current local time in Empalme, Mexico
Saturday, 21 Oct 2006 02:02 PM
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Encampment, WY
Leslie
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Turkey, Texas
Wild turkeys discovered along a small creek gave this town the name of Turkey Creek, and the settlement that grew up there was known as Turkey Roost. But when the Post Office stepped in and set up shop they shortened the name to plain, old Turkey. Several businesses and a $50,000 hotel (constructed 1927) were built with the coming of the railroad. The town became a shipping point for cattle, grain and cotton.
An annual event, on the last Sunday in April, is the Bob Wills Reunion. The famous musician is recognized with a monument at the west end of Main Street. Although the town's population is small, crowds range from ten to fifteen thousand during the festival.
Historic Inn : Hotel Turkey -
Built in 1927, the Hotel Turkey has remained in continuous operation and is listed with the State and National Historic Registries. The hotel is run as a bed and breakfast establishment today and retains its original 1927 decor in the fifteen rooms.
For information, call 806/423-1151, or 800/657-7110. At 3rd and Alexander Streets.
Bob Wills Museum -
This museum honors the man known as the King of Western Swing. Wills was reared on a farm just north of the town and passed his growing up years here. Memorabilia of the Texas Playboys (Bob Wills' band) and of Wills' career and its influence on American music is displayed. One may see fiddles, boots, hats, recordings, photos and hear the music.
(http://www.lone-star.net/mall/txtrails/turkey.jpg)
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Yaqui, Mexico
Heh, I have a couple of ex-boyfriends who should register as guests at the Hotel Turkey. ;D
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Izoro, TX
In Izoro, TX, the "old gas station [pulls] duty as a post office."
"Higgins Gap, named after a family of early settlers, was Izoro's original name. In 1886 when a post office was applied for, they submitted the name of a local woman, Izoro Gilliam. Our source* says she 'undoubtably was an extraordinary person' but it's also possible that the postmaster was smitten."
8)
http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Izoro-Texas.htm
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Odonnell Spur, Wy
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Goodmorning everyone :)
Robertson, WY
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New Jelm, WY
Leslie
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Moorcroft, Wy
You can but rhis 2,800 square foot home for $259,000. I like the three car garage.
Established Moorcroft
1889
Elevation (ft.) 4,206
Population in 2000 807
Population in 1940 387
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Tyler, TX
Tyler's has 'one of the largest collections of brick-surfaced streets in Texas.' and 'settled in the 1840s, owes its name to President John Tyler.'
http://www.texasescapes.com/TRIPS/East_Texas_Sunday_Drives/TylerTexas1.htm
The photo is of the Tyler Azalea Trails, which "wind through old neighborhoods south of downtown."
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Rusk, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/RuskTx.jpg)
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Kirtley, Wy
Niobrara Historical Brevity
July 1, 1986
From “Niobrara Historical Brevity” published by the
Niobrara Historical Society, in observance of the Lusk Centennial 1886-1986
Jake and Ida ZumBrunnen built the first house in the settlement of Pleasant Ridge about 1889. Mary Elizabeth Steers (affectionately known as Aunt Lib) came to Wyoming in 1894. It was she who named the settlement Pleasant Ridge. It was known by that name until a post office was established in 1895. The U. S. Post Office Department chose the name Kirtley as the name for the post office. Kirtley was the name of the first postmistress. Before the post office was established people got their mail at Voorhees post office and at the old LZ Ranch. Jake ZumBrunnen carried the mail by team or horseback for eight years without missing a trip.
A Sunday school was organized with Andrew Christian as Superintendent. Many ministers served the community over the years, the first being Reverend Wallace.
Harrison, Nebr. was their main trading post, however land and school business had to be attended to in Lusk. The wagon road to Harrison was marked with pine boughs until a road was worn. It was also marked in this manner when snow covered the ground.
The settlers hauled their water in barrels placed in lumber wagons from the head of Van Tassell Creek known as “The Springs.” It was about seven or eight miles south of Andy Christian’s place. When Christian’s drilled a well and erected a windmill, water was hauled from there until they could get their own wells drilled.
Several families lived below the hill in the valley but got their mail in Kirtley and attended church and other social functions there but their children went to the “Pine Knot School.”
From 1889 to 1892 school was held alternately in the homes. A new school was built in 1892. School was divided into winter and summer terms. In 1899 school teacher’s wages were raised from $35.00 to $37.50 and in 1900 they were raised to $40.00 per month. About this time, the school started furnishing school books. Previously pupils brought their own. Two new schools were built in 1897 and 1898. They were known as the West and East schools.
Clara Nell ZumBrunnen was the first baby born in the settlement.
Nellie Christian remembered that when someone rode for a doctor that it meant taking the fastest horse available and riding as fast as possible, day or night, good weather or bad, until you reached him. Then the Doctor returned with his horse and buggy.
Andy Christian donated a tract of land for a cemetery and many friends and loved ones rest peacefully there.
A Woodman of the World Lodge was organized in 1902 and their hall was used for all community events – dances, church, Sunday school, Christmas trees and programs, literary and debating societies, Epworth League, box suppers, ice cream socials and political meetings were held in the hall. Quilting bees and carpet rag sewing bees were held in the homes.
Thousands of bushels of grain were hauled to Lusk and traded for groceries and clothing. The surplus grain was bought by the Lusk merchants and sold to local ranches or shipped on the train.
Telephones arrived in 1907. Several ladies in the community gave piano lessons. Two ladies were dressmakers.
Kirtley reached its peak between 1903-1910. Most of the land has gone back to pasture land and many places have been passed on to children and grandchildren of the original settlers.
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Yachihuacaltepec, MEXICO
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Calmar, AB
The town flag
(http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/c/ca-ab-cl.jpg)
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Reliance, Wy
Male Population – The number of males living in where you might apply for a Reliance mortgage.
* Male Population
* 133
Female Population – The number of females living in where you might refinance your home.
* Female Population
* 131
Population over 25 Years of Age – The number of people over 25 in the city where you’re considering applying for a Reliance mortgage.
* Population over 25 years of Age
* 142
Male High School Graduates – The number of male high school graduates in where you might apply for a Reliance, WY home equity loan.
* Male High School Graduates
* 31
Female High School Graduates – The number of female high school graduates in where you might apply for Reliance, WY home loan.
* Female High School Graduates
* 25
* Total households
* 86
*
People in a Household – The average number of people in a household in Reliance, WY, where you might apply for a Reliance mortgage.
* People in a household
* 2.0
So in reliance we can conclude that two guys do live togther
Mark
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I think we can (sorta kinda) conclude that at least two guys live together. Maybe they all do. :)
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Embar, WY
I wonder if this is another one of those towns that was originally a ranch? The M-Bar Ranch.... M
Leslie
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Rycroft, Alberta
population: 609. It's also known as 'The Hub Of The Peace'
The annual Fair is held in august and has exhibits, greased pig event, arm wrestling and more.
Nice!
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Torrington, Wy
Homesteaders Museum houses not only memorabilia of the period, a ‘shack’ built in 1910 by Ben Trout, a Union Pacific Gallery, but the written records and historical accounts...land claims, photographs and other materials, of this wild and wonderful period in Wyoming’s colorful history.
Also picture of the airport.
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New Fork, WY
Leslie
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Kerrville, Texas
--the county seat of Kerr County. Situated in the heart of the beautiful Texas Hill Country, and a major center for tourism, hunting and fishing, and ranching. A popular place of retirement for wealthy Texans who made their money elsewhere. The home of Schreiner College, and the site of an important annual folk-music festival.
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Euless, Tx
Mark
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Silver Tip, WY
Leslie
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Pleak, TX
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Kaycee, Wy
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Eccles, WY
Leslie
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San Luis Potosi, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of San Luis Potosi. One of the earliest cities of northern Mexico; grew rich with the lucrative silver mining in the area (name alludes to the Bolivian city of Potosi, once the richest in the world due to the spectacular silver finds in the area). San Luis Potosi at one point was the administrative capital of the area that included present-day Texas.
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Iron mountain, Wy
The McDonald family from Iron Mountain in 1914.
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According to my database, we have exhausted the N towns in Wyoming, so I will move on to Texas.
North Zulch, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/NorthZulchGroceryCocaColaOldSignTex.jpg)
Leslie
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Happy, TX :D
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/HappyTX2.jpg)
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Yuytepec, Mexico
Pop. 8239
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Our first C town in Wyoming!
Of course I'll pick CASPER, WY
where Ennis's sister moved after she married a roughneck.
Leslie
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Rockwall, TX
(http://rockwall-tx.tamu.edu/Images/wall_gen_6.jpe)
Rockwall was founded in 1854 and is the County Seat of Rockwall County. Rockwall is approximately 22 miles east of downtown Dallas on Interstate 30 with a population of just over 25,000.
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Lucky Maccamp, Wyoming
3.9 Miles from Riverton.
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Point of Rocks, WY
is in Sweet Water county and "[t]here are less then 10 people living in town, though the stuff to see is located Westward of the town. Best reached off the south side of I-30 toewards Wamsutter & Rawlins. Take exit 130 south."
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/wy/pointofrocks.html
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Smoky Lake, AB
Some Smoky Lake punkins
(http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/smokylake.jpg)
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El Campo , Tx
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Omaha, TX
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Abilene, TX
Not many gay householdss in this West-Texas town...132/41,570 or 0.32%...probably inaccurate due to under-reporting, but low nonetheless.
"Abilene has one of the only competing and performing jump rope teams in the area, known as the "Jammin' Jumpers". They formed in 1996 and have been to the National Jump rope Championships in Walt Disney World 3 times: in 2001, 2003, and 2005."
Another fun fact is that, Carol Hall, who wrote music for the broadway hit, "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," hails from Abilene.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abilene,_Texas
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Eidson Road, Tx
Pop. 9348
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Delicias, Mexico
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Spur, Texas
(http://www.spurtexas.com/_borders/spuranilogo.gif)(http://www.spurtexas.com/_borders/cowboy_rubbing_horse_md_wht.gif)
HISTORY OF SPUR, TEXAS.
Spur, Texas is on Highway 70, east of Lubbock in Dickens County.
The name of our town originates from the SPUR Ranch which, formerly, was included in the town site. E.P. Swenson and his associates purchased the SPUR Ranch in 1907 and divided it into lots for the settlers that were moving in.
Playing the leading role in bringing people to Spur was the Burlington railroad. It made its first trip into Spur on Nov. 1st 1909. Over 600 hundred lots had been sold by then so the town of Spur was born. Some of the first businesses were Campbell Mortuary and Furniture store, which started business 10 days after the town opened, and is still in business at this time. Also, There was the Love Dry Goods Store and The Spur Inn, which our place is named after. The Spur Inn was a large Hotel and the only place to stay. Currently, Spur is primarily a ranching and farming community with several supporting and unique businesses. Spur is, as it always has been, a wonderful place to live and raise your children.
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Rockeagle,Wy
Mark
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Esterbrook, WY
Leslie
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Kelly, WY
http://www.free-press.biz/Jackson-Hole-WY/Kelly-Wyoming.html
"Kelly Wyoming is in Grand Teton National Park and borders on the National Elk Refuge witch in winter is home to thousands of Elk and a heard of bison. The views of the east side of the Tetons are unsurpased from any other town in the region. In summer bison roam all over the area."
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Yomel, Mx
Mark
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Loving, Texas
Loving is in Young County.
The community was named after Oliver Loving, early cattleman
The community is in the Central Standard time zone.
The latitude of Loving is 33.264N. The longitude is -98.51W. Elevation is 1,302 feet.
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Guernsey, WY
(Will the "Y" towns be used up soon? If a Y is played and there is no answer within 6 hours, I will declare a ROADBLOCK and the next poster can choose whatever letter they want.) :)
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Yerbas Buenas, Mx
Mark
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Story, WY
Leslie
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Young, TX
Young is just off Farm Road 1124, ten miles northeast of Fairfield in northeastern Freestone County. It was named for an early settler of the area, Dr. Tolbert Fannin Young, who moved to Texas from Memphis, Tennessee, in 1868 and taught school at Ward Prairie before returning to Tennessee to study medicine.
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Grande Prairie, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/header-home-logo_fall.jpg)
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Erramouspe Place, WY
Leslie
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Ector, TX
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tx/TX_279274.gif)
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Rinor, Wy
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Rosarito, Mexico
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Oil Springs, WY
Leslie
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Sussex, Wy
Pop. 798
Mark
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Xicotepec de Juarez, Mexico
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Zitacuaro, Mexico
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/rmeyer/mich/zita.htm
Zitacuaro is located 146 kilometers (90.72 miles) from Morelia by the road of Ciudad Hidalgo. It is the eastern door, the entrance to the country of the Monarch Butterfly, the door of thr region of Tierra Caliente and of the Independence City, where the American National Supreme Board was constituted to authenticate the "Independence Movement", integrating the first National Republican Government. It was heroic three times, first it was set on fire on January 12, 1812 at the Independence War by General Calleja, then on April 1855 by the Santa Fe troops and on April 1865 during the French Intervention.
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Old River-Winfree, Tx
You can buy this lovely home for $189,000.00
Mark
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Earth, TX
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Huhí, Mexico
Las Esculas en Huhí
LOL BEH CALLE 22 NUM. 92-C X 15 Y 15-A 167
EMILIANO ZAPATA CASA EJIDAL 56
PREESCOLAR COMUNITARIO TIXCACAL QUINTERO 1
CHACPUCZICAL CALLE 9 NUM. 107 X 18 Y 20 105
ADOLFO LOPEZ MATEOS CALLE 6 S/N X 19 Y 21 231
FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO CALLE 20 NUM. 99 X 17 290
PRIMARIA COMUNITARIA TIXCACAL QUINTERO 8
PRIMARIA COMUNITARIA CONOCIDO 4
JUSTO SIERRA MENDEZ CALLE 21 NUM. 126 X 28 Y 30 233
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Italy, Texas
Italy bears no cultural ties to the "Old Country"and if there are citizens of Italian heritage - it's merely coincidental. The name was contributed by the postmaster of 1880 who imagined the climate of Texas comparable to that of Italy.
History in a Pecan shell
A timeline of significant events in Italy, Texas:
1860: Scattered settlement begins
1879: the brothers Aycock built the first house and use it as a combination of house, store and post office. The town was split over what the name should be - some wanting Egypt and others Italy. Gabriel J. Penn, the Waxahachie postmaster settled the matter for them by filling in the blank on the application with the name Italy. The postal authorities gladly accepted Italy (there was already an Egypt in Wharton County).
1890: The population reaches 500 Italians (not really Italians, but what else are you going to call them?)
1891: A big year for Italy. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad arrived (actually in December 1890), the first newspaper was published, and the town was officially incorporated.
1900: population is 1,061
1901: The International-Great Northern Railroad reaches Italy
1913: The Electric Interurban between Waco and Dallas comes through Italy (Electricity for the city was provided by Waco)
1920s: Italy had five gins, a compress, and a cottonseed oil mill.
1925: The population reaches 1,500 and the Italy Independent School District was established.
1930: Italy starts the Great Depression with a population of 1,230 people and 45 businesses.
1960: Italy's population remains nearly the same with only 1,183 people and half the businesses.
(http://www.countryconnection.net/asp/homes/904%5C274476_3203249.jpg)
This can be yours for $995,000.00
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Yuytepec, Mexico
Mark
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Calgary, AB
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Youngsport, TX
(http://www.jisao.washington.edu/greg/southcentral/states/TX/station_locations/419962.gif)
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Tsuu T'ina, AB
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/TsuuTinaLogo.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/TsuuTinaNationPhoto01.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/TsuuTinaReserveHistory01.jpg)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/JakeTwist/Used%20on%20BetterMost/TsuuTinaAncestry02.jpg)
Treaty 7 was the final treaty needed to complete the. acquisition of the"fertile belt" of Western Canada. As part of the treaty reserve lands were set aside for the five signatory tribes. The Piikani and Stoney received their own reserves, which they still occupy today. The Siksika, Kainaa and Tsuu Tina were given a common reserve, averaging four miles in width, on the north side of the Bow from 20 miles northwest of Blackfoot Crossing downstream to the junction of the Red Deer River with the South Saskatchewan.
At the time the Tsuu T'ina and the other tribes signed Treaty 7, they had no thoughts of settling down, as the buffalo were believed to be still plentiful. Within a year the buffalo were gone and the people were starving.The government were forced to feed them. Many Tsuu T'ina camped at Fort Calgary where they were well treated by the Northwest Mounted Police.
The Tsuu T'ina and Kainaa where unhappy sharing a common reserve with the Siksika. Bull Head, head chief of the Tsuu T'ina insisted on a reserve on Fish Creek and the Elbow River which they had always considered as their country. In 1882 a new reserve was surveyed out. In 1883, a new treaty was made with the Tsuu T'ina officially giving them lands, which amounted to three townships, an area 18 miles east to west and 7 miles north to south lying between the Elbow River and Fish Creek.
Traditionally the Tsuu T'ina were organized into a series of bands, each composed of a number of closely related families that often hunted and camped together either alone or with bands of the "Blackfoot" tribes. The Tsuu T'ina bands would come together in the summer for the annual religious ceremonies, most important of which was the holding of the annual "Sundance". Each band was led by a "chief". The most efficient leader and greatest warrior was by common consent the "tribal chief".
Tsuu T'ina populations fluctuated considerably during the last two centuries, as smallpox and other epidemic diseases swept across the Northern Plains at regularly recurring intervals beginning with the first epidemic in the 1730's. In 1810, the Nation recovering from the smallpox epidemic of 1781 was estimated to consist of 90 tents( approximately 420 people). By 1832 their population had more than doubled, probably approximating their number prior to the epidemic of the 1730's. Smallpox swept through the plains in the spring of 1835, killing over half the population. Smallpox struck again in 1869. In 1871 their population was estimated at 408.
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Arminto, Wy
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Ottine, TX
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/OttineTexas/OttineTexasPostOffice99JT.jpg)
Ottine Post Office
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Empress, AB
population: 171
Empress is a village in the province of Alberta. It is on the Saskatchewan border. The community was named for Queen Victoria, empress of India.
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Seminoe Dam, WY
Leslie
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Merida, Mexico
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Alva, WY
(http://www.nathanslunch.com/images/roadtrip/alva.jpg)
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Alton North, Tx
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Hulett, WY
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Toadsuck, Texas
The area's original settlement dates to the 1850s. After the Civil War a townsite was surveyed a half mile SE of present-day Collinsville. With no local heros around and hardly any geographic features, they looked around for a name and saw the Toadsuck Saloon. This apocryphal story is as good as any other. The name had already been in use as a town name in Arkansas - a place where the residents might have indeed resorted to such amusements.
It was supposed to be a reference of drinking until one swells up toad-like. Obviously, this was good for the saloon-keeper, but an unfortunate condition for his patrons to suffer. In 1869 William (Alfalfa Bill) Henry David Murray, later a popular Governor of Oklahoma was born in Toadsuck - a fact that might've cost him election if it hadn't been kept under wraps.
When the T & P ran their rails away from Toadsuck, the town of Collinsville sprang up from businesses drawn to the depot. Collinsville incorporated in the 1890s and Toadsuck became hardly more than an amusing place name.
(http://media.bestprices.com/content/isbn/9X/155622799X.jpg)
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Kaufman, Tx
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Notrees, TX
(http://www.texasescapes.com/WestTexasTowns/NotreesTexas/NotreeSign.jpg)
Notrees was named by grocer Charlie Brown who started his store in 1946. The town had one native tree before the construction of a Shell gas plant forced the removal of the tree. A lot of oil companies set up camp in the town, and at one time the town boasted ten oil camps. The community still exists and has just recently started to grow trees again.
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Shoshoni, WY
Leslie
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Irving, Tx
Mark
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Groom, TX
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Mason, Texas
--the county seat of Mason County; "noted for sturdy stone construction of buildings [as of 1945]"
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Nogales, Mexico
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Sweetwater, TX
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Reynosa, Mexico
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Allen, Tx
Mark
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I'm having trouble getting pictures to post unless they are really small. Anyone else.
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Nameless, TX
Settled in 1869, the citizens of the fledgling committee ran up against the postal authorities in Washington. No one recalls what names were submitted, but they were rejected six times. The expressed their frustration by writing back (which may have been just what the buereaucrats wanted) "Let the post office be nameless and be damned!"
The postal authorities had a laugh - and then granted their wish. The post office was registered as Nameless, Texas in 1880. The community had fifty people, two churches, a store and school in the mid-1850s.
The town sent out cotton and cedar posts - and imported groceries. Sadly, the post office with the unique name was forced to close - and mail for the dwindling residents started coming through Leander. The town is mainly remembered by Nameless Road and the Nameless Cemetery - shown on detailed maps of the area.
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Skiff, Alberta
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Fort Bridger, Wy
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Raisin, TX
History in a Seashell
A brief time line of significant events in Raisin's history
1889: established as a stop on the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railroad from Victoria to Beeville.
1892: The town gets a post office. The railroad called the station Lucy, but the postal authorities rejected it - wanting something more distinctive. The name Raisin was chosen to honor a local rancher (J. K. Reeves) who had tried to grow grapes. Judging by the name - it wasn't a successful venture.
The nearby German settlement of Coletoville took an interest in Raisin - probably due to the depot. C. T. Friedrichs, built a gin, and a man named Kohl built a store. Frederichs was the first postmaster and Kohl the second - serving from 1901 until 1914
1914: Post office closes
1930: The American Railway Express office, closes and Southern Pacific discontinues passenger service - a result of a drop in passengers from the opening of highway 59.
The population of the Raisin-Coletoville area has remained at about fifty persons from the early 1900s to the present.
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Nechanitz, TX
Nechanitz is at the junction of Farm roads 3011 and 2145, eleven miles north of La Grange in north central Fayette County. The area was settled in 1853 by Wenzel Matejowsky, the first settler from Bohemia to enter Fayette County, and was named after his native city in Bohemia.
In 1990 the population was reported as twenty-one.
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Zacatepec, Mx
Pop. 13,948
Mark
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Corpus Christi, TX
An old friend of mine lives in Corpus Christi, so it seemed fitting to include it here.
Leslie
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Iago, TX
Iago is at the intersection of Farm roads 1301 and 1096, two miles northwest of Boling and twelve miles east of Wharton in southeastern Wharton County.
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Oakhurst, Tx
Mark
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Tarzan, TX
Tarzan wasn't formed until the 1920s. That's why you never heard of Fort Tarzan, Texas. The town gets its unusual name from a submission to the postal service that was accepted. There's no telling how many names had been submitted and rejected, but the boys in the postal service thought it was great fun to have a Tarzan, Texas. After all, they didn't have to live there. The year was 1927 and Tarzan's popularity in the comic strips was right up there with Krazy Kat. Of course, when people thought of Tarzan in 1926, they though of Elmo Lincoln instead of Johnny Weissmuller. Not that it makes much difference.
Leslie
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Nada, TX
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/NadaTexas/NadaSign_CC300.jpg)
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Angleton, Tx
Welcome to Angleton, Texas, "Where the Heart Is"
A gazebo at one of our parksWe are a growing community of nearly 19,000 residents. Angleton is a hub of technology, agriculture and history located 30 miles from Houston and 12 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. "Welcome To Angleton... Where the Heart Is".
Mark
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Noodle, TX
The town took its name from Noodle Creek. According to folk tradition the name meant "nothing" or signified a dry creek bed. Settlement in the region began in 1882 with the arrival of Anderson Criswell, a shepherd. Later settlers came for the land that was priced at a mere $5 per acre.
In 1898 Noodle had a store and in 1900 a post office opened which operated until 1924.
In 1883 the first school, Willow Creek, was established at Criswell's ranch. Local residents built a school building in Noodle six years later and named it Cross Roads.
By 1920 the town had added a gin, a blacksmith shop, and a garage.
In 1929, after consolidating with the Horn school district, Noodle used bonds to build another school, the Noodle-Horn school. The first church services in Noodle were held in the original schoolhouse.
In the mid-1980s Noodle had one store, a gin, and two churches.
Noodle's population did not exceed forty between 1950 and 1986. It was still reported as forty in 1990.
Leslie
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Early, Texas
Early is a city in Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,588 at the 2000 census. It is named for Walter U. Early, who donated land for the schools.
(http://www.earlychamber.com/SiteImages/8855.jpg)
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Yebucivi, Mexico
Mark
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Idalou, TX
(http://www.idcide.com/i/mc2/tx/idalou.gif)
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Upton, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/UptonWY.jpg)
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North Alamo, Tx
If you are traveling thru North Alamo you can stay at La Copa Inn.
Mark
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Otto, WY
...is in Big Horn Country amd was named after Otto Franc, rancher.
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Okotoks, AB
Home of (http://www.peace.ca/gifsjpegs/newlogosm.gif)
Canadian Centres for
Teaching Peace
Box 70
Okotoks, AB CANADA
T1S 1A4
Ph: (403) 938-5335
1-800-574-7126
Fax: (403) 938-4117
E-Mail: [email protected]
http://www.peace.ca/
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St. Hedwig, TX
Settled in 1852 when Silesian immigrants built a log church on the site.
The first post office (1860) went under the name Cottage Hill but was changed in 1877 to honor the patron saint of Silesia. The stone church dates from 1868. In 1897 the population was composed manly of Polish and German family many from Upper Silesia. In 1945 the store (now overgrown) served the needs of the town - which then numbered 100. The population was 200 in 1956 and 650 in 1970. The town's proximity to San Antonio has increased the population to nearly 2,000.
This is the facade of the old grocery store in St. Hedwig:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/SainttHedwigOldGroceryTexas802.jpg)
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Granum, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/AerialviewGranumpresentday.jpg)
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Medicine Bow, Wy
The name "Medicine Bow" is legendary and reputedly derives its origin from the Native American tribes that frequented the area, mainly the Arapaho and Cheyenne. Along the banks of the river, the Native Americans found excellent material for making their bows. To them, anything they found good for a purpose was called "good medicine." Thus, the Native Americans named the river flowing through the area the Medicine Bow River, and since the headwaters of the river originated in the mountains to the South, they were called the "Medicine Bow Mountains".
The area was first used by trappers and mountain men during the 1830's. In 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad was built through the area, and a pumping station was established on the river. A store and saloon were the beginning of the small village, which naturally was given the name "Medicine Bow." By the following year, Medicine Bow had become a major supply point and in the 1870's, the federal government operated a military post in Medicine Bow to protect the railroad an freight wagons from attack. A post office was built and in 1876, the first elementary school was established.
By the late 1870's and early 1880's, Medicine Bow had become the largest shipping point
for range livestock on the Union Pacific line. Cattle were being brought for shipping from as far away as Idaho and Montana. An average of 2,000 head a day were being shipped. By the turn of the century, Medicine Bow was also a major shipping point for wool, averaging 1,000 tons a year.
In 1901, the U.P. Railroad was relocated from the Rock Creek route to its present location, and a depot was built in Medicine Bow. The original depot burned down July 24, 1913, and the present depot was erected in November, 1913.
In 1909, Medicine Bow was incorporated when the U.P. Railroad transferred ownership to the town.
In late 1913, the transcontinental "Lincoln Highway" passed right through Medicine Bow. In the 1930's it was paved, bringing tourism to the area.
In later years, Lumber, Uranium, Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas were found in the area which added to the prosperity of the region.
Mark
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WHO'D THOUGHT IT, TEXAS
Hopkins County, East Texas
FM 1536 (Between Hwy 19 & FM 71)
N of Sulphur Springs
S of Paris
E of Commerce
A forgotten community with an unforgettable name, Who'd Thought It - in a perfect world would come with a question mark after it's name. The Handbook of Texas doesn't mention a post office by that name and it's unlikely that the postal authorities would've approved such a name even if it had been submitted. No explanation is given.
The community's birth is uncertain as well, with the Handbook saying only "sometime after 1900." The town's schoolchildren attended classes at Sand Hill and the community consisted of only a few stores and residences - reaching it's zenith before WWII.
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Tom Bean, TX
Named after the colorful and mysterious surveyor from Bonham, the town developed around 1888 when the railrroad arrived and the post office opened.
Mr. Bean donated 50 acres for a townsite - including the railroad right-of-way. The railroad drew off of the population of nearby White Mound and soon Tom Bean (the town) was thriving. The population reached 299 in 1900 and by the mid-20s there were 367 Beanites, Beansonians or Beanilains.
After the 1950s the population grew slowly. It was 570 by the mid-1970s and it seems to have peaked in the late 80s with 926 residents.
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Novohrad, TX
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tx/TX_26844.gif)
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Diamondville, Wy
Mark
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Edinburg, TX
Edinburg's original name had been Chapin, but Mr. Chapin was tried for murdering a man in San Antonio's Buckhorn Saloon. Propriety demanded a name change, and so John Young, prominent businessman, named it after his birthplace of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1911. Somewhere along the way, the "h" was dropped.
Leslie
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Guamuchil, Mexico
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Lookout, Wy
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Twin Sisters, TX
Named for a pair of hills, the town dates from 1854 when a man named Joel Cherry homesteaded on the Little Blanco River. By the late 1850s the town had become the center for German settlers in the area. The post office was applied for in 1856 and granted that year, although operations were suspended during the Civil War.
By 1890 Twin Sisters was prospering with a mill, gin and three stores. One man named Kruger became a one-man entertainment committee - opening a store, dance-hall, bowling alley and brewery. Non-legal entertainments like shoot-outs and brawls enlivened the scene, but eventually made Mr. Kruger return to storekeeping.
A severe drought in the 1890s put Kruger and many others out of business. The post office was closed in 1951, and mail was routed through Blanco.
Leslie
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Sulphur Bluff, TX
Sulphur Bluff was settled by Robert and Hesakiah Hargrave in 1842 on a bluff overlooking the Sulphur River three miles north of the present location.
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Fort Laramie, wy
Mark
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Excel, Alberta
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Lesley, TX
(how could I resist?)
In 1902 local resident James P. Montgomery opened a post office at his home and named it after his son. It remained in Montgomery until 1907, when it was moved to the town's general store. It closed in 1915 and mail was rerouted through Lakeview
By 1920 the town had the school, a cotton gin and three stores. A gas station and restaurant had been added by the late 20s. In 1937 the school was consolidated with Lakeview's ISD. The population was a mere 10 from the 30s through the 40s. By the early 1970s it had increased to 70 and it retained its gin and grocery into the 80s. Lesley had about 40 people in 1984 and it was forty-five by 1990.
This is the old school house:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/LesleySchoolhouseTexas52105ErikWhet.jpg)
Leslie
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Yellowstone, Alberta
Lesley, TX
(how could I resist?)
Leslie
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
good one leslie!
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Yondese del Cedro, Mexico
Mark
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Oatmeal Texas
History in a cylindrical cardboard box:
The name is perhaps a corruption of Othneil who was an early businessman in the area.
A timeline of significant historic events in Oatmeal:
1849: The first settlers were German families
1853: A post office was granted under the name Oatmeal
1854: The first people are buried in what will eventually become the Oatmeal Cemetery (see photographer's note below)
1858: the first schoolhouse was built
1869: a second school was constructed
1871: The cemetery is deeded
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/OatmealTexas/OatmealTexasWaterTank902JWilliams.jpg)
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Luckenbach, TX
Official signs are stolen, so don't look for any. When you get close, you'll see some for "Uptown Luckenbach," which we may address in the future. For now, we'll talk about the historic and legendary Luckenbach. The one that's beckoning down in the shady grove.
1999 was the town's Sesquicentennial Celebration and in 2000 they had their Second 150th Anniversary Celebration.
The house you'll pass on the way in is the Engle place. The sign showing a population of 3, is actually 2 now, due to a recent death in the Engle family.
History in a Pecan Shell
The Reverend August Engel established the Post Office in 1886. His sister Minnie (or Sophie depending on the source) was appointed Postmistress and in a romantic gesture put the name of her fiancée in the blank space for the requested name. That name was Albert Luckenbach.
Years later when Albert and wife moved to Martinsburg the post office there was renamed Albert, Texas.
The romantic naming of Luckenbach started a tradition of unconventionality that has become something of a lifestyle. We didn't say it was a romantic lifestyle, we said it was a unconventional lifestyle.
The biggest contributor to this lifestyle would be, beyond a doubt, Hondo Crouch. Crouch, champion swimmer, raconteur, and columnist for The Comfort News, liked the shallow water of Grape Creek so much he and a few others bought Luckenbach's 10 or so acres from the Engel family in 1970.
Mr. Crouch used Luckenbach and its tranquility as a tongue-in-cheek comparison to the nearby high-priced spread of LBJ's Stonewall Ranch. Meanwhile, the celebration of life at Luckenbach continued, with country music and with what the Germans have been known to call "liquid bread."
Unless you spent 1976-77 in a coma, then you heard the song that opened the floodgates. Ask someone. It was bitter irony that Mr. Crouch died shortly after the town became famous.
While other parts of Texas have Fire Ant, Chigger and Mosquito Festivals, Luckenbach celebrates Spring's arrival each year by holding a contest to see who witnesses the arrival of the first Mud Dauber Wasp. The choice of this non-aggressive and home-oriented insect reflects Luckenbach's philosophy.
Luckenbach's unpretentiousness is as genuine as the portrait of FDR that remains from when the building's primary function was Post Office/Store.
There's a bronze bust of Hondo Crouch in front of the store. Drop in when you're in the neighborhood.
Leslie
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Hoback Junction, Wy
You can stay at this KOA campground in Hoback Junction.
Mark
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New Boston, TX
(http://www.cinematour.com/location/usa/tx/newbos2.jpg)
New Boston's Grand Theatre
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Nazareth, TX
The town was named by Catholic priest Joseph Reisdorff, who recruited settlers by advertising in midwestern German Catholic newspapers.
He and a core of four farmers moved to the future town in 1902. A post office was opened the following yearthe community built its Catholic church. The town had seventy-one residents by 1904 - the year Nazareth was platted. The community's cemetery was (consecrated in 1906) was the only one for miles.
The population grew to 50 by 1914 and to150 people by 1927.
Dust storms hit the area in the 30s and the population dropped back to fifty. By the time America entered WWII the population was back up to 200.
The population dropped to about 75 in 1955, then rose to 275 ten years later. The town remains primarily a Catholic community.
Leslie
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Horse Creek, Wy
Getting ready for a ROAD TRIP in my 1951 Frazer. San Diego, Ca to Hesperia, Ca then to Whittier, Ca.
Mark
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Kathleen, Alberta
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Newgulf, TX
The Texas Gulf Sulphur Company built the town in 1928 - before most of Wharton county had paved roads. Named by contest (open to employees only), Newgulf was comprised of 400 one, two, and three bedroom houses that were leased to employees. The town even had its own downtown - a single four-lane road with essential businesses on either side, including a movie theater.
Newgulf Texas houses and trees
The town had its own post office and the company provided a hospital, library, school, and golf course. The population of Newgulf was 1,586 in 1940 - the highest it would ever be. The semi-isolated community was a world unto itself - and residents developed into a very close-knit community - seldom venturing out - even to still-developing Boling - just 3 miles away.
The year Newgulf "opened" an independent school district was formed with three schools. Iago, Texas and Newgulf each had elementary schools, and Boling hosted the region's high school. After WWII Newgulf began to decline as the demand for sulphur deceased. Texas Gulf Sulphur built new plants and local employees were laid off.
Company houses were first sold to "civilian" buyers in the early 60s. More efficient mining practices led to further layoffs and for the 1980 census there were just under 1,000 residents. Only 100 houses remained by 1990 and residents did more of their shopping in Wharton. The clubhouse and golf course continued in operation but in 1993 the post office closed and the Newgulf school merged with the Boling school.
Leslie
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Fort Macleod, AB
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I see that we had a double "Y" post this afternoon. jpwagoneer (king of the "Y" cities) posted Yondese del Cedro, Mexico, after belbbmfan's Yellowstone, Alberta. :P
Rather than worry about changing the posts that followed jp's, I am granting belbbmfan a special SIDE TRIP, which means she can post a city beginning with whatever letter she wishes, no matter what the post before hers might dictate!
Choose well, belbbmfan! 8)
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Didsbury, AB
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Yarrellton, TX
AKA Yaralton, or Yarrelton, the town was formed in the late 1860s by settlers from Alabama. The town was named to honor Storekeeper / Judge Tom Yarrell.
The first classes of the school were held under a brush-arbor in 1876. A post office opened in 1886. In 1890 the population was 50 and the town had a gin and two stores.
Yarrellton was once famous for its huge Fourth of July picnics, which sometimes drew crowds over a thousand people. In 1941 the population was reported as fifty-eight and its been in a slow decline ever since.
Leslie
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I see that we had a double "Y" post this afternoon. jpwagoneer (king of the "Y" cities) posted Yondese del Cedro, Mexico, after belbbmfan's Yellowstone, Alberta. :P
Rather than worry about changing the posts that followed jp's, I am granting belbbmfan a special SIDE TRIP, which means she can post a city beginning with whatever letter she wishes, no matter what the post before hers might dictate!
Choose well, belbbmfan! 8)
Fabienne, I want you to realize, we have had no J, Q, or V towns....think Quanah, Quanah....
Leslie
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North San Pedro, Tx
Pop. 920
Mark
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I see that we had a double "Y" post this afternoon. jpwagoneer (king of the "Y" cities) posted Yondese del Cedro, Mexico, after belbbmfan's Yellowstone, Alberta. :P
Rather than worry about changing the posts that followed jp's, I am granting belbbmfan a special SIDE TRIP, which means she can post a city beginning with whatever letter she wishes, no matter what the post before hers might dictate!
Choose well, belbbmfan! 8)
hmmm, verrrrry difficult, i have to say!
Fabienne, I want you to realize, we have had no J, Q, or V towns....think Quanah, Quanah....
Leslie
okay, Leslie, a special tribute to you! :-*
QUANAH
Home of the Lazy L Farm and its two beautiful owners:
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/ALBFScover.jpg)
Fabienne
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Oh, Fabienne, thank you!
For those who don't know, Quanah, TX is the where the Lazy L Farm is located and "my" Jack and Ennis presently live. In real life, Quanah is the county seat of Hardeman County and is located 30 miles east of Childress. A few Quanah attractions:
Quanah Parker Monument: On the Courthouse Square, dedicated in 1991, this tells the story of Indian captive, Cynthia Parker, her recapture and subsequent death, and her son who became the last great Comanche Chief. One of the most interesting stories in a state known for interesting stories.
Hardeman County Museum: 105 Green Street
Located in the old 1891 Jail, the lower floor is for exhibits while the upper floor retains original cells.
Quanah Acme and Pacific Depot Museum: 100 Mercer Street 940-663-5272 This 1908 National Register property is an extension of the County Museum. Undergoing restoration, the Depot Museum is due to reopen in the spring.
The Quanah Rocket: On the corner of Third and Main Streets is an item few towns have: their own meteorological rocket named after them. Open 24 hrs.
Quanah Memorial Park Cemetery: Notable graves include Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald and one Joe Earle, who had the misfortune of becoming Quanah's first burial. Since his death at the hands of Indians predated the town, his gravesite became the nucleus of the necropolis.
One of our Bettermost members, ifyoucantfixit (Janice) is a descendant of Cynthia Parker.
The former Hardeman County jail, located in Quanah:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/QuanahTexasFormerHardemanCountyJail.jpg)
Johnson Street, circa 1900
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/QuanahTexasJohnsonStreet1900PCTem.jpg)
Okay, who's next? We need an H town.
Leslie
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Hillsdale, WY
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/wy/WY_23361.gif)
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Everman, Tx
Pop. 5836
Library in Everman, Tx
Mark
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New Sweden, TX
New Sweden dates from 1876 when the community of Knight's Ranch took its name from the New Sweden Lutheran Church. New Sweden has a dignified ring to it and we should all be glad they didn't choose "Little Sweden" like they have with "Little Mexico," "Little Havana," and "Little Saigon." New Sweden's population never went higher than 104 souls according to the Handbook of Texas.
It lost its post office in 1902 when they started receiving their mail through Manor. Even the sign in front of the church lists the church's address as Manor. Later, school consolidation helped hasten New Sweden's demise as a distinct community. The Church is quite striking with its unusually steep steeple, and it is certainly worth the short drive north from Manor, or even the drive south from Taylor.
The rolling terrain allows one to see for miles in any direction and the cattle and tilled fields make it easy to imagine what life was like here. Don't let the openness fool you. Without a good county map, you can still get lost.
Leslie
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Nestow, Alberta
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Wamsutter, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/WamsutterWY.jpg)
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Rambo, TX
Long, before the movie "Rambo" came out, there was a Texas community by that name. Located about two miles south of McLeod in remote southeastern Cass County, Rambo was an extremely rural community that began, existed for some years and has now almost died out. It was, for a long time, a totally Black community. At its peak, Rambo probably consisted of 400 to 500 people.
Leslie
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Onefour, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/williamaswitzer_pp_small.jpg)
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Red Oak, TX
Fire dept.
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Kemp, TX
(http://www.rcstokes.com/Cemetry/cmtrypic/kemp1.GIF)
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Picture Butte, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/PictureButte.gif)
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Ensenada, MEXICO...another town in Baja where one can get shrimp tacos and I can say I've been there :)
http://www.enjoyensenada.com/english/aboutensenada.jsp
"Known as the "Cinderella of the Pacific", Ensenada is located 70 miles south of the international border, a 90-minute drive from San Diego. Its warm Mediterranean climate, friendly atmosphere and accessibility by land, air, and sea have made Ensenada a favorite tourist destination for many years, and Mexico's second most-visited port-of-call for major cruise lines and pleasure boats.
Ensenada's romantic past, dynamic present, and promising future provide wide appeal for cultural visitors, vacationing families, and business travelers. With a variety of accommodations ranging from modern hotels with Old World charm to full-service resorts with convention centers to RV parks with complete amenities, Ensenada easily suits every taste or budget."
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Alhambra, Alberta
Named for the ancient fortress of the Moorish kings in Spain, Alhambra was founded in 1916 with the establishment of a post office at a new railway station of the same name. The hamlet is located west of Red Deer.
The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, («qa'lat al-Hamra'» means Red Castle). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/ALHAMBRA.jpg)
One of the highlights is the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions) is an oblong court, 116 ft (35 m) in length by 66 ft (20 m) in breadth, surrounded by a low gallery supported on 124 white marble columns. A pavilion projects into the court at each extremity, with filigree walls and light domed roof, elaborately ornamented. The square is paved with coloured tiles, and the colonnade with white marble; while the walls are covered 5 ft (1.5 m) up from the ground with blue and yellow tiles, with a border above and below enamelled blue and gold. The columns supporting the roof and gallery are irregularly placed, with a view to artistic effect; and the general form of the piers, arches and pillars is most graceful. They are adorned by varieties of foliage, etc.; about each arch there is a large square of arabesques; and over the pillars is another square of exquisite filigree work.
In the centre of the court is the celebrated Fountain of Lions, a magnificent alabaster basin supported by the figures of twelve lions in white marble, not designed with sculptural accuracy, but as emblems of strength and courage. It has been said that the lions were most likely sculpted by members of the Caliphate's Christian community, as making such representational sculpture was not considered allowed by the followers of Islam. The twelve lions functioned as a clock with water flowing from a different lion each hour. The Christians of the Reconquest took apart the clock to see how it worked and it hasn't worked since.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/PatioDeLosLeones.jpg)
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Alligator School House, TX
Sometime shortly after 1900, a town grew up around the schoolhouse. The origin of the school’s name has been lost to history, but it had to have been a colorful story.
During the Great Depression the town had the church, school, cemetery, and a few houses.
The school merged with the Kerens school but the church and cemetery remain.
The Long Prairie cemetery is the one closest to the former town – shown on the detailed TxDoT Navarro County map.
Leslie
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Eagle Mountain, Tx
This 4 bedroom home in Eagle Mountain, Texas is offered @ $129,000. In sSan Diego it would be over half a million!
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New Norway, Alberta
This small, active farming community was named after Scandinavian settlers who homesteaded in the area. Visitor services include a campground and recreational facilities. The St. Thomas Duhamel Church Mission, built in 1883, stands as a reminder of the once flourishing Laboucane Settlement. New Norway is located southwest of Camrose.
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Yóstiro, Mexico
(http://maps.fallingrain.com/perl/map.cgi?kind=topo&lat=20.5667&long=-101.3833&name=Yostiro&scale=10&x=240&y=180)
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Odds, TX
Odds had originally been called Buffalo Mott but was later renamed to avoid confusion with other Texas towns with the word Buffalo in the name. Odds, Kentucky is said to have been the source of the new name. We called Kentucky to see what we could find out there, but there's no listing for Odds. Perhaps the namesake has also become a ghost.
The area had been settled by a man named David Baron in 1854 and growth was rather slow. A store and post office were in operation in 1890 and by 1906 the post office was discontinued. Mail was later routed from Thornton, Texas.
By 1946 Odds had sixty citizens, one business, a school, and two churches. At one time Baptist and Methodist congregations shared a union church - the preachers saving souls on alternate Sundays.
Odds school had been in the Little Brazos School District before it was consolidated into the Groesbeck ISD in 1965. School consolidations nearly always drained the lifeblood of communities and the population in 1967 was reduced to only 20. With no school or businesses, Odds was a ghost by 1990.
Leslie
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Sputinow, Alberta
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Wright, Wy
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Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico
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Zephyr, TX
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/ZZ/hlz3.html
This is one hard-luck town...
"The town was supposedly named in 1850 by land surveyors who were trapped there by a blue norther. Their ironic name for the fierce wind stuck, and the town was named Zephyr...In 1909 a tornado demolished the town, leaving more than twenty people dead and many injured. Rebuilding followed...Cotton was the mainstay of the economy until the boll weevilqv devastation and market conditions led to the closing of the last gin in Zephyr in the early 1940s...The population was 198 in 1980 and 1990, when the town had two businesses.
What is a blue norther, you ask??
"BLUE NORTHER. The term blue norther denotes a weather phenomenon common to large areas of the world's temperate zones–a rapidly moving autumnal cold front that causes temperatures to drop quickly and that often brings with it precipitation followed by a period of blue skies and cold weather. What is peculiar to Texas is the term itself. The derivation of blue norther is unclear; at least three folk attributions exist. The term refers, some say, to a norther that sweeps "out of the Panhandle under a blue-black sky"–that is, to a cold front named for the appearance of its leading edge. Another account states that the term refers to the appearance of the sky after the front has blown through, as the mid-nineteenth-century variant "blew-tailed norther" illustrates. Yet another derives the term from the fact that one supposedly turns blue from the cold brought by the front. Variants include blue whistler, used by J. Frank Dobie, and, in Oklahoma, blue darter and blue blizzard. Though the latter two phrases are found out-of-state, blue norther itself is a pure Texasism. The dramatic effects of the blue norther have been noted and exaggerated since Spanish times in Texas. But that the blue norther is unique to Texas is folklore."
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Roalina, Mexico
According to www.islamicfinder.org, there are no mosques in Roalina.
(http://maps.fallingrain.com/perl/map.cgi?kind=illum&scale=-2&x=480&y=360&xcenter=-96.5322&ycenter=16.2819&lat=16.2819&long=-96.5322&name=Roalina&c=)
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Arvada, Wy
One of the two bars in Arvada:
Spotted Horse Bar
307-736-2252 • 7021 US Highway 14-16, Arvada,WY
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Agua Prieta, Mexico
...chosen because it reminded me of our favorite cinematographer, Prieto :)
http://www.gotosonora.com/agua-prieta-son-mx.htm
It is a border town east of Nogales.
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Alix, Alberta
The village of Alix features several recreation facilities, including a nine-hole golf course, the Alix Lake Recreation Area, a curling rink and nearby hiking trails. Discover local history at the Alix Wagon Wheel Regional Museum. Alix is located between Lacombe and Stettler.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/IMG_21.jpg)
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Xaaxkax, Mexico
A town that begins with an X and end with an X. Top that!
Leslie
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Xaaxkax, Mexico
A town that begins with an X and end with an X. Top that!
Leslie
i'll try:
Ximojay, Mexico
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Yanthe, Mx
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Exile, TX
History in a Cedar Shingle
An Exile post office was in operation in 1890 on the ranch of W. C. Lee. Lee was the postmaster of the town that was jokingly named for its isolation and distance from civilization.
In 1896 the combination church-school had an enrollment of fifty-six students with one teacher. The church moved south to the Heard community school where it was known as the Dry Frio Baptist Church. All that remains of Exile today is the cemetery.
Leslie
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Eaglesham, Alberta
Located 90 km (56 mi.) north-east of Grand Prairie, Eaglesham finds its origin as an Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway station. It was established in 1916 and it is possibly named after a village in what was Renfrewshire in Scotland. Its post office opened officially in 1929 and its first postmaster was Joe McDaid. Many services including, a golf course, library, dining establishments, and wilderness campground great for hikers and fishers that enjoy a challenge.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/eaglesign.jpg)
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Mammoth Hot Springs, Wy
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Shiner, TX
Shiner citizens are called Shinerites. This is probably the reason they changed the name from Half Moon. It's hard enough to be a Moonie, but a half Moonie? Billed as "The Cleanest Little City in Texas", it certainly lives up to it's name.
Stop in the Chamber of Commerce, if only for the experience of getting to park in front of the large doors. You can pretend that it is still a fire station. The Chamber will provide you with a brochure that will cover all places of interest in Shiner.
Every October 2, Shiner's neighbor Gonzales commemorates the anniversary of the first shot fired for Texas independence. The original cannon was buried to avoid capture and was thought lost until a flood uncovered it in 1936. Since this coincided with the Texas Centennial, there were doubts to it's authenticity. Tests conducted in 1980 confirmed it to be the real McCoy.
The response to the Mexican request for the cannon was: "Cannon? We ain't got no cannon. We don't need no stinking cannon."
Sorry. Wrong dialogue.
History and the rebel's flag records the true response to be "Come and take it!" So Gonzales has a "Come and Take It" celebration, with a reenactment every year
The Spoetzl Brewery
This is perhaps the main draw for those who visit Shiner. As you may have gathered by their recent ad campaign, Shiner Beer is "Brewed with an attitude". You can tour the brewery (Monday thru Friday 11a.m. & 1:30p.m.) and find out for yourself what kind of attitude.
After a hard day of maintaining an attitude, many of the brewery employees repair to The Tenth Inning for "attitude adjustment". This local tavern is a mere 7/10ths of a mile from the brewery, which makes one wonder if there's an underground pipeline. Judging by the empty cases outside, Shiner outsells the other brands 4-1. "We drink all we can and we sell the rest".
The 1895 Opera House, now called The Gaslight Theater puts on about four performances per year.
An architectural jewel is the 1921 Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, a red brick Romanesque Revival style structure with painted murals and magnificent stained glass windows imported from Bavaria.
Leslie
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Robb, Alberta
Located in the Canadian Rockies
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Baggs, Wy
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Smiley, TX
John Smiley was a sheepherder who settled on a lake in the vicinity in the early 1870s. The lake became known as Smiley’s Lake – and older Gonzales County residents knew Smiley as Smiley’s Lake. By the turn of the century – only the name Smiley appeared on maps.
Cattle herds driven to market watered at the lake. Businesses soon sprang up to cater to the drovers and by the 1880s – a town was born.
A post office opened in 1884 and within two years Smiley became Gonzales County’s number three city. By 1896 the community had several hundred residents.
In 1905, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway came through the area north of “old” Smiley.
The town incorporated in 1911 but was devastated by a fire that same year. By the 1920s Smiley had an estimated population of 600. In the 1930s and 1940s it became well-known as a poultry-processing center.
In 1964 the population fell just below 500 and remained at that level for the next 35 years.
Leslie
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Yetalzec, Mexico
(I jumped the gun on predicting the end of the "Y"s. Thanks to Mexico, we have a lot of them still to go! ;D)
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Centennial, Wy
You can stay at the Snowy Mountain Lodge on your visit to Centennial.
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Lake Louise, Alberta
View the majestic Victoria Glacier nestled behind beautiful Lake Louise, known as the "Jewel of the Rockies". As a ski destination, Lake Louise is internationally renowned, but it is also home to some of the best hiking & cross-country ski trails in the Rockies. At an elevation of 1,536m (5,039 ft), Lake Louise is located 57km (35mi.) from the town of Banff, near the start of the Icefields Parkway.
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Elevation, TX
Built on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1881, there isn’t too much to say about the community, although it is thought to be named for the altitude.
The population in 1990 was 12.
Leslie
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Nassau Bay, Tx
Nassau Bay Takes Root - Nassau Bay was built in the middle of raw acreage ranch land. The early pioneers seeking to develop Nassau Bay had ambitious visions. The speed at which the City went from concept to reality is truly remarkable.
After having only conceived the development in the summer of 1962, by fall residential construction became a reality when Ernest W. Roe Building Company of Houston, purchased the first home sites with plans to build 3 and 4 bedroom homes ranging from $20,000 - $30,000 in price. Now, over thirty years later these same homes often sell in the $125,000 - $160,000!
early
Nassau Bay - 1963
By the spring of 1963, construction of office buildings was underway with the awarding of a contract to H. A. Loft Construction Co. for the construction of the 3 building "U" shaped clusters located near NASA Parkway. Their design was intended to accommodate the changing needs of NASA tenants.
At this same time, the sewerage and water plant, dredgng of an initial channel from Nassau Bay (not to be confused with Lake Nassau) to Clear Creek, initial paving of streets and laying of utilities were commenced by Brown and Root. Interestingly, the sewerage and water plant was intended to serve half of the development with water wells and pump facilities to be installed by Texas Water Wells, Inc. intended for the rest. Chicago Bridge and Iron Contractors contracted the construction of the 3,000 gallon elevated water tower still in use today. The Nassau Bay Regional Center, considered one of the major shopping centers of Houston (no longer in existence), and the Nassau Bay Bank Building and the Professional building were designed and contracted.
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Yondrese El Grande, Mexico
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Egypt, TX
John C. Clark was the first settler in the area in 1822.
Robert Kuykendall, Thomas Rabb and John Clark were the three landowners for a large part of what is now Wharton, Colorado and Fayette Counties. They were among the first of the "Old 300".
The land along the Colorado River was Karankawa Indian Country and these three men became Indian fighters - making settlement of the land possible.
A timeline of significant historical events in Egypt
1829: Eli Mercer established Mercer's Crossing - a plantation and ferry on the Colorado. After providing corn to the drought-stricken area, people started calling it Egypt for the biblical reference.
1832: William J. E. Heard started Egypt Plantation on land he purchased from John C. Clark and built his home in Egypt. The land is still owned by his heirs today.
1835: The Republic of Texas opened a post office with Eli Mercer as postmaster. Egypt became a central point since four different Texas mail routes were passing through the town.
1836: Heard established a cotton gin and Captain Thomas Rabb recruited a company of men that became Co. F of the First Regiment of Texas Volunteers. At San Jacinto, Company F captured the Mexican artillery.
1837: The republic opened Post Colorado at Egypt.
1839: a stagecoach line, operated by Andrew Northington, served Egypt. Northington was the son-in-law of Heard.
1846: Egypt becomes part of the newly established Wharton County breaking away from Colorado County.
1848: Entrepreneurs in Egypt built a mule (or horse) drawn railroad to Columbus
1881: George H. Northington and Green C. Duncan built a large general store in Egypt. The post office moved to the new store when it was built and remained there for 100 years.
During the 1930s until World War II - a racetrack operated in Egypt.
Leslie
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Tepic, Mexico
--founded in 1542, this is the capital of the State (estado) of Nayarit.
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Chugwater, Wy
Chugwater, Wyoming, in Platte county, is 42 miles N of Cheyenne, Wyoming and 139 miles N of Denver, Colorado. The town has a population of 244.
You can stay at the Diamond Guest Ranch.
Mark
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Riesel, TX
(http://www.rootsweb.com/~txpstcrd/Towns/Riesel/RieselTx1908.jpf.jpg)
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Lois, TX
Lois developed in the late 1800s and prospered enough to be granted a post office for the years 1897 to 1904.
In 1936 Lois was thriving although the population was a mere 50 persons. It had two churches, and three businesses. In 1943 the Lois school was consolidated with another school district.
Population: Estimated 60 in 1963
Leslie
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Saddle Lake, Alberta
The community of Saddle Lake takes its name from aboriginal folklore, which speaks of a time when no buffalo could be found, so the people were forced to ice fish. From a distance, the crouched figures on the lake resembled saddles. Attractions include the Manitou Kihew Centre, a cultural community centre built in the shape of an eagle with its wings spread. Saddle Lake is northeast of Edmonton.
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Eastland, Tx
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Diddy Wa Diddy, TX
(also known as Juliff)
Prior to the Civil War the area had been part of the Arcola Plantation and was a shipping point for area cotton. It throve until the arrival of the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad in 1858. The town was named for early settler John J. Juliff ("Triple J" to his friends).
The town was granted a post office in 1891. It closed in 1908, reopened in 1914, and then closed permanently in 1958.
During the Great Depression several saloons and a dance hall were opened alongside the railroad tracks. The landlord was one Thurman "Doc" Duke.With these unsavory businesses serving as the community's nucleus, things went from bad to worse. Juliff did have a church, but the congregation was outnumbered by drunks, gamblers and prostitutes - with some residents performing combinations of these roles. Needless to say, they weren't often called for jury duty.
According to the Handbook of Texas, around 1934 a local musician was sober enough (or drunk enough) to write a song (supposedly) about Juliff. The lyrics "Diddy Wa Diddy - "ain't no town - ain't no city" don't mention Juliff by name and folklorists say that Diddy Wa Diddy is a reference to a mythical place (like the Big Rock Candy Mountain was to Hobos) where there's abundant food and no work. Other sources attribute the song to Arthur "Blind" Blake, a guitarist from Jacksonville (Florida, not Texas) who recorded at least two versions of the song before disappearing around 1931. Since Blind Blake's recordings are still around, we have to assume that the unnamed musician in Juliff was just one in a long string of people who used the lyric.
In one version of the song, the singer declares "I just found out what Diddy Wa Diddy means" while in another the singer pleads: "Won't somebody tell me what Diddy Wa Diddy means?" The words were also used as a title (Diddy Waw Diddy) by Texas Author/ Journalist Billy Porterfield (who was no stranger to places like old Juliff).
Despite the tenuous link to that well-known song, the town was down to 40 residents by 1940. It reached its high-water mark in the late 40s with about 150 people. By the early 60s, the saloons had all moved to Richmond's notorious Mud Alley or the Wards of Houston. Today only bloodweed and a few scattered houses occupy the area.
Perhaps the old saying about the mythical town is true: "Everybody would live in Diddy Wa Diddy - if only it wasn't so hard to find." And if only Juliff could've collected royalties...it might still be there as a tourist attraction.
Leslie
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Yancey, TX
Yancey, formerly known as Tehuacana and also known as Moss, is on Farm Road 462 fourteen miles south of Hondo in south central Medina County. It was named for Yancey Kilgore and Yancey Strait, sons of the owners of the townsite lands. A post office was established in 1897 with Benjamin F. Moss as postmaster. Yancey had a country store and a cotton gin. The Community School, Styles School, and Tehuacana School operated in the area; they were consolidated into one large central school in 1912. By 1914 Yancey had 350 inhabitants, two general stores, a drug store, a cotton gin, and a blacksmith shop and was known for the quality of its peaches, plums, and its famous "Yancey watermelons." Most of the residents were German American. In 1924 people in Yancey were entirely dependent upon the soil for a living. Principle products that year were cattle, hogs, goats, corn, cotton, honey, broomcorn, and sorghum grains. A small gas field operated locally for a short period. The town was grouped about a store, a post office, two churches, and a school that became the first in Medina County to offer vocational agriculture and home economics. The community declined from a population of 275 and five businesses in 1962 to a population of 202, a post office, and one business in 1989. The population in 1990 was still 202
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Yomejé, Mx
Mark
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Energy, TX
Energy was established around 1896 and was reportedly named for its energetic residents by Will and Charlie Baxter, store owners in the area. The community's post office opened about 1896, with John W. Moore as postmaster. The population of Energy was reported as sixty-seven in 1940 and sixty-five in 1990, when the post office was still in operation.
Leslie
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Yugulus, MX
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Shirley Basin, Wy
Mark
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Nickel, TX
Nickel, also sometimes spelled Nickle had a post office in 1886.
In 1890 the population was 25 persons with a gin, a gristmill and mail from Gonzales three times a week. In 1896 Nickelodeans got their mail daily.
The town only had 10 people during the Great Depression and the last time they had population figures (1948), there were 25 people listed on the census.
Rand McNally maps still show Nickel as a community and so do the detailed Gonzales County maps. Today Nickle consists of the picturesque old store and whatever population is there is dispersed.
Leslie
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Little America, WY
"...well-known to I-80 travelers as The World's Largest Gas Station -- was named after Admiral Byrd's camp on the South Pole. Opened in 1932 by S.M. Covey, the refueling stop along the Lincoln Highway grew to include scores of gas pumps, a hotel, restaurants and a post office.
The owners wanted Emperor the penguin to be its live mascot, but the penguin died on its way from Antarctica to Boston. Wanting to make the best of a bad deal, Little America had Emperor stuffed and shipped anyway.
You can visit the famous bird in a wide, wood-paneled hallway on the ground floor of the Little America hotel. He stands on a fake block of ice.
Emperor's glass case is inviolable; you'll never see this bird wearing a Santa's cap or a New Year's diaper. In the words of one Little America employee: "The management doesn't allow joviality with the penguin."
As the symbol of the business, a stuffed penguin also stands in the lobby of the hotel in Cheyenne and other Little America properties."
2000 Census Population = 56
==ASIDE== We are learning some strange and cool things thru this game...Thanks, Meryl!!!
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Albin, Wy
Established
1905
Elevation (ft.) 5,334
Population in 2000 120
Population in 1940 160
Mark
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Nash, TX
In the early 1880s Benjamin Reid opened a general store and the community that grew around it was named for local lawyer named N. J. Nash.
The town had a post office for the years 1883 through 1903. The population was given as 75 in 1941 and it's high-water mark seems to have been 1968 when 125 people called Nash home.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/NashTexasMasonicSign81405BobWorley.jpg)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/NashTexasMarker81405BobWorley.jpg)
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Humble, Texas
Humble is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 14,579. The city shares a zip code with the small neighborhood Bordersville, Although people who live in Bordersville still have an Humble Address.
Petroleum has been the basis of Humble's economy since its beginning. Loch Energy is headquartered in Humble; the city was the namesake for Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later merged with the Exxon corporation.
The city got its name from one of the original founders/settlers, a successful wildcatter originally from England named Pleasant Smith "Plez" Humble, who opened the first post office in his home and later served as justice of the peace. The proper pronunciation of the city is "umble" (the "H" being silent), as Plez pronounced his last name in that manner.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/69/DowntownHumbleTexas.jpg/250px-DowntownHumbleTexas.jpg)
Downtown Humble
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Electra, Tx
HISTORY OF ELECTRA
Electra, named after the feisty daughter of cattle baron W.T. Waggoner, is located in the western edge of Wichita County. The Waggoners were pioneers in the area when they established their cattle headquarters here in 1878. Their property almost completely surrounded the original townsite. Confusion over the delivery of Waggoner mail and the name Beaver for nearby Beaver Creek led residents in 1902 to circulate a petition changing the name of the city to Electra in honor of Electra Waggoner. The townsite opened in October 1907. In 1911 an oil company leased a tract of land from W.T. and the famous North Texas Oil boom was begun as fortune seekers came to stake their claims.
Today, Electra continues its agricultural and oil impact in North Texas. Farm and ranch land surrounds the town and most every field is punctuated with an oil well. Manufacturing is another strong economic force to the city.
An industrious and enthusiastic city government and school system make Electra an exciting city to live in and raise a family. A progressive hospital offering a plethora of services, a physician clinic, family practitioners, internist and general surgeon assure the best of healthcare services not found in many small cities.
The Chamber of Commerce is extremely active. The annual Electra Goat Barbecue is one of the busiest and most exciting events hosted by the Chamber. There are also the annual homecoming events, semi annual City Wide Garage Sales, Scarecrow Festival, and an annual visit from Santa Claus. Restoration of the historic Grand Theatre built in 1919 is underway as a citywide project.
For over 90 years Electra has been a vibrant community rich in history and ripe in personality and was designated a Main Street City in 1998 and a National Main Street City in 2000.
Mark
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Alligator, TX
You won't find any alligators around Alligator, Texas anymore. You won't find the town either, other than in the form of Alligator Creek and Alligator Road.
It's easy to forget how thick with wildlife the prairie around here was when the first settlers arrived. Deer, wild turkeys, wolves, bear, buffalo, antelope, wild horses, ducks, geese and wild hogs were plentiful.
So were alligators.
Members of the Santa Fe Expedition, when they camped on the San Gabriel River in Williamson County, amused themselves with shooting some of the numerous alligators that lived along the river.
The buffalo and bear were wiped off the landscape by the end of the nineteenth century. The last alligator in Bell County was killed in 1908.
The old community of Alligator, a few miles east of Bartlett, lives in legend, lore and in the memory of people like Bell County historian E.A. Limmer. Limmer, 85, was born there, though he never saw any alligators.
"All I saw was crawfish," he said last week. "Before the land was in cultivation they had to drain out a low area, and that's where the alligators were supposed to be."
The Alligator community consisted mostly of a church, tabernacle and a school house. Limmer said that in the fall, Joe Pacha, G.L. Oldham, Calvin Rice and Harvey Messer would hitch up their wagons and go to the lignite beds near Rockdale and come back with enough lignite to last the winter.
The lignite served its purpose well, maybe too well; one day in 1926 the school's old pot-bellied stove overheated the pipes and the school burned down.
That was the same year that Limmer's parents moved to Bartlett so he could start school and his sister could enter high school.
"I enjoy telling people that I was born at Alligator in Bell County," Limmer, 85, writes in the recent Bartlett Activities Center newsletter.
"Every Saturday morning my brother and I would go to the country with our father. When he turned into our farm, he would let us out and we would walk the remainder of the way to Grandpa and Grandma Limmer's house.
"While there we would crate the eggs (24 dozen to the crate) in order to take them to Lawrence Brothers store with Grandma's butter."
In such a manner, the Limmers paid for their week's groceries. The way of life he describes has gone the way of the wolf, bear, buffalo and gators.
"We would shuck and shell corn and take it to Lynn Bartlett, who would grind the corn into cornmeal," he continued. "In exchange for our work, Grandpa would give us 10 cents, which was the admission to the afternoon picture show."
Alligator Creek, which rises just east of Bartlett, makes its way southeast for 21 miles to its mouth on the San Gabriel River five miles east of the San Gabriel community in Milam County. Alligator Creek ran right through the middle of the old Limmer farm. When the family bulldozed part of the creek as part of a conservation plan, neighbors dropped by to see exactly what was going on.
"They said it looked like we were building the Panama Canal," Limmer recalled.
People today are surprised to find that there was once a community out on the lonesome prairie named for alligators and even more surprised to find that the town was named for the alligators that lived there. Alligators were once common in East Texas but they made a living in these parts too. You can still find them east of the Trinity River, around the coast and, sometimes, along the Colorado River.
There was a time when alligators - not just in Texas but all across the country - were endangered. State and federal laws allowed alligators to make an amazing comeback from the brink of extinction to the point where there is a limited amount of hunting of them permitted today.
In these parts, you can hunt all you want for alligators but you won't find any.
You won't even find the town named for them.
Leslie
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Red Earth Creek, Alberta
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Katy, Tx
If you had come in 1875 to live where Katy is today, you would have found no town and no railroad. One family was here. Thomas and Mary Robinson had 200 acres of land on the Cane island branch of Buffalo Bayou. They came in 1872. Fifteen years later. Peter Black and his wife Ophelia bought land and moved out from Addicks. These families farmed quietly until 1895 when it seemed that a lot of people suddenly decided Cane Island Texas would be a good place to settle.
Why did this area seem to he a good place to settle? Two main reasons -- first, people wanted to farm land; second, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad was completed, and it was easier for people to get to the area, and easier to get farm products to market.
What did the people find when they arrived? The arriving people found rich farmland. The land was flat and seemed to go on forever. The prairie was covered with tall, flowing grass as high as a man on horseback.
Who came to settle the land? The first family of the 1895 group of new settlers arrived on Christmas Day in 1894. Mr. William Pitt, his wife Lella and their three children came from the town of Pattison, Teas. In 1895 many more families came to find new farms and new lives. The Peeks came from Indiana and Iowa to farm and run dairies. The Stuarts and the Danovers came from Iowa The Beckendorff's came from Pattison to farm. Mr. Cabiness came then, too. He worked for the railroad as the depot agent. He also built a lumberyard, milled rice bought and sold the farmer's peanuts and helped start the Apostolic Faith Church in 1905.
One very important person to come this year was Mr. James Oliver Thomas, who came from Mississippi. He bought 320 acres of land and laid out the town site of Katy in 1895. Mr. Thomas set aside land for two parks -- one on Cane Island Creek and the other was the town square.
The year 1896 saw more arrivals. The Stockdick family, the Ruskeys, Mortons, and David Peter Franz, a watchmaker. From Iowa, Mr. Stockdick was a real estate person who encouraged many more families to move to the northern areas of Katy. This was also the year that Katy is first listed in Washington, D.C. as having a post office. It is officially called Katy Texas arid Mr. J.O. Thomas was the postmaster. The post office was part of his general store.
Other key arrivals came in the form of Eule family from Germany in 1897 Mr. Eule is very special to Katy's history as he is the first person to raise rice here, the second year he dug wells to irrigate the fields, and the Eule family had a school in their home for their own children and the children of their neighbors; also. Mr. Featherston, the first pastor of the Katy Baptist Church, arrived in 1898 two families arrived on the same train in 1900, both from Germany: the Schlipf family and the Weinman family, with a school built on Schlipf land, which children attended until it closed in 1918, when the Katy Independent School District was formed. Many of these early arrivals raised rice. Other raised peanuts and cotton.
Many people in Katy date events in the town "before" and "after: the storm. The hurricane of September 8, 1900 that destroyed most of Galveston Island also destroyed most of the buildings in Katy. The only buildings not damaged in any way were the homes of J.H. Wright and Mr. Featherston. These homes are still in Katy. After the storm, Katy rebuilt and continued to grow. The main industry was rice farming, and a gas field was discovered in 1934 west of town. Many wells were dug and a refining plant was built. These industries are an important part of the town today.
Today, living in the Katy area means an escape from the hustle and bustle of the Houston scene. Katy offers the charm of a small town, or the sophistication of suburbia. Housing in Katy ranges from apartments and condominiums to large estate homes with acreage to enjoy and maintain horses. Others have championship golf courses in their backyard. Subdivisions abound with tennis courts, swimming pools, and endless amenities for residents.
Fully planned communities, which feature areas of shopping centers, spacious plazas, and every convenience that enhances community living lead the way to future growth in an exciting and efficient style. With the various stages of housing available, no matter what the size of the checkbook, one can find living in Katy easy and affordable. But a residency in a community is only half of being a part of the life in that community. Katy has so much more, to offer in many churches, clubs and organizations to fit one's preference for a complete lifestyle.
Katy is historically an agricultural area with rice the major crop, and soybeans having been added as an alternate crop in recent years. The Katy area has been the site of one of the United States' largest gas fields since the early forties, which added greatly to the economy of the area. Most recently the development of industrial sites, both East and West of the City, and numerous retail and restaurants have joined existing businesses and added growth to the economy, as the Katy area has been among the fastest growing in the nation in terms of both residential and business growth.
Mark
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Yetzelalag, Mexico
Leslie
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Guanajuato, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Guanajuato. Historic city that grew wealthy upon the rich silver resources in the area; noted today for rich architectural heritage. The city was the birthplace of Diego Rivera, one of modern Mexico's most famous artists.
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Orange, Tx
A Brief History of
Orange, Texas
The City of Orange officially came into existence in 1836, the year Texas won its independence from Mexico. However, its history, like that of the Lone Star State, goes back many, many years prior to that memorable date.
The area’s first known inhabitants were the Atacapas Indians, who arrived about 1600. They lived mostly on seafood and wild game and worshiped ancestors who they believed came from the sea.
In 1718 the French came and were followed about 50 years later by the Spanish. The French developed a thriving pelt industry as traders by taking advantage of cheap Indian labor and the area’s natural supply of fur-bearing animals. Less successful in their exploitations than their predecessors, the Spanish gave way to the rising tide of American expansion and development.
Early in the 18th Century, the high banks on the Texas side of the Sabine River started their attraction for the early pioneers who dared to enter the land destined to be the Republic of Texas and afterward the State of Texas. This point on the Sabine River first was known as Green’s Bluff; also as Huntley. It was named for a man by the name of Green who surveyed the first land plot on the site. There was also a time when the community was known as the Lower Town of Jefferson. At another time it was known as Madison, in honor of President James Madison, who then was serving his second term in office. Due to confusion with the town of Madisonville, Texas, it became necessary to give the growing community a new name. Because of the native orange groves that had attracted the attention of boatmen as they navigated the Sabine River, it was an easy matter to select the name of “Orange.”
The town grew steadily as a strategic link between East and West of this vast country. It served as a port for ships sailing the Sabine River with cotton as the prevalent cargo. Lumber, cattle and agriculture also were important in the growth and development of the area.
The war between the States had disastrous effects on Orange by taking its toll of lives and property. When hostilities ceased, tragedy continued. A reign of terror marked by extreme lawlessness followed the end of the was for a decade.
And, in 1865, one of the worst wind and rain storms in Orange’s history hit the area, leaving more death and destruction in its wake.
Although these events hampered progress, ranchers were restocked with cattle, additional experiments were made in agriculture and more lumber mills were built. Orange once again emerged on the path of development. A big step forward for the city came in 1914 when the harbor was dredged to accommodate large ships. The operation was a great improvement to water transportation facilities and enabled the construction of ships here during World War I. Wartime production resulted in a decided increase in the city’s population. Several years of prosperity followed the end of the war. Then came the depression with World War II marking the end of those trying times.
Almost overnight the small town of Orange with its some 7,000 residents became a bustling “booming” city of approximately 60,000 residents. Its shipyards again built ships and other local industries were expanded to meet tremendous wartime demands. A U.S. Naval Station was installed and additional housing was provided for thousands of defense workers and servicemen and their families.
All of the growth in Orange during the war years did not disappear with the end of hostilities. Many persons who came in those days stayed to make their homes and raise their families here. After the adjustment was made from wartime production to peace-time output, the population in the Orange area stabilized at around 35,000. The shipyards, lumber mills, port and Naval Station remained in the city and by this time additional industries and businesses were being developed.
The city is located in one of the most promising industrial areas on the fast-growing Gulf Coast. Orange offers its citizens practically everything they may desire in the way of employment, recreation and shopping facilities. Its future is bright; beside developing into an industrial center, Orange is taking great strides forward in other respects to give residents a well-rounded community life.
Mark
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Eulogy, TX
In 1885 a store run by Charles Walker Smith applied for a post office in the name of Smithville after "Uncle" Billye Smith - a well-loved member of the community.
Smithville was already taken by a town in Bastrop County so the townspeople had to reapply under another name. It was said that since everyone "eulogized" Uncle Billye - Eulogy should be the town's name.
The post office closed in 1912 and the population of Eulogy never exceeded 200. According to the Handbook of Texas - from 1974 to 1990 the population stayed at 45 Eulogians.
Leslie
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Yucuribampo, Mexico
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Orizaba, Mexico
--situated in the State (estado) of Veracruz de Ignacio Llave, near the Pico de Orizaba, the highest point of land in the Mexican republic. Historic city; with Cordoba, one of the ancient villas of this part of the country.
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Anderson Mill, Tx
Water park
Mark
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LOONEYVILLE, TEXAS
History in a Pecan Shell
First settlers started appearing in the 1860s. Storekeeper John Looney was honored with having the town named after him in the early 1870s. Like most early towns, the post office was set up in the local store and in 1874 the Looneyville post office opened in John Looney's store. The office closed in 1878, reopened eleven years later and then closed for good in 1905.
Lumber was the town's main industry and several sawmills operated in and around Looneyville in the late 19th Century. The town reached a population zenith in the 1890s with just 100 Looneyvillians. A Looneyville school was in operation in 1900 and the population decline started just after WWI. It managed to survive the Great Depression with 40 people. After the closing of the school in the 1960s, only a church and store were left.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/LooneyvilleTexas/LooneyvilleTexasGrocerySign0106BG.jpg)
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Earl, TX also known as Earle's Chapel, TX (either way, the next player gets an L)
The town was named after one M. L. Earle, who settled in the area in the late 1850s or early 1860s. The second part of the name came from the local church - the town's central building.
A post office was granted under the name Earl but only remained open for a few months in 1874. The community had 40 students enrolled in the Earle’s Chapel School in the 1890s.
Without a railroad and in a rather isolated region, Earle’s Chapel didn't pose much of a threat to the county seat. Still, throughout the 1930s, Earle’s Chapel maintained their school and church and still had enough people living in the area to keep it alive. After WWII, the population was drawn off by the larger towns and the school has since closed.
Today only the church and cemetery remain.
Leslie
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Lightning Flat, Wy
Where Ennis got that very special gift from Jack.
Mark
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Tlacolula, Mexico
Tlacolula is the central town in the Tlacolula Valley. The town is home to more than 10,000 people. The Sunday market, reported to be one of the oldest in all of Mesoamerica, is the largest in the area. The valley is home to more than 60,000 Indians who speak the Zapotec language. There are numerous colonial buildings.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/tlacolula02.jpg)
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Addison, TX
(http://accelerate.drelocation.com/Texas/dallas/addison.jpg)
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Nurillo, Tx
Pop. 5056
Mark
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Oxford, TX
The area was first settled in the mid-1850s and was home to the Bedford Academy, which received students from anywhere within riding distance.
A.J. Johnson laid out the town of Oxford around 1880, naming it for his hometown in Mississippi. A post office was opened that same year and the town was surveyed.
The cemetery was built in 1881 and a sign marks the date the way some businesses do:
Oxford Cemetery
"Since 1881"
The town prospered for a short time - attaining a population of around 300 by the mid-1890s. The jobs in and around Llano along with improved roads drained the population.
Since there's nothing left of a town center - our photos for Oxford feature only the cemetery.
The Moss Family who had substantial land holdings in southern Llano County are interred here, as is the town's founder - the previously mentioned A. J. Johnson.
Oxford has never been written about without mentioning its nickname of Cat Town. This name is derived from an incident where a cat was thrown into a large pot of coffee at a dance. It must be remembered that entertainment was hard to come by in the 19th century.
The cat may have cursed the town for Oxford started its decline before it even reached a high point. By the early 1900s it lost population and the post office closed in 1924.
Leslie
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Dull, Texas
History in a Pecan Shell
The community was named for the Dull Ranch of which it was once a part.
The Dull Brothers sold their ranch in 1901 and the land sold in tracts. Los Angeles and Fowlerton were two other towns formed by this break-up.
Dull was established in 1912 and granted a post office in 1913 The townsfolk may have gotten some ridicule over their town's name - so in 1915 they changed the name of the post office to "Nettaville" - but that was short-lived. The post office closed in 1919 and they were back to being Dull.
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Lagrange, Wy
When visiting Lagrange you can stay at the Bear Mountain Horseback Riding Ranch.
Mark
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East Tawakoni, TX
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Impact, TX
Impact had been a 20 acre poultry farm owned by a family named Perkins. An additional purchase of land swelled the would-be town to 47 acres. Dallas Perkins, owner of the land became mayor and named the town after his advertising business.
Twenty-nine signatures incorporated the town in 1960, and the first order of business was to declare liquor sales legal. With Abilene “dry” and a large population of servicemen – it looked like a growth industry.
Two liquor stores opened (no waiting) and Abilene lawyers were immediately put to work filing motions to oppose the incorporation.
The courtroom fight went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. The court upheld both Impact’s incorporation and the town’s right to sell liquor.
The population was sixty-one in 1970, but after Abilene legalized alcohol sales in the late 70’s, the liquor stores closed and Impact just blended into the larger city.
Impact wrote a chapter of it’s own in the history of dry-wet politics in Texas.
Leslie
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Tipton, Wy
August 29, 1900: Union Pacific train robbed near Tipton, Wyoming. Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and Harvey Logan and others have been named as suspects.
Mark
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Naples, TX
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Satin, TX
Settlement dates back to 1834. In 1872 a sawmill was built and the town started to develop. With the arrival of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in the late 1880s, the town shifted its city limits to be near the railroad. First known as Laguna for the nearby lake, and then Cedar Point for the cedar trees shipped from the town, the current name is said to have come from an employee of the railroad.
It was the name submitted to the post office department when they granted a post office in 1917. With only ten residents in 1926, it swelled to nearly 200 by 1931.
But by 1935 it had shrunk back to ten Satinites. Somewhere along the line people started flooding into Satin and by 1958 it was estimated there were 138 people living there. It's a figure the town is comfortable with for it's been used as a population estimate ever since.
Leslie
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Nocona,Tx
NOCONA, TEXAS. Nocona is on U.S. Highway 82 twelve miles north of Montague in north central Montague County. Settlement there began in the 1870s, when William Broaddus and D. C. Jordan moved 15,000 cattle into the region and established a ranch not far from the present townsite. In 1887 surveyors for the Gainesville, Henrietta and Western Railway arrived and were persuaded by Jordan to extend their rail line across his land. He pledged to donate land for a townsite, and soon thereafter construction of the railroad and the town began. At first the new community was called Jordanville; but when that name was rejected, a Texas Ranger suggested the name Nocona in memory of Peta Nocona,qv a chief of the Comanches and husband of Cynthia Ann Parker.qv In 1887 postal service began. That same year Herman J. Justinqv moved his boot factory to the town to take advantage of the shipping facilities. The first newspaper began weekly publication in 1889, and the town's first bank, chartered at $50,000 opened in 1890. On July 30, 1891, residents voted to incorporate. By 1900 Nocona had a population of 900. In 1910 it had a dozen cotton-purchasing companies. In 1919 a second leather-goods business opened, and in 1925, when Justin's two sons moved their late father's business to Fort Worth, Enid Justin, their sister, opened the Nocona Boot Company.qv At this time Nocona had 100 businesses, two banks, a high school, and twenty to thirty shallow oil wells operating nearby. By 1930 there were over 2,000 residents. More than 2,600 people lived at Nocona by the middle 1940s. Oil-equipment companies, clothing factories, and the success of Nocona Boots contributed to a growing economy. By the 1960s Nocona had 3,375 residents and 147 businesses. In the late 1980s it had 3,000 people and 100 businesses. In 1990 the population was 2,870.
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Anna, TX
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/AnnaTexas/AnnaTexasStoreGhostSign91204EWhetstone.jpg)
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Alanreed, TX
Originally called Eldridge, the area was settled in the early 1880s on the stage line from old Mobeetie to Clarendon.
Town lots went on sale in 1884 and by 1886 a post office had been granted.
The area underwent a series of colorful names such as Springtown, Spring Tank, Prairie Dog Town, and Gouge Eye, for a memorable saloon scuffle.
The present site of Alanreed was laid out six miles south of Eldridge in 1900 by surveyors of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad. The name came not from a man, but a partnership - the contracting company of Alan and Reed.
The site of old Eldridge is marked by the Eldridge cemetery.
In 1901 the first school was built with a larger two-story school built in 1912.
In 1902 the post office was moved from Eldridge and renamed Alanreed.
In 1903 the Rock Island line was completed and
In 1904 Alanreed was Gray County's largest town.
The population high-water mark was reportedly 500 in 1927 but The Depression, school consolidation and the closing of essential businesses, reduced it to an estimated 150 by 1933.
Leslie
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Damon, Texas
--small community in Brazoria County
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Niederwald, Tx
Founded around 1900 by German colonists, the name is German and translates to "low brushy area" or "low forest". This name was chosen because of the low forest of mesquites in the area. Niederwald is located on the Hays-Caldwell County line in Texas. The dividing line for the two counties is El Camino Real, present day State Highway 21.
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De Kalb, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DeKalbTx.jpg)
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Buford, WY
Welcome to Buford, Wyoming, Population 2! Buford’s claim to fame is more than its small size. Buford is the highest town on Interstate 80, the main cross-country route between New York and San Francisco. The Buford Trading Post is located between Cheyenne and Laramie, right along the Interstate and the old Lincoln Highway -- U.S. 30.
(http://www.shuchow.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=449&g2_serialNumber=2)
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Deaver, Wy
The People and Families of Deaver
In Deaver, about 68% of adults are married. Large families and residences are common here.
The town is noted for its large share of males.
Mark
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Rising Star, TX
Rising Star began with the arrival of six families from Gregg County who settled here in 1876 .The settlement was originally called Copperas Creek but had a name change when D. D. McConnell of Eastland suggested the new name. In 1880, after the old post office had been closed, a man named Tom Anderson opened a post office/ store in his home. By 1889 Rising Star had five businesses and in 1904 it had a bank, hotel, school, two newspapers, and dry goods and drug stores.
The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad arrived in 1911 when they connected through Cross Plains. The first oil found in Eastland County was near Rising Star in 1909, but the town was spared the boom that Ranger and Breckenridge saw. In 1920 a major discovery was made but city officials went to great lengths to insure order by passing strict regulations. Workers ignored the town and built a camp five miles west. A year later the boom was over and the new town melted away.
Leslie
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Ralston, WY
(http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/ralston.jpg)
The Ralston Community Clubhouse building was originally constructed as a schoolhouse in 1914 by members of the community. It has served as the clubhouse for the Ralston Community Club since 1930. The building exhibits typical one-room school characteristics with its one-story, simple, rectangular shape, windows located on one wall and the entry vestibule. The Clubhouse holds significance locally and regionally because it functioned as the location for both social and community service activities. In a region of distances and isolation, the Clubhouse has brought women and their families together to share in each others lives and that of the community.
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Newton, Tx
Mark
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New Corn Hill, TX
The Handbook of Texas doesn't show a listing for New Corn Hill - but its presence can't be ignored.
The twin steeples of the church are visible from the cemetery of (Old) Corn Hill, although there is no direct road connecting the two. Many towns that split into "Old" and New," did so upon arrival of the railroad, but in this case (Old) Corn Hill was mostly absorbed into Jarrell, Texas. Evidently enough of the Corn Hill population wanted to retain the name and moved eastward.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/NewCornHillTexasSign904.jpg)
Leslie
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Langtry, Texas
--situated in Val Verde County, noted for resident Judge Roy Bean, colorful character upholding the law in a rather lawless time. He reputedly named the town after British beauty Lillie Langtry.
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Yeche, Mx
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Edgewood, TX
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tx/TX_26386.gif)
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Daniel, WY
http://www.sublette.com/daniel/
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Lamont, Wy
Lamont was named after homesteader James "Jimmie" Lamont. Lamont had a small store in his home and is credited with installing one of the first windmills in the area. With the discovery and drilling of oil in the area, the need for a post office was filled by establishing it in Lamont's store. The post office was named Lamont.
Mark
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Trueloves, Texas
History in a Pecan Shell
What little is known:
The Handbook of Texas states that the community had at least two schools - one built in 1907 replaced an earlier one called Lovejoy.
Trueloves was named after the grandsons of Jonathan Bird.
Lemuel and brother Jonathan Richard Trueloves settled in NE Johnson County sometime around 1870. Lemuel invested heavily in land and acquired several thousand acres. He also had other business interests including partnerships in several gins and banking.
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Streetman, TX
The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway arrived in 1905 before the town was established. The following year the town came into being and was named to honor Sam Streetman of Houston, who had surveyed the town for the railroad. In 1907 the nearby community of Cade, Texas lost its post office to Streetman. A newspaper was published in 1912 and the town incorporated two years later with a population estimated at 600.
Streetman's first school classes were taught in a blacksmith shop in 1907. A designated building came in 1913 but during the school consolidation in the late 1940s, Streetman's school merged with those in Fairfield. Streetman's salad days ran from 1920 through the Great Depression. From a population of just over 500 in 1931, it declined after WWII as did most smaller towns in Texas. By the late 1970s the population was down to 239, and the town's school children were bussed to Fairfield. The figure given on the 2006 state map was 203 residents.
Leslie
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Nolanville, Tx
NOLANVILLE, TEXAS. Nolanville is on South Nolan Creek, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line, and State Highway 190 just east of Killeen in western Bell County. It was originally named Nolan Valley, presumably for Nolan Creek, which was in turn named for explorer and filibuster Philip Nolan.qv It was one of the earliest white settlements in Bell County. The census of 1850 listed its population as forty-six. A post office named Noland Valley was opened there in 1878, and the railroad reached the community in the early 1880s. The town changed its name to Nolanville in 1883. Nolanville had been the old name for Belton before the latter became county seat in 1852. In 1884 Nolanville had 100 inhabitants, two mill-gins, three churches, and a school. A weekly newspaper, the Item, was started by 1896. Nolanville School, one of the larger rural schools in the county in the early twentieth century, had ninety pupils in 1903. The community had 150 to 200 residents through the mid-1940s but began to decline after World War II.qv After dropping to fifty inhabitants in the 1950s, the town began to revive in the 1960s and had 200 residents and six businesses when it incorporated in 1966. By the later 1960s Nolanville was caught up in the expansion of the Killeen-Fort Hood area, and, as a suburban community, its population shot up to 740 in 1968, 1,050 in 1974, 1,726 in 1988, and 1,834 in 1990.
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Ezzell, TX
Ezzell is on Farm Road 531 ten miles south of Hallettsville and two miles north of the Lavaca River in southern Lavaca County. It is the oldest settled area in the county. Families from Stephen F. Austin'sqv colony settled at the site between 1830 and 1836 and traded at Petersburg, the old county seat, six miles to the north, until Sam and Ira Ezzell started a store during the Civil War. A private school taught by literate slaves operated at Ezzell. After the war, school was held in church buildings until 1883. In 1980 Ezzell had a population of fifty-five, a church, a school, and no businesses. The population was still reported as fifty-five in 2000.
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Lone Star, TX
Once called "Skin Tight" after the business tactics of early trader and storekeeper Henry L. Reeves, the more acceptable name of Lone Star was submitted when a post office was applied for in 1883.---- The office was granted and Lone Star was off to a great start. With 160 people and a gristmill, cotton gin, a sawmill, store and school, the future looked bright. But "downtown" Lone Star burned in an 1893 fire. Rebuilding was immediate and the town doubled its population by the mid-1890s.
But with the new century, Lone Star started to dim. In 1903 the Texas and New Orleans Railroad bypassed the town and most residents moved to Ponta. The 1915 population was down to 200 and the post office closed in 1916.
Oil was discovered in 1939 and it seemed as though it might resurrect the town, but production was anemic and hopes were dashed.
Still, 73 people remained in Lone Star through WWII. The post-war population drifted away and except for a lone building, and a state historical marker, Lone Star joined a long list of former East Texas towns.
Leslie
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Raymond, Wy
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Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DoloresHidalgoMx.jpg)
Photo by Phil Douglis
Mask Toss, Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico, 2005
I found this young fellow incongruously flipping Halloween masks around in a market and strewing the floor with them. His mother summarily ended the proceedings just after I made the picture.
Halloween falls on October 31st. Mexico's Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 2nd. The two holidays are often confused with each other, and even celebrated jointly. Halloween is based on a European concept of death, and is populated by negative images of terror. The Day of The Dead is far different. It is a unique Indo-Hispanic custom demonstrating love and respect for one's ancestors, the continuance of life, and even finds humor in death -- all positive concepts.
I include this image in this gallery because it speaks of the innocence of youth. The horrific masks, some of them associated with death, are toys, nothing more. In a way, this image expresses the essence of The Day of The Dead. It is a holiday that can turn the concept of death into life, through play and pleasure.
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Oklaunion, TX
Originally named Mayflower, the town underwent a name change in 1883.
The town had hoped to be a major railroad crossroads, but the railroads involved chose Vernon instead. The hammered-together name Oklaunion was meant to signify a “union with Oklahoma”.
The high population of 400 in 1928 encouraged the town to incorporate – an act they dissolved in the 1970s. The population was 223 during WWII and the town has been in a slow decline ever since. A picturesque view of a typical Texas town can be viewed from the overpass of Hwy 287 – over Hwy 183.
Leslie
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New Summerfield, Tx
NEW SUMMERFIELD, TEXAS. New Summerfield is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 79 and State Highway 110, ten miles east of Jacksonville in northeast Cherokee County. The site was settled by homesteaders in the 1850s and first called Union Chapel. A union church was established there, and G. F. Fullerton deeded three acres to the Methodist Church on July 27, 1887. The McDonald and Dodson cemeteries were begun in the 1850s. There was an early school, probably taught in the church. The town began on July 29, 1895, when Caley Amos Summers gave land for a public school. On November 9, 1895, Summers sold land near the school to F. F. Fullerton and Isaac "Ike" W. Tipton for a mill and gin. Tipton also built a store. A post office was opened in the store, and Tipton was appointed postmaster in 1897. The town was named for its location in Summers's field. Soon general stores were operated by Arthur Dickson, John Sowell, Alex Tipton, and Ed Nicholson, who took over Ike Tipton's store. Clint Trotter and Charlie Connor ran a blacksmith and woodworking ship. Joe Brady had a blacksmith shop. Elmer Cowan operated a drugstore, barbershop, and shingle mill. Doctors Fullerton, Tennison, and Bell practiced medicine. Dr. Bell had a telephone switchboard in his home.
Summerfield developed rapidly because the crossroads led to towns where farm products could be marketed. In 1912 the school was one of the best in the county. By 1925 plant farms became a major industry. Greenhouses replaced open-field plant farms in the 1940s. The post office was discontinued in 1905 but reopened in 1938, when the name was changed to New Summerfield, because Summerfield, Castro County, had opened a post office. New Summerfield was incorporated, and the first town officials were sworn in on August 23, 1963. In 1988 the town had a city hall, a fire station, a post office, a school, several businesses, a Masonic lodge, three cemeteries (McDonald, Dodson, and Union Chapel), and three churches (Methodist, Baptist, and Church of Christ). Greenhouses, Christmas tree farms, and ranches are important to the economy. The population in 1988 was recorded as 314. In 1990 it was 521.
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Dickens, Texas
"Unofficial Wild Boar Capital of Texas"
Dickens County Seat, Texas Panhandle
At junction of Hwys 70 and 82
60 miles E of Lubbock
Population: 322 (1990) 332 (2000)
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Dickens/DickensCountyJailNSheriffsOfficeTexas502BarclayGibson.jpg) (http://www.rootsweb.com/~txdicken/images/a-convict.gif)
Dickens County Jail (http://www.rootsweb.com/~txdicken/jail.htm)
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Slater, WY
(http://www.topofusion.com/divide/Day21/IMG_2429.JPG)
Wow! Over 500 posts in the ROAD TRIP file!
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Rock River, Wy
Rock River 1921
Mark
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Redwater, AB
World's Largest Oil Derrick in Redwater, AB
(http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/redwater.jpg)
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Roma-Los Saenz, TX
Roma and Los Saenz have incorporated joinly and so they are listed here together. Corrales de Saenz was founded in the 1760s by a ranching family named Saenz who followed José de Escandón from the Spanish colonial city of Mier. According to the Handbook of Texas, "it is possible that what came to be known as Roma-Los Saenz and Ciudad Miguel Alemán were originally part of the same city, San Pedro de Roma, Tamaulipas."
1848 was the year Roma-Los Saenz became part of the U. S. - although that fact is thought by some to be a moot point. The only obvious change was an opening of the first post office in Starr County. The flavor of the city is definately 19th Century Mexico and is certainly one of the gem cities on "Los Caminos del Rio."
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate founded a mission in the mid-1850s and it was they who suggested the name Roma. The town was also the westernmost port for the steamships that ran up and down the Rio Grande from 1850 to 1900.
Roma was designated a national historic district in the 1970s and the historical museum itself is in an 1840 building. The main plaza, was used a backdrop for the 1953 movie Viva Zapata. Many of the downtown buildings built in the 1880s (including the old 1880s post office) were designed by noted German brickmaker and architect Heinrich Portscheller.
The population in 1904 was a mere 521. During the border unrest 1910-17, refugees from Mexico occupied the historic "Pink House." The town's isolation ended in the mid 1920s when new roads were built and the railroad arrived.
Roma's green bridge - one of the few remaining suspension bridges in Texas became Texas' international bridge when it was built in 1927. A recent restoration has painted and reenforced it, although it has yet to be reopened to pedestrian traffic.
In 1931 Roma's population was 1,000 - and the businesses were all clustered in the few blocks around the bridge. With the construction of Falcon Dam in 1953, the threat of periodic flooding was removed.
Since 1979 the town's infrastructure has been improved with a new water plant, water tower and new fire and police stations. The town is surrounded on three sides by 100,000 acres of irrigated river bottom.
Leslie
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Zoquiapanm, Mx
Mark
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Muzquiz, Mexico
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Zulch, TX
(not to be confused with North Zulch, played earlier by moi!)
Settlement began in the late 1830s when the first homestead was established in what had been Grimes County. Sometime around 1850 Julius Zulch, a German immigrant recognized the potential of this place that was known as Willow Hole. It had spring water and was halfway between Midway and Boonville - the perfect place to open a store.
Zulch opened his store and in 1859 the Willow Hole post office operated within the walls of Zulch's store. The settlers (mostly from southern states) weren't settling fast enough for Julius, who wanted a broader customer base. He started placing ads back in the old country - even fronting interested immigrants their passage money.
In the early 1880s, "considerable numbers" of Germans arrived - either sharecropping for Zulch or others in order to get a grubstake for their own farms. Willow Hole soon had a respectable population of 150 - growing to around 500 by 1890.
Julius Zulch built a Lutheran school which doubled as a church. In 1893 the Bethlehem Lutheran Church was built on property donated by Zulch. The town was renamed Zulch in 1906 and the postal authorities authorized the change of the post office's name.
That same year the Houston and Texas Central Railroad on its way from Navasota to Mexia bypassed Zulch by building to the west.
Then in 1907, the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway built a spur parallel to the Houston and Texas Central tracks. When people moved North to the railroads - North Zulch came into existence and plain Zulch shrank. The post office closed in 1920 and the school managed to hold on until a consolidation in the early 1940s.
By 1949 Zulch was down to only 50 people and by the 60s, only the Willow Hole Church and Cemetery remained.
A historical marker on Farm Road 39, (half a mile west) serves as tombstone for the town.
Leslie
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Hudson, Wy
Hudson, Wyoming, has quite possibly two of the most famous restaurants in the state. Today, the town is a quiet little burg in between Riverton and Lander, yet it maintains some of its charm from the days of the mines.
A Mining Legacy
George H. Rogers filed on a homestead in the vicinity of present-day Hudson, more than 100 years ago, but George didn't live to see the town that would spring up from his farm fields. George's wife, Emma (Hudson) Rogers, "proved up" on the land in 1890, following his death. On December 30, 1905, Emma and her brother, Daniel Hudson, released their homestead rights. The mineral rights were purchased by J. C. Hickey, a trustee for the Wyoming and Western Railroad. In the same year, the attorney for J.C. Hickey filed on 67 mineral and oil leases throughout the Hudson valley.
On March 8, 1909, Hudson was incorporated, a "company" town. Wagon mines were in operation before the railroad was built, but the birth of Hudson was primarily due to the building of the railroad into the area in 1907 and 1908. During those years, the Poposia Mines, number One and Two, were put into production. The railroad operated for both mines, running three shifts a day until the 1920s. The high demand for coal during World War I kept the mines in business and running strong.
At the peak, the population of Hudson reached approximately 1,500. Historians have said mining camp populations in the area approached another 10,000 people. Irish, Scotch, Italian, Yugoslavs, French and Welsh immigrants found work in the mines.
In the boom years, Hudson boasted many businesses including a bakery which supplied bread to Riverton and Lander, a hotel, pharmacy, Chamber of Commerce, two banks, a restaurant, two general stores, a lumber yard, butcher shop, jewelry store, millinery shop, a motion picture house which was called the "Opera House", a cement block factory, brick yard and kiln, a doctor, its own newspaper, a 15-piece band, railroad depot and stockyards. The stockyards at Hudson were a major cattle shipping point for all of Fremont County. Hudson was once said to have had more houses of ill-repute per capita than any other town in the State of Wyoming. Some even remained until the 1950s.
With the evolution of diesel engines and natural gas production, a sharp drop in the demand for coal let to the decline in the production at the mines and consequently a sharp decline in the population of the town.
In 1941, the last mine closed down in Hudson. Many tried in vain to keep the mines going as long as possible. The Poposia Mines were the first to close down, while the smaller wagon mines slowly closed one by one.
Hudson remains a viable community and the town has quite possibly two of the most famous restaurants in the state. Today, the town is a quiet little burg between Riverton and Lander, yet it maintains some of its charm from the days of the mines.
Hudson was also the name of a american car manufactured independently thru 1954 well known for wins stock car racing in the 1950's.
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Nadeau, TX
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Uvalde, Texas
---the county seat of Uvalde County.
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Escobares, TX
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Saint Stephens, Wy
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Strawn, TX
Strawn was named after local rancher Stephen Strawn. Prior to the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the early 1880s, the community had been known as North Fork (of Palo Pinto Creek). By 1891 the population was 400.
Oil was discovered near Strawn as early as 1895, but not until the T & P Coal and Oil Company got interested in 1915 did any production begin. Before the end of 1915 Strawn had 20 wells producing. The first natural gas well was drilled in 1924. The Strawn Coal Mining Company was formed and merged with another coal mining company three miles north of Strawn. Between 1910 and 1920 over 1.6 million tons of coal were taken out from the depths of Palo Pinto County to power the locomotives of the T & P.
Strawn incorporated in 1940 when it had a population of 1,107. It fell below 700 in 1980 and has slowly grown to the current 739.
Leslie
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Nisku, Alberta
Situated 24 km south of Edmonton
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Uva, wy
Spanish for grape.
Mark
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Aransas Pass, TX
Originally the plan was for a deep-water port connected to San Antonio by a railroad and turnpike. But with false starts, delays, the Civil War and other setbacks, the port didn't become a reality until 1907 after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged a deep channel and installed jetties.
This is the Bakery Cafe on Commercial Street:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AransasPassBakeryCafe504KRudine.jpg)
Leslie
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Scissors, Texas
SCISSORS, TEXAS. Scissors is a coloniaqv off Farm Road 493 six miles southeast of Alamo in southeastern Hidalgo County. The community developed in the early 1960s, but no population estimates were available until 1986, when it reported 450 residents. At that time the colonia had 100 dwellings. By 1990 the population of Scissors was estimated at 1,513.
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Saginaw, Tx
Founded in 1833, Jarvis J. Green hoped to name his small plot of land "Pontiac", after his hometown in Michigan. Rejected by the postal service, he finally decided on another Michigan town - "Saginaw".
In the later half of the 1800's, Saginaw was forever changed when the railroad decided to make Saginaw the last stop on their south-bound routes to Fort Worth. Saginaw prospered as the transportation dependent industry, such as grain storage and milling facilities, moved in to be near the railroad.
Saginaw remains home to the largest grain storage facility in the world! Burrus Mills, now Cargill, Inc., was the launching pad for the western swing band "The Lightcrust Dough Boys".
The railroad continues to engage in active operations with piggyback switching, freight services, railcar repair facilities and more. The grain mills operate 24/7.
Saginaw is now one of the fastest growing communities in North Texas. Recognized for its small town feel with big city amenities and its top rated public school system, Saginaw is definitely once again "the city on the right track".
Saginaw gets its spirit from its citizens and business community. Their interest and guidance enables an active exchange among the private and public sectors. This provides for the ongoing growth and development of our community.
The City of Saginaw and its' business community provide our citizens progressive and stable places to live, shop, work, and play. The circle of involvement within our community provides the environment in which to invest our lives and our businesses.
The information furnished by the city of Saginaw provides much of the information necessary to recognize the potential that exists now. The data provided to help in decisions to locate or relocate our families and business.
The Spirit of Saginaw is within the hearts and lives of our citizens and businesses. Together they work to maintain and enhance a quality of life others strive to attain. We are a community that is constantly strengthening our resolve to leave a legacy to future generations. We have come so far already, yet recognize that we have an even brighter future.
We encourage you to come and make our community the best place to raise your family and expand your business. The past only provides insight into the hope for the future, polishing our lives with the Spirit of Saginaw. We extend to you an invitation to become a part of us, strengthening the Spirit of Saginaw, now and for our future.
Mark 1,000th post
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Wizard Wells, TX
Originally the town was named Old Vineyard for local resident G. W. Vineyard.
In the 1880s Vineyard discovered that sore on his legs were cured by spring waters. The healing powers of the waters attracted a lot of attention and so the place was dubbed "Wizard Wells." The town never prospered to the extent of other mineral springs, probably because it was lacking a railroad link. The population was close to 200 from the 1920s until the 1940s. Postwar mobility drained off its share of the townsfolk and now its down to the reported estimate of 70.
Leslie
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San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/SanLuisRioColorado.jpg)
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Oyster Creek, Tx
OYSTER CREEK, TEXAS. A second Oyster Creek, an incorporated industrial community, is located twelve miles southeast of Angleton on State Highway 523 and the Missouri Pacific line in southeast Brazoria County. The community was established in an area first settled by Sam Hudgins and other cattlemen and later developed into cotton and sugar plantations. A Methodist mission church and a one-room schoolhouse served the area by the 1880s. The community grew between 1890 and 1894 when two brothers, known only as Horn and Horn, formed a promotion company and offered as a bonus one lot in Velasco for the purchase of five lots in the prairie along Oyster Creek. The company failed when the government prosecuted the brothers for embezzlement through the mails, sending one to prison and leading the other to cut his throat. A 1915 flood reduced the size of the community. By 1936 a church, a factory, and numerous dwellings remained at the townsite. In 1944 Oyster Creek became part of the Brazosport industrial and port area. In 1956 the town had 574 residents, six businesses, and ten churches; the population grew to 700 by 1966, but by then all the businesses had closed. The population was 600 in 1970 and 912 in 1990.
You can stay at the Oyster Creek RV Park pictured below.
Mark
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Krum, TX
(http://kaukokuva.helmiblogit.mtv3.fi/files/2006/06/Krum%20-%20police%20station.jpg)
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Manhattan, TX
Manhattan was a planned town to be situated at the mouth of Caney Creek on East Matagorda Bay. The junction of the Matagorda Peninsula with the mainland once appeared on maps as Manhattan Bay.
The early years of settlement in Matagorda and Brazoria counties and the heady optimism of Texas independence created a boom of speculation with many trying to predict the next Brazoria or Quintana. Manhattan never developed - despite its optimistic name.
A local newspaper - the Matagorda Bulletin anounced plans for The Manhattan Academy to be established there. The trustees included such notables as Anson Jones, Mirabeau Lamar and William H. Wharton. The academy was intended to be a draw to the planned town, but the trustees were busy with other projects.
In 1838 the Caney Navigation Company listed three of the company's officers with having a Manhattan residence. In 1843 papers incorporating the Matagorda Caney Navigation Company referred to a place "commonly called the town of Manhattan."
The Matagorda Bulletin reported in 1838 that weekly trips between Matagorda and the town of Manhattan would be made by a sloop - also named Manhattan.
Leslie
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North Cleveland, Tx
NORTH CLEVELAND, TEXAS. North Cleveland, an incorporated residential subdivision on Farm Road 2025 on the northern edge of Cleveland in extreme northwestern Liberty County, was incorporated in the 1960s, when residents chose to deannex themselves to avoid paying city taxes. The population, first recorded in 1966 at 425, reached a high of 471 in 1978, and was last recorded in 1990 at 176. At that time a church was in the community, but no business establishments were in operation.
Mark
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Dunlap, TX
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Portland, TX
John G. Willacy, purchased 1,920 acres of land from the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company in 1891. Willacy had formed an investment company by uniting the New England Land Company of Portland, Maine and the Portland Harbor and Improvement Company of Wichita, Kansas.
A post office was granted in March of 1891and lots went on sale that July. Potential buyers were brought across the bay by a chartered boat to a hotel built especially for the occasion. Others arrived by train from San Antonio. By the following year the population had reached 500 and a 1,200-foot wharf was built.
Boom times disappeared with the panic of 1893 and the now vacant hotel was converted into Bay View College - an institution that operated until it was destroyed in a 1916 hurricane.
Since Portland had no water supply of its own, water was piped in from a well in Taft.
In 1911 Willacy tried again by negotiating with the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company for the land that it had repossessed.
Competetion from the Rio Grande Valley (for agriculture) and the hurricanes of 1916 and 1919 dashed Portland's dreams of becoming a port.
Portland's growth since then has been from an overflow from Corpus Christi. The city limits of Portland now extend into Nueces County.
Leslie
MaineWriter, who works in Portland, Maine!
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Dayton, Wy
Dayton was named in 1882 after Joe Dayton Thorne, one of the founding fathers of the community. The town has the distinction of electing the first female mayor in Wyoming, Susan Wissler. In the early 1890's Dayton held Wyoming's first rodeo. Famous artist, Hans Kleiber, known as the "Etcher Laureate of the Big Horns" made Dayton his home. His studio cabin has been preserved and relocated by the Dayton community to a Main Street location. Another main street location, the Dayton Mercantile is a landmark to the romance of the Frontier West. Pull up next to the hitching rail, step out onto the sidewalk and suddenly you are a part of a by-gone era.
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Nobleford, Alberta
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Ding Dong, TX
Just because Ding Dong is in Bell County doesn't mean those two facts have anything to do with each other. If you think it does you're either half-right or half-wrong, depending on your disposition.
Ding Dong was named for a Bell all right, but not Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas and the man for whom Bell County is named. Nor is it named for the "Ding Dong Daddy of Dumas" or the junk food of the same name. The Wicked Witch did not die there. Ask not for whom the bell ding dongs . . .
According to historical accounts, the Bells in question were Zulis Bell and his nephew Bert Bell. In the early 1930s the two Bells bought and ran a country store on the Lampasas River about midway between Killeen and Florence, at a place then known as McBryde Crossing.
The Bells hired a talented sign painter by the name of C.C. Hoover to paint the sign for their new store. But Hoover was no mere sign painter. He had done some fine oil paintings and could draw as well as letter. Fred Foster at Stokes-Blair Hardware Company in Florence knew of Hoover's talent so when the young man showed up at Foster's store to buy paint for the job, Foster advised him to put his creative talents to use.
"Why don't you do something original with this sign," he suggested to Hoover. "How about drawing two Bells with the name Zulis in one and Bert in the other. Then print 'Ding Dong' on the sign." In this manner manner, the deed was done. The little community around the store took on the name of Ding Dong, and there you have it.
Just because Ding Dong has made a name for itself by, well, the way it named itself doesn't mean it's easy to find. You don't even have to blink to miss it. You can be looking for it and still miss it. A couple of dozen people have a Ding Dong address. The 777 Estates lists a Ding Dong address, but that subdivision is on the outskirts of Ding Dong, not Ding Dong proper. If you pass the turn to Maxdale -- FM 2670 -- you have gone too far.
Ding Dong first came to the attention of wider America via the syndicated feature "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," which gave the town its 15 minutes of fame. Travel writer Bill Bryson mentioned the town in his book, Made In America. Another book, Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along The American Highway by photographer Gary Gladstone, pays tribute to Ding Dong with a photograph of carpet salesman and fire chief Harold Rowe posed in front of his fire truck in Ding Dong.
Jim Bowmer of Temple, who wrote the book The Unknown Bell County about local folklore and legends, remembers that Hugh Farr, a fiddler for the Sons of the Pioneers, told the audience of a Johnny Carson Tonight Show that he was raised in Llano, Texas but born in Ding Dong, in Bell County. Noted conductor Walter Winchell, when asked whom he believed to be the greatest natural violinist of the 20th Century, named Fritz Kreisler for his left hand and "the right hand of that gentleman who plays violin with the Sons of the Pioneers, I don't recall his name."
That would be Hugh Farr, from Ding Dong, Texas.
Late Dallas newspaper columnist Frank X. Tolbert stumbled across Ding Dong in his wanderings around the state and thought it was a shame the town did not have its own bell. What was a Ding Dong without a bell? With Tolbert's urging, the town received a bell from the Santa Fe Railroad in 1962. It weighed 250 pounds and was given to the unofficial mayor of Ding Dong, Charlie Hold, by two Santa Fe vice presidents. Hold took over the store from the Bells in 1950. Hold told Tolbert, "That big red-mouthed bell you got our town has been kindly of a mixed blessing. A lot of smart jacks stop off here and rings that bell at all hours of the day and night. Gets mighty bothersome."
Ding Dong's last moment in the spotlight came in 1964, when members of the Killeen Lions Club International tried, as a joke, to secure Ding Dong as the site of the district convention. Mayor Hold was said to be none too happy about it.
As Gladstone's book makes clear, Tennessee takes the prize for State With the Weirdest Names. Texas is a close second, but it's hard to compete with Sweetlips, Gizzard's Cove, Suck Egg, Bucksnort, Dull, Only, Peeled, Chestnut, Nutbush, Defeated and Nameless.
They don't name 'em like that anymore, which may be a good thing. But in becoming too sophisticated to call our homeland Ding Dong or Suck Egg, we find our refinement may have come at the expense of a peculiarly American sense of humor.
Leslie
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Gay Hill, Texas
Gay Hill is a historic town with strong business and cultural ties to Independence, Texas. Once known as Chriesman Settlement - the name was changed when the Republic of Texas established a post office in the town sometime before 1840.
Thomas Gay, a partner in the local store was the namesake of the town. His brother James Gay had a town named after him - also called Gay Hill - in neighboring Fayette County near LaGrange.
Residents included Horatio Chriesman, R. E. B. Baylor, and John Sayles. Glenblythe Plantation - owned by Horticulturist Thomas Affleck was near Gay Hill and a historic marker on Thomas Affleck is found on FM 390.
Oak Female Seminary was located in Gay Hill from 1853 to 1888 and a Masonic lodge was established before the Civil War. In 1860 Gay Hill had a population of about 300.
The town split into "Old" and "New" Gay Hill in 1881 when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway laid tracks through Washington County. "New" Gay Hill is two miles west of the original site.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/GayHillTexas/LaBahiaGayHillChurchSign.jpg)
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La Barge, Wy
LaBarge is located in the northern end of Lincoln County just across the Lincoln-Sublette County borderline. Although it is not in the county, the citizens of Sublette County shares some very close ties with this town. LaBarge is in the same school district as Big Piney and Marbleton. It has an elementary school but the older students are bussed 20 miles to the Big Piney Middle and High Schools. Because of this the families of these towns have known each other for generations. LaBarge's economy also depends on the large amount of energy resources available in both Sublette and Lincoln Counties, as do many of the neighboring communities of Sublette County.
My Road Trip today: San Diego, Ca to Los Angeles,Ca. 338 miles, about 8 1/2 gallons of gas.
Mark
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Evergreen, TX
Evergreen doesn't have a sign to announce it. There's nothing to tell you that it was the oldest community in Lee County. The only reference is a metal sign on a gate to the Evergreen Cemetery.
The town was laid out in 1856 and the town prospered until like many towns, it was by-passed by the railroad in 1870. This time it was the Houston and Texas Central that went East -West through Giddings. What could be worse? How about being by-passed by two railroads? In 1890 The San Antonio and Aransas Pass (SAAP) went through Lincoln (South-North) and the last holdouts in Evergreen gave up and moved there.
Leslie
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Navarro Mills, TX
(http://www.rootsweb.com/~txnavarr/cemetery/navarro_mills/photo.jpg)
Navarro Mills was established in the early 1850s and was the site of the first corn mill in the county. A post office operated there from 1874 until 1891. Two schools were open by 1906, one with thirty-one white students and one with forty-two black students. In the mid-1930s Navarro Mills had a store, a church, and a number of houses. The estimated population in 1936 was twenty-five. During the 1950s the town grew to a population of fifty, with two businesses. By the mid-1960s only a church, a cemetery, and a few scattered houses remained. In 1990 Navarro Mills was a dispersed community with an estimated population of fifty.
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Sugar Land, Tx
The land in and about the City of Sugar Land was originally owned by the Mexican government and was granted to Samuel M. Williams through Stephen F. Austin. There were several factors which governed Williams receiving this gra nt, among them was the fact that he spoke Spanish, was well educated and wrote a fine Spencerian hand. Williams called this land "Oakland Plantation" because there were many different varieties of oaks on the land -- Pin Oak, Post Oak, Water Oak, Red Oak and Live Oak. During this period of time, land grants were measured from one oak to another.
Sugar became a part of life in the area when S. M. Swinson, captain of a small freight boat, made a meandering journey along the United States coast from New York to Velasco. Along the journey, commodities were picked up at various points and dispensed of as the journey proceeded. One of the stops was Cuba, and as it happened, it was during the height of sugar cane season. A small load of sugar cane stalks was taken on board and later delivered to Samuel M. Williams. The next time Swinson came to the area, he saw sugar cane growing "as high as a man on a horse" and immediately returned to Cuba to purchase more stalks. Soon after, a mill was built to squeeze the juice from the stalks.
Today, the present refinery is located approximately on the spot where the first mill was built. After the death of Samuel Williams, the family attempted to keep the mill alive; however, this was not possible, and the mill was sold to Benjamin Franklin Terry and William Jefferson Kyle. Kyle was born in Hawkins County, Tenn., in 1803, and Terry was born in Kentucky in 1821. In 1849, both Kyle and Terry, who were living at the time in Brazoria, left Texas along with 20 or 30 others to go to the gold fields of California. By the time they reached California, they had increased in number and had approximately 60 wagons, two companies of pack mules and two sets of engineers. Terry and Kyle prospected gold in California, making quite a fortune.
In 1853, they returned to Texas and with a portion of the fortune purchased the "Oakland Plantation" from the S. M. Williams family. The land, rich in sugar cane, was appropriately renamed "Sugar Land." The mill was operated using rollers and mule power and the open-kettle process. Molasses was drained off in troughs to 1,000 pound hogsheads for shipment. The railroad from Stafford to Richmond was built by Kyle and Terry. Plans were to run the railroad from Stafford, where the timber met the prairie, direct to Richmond and would have missed Sugar Land; however, Kyle and Terry paid $25 per acre for 2,500 acres of land, paying $7,000 in cash, with the remaining balance due in a series of notes up to year 1858 at which time the notes were fully paid. The big bend, which is currently in the railroad between Stafford and Sugar Land, is a result of this land purchase and Kyle and Terry's desire to have the railroad run through Sugar Land.
In 1860, the Kyle and Terry properties were valued at $250,000. The Sugar Land plantation passed through other hands in years to follow and was finally purchased from the bankrupt Colonel E. H. Cunningham interests by I. H. Kempner and W. T. Eldridge in 1907, at which time the sugar refining process was expanded to what is now known as Imperial Holly Corp. In 1907, the town of Sugar Land began growing at a rapid rate, with operating expenses amounting to around $50,000 per year.
In the fall of 1959, the heretofore company-owned town began the process of incorporation and on Dec. 15, 1959, T. E. Harman was elected the first Mayor of Sugar Land to serve with five Aldermen. The first City Council meeting was held on Jan. 19, 1960.
The City of Sugar Land was incorporated in 1959 as a "General Law" city and remained such from 1959 until Jan. 17, 1981, at which time a special city election was held for the purpose of establishing a home rule municipal government. Voters approved the adoption of a home rule charter in accordance with the constitution and statutes of the state of Texas. The type of municipal government provided by this Charter was known as "mayor-council government," and all powers of the City were invested in a Council composed of a mayor and five councilmen.
In January 1985 pursuant to charter requirements, a five-member charter review commission was appointed and charged with the responsibility of reviewing the operation of the City government and determining whether such Charter provisions required revision and, if deemed advisable, to make recommendations to City Council for amendments to the Charter. As a result of this review, the commission recommended that several areas of the Charter be amended. A special city election was held Aug. 9, 1986, to submit the proposed changes to the electorate for consideration. By a majority of the voters, amendments to the Charter were approved which provided for a change in the City's form of government from that of "mayor-council" (strong mayor) to that of a "council-manager" form of government which provides that the city manager be the chief administrative officer of the city. Approval of this amendment provided for the mayor to become a voting member of Council, in addition to performing duties as presiding officer of the Council. An Amendment on May 5, 1990, changed the composition of the City Council to a Mayor, four councilmembers to be elected by single-member districts and two councilmembers by at-large position. This composition remains in effect today with term limits of eight consecutive years.
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Dumbell, WY
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Llano, Texas
--the county seat of Llano County, situated on the northern fringe of the Texas Hill Country. Historic county courthouse recently the beneficiary of restoration, which has benefited the area's tourism. A late great-uncle of mine was once the superintendant of this community's school district, and a good friend of mine has long-standing family associations with the place.
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Oakland, Texas
Oakland, Texas was a popular site inthe late 1800's to approximately theearly 1940's. It had a school, a church, two stores, and a blacksmithshop. It was located between Ivanhoeand Bonham, Texas. It's located on F&M 898. There are still residents living in this community.
REMAINS: There are remains of this town. There is a cemetery as well. And THERE IS a post office. Oakland texas has its OWN post office. There are about 100 residents in Oakland, Tx.
Oackland was also the brand name of a family car produced by General Motors from 1908 until 1931. In the late 1920's each of the upper four divisions of GM brought ot a 'campanion. make to fill any pricing gaps. Oakland's was Pontiac. Cadllac's La salle was the only other to be produced more than a couple of years (1940).
This fine example is a 1928.
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Dime Box, TX
There's an Old and a New Dime Box. The name comes from the practice of leaving a dime in a box at Brown's Mill to get a letter delivered to Giddings. This was before a Federal Post Office opened in 1877. "Old" Dime Box is the second oldest (Evergreen is the oldest) town in Lee County.
The PO opened under the name Brown's Mill or a variation thereof, and in short order a lot of mail was misdirected to Brownsville. The postal people were livid. They had a reputation for refusing names that could be confusing with existing post offices, but this one got right by them. Ordered to change the name, the townsfolk submitted Dime Box and it was accepted.
In 1913, the Southern Pacific Railroad came within 3 miles of the town and almost everyone moved for the convenience this afforded. Enough remained to retain the name and they decided to become Old and New. This is a rare ending to a familiar story - but there you have it.
"New Dime Box" opened the 1944 March of Dimes Campaign and the town was featured in Life magazine. The Postmaster General even showed up to be photographed on the front porch of the store with an oversized mailbox which was sent to the White House. Today an oversized vintage dime stands in a transparent case in downtown Dime Box.
Leslie
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Xbechel, Mexico
Geographical location: Tenabo, Campeche, Mexico, North America
Geographical coordinates: 19° 55' 0" North, 90° 25' 0" West
Map (http://fallingrain.com/world/MX/4/Xbechel.html)
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Lincoln, Tx
LINCOLN, TEXAS. Lincoln is eight miles northwest of Giddings in central Lee County. The town was named for a circuit rider named John A. Lincoln who lived on a nearby farm and frequently led revivals in the area. The earliest settlers arrived before the Civil War,qv and by the 1880s a small community had developed there. A post office was opened for the settlement in 1886. During the 1890s the Texas and New Orleans Railroad bypassed nearby Old Evergreen, and most of its residents moved to Lincoln. For a time the town served as a shipping point for stores in Dime Box, Fedor, and Manheim. By 1890 Lincoln had two cotton gins, a corn and saw mill, a general store, and a Lutheran church. A school was constructed there around 1895, and during the 1905-06 school year it had an enrollment of forty-one. In 1904 the town's estimated population was 148; by 1925 it had grown to 200. A new one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1926, and a second room was added in 1932. In 1940 the town had a reported population of 350 and eleven businesses. After World War IIqv Lincoln began to decline. In 1945 its school was annexed by the Giddings Independent School District. From 1970 to 1990 its population was estimated at 276. In 1970 the town reported five businesses, in 1988, three, and in 1990, eight.
Also the brand name of a much more well known luxury car. What many people don't know is that the Cadillac and Lincoln were begun by the same man Mr. Leyland.
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New Harp, TX
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Punkin Center, TX
An old Irish legend that must have come to Texas with some of its earliest settlers has grown into a profitable business for Lone Star farmers – cultivating a variety of squash that sells by the ton every fall.
We’re talking about pumpkins, of course. Or, to the Texas tongue, punkins.
It’s not too difficult to dig up the tale that transformed pumpkins into edible holiday icons, but there is an interesting puzzle of geographic nomenclature to consider: The Punkin Center Phenomenon.
If anyone ever tells you that they’re from Punkin Center, better ask them to be more specific. Unique as that place name might seem, Texas has four different communities called Punkin Center.
Listed alphabetically, there’s Punkin Center in Dawson County, Punkin Center in Eastland County, Punkin Center in Hardeman County and Punkin Center in Parker County. Oh, and in Wichita County, the community of Haynesville is locally known as Punkin Center even though Haynesville is the official name.
Elsewhere across the United States, four other communities call themselves Punkin Center. But unlike Texas, which has to be bigger about everything, each of the non-Texas Punkin Centers is in a different state – Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana and Missouri.
Strange as the name Punkin Center may seem, according to the Web site www.placesnamed.com, Punkin Center is the 4,438th most popular town name in the U.S. It also shows up on a Web site devoted to America’s funniest town names, but that site lists Punkin Center, KS, not the Texas PCs.
Texas singer David Allen Coe sure likes the name. In 1976, he recorded a song called “The Punkin Center Barn Dance.”
But here’s the weird thing about Punkin Centers in Texas. None of them are in counties particularly known for their bounteous pumpkin crops.
Floyd County, which has an annual Punkin Festival but no community named Punkin Center, is the top pumpkin-producing county in Texas. Other prolific producers of pumpkins are Bailey, Hale, Lamb and Lubbock counties.
Texas A&M University says Texas ranks in the Top 10 of pumpkin-producing states (but don’t forget we’re No. 1 in terms of number of Punkin Centers). The estimated value of Texas’ annual pumpkin harvest is $4.6 million, most of the pumpkins going for ornamental (read: Halloween) purposes.
And that brings us back to that old Irish folktale without which Texas’ pumpkin industry would have remained a mere pumpkin in metaphor, not a pretty economic carriage.
Back in the 18th century, an Irishman named Jack had an unfortunate propensity for strong beverage. But he did not let his drinking get in the way of his antipathy toward the Devil, who he tricked into climbing an apple tree.
Once Jack had the Devil treed, he carved a cross on the trunk, an action he knew would prevent the Devil from climbing down. The Devil pleaded for his freedom, and Jack finally struck a deal: If Jack let him down, the Devil would never come after Jack’s soul.
That seemed like a good trade, so Jack covered the cross and the Devil was free to return to his normal level of devilment.
Unfortunately for Jack, the deal with the Devil did not include immortality. When Jack died, his hard drinking, penuriousness and other issues sent his spirit down instead of up.
The Devil proved true to his word and refused to allow Jack into the nether regions. But Jack did not qualify for Heaven either, and realized this. Unfortunately, his spirit was doomed to wander forever.
It being dark out, the Devil graciously threw a glowing coal at Jack so he could find his way around. Jack placed the red hot coal in a hollowed turnip to make himself a lantern.
Somehow over the centuries, the turnip gave way to the pumpkin, hence the enduring symbol of Halloween, the Jack-O’-Lantern. All of which makes about as much sense as naming four different communities Punkin Center.-
Leslie
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Rockport, Tx
If you were a resident or visitor in Rockport during the 1950’s thru the late 1970’s, it is quite likely that you remember the big blue crab. The approximately 18 foot wide, paper mache crab eventually deteriorated and was laid to rest.
Mark
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Teton Village, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/TetonVillage.jpg)
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Elysian Fields, TX
The name is said to have come from a suggestion over dinner in New Orleans. In 1817, Capt. Edward Smith, was describing the area (that he had just visited) to dinner guests and someone suggested the mythological name. (One of New Orleans' oldest boulevards is also named Elysian Fields.) The original Caddo Indians started moving out of the region when white settlers started moving in in the late 1830s. Smith brought his family here in 1837 and opened a store. A post office was applied for and was granted in the mid to late 1840s.
From a population of 60 in 1884, Elysian Fields had grown to 160 by the mid 1890s. The twin industies of cotton and lumber fueled the local economy and when the Marshall and East Texas Railroad came through in 1910, the community moved a mile to the west to be connected with the outside world. The population had grown to 500 by 1929 but declined with the onset of the Great Depression.
Cotton and timber gave way to oil and gas (in the 1950s) and today farming and cattle raising are the primary businesses.
Leslie
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Socorro, Tx
SOCORRO, TEXAS. Socorro, located on the Southern Pacific Railroad and State Highway 20 about ten miles southeast of downtown El Paso, began in 1680, when Governor Antonio de Otermín and Father Francisco de Ayetaqv led Spanish and Piro Indian refugees fleeing the New Mexican Pueblo Indian Revolt to the El Paso area. In 1682 the Spanish established Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción del Socorro Mission. The first permanent mission, built in 1691, was swept away by flood in 1744, and a second church was built. It was washed away in 1829, when the Rio Grande cut a new channel south of the old one, thus placing Socorro, Ysleta, and San Elizario on La Isla.qv The main part of the present Socorro mission was completed in 1843. By that time the town of Socorro had developed around the mission and had a population of 1,100. The town was a part of Mexico from 1821 to 1848, when it became a part of the Texas. For the rest of the nineteenth century Socorro remained a small farming community. Locally constructed acequiasqv supplied water for agricultural crops, which included vineyards, fruit trees, and cereal grains. The town, together with other Rio Grande communities, played an active role in county politics until 1881, when the railroads arrived and shifted the political power structure to El Paso.
The construction of Elephant Butte Dam on the Rio Grande in 1916 resulted in an agricultural revolution that transformed a family-based system into one featuring large-scale cotton production on plantation-sized estates. Small farms, manual labor, and vineyard culture gave way to large landholdings where farm machinery was used in the cultivation of cotton and alfalfa. By 1920 cotton was beginning to rival copper as the Socorro area's principal industry. The population of the community was 2,123 in the mid-1930s, but fell to 350 by 1941 and remained static for several decades thereafter. During the 1960s and 1970s the number of residents increased at a rapid rate. Developers built residential subdivisions-colonias in effect-that lacked paved streets, water, and sewer lines. Coloniaqv residents put tremendous pressure on existing wells, as the town's population grew from 10,000 in the middle 1970s to 18,000 in the late 1980s and 22,995 in 1990. Only recently has the Lower Valley Water District Authority received the necessary assistance to begin construction of new water and sewage systems for the area. Socorro has disincorporated and reincorporated several times. In 1985 the town blocked El Paso's plan to annex the town and voted by a margin of 263 votes to remain a separate corporation. Since then, Socorro has adopted ordinances and codes to halt uncontrolled growth and has instituted a historic landmark commission to encourage historic preservation.
You can pirchase this home in Sorroco for $99,750.00.
Mark
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Orla, TX
(http://www.mhoenicka.de/photography/gallery/tx/grocery-orla-tx.jpg)
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Altair, TX
Altair had its beginnings in the 1880s and was granted a post office in 1888. The town had originally been named Stafford's Ranch after the prosperous and influential Stafford family of Columbus. But to avoid postal confusion with Stafford, Texas (in nearby Fort Bend County), it was renamed Altair in 1890.
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad arrived in 1890 but Altair never fully developed due to the proximity to the county seat of Columbus - just 9 miles north. Altair had a mere 200 people in the 1960s which declined to only 80 in the 1980s.
In the 1990s a rice-drying facility and some short-lived businesses occupied the site, but the population has been estimated at 30 since 1990.
Leslie
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Redcliff, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/RedcliffAB.jpg)
Gemini Drive-In, Alberta's Last Operating Drive-In
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Fredericksburg, Texas
--the county seat of Gillespie County. Lovely, historic town of the Texas Hill Country; founded by German settlers prior to the Civil War. Significant center for tourism, benefitting from rich heritage of old buildings and indelible imprint of German culture on the local inhabitants. Home of the Nimitz Museum (which houses one of the most haunting pictures I have ever laid eyes on).
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Goodnight, TX
Named for famed cattleman Charles Goodnight, who settled here, the first building in town was reportedly Goodnight's ranchhouse, built in 1887.
The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway soon came through and established a depot. The post office opened in 1888 and the former JA Ranch blacksmith opened a shop that same year.
Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight, with the help of the Goodnight Baptist Church opened Goodnight College (1898 until 1917).
Charles Goodnight died in 1929, but up until his death he was, for all intents and purposes, the town of Goodnight. His house and his buffalo herd remain.
Goodnight had a population of 300 for the 1940 census. As Claude's star rose, Goodnight's declined. In 1963 the Paul Newman movie Hud was filmed in Goodnight and the post office closed six years later. Besides the Goodnight Ranch facilities, only two churches and the cemetery remain today. The population in 1990 was the same as the 1969 estimate - 25 persons.
Leslie
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Taylor, Tx
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Taylor Video Link
History
On June 26, 1876, the International & Great Northern Railway reached a point in the vast open cattle ranges of Central Texas called Taylor Station. This station was named for a railroad official and was later called Taylorsville and finally Taylor. In anticipation of the railroad, the Texas Land Company laid out streets, public parks, a square, and sold lots for prices ranging from $20 to $350.
Taylor Station was situated on one of the major cattle trails and by August, 1876, it was reported that 146 carloads of cattle had been shipped. With the railroad, came a colonization of farmers and businessmen, mainly from Midwestern and Southern states. The rich pastureland was soon cultivated and began to produce an abundance of cotton. The first cotton gin was built in 1877. Gradually, civilization developed. Early accounts describe quite a “bloody” place with shoot-outs and lawlessness; but, as more and more people arrived, churches and private schools were established and businesses flourished. A fire in February, 1879, destroyed most of the frame buildings and they were replaced with brick structures.
In 1882, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was extended to Taylorsville: the first city election was held, and the Railroad was joined with the Missouri-Pacific to link East and West. A ceremony took place between Taylor and Hutto to celebrate this event, with speeches and an abundance of champagne and beer. The Honorable John R. Hoxie, ex-mayor of Chicago, drove the last spike. Mr. Hoxie became a wealthy cattleman whose ranch north of Taylorsville was described as quite a showplace.
In 1883, public schools were established and the Taylor Water Works pumped water from the springs in Murphy Park as well as from the San Gabriel River to a 75-foot high water tower. Water had previously been hauled into town in barrels and sold door-to-door. As testimony of the favorable economic climate of the times, the First National Bank was organized that year and capital stock of $50,000 sold in less than an hour! On March 17, 1884, the city fathers changed the charter and the township of Taylorsville became officially known as the City of Taylor.
In the summer of 1884, a dog pound was initiated on the public square. A small boy was paid 25 cents for each stray dog he could round up. The City Marshall then sold them back to the owners for $1, along with a numbered brass dog tag. The revenue was used for completion of a sewer system.
The Taylor Fair had its origins in the sheep ranchers who brought their flocks together on a common meeting ground to be sheared. While waiting for their flocks to be sheared, they entertained themselves with foot races, roping contests, and wagers of various natures. As they looked forward to meeting old friends and engaging in friendly rivalry, the idea of a yearly fair took root. The fair, held on July 4, 5, & 6 grew to include a parade, judging of livestock, baked goods, handiwork and horse races.
In 1889, Dr. A.V. Doak started a streetcar system that went from the I&GN depot on Main Street to Seventh Street, west to the pavilion on Sloan Street and south to Second Street, then east back to the depot. The dirt streets were often too muddy for any other method of transportation. Two Spanish mules drew each car and two boards were placed between the tracks for the mules to walk on.
The 1890 census showed Taylor having a population of 2,584. By the turn of the century, Taylor was well established as a trade and transportation center. Over 200 Taylor residents owned telephones in 1902. In 1913, a 3,260-foot deep artesian well was drilled. It was the deepest water well in the world at that time and was in use until 1994. The discovery of oil in nearby Thrall in 1915 only served to boost the already booming economy. The Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1925. The census had continued to show an increase in population each decade, even though the county population showed a decrease between 1930 and 1970.
Taylor has had several famous citizens through the years:
* (1888-1923) Elmer “Pet” Brown won the world’s middleweight crown in wrestling in 1914.
* (1893-1966) Dan Moody, an attorney and son of Taylor’s first mayor, was the first prosecuting attorney in the US to win a legal battle against the Ku Klux Klan. At age 33, he became the youngest governor of Texas.
* (1870-1932) Bill Pickett was a black cowboy who initiated the practice of “bulldogging” or steer wrestling and in 1971 was posthumously inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. He controlled the steer by sinking his teeth into the animal’s upper lip as he twisted the neck and brought him down. Pickett died in 1932 after traveling all over the world performing his unusual stunt. There is a bronze statue of Bill Pickett at the Fort Worth Rodeo Grounds.
TAYLOR, TEXAS: First named Taylorsville for an official (Edward Moses Taylor) of the International and Great Northern Railroads in 1876. Taylor is an agriculture and manufacturing–based community with a growing population. While Taylor is considered part of the Austin metropolitan area, it is the most individual and rural community in the area.
ETHNIC PRIDE: A great part of the Taylor “mystique”. The community takes great pride in its ethnic diversity that includes, Czech, Polish, German, English, Scotch-Irish, Swedish, Black, Hispanic, Mid-Eastern and other ancestry. This diversity is never more evident than during the annual “Taylor History Days”. Examples of “ethnic Pride” are in the range of eating establishments within the city. Taylor is rightfully known for its great Bar-B-Que restaurants. Kolache, a slavic pastry, is also widely available.
STATELY MANSIONS: Found throughout much of Taylor, Large old homes with two and three stories reflect a time of affluence in a young Taylor. Many of these homes have been maintained by generations of the same family, while others have been faithfully restored and modernized.
COTTON: This crop has been one of the mainstays of Taylor’s economy since the early 1800’s. The rich soil and the skilled farmers who worked it made Williamson County a leading cotton producer. Most years will see some 80,000 bales of cotton harvested in the county and over 125,000 shipped from the Taylor Compress.
MOODY MUSEUM: “In a world where mankind is all-consumed with looking toward the future, we take great pride in preserving our past.” The restoration of the Governor Dan Moody Birthplace-Museum built in 1887 is such an accomplishment. The Moody Museum reflects the traditions of a very distinguished family whose roots stem from Tennessee and Kentucky to Taylor. It is the boyhood home of Texas’s youngest governor, Dan Moody. In 1926, at the age of 33, he became the youngest governor to hold this office in the history of Texas, he won the governorship after running against the famous Ma Ferguson. Dan had previously served as Williamson County Attorney and Texas Attorney General. The home received a Texas Historical marker in 1968. The house was given to the city in 1976 and notes Governor Moody’s many accomplishments. Today, the museum houses many items of furniture and memorabilia from the family and is available for receptions, luncheons and other events. Postcards are now available
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Red Top, TX
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Powder River, WY
(http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/prtrain.jpg)
Powder River, Wyoming
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 1/7/88
The Powder River Train Station was constructed in 1910 by employees of the Chicago and Northwestern (C&NW) Railroad in the small rural community of Powder River. The Station is representative of the primary influence of the C&NW in the settlement of central Wyoming. It was the first railroad in the area and provided accessible shipping points for a new and growing sheep industry, induced homesteaders to settle along its line, brought new towns to central Wyoming, and carried goods to the growing settlements at its stations. The Powder River Station was the focal point of commerce in Powder River and served as the post office and telegraph office as well as the passenger and freight depot.
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Rio Grande City, Tx
RIO GRANDE CITY, TEXAS. Rio Grande City, the county seat of Starr County and one of the oldest settlements in South Texas, is on the Rio Grande 100 miles from both Brownsville and Laredo in the extreme south central part of the county. It is an international port of entry connected by bridge to Camargo, Tamaulipas. The site was part of the Carnestolendas Ranch, established in 1762 by José Antonio de la Garza Falcónqv in the Spanish colony of José de Escandón.qv The ranch later belonged to Henry Clay Davis, an adventurous Kentuckian who survived the Mier expeditionqv and formed the present town from Davis Landing or Rancho Davis in 1847 after marrying María Hilaria de la Garza, the granddaughter of Francisco de la Garza Martínez. Davis had acquired the land upon Garza Falcón's death. He designed the port with broad straight streets, on the model of the capital city, Austin. The establishment of Fort Ringgold in 1848, immediately adjacent to the town, assured its growth and permanence. The town received a post office in 1849; in 1895 the name of the post office changed from Rio Grande City to Riogrande, the name under which it now operates. Despite the town's isolation and lack of transportation facilities for most of its history, external influences have affected it significantly. During the nineteenth century Rio Grande City had an active passenger and cargo ship trade with New Orleans and flourished as a cattle center. Frequent encroachments from Mexico, most notably those of Juan Cortinaqv in 1859, forced the community to rely often on the Texas Rangersqv and the United States Army for protection. In 1884 the town had a population of 900, a doctor, two lawyers, a saloon, three carpenters, three grocers, nine general stores, a wagon maker, a druggist, two blacksmiths, two churches, a district school, a tailor, a furniture maker, a cornmill, and a hotel. By 1896 Rio Grande City had a population of 1,800, and by 1914 it had a bank and 2,100 residents.
Race relations were so tense that they helped give rise to the Rio Grande City Riot of 1888,qv in which the Mexican population was pitted against the white-controlled sheriff's office. In another racial incident, members of the black Ninth United States Cavalryqv fired toward the town in 1899, amid reports of a civilian attack on the garrison. A series of investigations produced inconclusive findings but culminated in the withdrawal of the troops (see FORT RINGGOLD). In 1925 Rio Grande City reported a population of 3,000, but by 1931 it had 2,283 residents and ninety businesses. In August 1926 residents voted for incorporation, but the city went into debt during the Great Depression,qv and residents voted to unincorporate in May 1933 to avoid repayment of the sizable debt accrued for improvements to the town. Throughout the 1940s the population remained at 2,500. In 1954 it was 3,992. Rio Grande City continued to grow in the 1960s and by 1964 had a population of 6,435 and 130 businesses. By 1974 the population had fallen off slightly to 5,720, where it remained through the 1980s. In 1990 it was 9,891. Hurricanesqv struck the city in 1919 and 1967. In 1967 the United Farm Workers Unionqv sought federal protection from Texas Rangers in an unsuccessful attempt to organize melon pickers. An oil and gas boom of the 1930s broadened the town's limited economic base, which includes exports to Mexico, brickmaking, food production, and tourism. Rio Grande City has several historic structures, including Fort Ringgold, La Borde House, and a replica of the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The city voted to reincorporate in 1993.
Garna L. Christian
Mark
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Yolotepec, Mexico
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Cody, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/CodyWY.jpg)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Codymuseum.jpg)
I was here with my mom around 10 years ago. A great little museum. 8)
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Yondese, Mexico
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East Mountain, TX
Settled in the 1870s and named after a geographic feature, East Mountain was known as Savannah when a post office opened under that name in 1902. It closed within three years and the name East Mountain became official.
The town experienced an oil boom in the 1930s, and the town's school and churches all had producing wells on their property.
The population in 1940 was an estimated 75 persons. The town is now a bedroom community of Longview, just across the line in Gregg County.
Leslie
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Nursery, TX
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tx/TX_26845.gif)
Nursery is an unincorporated community in Victoria County, Texas. It has a population of approximately 260.
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Yerbanís, Mx
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Spunky Flat, TX
I couldn't find much on Spunky Flat although it is in the heart of Texas cotton country. Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie & Clyde fame) attended the Eureka School in Spunky Flat in the 1930s.
Leslie
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Tie Siding, WY
(http://www.innsite.com/files/A004285-1.jpeg)
Tie Siding is in Albany County, in the Laramie metro area. It was so named because it supplied
ties for railroad construction.
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Gas Hills, Wy
Beaver Claims – Gas Hills, Wyoming
Wyoming Projects Map High Plains owns 169 federal lode claims in approximately 3,380 acres (1,368 hectares) in the Gas Hills Mining District in Fremont County staked on the basis of dense drill hole patterns by former operators, including Pathfinder Mines Corp., Federal Partners, Union Carbide Corporation, Western Nuclear Corp., American Nuclear Corp. and The Tennessee Valley Authority. The Gas Hills district produced approximately 25 million pounds of uranium from an estimated 13 miles of mineralized trend, or approximately 1.9 million pounds per mile of trend. High Plains commissioned a geologic evaluation of the Beaver Claims by professional geologist Stephen Payne. Mr. Payne reports that uranium mineralization is contained in stacked sands occurring in alluvial fan facies of the Eocene Wind River Formation. High Plains claims blocks contain a favourable strike length with a total of 28,000 feet of trend (8,500 meters) in stacked sands. The Company plans to continue land acquisition in the Gas Hills.
Sweet Claims - Gas Hills, Wyoming
The Sweet Claims are located above Beaver Rim near the Gas Hills District. High Plains has staked 77 claims on 1,540 acres (623 hectares) based on the observation of dense drill-hole patterns on the ground from previous operators.
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Sand Draw, WY
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Washakie Ten, WY
2000 Census Populaton 604, just a little bit NNE of Worland.
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Elsa, Tx
ELSA, TEXAS. Elsa is at the intersection of State Highway 107 and Farm Road 88, some seventeen miles northeast of McAllen in east central Hidalgo County. It is on land that was a part of the Llano Grande land grant issued to Juan José Ynojosa de Ballí, and the area was settled by ranchers before 1800. The ranchers introduced cattle and sheep ranching and various crops to the area. After 1850 two ranches in the vicinity were Laguna Seca ("Dry Lagoon"), owned by Macedonio Vela, and La Bota ("the Boot"), owned by Miguel Fernández. Anglo-Americans did not settle in the area until the early 1900s, with the introduction of truck farming. The Elsa community was laid out on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1927 and named for Elsa George, wife of a local landowner. By 1930 the town had a population of 400, sixteen businesses, three churches, and a school. In 1940 Elsa was incorporated, and its population was estimated at 1,006. By 1957 the community had the railroad stop, a school, a church, some sixty-five businesses, and an estimated population of 3,179. By 1978 its population was estimated at 5,174. In 1990 Elsa had an estimated population of 5,242 and shared a high school with its neighbor Edcouch. Elsa's population was 5,549 in 2000.
Elsa was also the name of the loiness made famous in the 1965 movie and book 'Born Free' saved by the well known naturest Joy Adamson and her husband George. Lest we think she was perfect (Joy ) George once said to her 'All the would loves you, but myself and your first two husbands.'
Mark
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Armstrong, TX
Major James B. Durst purchased the Armstrong Ranch land in 1853. His daughter married the Texas Ranger Capt. John B. Armstrong in 1878, and they moved their family to the property in 1882. Their descendants continue to run the ranch today.
In 1904 the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad came through and added the ranch to its stops. The railroad sold out to the larger Missouri Pacific. The first post office operated under the name of Katherine, but was renamed in 1915. Highway 77 was completed through the ranch in 1940. - Tobin Armstrong, Armstrong Ranch, Armstrong, TX, April 23, 2002
Leslie
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Glendo, WY
(http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/glendo.gif)
Glendo is a community small in number (229 residents) but big in heart! Incorporated on May 20, 1922, the Glendo area is rich in history. The California, Oregon, Mormon Trails and the Overland Stage route passed south of Glendo.
The town is home to Glendo State Park, one of several state recreation areas along the North Platte River in Wyoming. Glendo State Park features one of Wyoming's many reservoirs, a hydroelectric power plant, and campgrounds, beaches, hiking trails, and a marina. The reservoir is extremely popular on the 4th of July. attracting large crowds from Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming.
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Ozona , Tx
OZONA, TEXAS. Ozona, the county seat and only town in Crockett County, is on Interstate Highway 10 and State Highway 163, midway between Houston and El Paso and 100 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border. It was known as Powell Well when it was founded in 1891. E. M. Powell, a land surveyor, drilled a well near Johnson Draw, established a windmill, and offered water and land for a school, churches, parks, a courthouse, and a jail. Joe Moss, Powell's agent, sold lots, and early settlers planted pecan trees in the shallow soil. Frank M. Boykin served as postmaster for the post office, established on September 3, 1891. The community was chosen as the county seat over nearby Emerald in an election on July 7, 1891, when the first commissioners' court was held. Powell Well became Ozona, named for the quantity of open air or ozone. By 1892 the community had a population of 400, a saloon, a blacksmith, two restaurants, a school, a feed yard, and other businesses. By 1898 the local Crockett Hotel had become a stage stop on the road to San Angelo. The Ozona Kicker, founded by Claude B. Hudspethqv in 1892, was renamed the Ozona Stockman in 1914. The Crockett County Courthouse, designed by Oscar Ruffini,qv was built from locally quarried limestone in 1902. Emerald School moved to Ozona in 1897. Water from the area's deep wells at Water Works Hill and available land drew settlers to the area. Cattle were brought in the early 1880s, and Rambouillet sheep and Angora goats were imported some time later. Gas and oil wells discovered within the town limits continued in production in the late 1980s, but Ozona was never a boom town. The 1936 state highway map showed two schools, two churches, and numerous businesses and dwellings at the townsite, despite a 1926 fire that destroyed a block of business buildings. A flood in 1954 destroyed almost half the town's houses and cost sixteen lives. In 1986 Ozona had two banks, the county library, a radio station, the Ozona Community Center (built in 1936), and a population of 4,200, which was more than 50 percent Hispanic. The Junior Rodeo and fall deer season are among the town's annual events. The Crockett County Museum, located in the County Courthouse Annex, collects and exhibits artifacts connected with area history. Emerald House, the town's oldest dwelling, has been moved to a park near State Highway 290. In 1990 the population was 3,181.
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Amphion, TX
Although a post office was opened in 1881 (closed 1916), no one seems to remember the origin of the town's name. The town had two cotton gins and a store by 1887 and by the mid 1890s, the number of residents was around 100 and town businesses included a hotel. Amphion had both a school and Masonic lodge prior to 1900. The school had 72 students taught by two teachers by 1904 and Amphion's future looked rosy. But when the Artesian Belt Railroad bypassed the town in 1909, the writing was on the wall. The population remained at 100 for a few years, but as businesses moved to Jourdanton, the decline became evident. Enrollement shrank and the town settled into a long decline. The town managed to keep the school open through the Great Depression but after WWII and school consolidation, Amphion was labeled a ghost town by the mid-1950s.
Although there is no cemetery marked Amphion on the Atascosa County map, the name Amphion appears surrounded by four nearby cemeteries (Rodriquez, Alvarado, Herrera and Willborn).
Leslie
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Nordegg, Alberta
Situated just off the scenic David Thompson Highway, Nordegg offers stunning views, campgrounds and trails for hiking and mountain biking. Other popular activities include canoeing and horseback tours. The Brazeau Collieries Minesite Industrial Museum is both a Provincial Historic Resource and a National Historic Site. Nordegg is located west of Red Deer.
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Graham, Tx
About Graham, Texas
Graham is a thriving community of 9,000 located in North Central Texas. Called by the award winning Texas Highways magazine "neither too big nor too small, but 'just right'," Graham combines the best of small town living with city conveniences.
Visitors find our town to be located in an area of great natural beauty, with numerous cultural activities available. The countryside is filled with many different types of wildlife and has a reputation for being one of the best game hunting areas in the state. The nearby lakes and rivers offer the water recreation enthusiast a variety of water sports including fishing, boating, scuba diving, canoeing and swimming. Graham is the closest city to nearby Possum Kingdom Lake.
History also lives in Graham and a number of historic markers can be found in the County. Graham is located along the route of the Texas Forts Trail. Fort Belknap and Fort Richardson are both nearby. A number of activities are held throughout the year on our beautiful downtown square, the Largest Downtown Square in the United States. Graham's downtown square also is full of shops offering one-of-a-kind merchandise and antiques. Graham is an official Main Street city.
Residents of Graham find our community to be a great place to raise a family. The school district is excellent, and is ranked in the top ten of the Lone Star Cup competition which combines excellence in academics, sports and other extracurricular activities into a ranking among all the schools in the state of Texas. Graham's community facilities and community organizations rate as good or better than those found in cities much larger.
Graham is also a great place to do business. Employers find that the workforce is skilled and eager to put in an honest day's work for a fair wage. The community's infrastructure is up-to-date and the regulatory environment is business friendly. The Graham Industrial Association assists local businesses with their growth needs and businesses seeking to expand or relocate to Graham.
We are approximately 80 miles west of Fort Worth, 60 miles south of Wichita Falls and 75 miles from Abilene. If you live nearby, we invite you to make Graham a day trip destination. If you are looking to relocate, you won't find a better place to live. If you are looking for a site to expand your business, make sure Graham is on your short list.
For additional information on our beautiful community, please contact the Graham Area Chamber of Commerce at P.O. Box 299, Graham, TX 76450, or by calling (800) 256-4844. We thank you for taking the time to visit us on the Internet, and we hope to see you in Graham soon.
The Graham Chamber of Commerce is a proud member of the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives.
Graham was also the name of an auto mantfacturer Graham-Paige Motors producing Graham automobiles from 1928 to 1940.
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Moose, WY
There is a scenic drive from Wilson to Moose, WY...sounds pretty.
"Although this 16-mile drive is not entirely in Grand Teton National Park, it leads to a back road in the park. The road travels about 7 miles through developed land around Jackson, and beyond through 9 miles of verdant hillsides, stands of aspens, and running brooks. If the two-lane road, partially unpaved and not well-maintained, were better, increased traffic would destroy its charm. This drive is not recommended for people in a hurry. Special attractions: A country lane, and a fair chance to see moose at dusk or dawn at the Sawmill Ponds. Nearby points of interest: Jackson; Snake River access; Jackson Hole Ski Resort and tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain; Death Canyon and Granite Canyon hiking trails; and Phelps Lake. This eTrail is a complete description of a scenic drive with a route map and information on the best travel seasons, interesting sites, recreation opportunities, camping locations, and much more. "
http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=XFA135-024
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El Molinito, Mexico
(http://maps.fallingrain.com/perl/map.cgi?kind=topo&lat=19.1833&long=-102.3167&name=El%20Molinito&scale=10&x=240&y=180)
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Ore City, Tx
ORE CITY, TEXAS. Ore City, at the junction of U.S. Highway 259 and Farm Road 1649, thirteen miles northeast of Gilmer in eastern Upshur County, was originally part of the William Murray League. A school known as the Murray League Institute began operating in the area before the Civil War.qv Rich iron ore deposits were discovered in the area during the antebellum period, and ore was mined sporadically from the 1860s through 1900. Around 1910 efforts were made to begin industrial mining of the ore. In 1911 L. P. Featherstone persuaded the Santa Fe line to finance a rail link with Port Bolivar. By 1914 thirty miles of line, known as the Port Bolivar Iron Ore Railway, had been built, connecting newly founded Ore City with Longview. The town of Ore City was platted around 1911, and a post office opened the next year. By 1914 the town had several saw, shingle, and planing mills. It also had a bank, five general stores, a blacksmith shop, and an estimated population of 400. After the outbreak of World War Iqv further construction on the railroad link was halted, and the line was abandoned in 1927. The town survived, however, and in the mid-1930s Ore City had two schools, several churches, a sawmill, ten stores, and a number of houses. Its population in 1936 was 500. It declined after World War II,qv reaching a low of 385 in 1952, when the town incorporated. The number of inhabitants topped 800 in the mid-1960s, and by 1976 Ore City had a population of 900 and thirty-four businesses. Many of the residents were employed at the nearby Lone Star steel mill. In 1990 Ore City was the second largest city in Upshur County; it had a population of 898 and thirty-one businesses.
mark
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Yantis, TX
Wood County; Elev 486; 2000 Pop 321.
From the map, maybe Jess(injest) lives nearby???
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Shivagui, Mexico
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Itasca, Tx
Itasca was founded in 1881, immediately following the establishment of the railroad station. G. M. Dodge purchased 100 acres and put land on sale on October 10, 1881. The first building, a general store, was built by Will I. Hooks and James H. Griffin. Rev. J. W. Lackey was the pastor of the newly built Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1884. The town paper, The Itasca Item, began in 1900. The first school, built by Robert E. Lee Masonic Lodge, opened in 1887. The Itasca Cotton Manufacturing Company began operation in 1901. Switzer Woman's College and Conservatory of Music opened in 1902. In 1937, Hill County Electric Cooperative was founded by Earl Farrow.
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Adrian, TX
Adrian, like the other towns that stretch across Texas along I-40 came into being as a stop on the Rock Island Railroad. Adrian was chosen as a stop in 1900, although the first train didn't arrive until 1909.
The town's namesake was early settler Adrian Cullen. Settlement was promoted by an Iowa company operating as the American-Canadian Land and Townsite Company.
A man named J. P. Collier, set up a printing press and dug a water well, running water pipe for the town's first infrastructure. A post office was granted and soon the town was thriving with a brickyard, blacksmith, bank, lumberyard and newspaper.
Scarce water and a long drought keep the population low. In 1915 there were only 50 persons.
A grain elevator was built in 1929 and a volunteer fire department was established in the 40s.
Although Adrian sets on the western side of the Texas Panhandle, it is the half-way point for travelers travelling the "Mother Road" of Route 66.
Here is a water tower marking the midway point of Route 66:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AdrianTexasWaterTowerCloseUp706KenR.jpg)
Leslie
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New Ulm, TX
(http://www.trainweather.com/ulm042200storee.jpg)
New Ulm, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line at the intersection of Farm roads 109 and 1094, in extreme western Austin County, was first known as Duff's Settlement, in honor of James C. Duff, who in 1841 acquired title to the tract on which the town was founded. The community's growth was spurred after 1845 by an influx of German-speaking settlers from nearby communities such as Industry, Shelby, and Nassau Farm. In 1852 a post office was opened in the settlement, which became known as New Ulm in commemoration of the well-known city in Würtemberg, Germany, the province from which most early inhabitants had originally emigrated. During the 1850s the agricultural community had six general merchandise stores, five blacksmith shops, three breweries, three cabinetry shops, and a cigar factory. During this period local residents organized both a turnverein (see TURNVEREIN MOVEMENT), or athletic club, and a Schützenverein, or rifle club, the members of which sported light green uniforms. Arrival of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line in 1892 further stimulated the New Ulm economy, and the town shipped cotton, poultry, eggs, and butter to markets in surrounding counties. New Ulm had 225 residents in 1898. By 1930 its population had grown to 500, and the number of businesses had increased to forty, including a bank and an English-language newspaper, the New Ulm Enterprise. The population declined to an estimated 390 by 1950. Growth resumed, however, during the 1960s, and by 1968 the population was estimated at 600, and New Ulm had sixteen businesses. In 1990 the population was estimated at 650.
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MERCURY, TEXAS.
Mercury is on Farm Road 502 twenty-two miles northeast of Brady in northeastern McCulloch County. It was founded by J. A. Austin in 1904, soon after the Fort Worth and Rio Grande built through the area. Mercury became a shipping point for livestock. In 1914 the town had two banks, two general stores, and 550 residents. Mercury had two disastrous fires, one in 1919 and one in 1929, and was unable to recover from them. The town was bypassed when the Brownwood-Brady highway was rerouted in 1938. The Mercury post office was discontinued in the 1930s, and the community's population declined steadily over the next several decades. The Mercury schools were consolidated with the Rochelle district in the late 1940s. The community's population fell from 489 in 1933 to 360 in 1949; it reported 166 residents in 1988 and 1990.
Of course I couldn't resist. Mercury is the automotive brand name of Ford prodices cars introduced in 1939. Throught its enties it was often in danger of being discontinued its products to similar to the Ford lineup. Unfortunatly this is true today more than ever. Until 1967 Mercury offered a line of trucks the same as Ford but with Mercury nameplates. Note the 1966 model the same as what Ennis had but a Mercury.
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Yautepec, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/aztecsunstone.gif)
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Cotulla, Texas
--the county seat of La Salle County; town situated on Pan-American Highway. Area has seen sporadic growth due to periods of oil boom, but historically has been a small, underdeveloped community. President Johnson once taught school here, and called it "the crummiest town in Texas". I have long-standing family connections to the place, with maternal grandparents growing up here, and an aunt having been born here.
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Auburn, Tx
AUBURN, TEXAS. Auburn was sixteen miles southwest of Waxahachie in western Ellis County. Some of its first settlers were from a caravan of 105 covered wagons that originated in Arkansas in 1852. They were attracted by the water supply from the nearby North Fork of Chambers Creek, the flat and tillable land suitable for crops and livestock, and the climate. Jerry Files opened a general store at Auburn. By 1890 the community had a population of 290; by 1900 it had two cotton gins, a corn mill, a blacksmith shop, and two grocery stores. Four church congregations met regularly-Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ. A two-story building, McCarver Chapel, housed a grade school on the first floor and a Masonic lodge on the second floor. An Auburn post office opened in 1877 and operated until 1906, when the mail was rerouted through Maypearl. In 1865 Rezia (or Rezi) Jarvis Banks deeded land to the trustees of the Methodist church, to be used as the site for a church, school, and cemetery. The community name appears first on that deed. Martin P. Nation bought Eureka, a retired world's champion short horse, and brought him to Auburn for breeding. At one time a racetrack was located a half mile from the general store. In 1904 the community reported a population of 136. By the 1940s Auburn consisted of one business, a school, a church, and a few widely scattered dwellings. The 1968 population was reported at twelve. On April 11, 1978, a state historical marker for the cemetery was dedicated as a result of research and documentation done by Cloyd F. Stiles, a great-grandson of Rezia Banks.
Also Auburn is the name of a luxury Indiana made automobile.
Auburn was a brand name of United States automobiles from 1900 through 1937. It grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1875 by Charles Eckhart (1841–1915). Eckhart's sons, Frank and Morris, began making automobiles on an experimental basis before entering the business in earnest, absorbing two other local carmakers and moving into a larger plant in 1909. The enterprise was modestly successful until materials shortages during World War I forced the plant to close.
The 1904 Auburn was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat 2 or 4 passengers and sold for US$1000. The flat-mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 10 hp (7.5 kW). A 2-speed planetary transmission was fitted. The angle-steel-framed car weighed 1500 lb (680 kg) and used half-elliptic springs.
In 1919, the Eckhart brothers sold out to a group of Chicago investors headed by Ralph Austin Bard, who later served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and as Under Secretary of the Navy for President Roosevelt and for President Harry S. Truman. The new owners revived the business but failed to realize the profits that they hoped for. In 1924, they approached Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974), a highly successful automobile salesman, with an offer to run the company. Cord countered with an offer to take over completely in what amounted to a leveraged buyout. The Chicago group accepted.
Cord aggressively marketed the company's unsold inventory and completed his buyout before the end of 1925. In 1926, he partnered with Duesenberg Corporation, famous for its racing cars, and used it as the launching platform for a line of high-priced luxury vehicles. He also put his own name on a front-wheel-drive car, the L-29 Cord.
Auburn Automobile Historical Marker, Auburn, IN
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Auburn Automobile Historical Marker, Auburn, IN
Employing imaginative designers such as Alan Leamy and Gordon Buehrig, Cord built cars that became famous for their advanced engineering as well as their striking appearance, e.g., the 1928 Auburn Boattail Speedster, the Model J Duesenbergs, the 1935–1937 Auburn Speedsters and the 810/812 Cords.
Styling and engineering failed to overcome the fact that Cord's vehicles were too expensive for the Depression-era market and that Cord's stock manipulations would force him to give up control of his car companies. Under injunction from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to refrain from further violations, Cord sold his shares in his automobile holding company. In 1937, production of Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs ended.
The company's art deco headquarters in Auburn now houses the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. It was made a National Historic Landmark in 2005.
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Normanna, TX
The area had been a Mexican land grant back in 1831. In 1874 it was named Walton Station after Sheriff D.A.T. Walton.
Norwegian immigrants moved into the area in 1893, and formed the nucleus of their colony just 2 miles from Walton. When the postal authorities rejected the application for a post office under the name Walton, Normanna was submitted and accepted.
The name loosely translates as "the place of Norsemen" but closer to the true meaning is "far North." Seeing that's where they were from, the name was appropriate.
Normanna has a museum in a building that has served as ranch headquarters, a hotel and a residence. Families descended from the original Norwegian settlers still live in the area.
Leslie
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Alta, WY
(http://www.photos.mdpny.com/images/20060409011902__mdp3216.jpg)
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Arlington, Wy
Arlington, Wyoming
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 11/25/83
The Rock Creek Crossing and Stage Station was in the 1860s one of many stopping points or waystations along the Overland Trail, a central trail among many Western transcontinental transportation routes. As a stage station known as a home station, Rock Creek became a commercial as well as "entertainment" center for immigrants. Joe Bush, owner of the stage station, constructed a bridge at the crossing and lived in a log cabin at the site. To serve the many needs of the travelers, Bush operated a dancehall-saloon, general store, and blacksmith shop from one building. Although travel along the trail declined after the transcontinental railroad was completed, Rock Creek continued to thrive as a supply and social center for growing agricultural and timber interests in the surrounding area. In 1882 a post office known as Rock Dale was constructed at the site and was used as a bunkhouse in later years. The dancehall-store blacksmith shop also served as a school during the 1890s. The owners at Rock Creek station turned to stock raising for economic purposes during the later part of the nineteenth century. Although Rock Creek still served as a commercial and social center, the economic base of the small settlement began to change. Corrals, a barn, milkhouse, and icehouse were built during the 1880s and 1890s. During the early twentieth century, Rock Creek was renamed Arlington but it continued in its dual commercial-agricultural role. Rock Creek's historical significance relates to its evolution from a home station along the Overland Trail to a permanent ranching community. As one of the earliest settlements in Carbon County, Rock Creek contributed in a commercial and social sense to the development of south central Wyoming.
Mark
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Nemo, TX
The unusual name comes from one of the numerous post office application rejections of the 1800s. A local hero named Jimmie Johnson had had the railroad honor him with the designation of Johnson Station. The townsfolk wanted it continued with the post office designation. The postal authorities in Washington (on-the-Potomac) wanted a shorter name and the consensus of the town was: "If it can't be named after a fine man like Johnson - it shouldn't be named after any man. One of the Latin-speaking citizens suggested Nemo for "no man" and this was accepted by the post office department.
Nemo's population never exceeded 60 persons and it was only 56 in 1990.
Leslie
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Orin Junction, WY
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Napier, Tx
NAPIER, TEXAS. Napier is on U.S. Highway 59 fifty-five miles north of Houston in southeastern San Jacinto County. The community was shown on maps as early as 1905, when it appeared as a stop on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. Numerous tram rail lines from Liberty County extend both east and west of Napier and indicate that the area was once the site of extensive logging operations. Napier underwent extensive development during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a result of its proximity to Shepherd, the largest town in San Jacinto County, and its location on the main highway between Houston and Lake Livingston, a popular recreation site. By 1983 Napier had been absorbed by Shepherd.
Mark
And guess what! Napier was also an automobile, a vbritish make that was actually manufactured in the US ( like Rolls Royce once was ) in the early 1900's.
NAPIER of AMERICA
The respected precision engineering firm of D Napier & Son had been in business in Lambeth, South London, for nearly one hundred years before Montague Napier, grandson of the founder, made his first motor car engines in 1899. The firm converted the Panhard-Levassor of S F Edge from tiller to wheel steering and fitted it with a Napier engine and Edge came to figure large in the Napier motorcar story. He made an agreement with Napier that he would take all of the firm's output providing he had exclusive rights. Edge vigorously promoted Napier cars, bombarding the press with letters, engaging in publicity stunts, and taking part in motoring competitions of all sorts, including racing.
Early motor races only took part on the continent and in America as racing on public roads in Britain was illegal. Napier and Wolseley were the only British companies that regularly took part in European competitions in the early days. The most important event in the motor sport calendar became the Gordon Bennett Trophy race. It was run annually in conjunction with a town to town race but the competing cars represented their country of origin. When Edge won the Trophy in 1902 it was a triumph for him, Napier and Britain. There was a surge in demand for Napiers and a large new factory was built on a 'green field site' in Acton, West London.
The next Napier initiative was to introduce for 1904 a six-cylinder motorcar to its range of models. Despite Edge's claims, Napier did not invent the six-cylinder engine, nor was it the first firm to use one for a motorcar, but it was the first to make the six-cylinder car a commercial success. A 'Noiseless Napier' rapidly became the English car to own and it was some years before Rolls-Royce eclipsed this position.
Whatever their merits, British cars did not sell well in continental Europe. In a search for a wider market Napier opened an American factory in Boston in 1904 to circumvent the American tax of 45% of the purchase price on complete imported motorcars. Napier parts were exported, thus attracting a much lower tariff, assembled in Boston and had locally-made bodies fitted.
They were then able to compete on price with the finest American makes. However, unlike its English activities the operation was only a limited success and was wound up in 1912. In the same year Napier bought out Edge's rights and the diversification of its engineering activities was continued; the success of the Napier Lion aero engine during and after the Great War pointing the way forward.
Motorcar manufacture was ended in 1924 and after years of making a range of outstanding aero engines Napier was taken over by English Electric in 1945, eventually becoming a division of Rolls-Royce in 1962.
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Riviera Beach, TX
Riviera was established in 1907. The plans for Riviera Beach as a major resort were dashed by a hurricane in August of 1916.
This is the pier at Riviera Beach:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/RivieraBeachPier800.jpg)
Leslie
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Hamsfork, WY
(http://kenadams.netfirms.com/wyoming%20dirt/pics/sat-hamsfork.jpg)
There are approximately 139.03 statute miles between Hamsfork, WY and Riverton, Wyoming. These are "As the crow flies" air miles rather than driving miles.
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Kemah, Tx
The recorded history of Kemah began when a labor (approximately 177 acres) of land along the Gulf Coast was granted to Michael Gouldrich on August 24, 1824 by the Mexican government. [1] Gouldrich was listed as one of Stephen F. Austin’s first colonist in 1826, a widower over 50 years of age, engaged in farming and stock raising. [2] His land was located on the south bank end at the mouth of Clear Creek and Galveston Bay. Gouldrich disappeared from historical record and William Vince of Vince’s Bayou, Harrisburg County acquired the Clear Creek land. [3]
The name “Flanders Grove” and “Flanders Labor” appears on several early maps of Galveston Bay in the vicinity of the present day town of Kemah at the mouth of Clear Lake in Galveston County. [4] The place-name was given because one John Flanders bought the property from William Vince. [5]
John Flanders was issued a passport for six months on December 7, 1830 in Austin’s colony. [6] A notation in Austin’s Register of Families reads, “Flanders is to be included as a colonist although he takes no land.” Flanders was 32 years old, single, and listed as a farmer from New Hampshire who arrived in Austin’s colony in December 1830, probably in Anahuac where he acquired a house and a lot. [7] He was not listed on the 1834 Census of Anahuac and was probably then living at Clear Creek.
There is no Kaiser and Keller was taken so no automobiles this time.
Mark
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Heidenheimer, TX
The town was built near the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe tracks in 1881 and the post office opened the same year. The town was named to honor S. Heidenheimer, director of the railroad.
In 1884 the population was a mere 75 people with only the basic businesses that comprised a proper town. Two years later, the population had risen to 225 and a newspaper was included in the town’s businesses.
The town reached its zenith of 250 people in 1925, but by 1948 it had lost fully half of that. The railroad is still the most active area of town – with grain elevators and a working gin.
Bonus points to the person who can name the movie that contains the song, "The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" and identify its star.
Leslie
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Red Desert, WY
(http://www.trainweb.org/chris/czw34.jpg)
In the central part of the Great Divide Basin’s Red Desert, this tiny town overlooks the biggest stretch of unfenced land in the lower 48 states.
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Texaekana, Tx
TEXARKANA...”WHERE LIFE IS SO LARGE IT TAKES TWO STATES.”
Why? Texarkana is really two cities where State Line Avenue joins Texarkana, AR with Texarkana, TX; twin cities located in two sates and named for three.
Another of our famous mottos: Texarkana is “Twice As Nice”, appropriately conveys the political structure here. There are two of most everything: two city mayors, two city governments, two police departments, and two fire departments. Texarkana is a thriving metro-center serving nineteen counties in four states. A diversified economy is supported by manufacturing, agriculture, medical, transportation, and retail. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the moderate climate and a variety of recreational and entertainment activities.
Who named Texarkana is up for debate. The popular version credits Colonel Gus Knobel who surveyed this section for the Iron Mountain Railroad right-of-way from Little Rock. The story goes that Colonel Knobel wrote Tex-Ark-Ana on a board and nailed it to a tree and remarked that this was the name of the town which was going to be built here.
Here's the rest of the story in case you're wondering. Colonel Knobel reckoned he was at or near the spot where the borders of three states met. So he named the city after these states - Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.
We welcome you to discover our very unique city! A visit to Texarkana reveals a host of historic treasures; ten annual festivals; entertainment from performing arts, stock car races, hockey, and art exhibits; shopping; great outdoors and sports; wonderful restaurants; and a heaping of “Southern Hospitality!” For Texarkana must see attractions, check out “10 Texarkana Must Do’s” and “Things to see and do” at this website!
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Abram, TX
The town was named for Texas Ranger Abram Dillard, who lived in the vicinity of Ojo de Agua Creek. A ranch by the name Ojo de Agua was established later and the community is sometimes called by this name.
The Ojo de Agua - or watering hole was on the military supply route from Fort Brown to Fort Ringgold. A post office was granted in 1901 and the railroad laid tracks a few miles North of the community three years later.
During one of the Mexican revolutions Abram was the site of a fight between the U. S. Cavalry and bandits that had crossed the river. The population of Abram at this time (1915) was a mere 50 people and it never exceeded 100 people until the 1970s.
A colonia developed near enough to Abram to be included in the area's 1990 census. There is now a population of over 4,000 population living in the area. Greater Abram receives its water from the La Joya Water District.
Leslie
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Midwest, Wyoming
(http://www.idcide.com/i/mc2/wy/midwest.gif)
Midwest was a company town founded by the Midwest Oil Company.
- Established: 1920's
- Elevation (ft.): 4,851
- Population in 2000: 408
- Population in 1940: 2,510
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Twitty, TX
Named for early settler Asa Twitty, a post office was granted under Twitty’s name in 1912. By 1925 population was estimated at twenty-five and they had a gin, several other businesses, and a school. High school students attend classes in Shamrock.
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Yepómera, Mx
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Allen, TX
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tx/TX_26091.gif)
The town was founded in 1870 as a railroad stop for the Houston and Texas Railroad, connecting the railway with nearby farms. The first railway dam used to facilitate the railway still stands at Exchange Park. The town was named after former Texas attorney general and railroad promoter Ebenezer Allen.
In 1878, a gang of robbers led by Sam Bass, committed what is believed to have been the first train robbery in Texas at the Allen station.
During the 1990s, children's television shows such as Barney & Friends and Wishbone were filmed in Allen.
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Nix, TX
Present-day Nix was originally settled along one of the mail /stage routes out of Lampasas in the 1880s. Prior to that the only activity was being part of the Fort Phantom Hill road (1850s).
A blacksmith and store opened around 1883, with the storekeeper becoming postmistress. Nix's high-water mark was reached in the 1890s when two mills and gins were in operation and two churches established. The population which had been recorded as only 8 people suddenly swelled to 27 by 1896.
It seems to have felt comfortable at this level and stayed below 30 throughout the 1940s. Lampasas County drilled and found oil in the 20s and 30s, and Nix had the dubious distinction of having the only test well to come in dry.
Nix had a store in the late 40s and just west of town was a combination school/church.
In 2005, the old Nix store was still standing - although not in business. Reportedly TxDoT uses the site as a gravel storage area.
This is the Old Nix Store:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/NixTexasRestoredGasStation0504Barcl.jpg)
Leslie
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Xaltocan, Mx
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New Mountain, TX
New Mountain, a farming community on State Highway 155 ten miles northeast of Gilmer in northeastern Upshur County, was probably established sometime after 1900. By the mid-1930s the community had a school, a church, and a number of houses. After World War IIqv the school was consolidated with the Gilmer school district, and by the mid-1960s only a church and a few scattered houses remained. The estimated population in 1966 was fifty; thereafter no further population estimates were available.
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Neches, TX
J. J. Davis and Murdock McDonald, local landowners, donated the land for a townsite and depot when the International-Great Northern Railroad arrived in 1872.
A post office was opened about the same time - listed on the post office department rolls as "Nechesville."
Neches had a population of 100 by 1884 with a school and all essential businesses (including two steam sawmills and a Masonic lodge).
Just after the Civil War, the nearby Stovall Academy moved into town and was renamed the Neches Normal Institute. This later became Neches High School.
By 1890 Neches had an estimated population of 400 people. The town officially changed its name from Nechesville to Neches in 1892.
Neches, Texas former gas station
Neches had a population of 261 in 1900, reaching 400 in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1939 it had reached its zenith at 900 townspeople (estimate).
Increased mobility after WWII took a toll on the population. By 1949 it was down to just 280 and it has declined further to a mere 111 in 1970.
Leslie
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Star,Tx
History in a Pecan shell
The town was named after nearby Star Mountain.
A timeline of important events in Star's history:
In the 1880s - the town was laid out by a man appropriately named Street (Alex Street).
1886: The post office was granted and Calvin Skinner was the postmaster. The previously mentioned Alex Street ran a store and a cotton gin.
1905: The zenith of prosperity for Star. First permanent church is built.
1910: Star gets a bank - but after a robbery in the 20s, it is closed.
1944: Star had eight businesses and a population of 171.
And guess what! the sar was also an automobile!
The Star was an automobile marque that was assembled by the Durant Motors Company between 1922 and 1928. Also known as the Star Car, Star was envisioned as a competitor against Ford's Model T.
Like other products of the Durant Motors Company, the Star was an "assembled" car, built from parts supplied by various outside companies. Originally, Star cars were powered by a four cylinder engine; in 1926 the line introduced a six cylinder engine. All factory-installed engines for the Star were built by Continental.
For the early part of the 1928 model year, the Star was known as the Durant Star and was only available with a four cylinder engine. The car was replaced in the later half of the 1928 model year by the Durant 4.
Mark
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Rolling Hills, WY
(http://icons.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/r/Raydar/1.jpg)
Rolling Hills, Wyoming, in Converse county, is 132 miles NW of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and 223 miles N of Denver, Colorado. There are an estimated 449 people in the town.
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Salina Cruz, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/SalinaCruz.jpg)
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Zapata, Tx
History in a Pecan Shell
Zapata dates to Spanish land grants that go back to 1767.
When the first settlers crossed the Rio Grande the town was called Habitacion. Then Carrizo, then Bellville after Governor Peter Bell. Finally the permanent name of Zapata was authorized to honor Col. Antonio Zapata, one of the founders of the Republic of the Rio Grande.
In the early 1850s, two military posts, Camp Drum and Camp Harney, were located at Zapata. to combat border disturbances and prevent Indian attacks.
In 1842 the men of the Somervell expedition briefly occupied the town. It was here that received orders to abandon the expedition. Those that refused to turn back went on to become captured by the Mexicans.
The population of Zapata increased suddenly when people from Guerrero crossed the river to escape the Mexican Revolution.
A Zapata billborad
Entering Zapata
TE Photo
In 1953 the town was moved to higher ground when Falcon Dam was built. Zapata is a gas and oil well center.
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Alice, TX
The land dates back to the 1750s when it was part of a Spanish land grant administered by Jose Escandon. Escandon was responsible for establishing missions throughout the area to keep the French from colonizing the area.
Alice would be the first entry in a long list of towns, cities and counties named after King-Kleberg relatives and friends. Alice was the daughter of Richard and Henrietta King and the County was named after the family lawyer, James Wells.
In the late Nineteenth Century, two railroads intersected at Alice, making it the busiest shipping point in the world for beef.
Alice has retained some of the petroleum business that made the whole area boom in the 1930s.
Downtown Alice retains some of it's former dignity - although several buildings seem to have been closed for years. A few buildings reveal their age - while others have been sheathed in plywood and aluminum.
Leslie
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Ejido Villa Luz, Mexico
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Zacapu, Mexico
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Uncertain, TX
With a name like Uncertain - it's appropriate that even the origin of the name is unclear. Two stories are offered in the Handbook of Texas and one is as good as the other. One is the "uncertainty" of the residents as to whether they belonged to the U. S. or the Republic of Texas since the boundary is formed by the lake. The other story is said to come from riverboat crews who never certain if their boats were firmly anchored. This story has credit since the town was once known as "Uncertain Landing." A third story claims that the difficulty of maping the region left surveyors "uncertain."
The community has always had strong economic ties to the outdoor activities. As early as 1900 a "rod and gun" club was in operation - known as the Uncertain Club. The logging of cypress trees and the fishing kept Uncertain's economy afloat through the 40s and tourism has been the mainstay every since.
In 1961 the town incorporated to allow the sale of alcohol. Most Uncertainites operated tourist-related businesses. In 1988 the estimated population was 189 which has declined to 150 in 2000.
Leslie
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New London , Tx
NEW LONDON, TEXAS. New London is on State Highway 42 twelve miles south of Kilgore and 122 miles southeast of Dallas in Rusk County. As a result of the westward expansion of the southern frontier, a post office, called London, was started here in 1855. With some interruptions it served the area until 1876. The next year a school, now named West Rusk, was established in London. From 1855 to 1930 London depended upon agriculture. Farmers grew principally cotton and corn and supplemented their income with watermelons, peaches, and tomatoes. They shipped these products from the community depot, known as Norfolk, on the Henderson and Overton Branch Railroad, a spur of the International-Great Northern.
In 1930 Columbus M. (Dad) Joinerqv drilled the first well in the East Texas oilfieldqv a few miles from the community, making it a boomtown. Residents built a modern school, churches, and homes. A new post office was established there in 1931. When community residents found that a London post office had already been established in Kimble County, they used the name New London. In 1931 Humble Oil and Refining Company moved 100 families from the Corsicana oilfield and their district headquarters to New London. Refineries were constructed. Oil companies provided jobs, housing, electricity, and free gas and water; they also built parks and community buildings. Nothing remained unchanged, and many landowners became wealthy. The London school expanded and consolidated with smaller schools. On March 18, 1937, however, the school exploded, in the worst school disaster in United States history (see NEW LONDON SCHOOL EXPLOSION). Within a year the facilities had been rebuilt. New London continued to boom until World War II.qv
During the 1950s oil companies changed their objectives. The East Texas oilfield began to decline. In the New London area, the drilling of wells was replaced by the care of pipelines and the installation of pumps. Derricks no longer dotted the skyline. Oil companies abolished the housing camps and utilities. Some people moved away, but others stayed and built homes. New London entered a new era. Before the discovery of oil, permanent residents were those people who derived their income from agriculture and to a lesser extent from local business and education. Now oilfield workers, previously considered transients, became permanent residents. In 1963 New London became incorporated and began providing municipal services. The population level remained relatively stable-899 in 1970 and 942 in 1980. Many residents were retired oilfield workers or had jobs with oilfield service companies, the nursing home, or West Rusk High School. In the early 1990s New London had twenty-six businesses and a population of 916.
Mark
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Nuxtepec, Mexico
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Cuero, Texas
--the county seat of De Witt County. Home of the Cuero Turkeytrot, and the birthplace of my mother and her twin brother.
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Onalaska, TX
Onalaska, a historic village in Polk County, is a name that seems to have floated into East Texas from somewhere else. First-time visitors naturally ask if it came from Alaska.
This year, as Onalaska celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding, townspeople are discovering more about their past, including the fact there are four Onalaskas in the United States -- all with connections to the same family.
The story begins with lumberman William A. Carlisle, who opened a sawmill at Onalaska, Wisconsin, in 1893. The town’s name came from an old Aleutian Indian word, “Unalaska,” meaning “dwelling together harmoniously.”
Carlisle and his son were so smitten with the name that in 1894, when they opened a second sawmill in Arkansas, they adopted it for the community around the mill. And in the early 1900s, when the Carlisles came south to Polk County, Texas, to build still another sawmill, they founded a third Onalaska near the Trinity River.
In 1909 the Carlisles decided to build yet another sawmill. They selected a site in Lewis County, Washington, and for a third time confiscated the Onalaska name.
William Carlisle bought 150,000 acres of virgin timberland in Polk County in the early 1900s and hired L.O. Jackson to oversee the construction of a mill. Jackson favored sites on Choates and West Tempe creeks, but they were opposed by landowners.
Jackson had looked at a location near the Trinity River and ruled it out because of large, pesky mosquitoes that plagued nearby residents. But, with the rejection of two other locations, he was forced to pick the river plot.
To combat the mosquitoes, Jackson built the sawmillers’ homes with screened windows and doors -- the first such houses in Polk County. But the mill workers claimed the screened houses were too hot and began cutting holes in the screens. When Jackson asked a worker why he had cut two holes in a screen door, the man said he had a cat and dog who had the run of the house. “But why two holes?” asked Jackson. The man snapped back, “When I say scat, I mean scat. And they need two holes to get out.”
Jackson had been warned by local residents that floods on the Trinity were “deep enough to hide a smokestack”. Jackson had the mill built on the highest ground he could find and, sure enough, a flood in 1908 almost reached the community.
The completion of the mill in 1907 attracted a railroad, the Beaumont and Great Northern, which was extended to Livingston a year later to connect with the Houston, East and West Texas Railroad, which served towns and sawmills from Houston to Shreveport.
The Carlisles also built Polk County’s first concrete sidewalk, as well as churches, a hospital, a post office, a school and other amenities for the sawmill families. By 1908 the town had two hotels, a depot, a bank, an electric power company and a population of about 2,000.
Carlisle’s decline as a lumbering center began when the virgin forests were cut over and in 1909 the Carlisle mill was sold to West Lumber Company. But floods from the Trinity River and a lack of suitable sawlogs led to the mill’s closure in 1913. An excellent collection of photographs from the old sawmill days is on exhibit at the town’s library this month as Onalaska -- one of four Onalaskas still “dwelling together harmoniously” -- celebrates its centennial.
Leslie
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Acton, TX
(http://hcdd1.com/images/acton.jpg)
Acton is a small community located about seven miles due east of Granbury, Texas. It is the home of Acton State Historic Site, which is the burial site of Elizabeth Crockett, second wife of Davy Crockett.
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New Waverly, Tx
History in a Pecan Shell
In an old familiar story, Waverly, Texas was once content being simply Waverly, Texas. Then came the railroad.
The Houston and Great Northern Railroad Company came through the area and in those times railroads didn’t have the best of reputations. Locals thought twice about granting a right-of-way and turned the railroad's offer down.
In the second act of the old familiar story, the railroad came through ten miles west of town and established “Waverly Station" in 1870. Naturally the people in business and other residents were drawn to the new town to maintain contact with the rest of the world. The station became “New Waverly.”
In the late 1800s Polish families were recruited from Europe and became tenant farmers in the region. Poles also settled in towns like Brenham, Thurber, Malakoff , Palestine and a cluster of communities around Panna Maria SE of San Antonio.
An abbreviated timeline of significant events:
In 1873 a post office was granted.
In 1884 the town had 150 residents.
By 1896 the population had reached 250.
In 1900 the town had a healthy population of 500.
By mid-century it had declined somewhat to just over 400.
The population was about 600 in the 60s – 700 in the 70s, 800 in the 80s, and 900 in the 90s.
The economy is still driven by lumber – an industry that has influenced New and Old Waverly, and Elmira for over 100 years.
And you can purchase this lovely ranch home for $649,000.00
Mark
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Yznaga, TX
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Art, TX
Mason County is included in the most heavily populated German part of the Hill Country, with the city of Mason being the northern most town of any real population. Mason, Gillespie, Kendall and Comal Counties comprise almost the entire German settlement area, with just a trace of overflow into Blanco, Kerr, and Llano Counties.
Art is found on detailed maps of Mason County just East of Mason (town). It will appear surrounded by five little crosses - a cluster of family cemeteries.
Art along with Hilda, Loyal Valley and Doss still have a number of beautiful utilitarian limestone buildings. The Germans settling this area were German Methodists, not Catholic or Lutheran Germans.
Leslie
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Troup, TX
(http://txdepot.railfan.net/Troup4.jpg)
Troup, also known as Troupe, Troup City, and Zavala, is a small town at the intersection of Farm roads 13, 15, 346, and 347 and State highways 110 and 135, three miles south of Arp in extreme southeastern Smith County.
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Powell, Wy
A view of some of the first water flows in the Shoshone Project irrigation canals, providing water to the Powell Valley.
Some of the first water flows
in the area irrigation canals,
providing water for area
farmland.
Photo provided by the
John Hinckley Library at
Northwest College in Powell.
Modern day irrigation canal passing through the Powell Valley.
The modern day irrigation canal
passing through Powell.
John Wesley Powell
Powell, Wyoming is named for John Wesley Powell. Many considered J. W. Powell an adventurer, however he always maintained he was not; nor did he see himself as an explorer. J. W. Powell always held up that he was a scientist, motivated by a thirst for knowledge and a firm belief that science was meant to further the progress of humankind.
John Wesley Powell did, however, explore rivers throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. Those explorations led to the formulation of some of the fundamental principles of geology. Powell went on to develop an understanding of the natural conditions that control society in the arid lands of the Western United States and he developed guidelines for the orderly development of the region.
The development of Powell began when workers came to the area to create a flood irrigation system in the valley now known as Powell Valley. Homesteading began and agriculture became the driving economic force for Powell with the availability of the irrigation water for farm lands. The Shoshone Project oversees irrigation for approximately 88,406 acres surrounding Powell. The water supply for Shoshone Project is obtained from surface runoff, mainly snow melt, above Buffalo Bill Reservoir. Buffalo Bill Dam, situated in a steep narrow canyon between Cedar Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain, impounds flood waters of the Shoshone River and thereby provides regulation of stream flow for irrigation, flood control, sediment retention, power generation, recreation and fish and wildlife propagation.
The soils of the irrigable area are divided into two broad categories: (1) residual soils underlain with shale and sandstone containing moderate to excessive amounts of soluble salts which are located in the northeastern par of the Shoshone Project; and (2) modified alluvial soils underlain by gravel deposits which are predominant in the remainder of the project.
Annual consumption use of irrigation water in the driest years is approximately 2.5 acre-feet per acre. The historical diversion requirement to meet these demands for water has been about 7.6 acre-feet per acres annually for full irrigation supply.
Agricultural products from the Shoshone Irrigation Project are widely distributed, and include: beans, peas, oats, barley, wheat, sugar beets, corn for silage, alfalfa, other forage, and seeds are the principle crops grown under irrigation in the area.
Recreational activities have become an added benefit of the irrigation system, and the Buffalo Bill Reservoir created to support and supply the water. Situated at the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Buffalo Bill Reservoir is located on the eastern slope of the Absaroka Mountain Range and is bounded by spectacular Rattlesnake Mountain and Cedar Mountain. The Shoshone River has carved a narrow and precipitous gorge nearly 3,000 feet deep through granite. The combination of canyon scenery, mountain backdrop, and reservoir activities attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
Water related activities constitute the basic recreation attraction. Fishing is popular in the reservoir. Deer, elk, game birds, and waterfowl abound within the Shoshone Project area.
And you guessed it! Powell was also the name of a lite Pickup and early SUV manufactured in California in the mid 1950's, actually based on used 1941 to 1952 Plymouth chassis.
Powell Motor Company (PMC) of southern California had reasonable success as a manufacturer for over 30 years. Best known for their line of motor scooters that peaked in popularity between WW II and the Korean War, they also produced pickup trucks and station wagons in the mid 1950s, returning to scooter/mini-bike production in the 1960s.
There are no known remaining business records from PMC; however, some history has been assembled from available fragments. The company struggled sporadically, and ceased to exist sometime around 1970. The most widely accepted production numbers for Powell vehicles are 1,020 pickup trucks, 300 station wagons, three motor homes, and tens of thousands of scooters and industrial/delivery vehicles.
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Lake Victor, TX
Lake Victor was a mere railroad camp along the Houston and Texas Central Railway at the turn of the 20th Century. The community's name may have been a joke since the "Lake" was actually a borrow pit that was only filled if there was enough rain. The namesake was the railroad crew foreman - Victor Kellogg.
In 1903 lots were sold and both school and post office opened. Lake Victor was prosperous for the next 25 years. From a population of 200 in 1914 it increased to 250 by the mid 20s.
The towns economy was stagnant through the Great Depression and the the 40s but the population stayed more or less the same. The school merged with the Burnet ISD in 1947 and the railroad abandoned their tracks in 1951. The mail was rerouted through Lampasas in 1957.
1966 seems to have been the town's high-water mark with 350 people. By 1972 there were only 200 residents which is where it has remained more or less ever since.
Leslie
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Runge, Texas
RUNGE, TEXAS
Karnes County, South Texas
State Highway 72
3 miles West of the DeWitt County Line
9 miles E of Kenedy
67 miles SE of San Antonio
9 miles SE of ghost town Helena &
13 miles SE of ghost town Panna Maria on FM 81
Population: 1080 (2000)
Former post office in Runge, Texas
(http://www.texasescapes.com/SouthTexasTowns/Runge-Texas/RungeTexasPostOfficeFormerJT802.jpg)
The former post office in Runge
TE Photo, April 2001
History in a Pecan Shell
Henry Runge was a banker and merchant. Runge’s Company was instrumental in developing the town in 1887 – the year it was granted a post office. In a few short years it became the largest town in Karnes County. The Runge Town Company managed the town until it was incorporated in 1912. At that time Gus Tips, agent for the Runge Town Company became the towns first mayor.
A school built in 1917 burned in 1930. Gus Tips assisted in the formation of two banks in Runge, and much of the city’s progress is attributed directly to this one man.
A tornado hit Runge on May 6, 1930 killing 27 people and injuring 34. This partially explains the present size of the town’s downtown section. The Runge welcome sign also supports a birdhouse – a nice touch we wish other towns would employ.
Yet another tragedy hit Runge in 1992 when the town’s historical museum was destoyed by fire.
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Erskine, AB
And Erskine was also an automobile, companion to Studebaker only recently beat by Mercedes as auto company longest in business.
Some seventy nine years ago, Albert Russel Erskine,
President of the Studebaker Corporation, came to the decision
that the world automobile market would shortly demand a car of
the European type, built to the standards of the fine American car.
After exhaustive investigation both abroad and in this country,
followed by the building of 15 experimental chassis and bodies
and countless road tests at Studebaker's million dollar proving ground,
a remarkable new-type car evolved by Studebaker engineers.
Because Mr. Erskine was primarily responsible for the development
of this evolutionary new car, the board of directors of
the Studebaker Corporation unanimously decreed that it should
be named the "Erskine Six".
Mark
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Electric City, TX
The town was built in 1926 during the Hutchinson County oil boom. The name is a reference to the Riverview Power Plant, constructed by the Panhandle Power and Light Company to furnish electricity to the oil fields - allowing them to drill at night. Following a 24 hour, seven day schedule, the plant produced its first lights in November of '26.
A camp grew around the facility as the boom continued, and it started evolving into an actual community. It might have remained if not for the improvement of the highway and its proximity to Borger. A few residents stayed and even as late as 1948 five people called Electric City home.
Leslie
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Yuncu, Mexico
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University Park, Tx
UNIVERSITY PARK, TEXAS. University Park is on Interstate Highway 35E, U.S. Highway 75, and Loop 12 five miles north of downtown Dallas in central Dallas County, bordered by the city of Dallas on the north and east and Highland Park to the south. Its name originated because of its location adjacent to Southern Methodist University. SMU officially opened in 1915, and homes were built around the campus to house teachers and staff of the university. Water for the campus came from artesian wells and an overhead storage tank, and sewage lines were connected to Dallas's lines in Oak Lawn. Homes in the area were joined to the university water and sewer lines, and homeowners paid the university for these services. By 1924, with more than 380 homes in the area, the university could no longer afford to supply water and sewer lines to residential areas. The cities of Dallas and Highland Park refused to annex the University Park area because of the financial burden of laying new sewer lines and supplying garbage removal and police and fire protection. Therefore, in 1924 the city of University Park was incorporated with a population of 1,200. The first city government consisted of a mayor and five aldermen, but on April 6, 1926, residents voted to adopt a commission form of city government,qv which the city still retained in 1992. On August 16, 1924, a $150,000 bond election was held to set up fire protection and to finance water and street improvements. The town organized its own garbage-disposal system in 1925. Snider Plaza, a popular shopping center, opened in 1927, although it remained largely undeveloped throughout the Great Depression.qv The population of University Park grew rapidly, mirroring the growth of Southern Methodist University and the nearby cities of Dallas and Highland Park. By 1945 University Park had an estimated population of 18,000 and 120 businesses. In that year the city of Dallas attempted to annex the cities of Highland Park and University Park, commonly referred to as the Park Cities, but was turned down by a narrow margin. After their refusal of a merger, Dallas used its home rule powers to annex territory adjacent to University Park, cutting off all land for expansion. University Park still relied on the city of Dallas for such services as water and sewage treatment, but in 1947 the Park Cities set up their own Water Control and Improvement District to take over these functions. A water-purification plant, reservoir, and pressure tank were completed in 1950. Because it was surrounded by Dallas, University Park was prevented from annexing land for growth as most communities in Dallas County did, and its area remained 3.7 square miles. Few lots were left vacant on which to build new homes. The population rose from 4,200 in 1930 to 14,458 in 1940 and 23,823 in 1950. Between 1950 and 1990 it fluctuated moderately, reaching an estimated 28,500 in 1956. In that year University Park had eleven churches and seven parks. Its schools formed part of the Highland Park school system, an arrangement still in effect in 1992. The 1990 population of 22,259 was primarily white, 3 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent black. The university remained the largest employer, and businesses continued to be primarily university or student related.
Mark
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Keechi, TX
Keechi is on Farm Road 832 one mile south of U.S. Highway 75 and eighteen miles north of Centerville in northern Leon County. It is named after the Keechi Indians, who used to camp in the area.
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Islay, WY
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Yerba, Mx
Pop. 2296
Mark
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Acol, TX
Acol, a logging camp owned by Angelina County Lumber Company, was moved on railroad cars so it could be moved from forest to forest. The town later became famous in forest history for its "wandering post office."
Leslie
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Longview, TX
Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, is on Interstate Highway 20 and U.S. highways 80 and 259, about 125 miles east of Dallas in eastern Gregg and western Harrison counties. In the early 1990s it was the largest city in Gregg County.
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Winton, Wy
Directions: Go approx 10.5 miles north on 191N, turn right onto County Road 4-18, this road forks, you want to bear right at the fork to stay on 4-18, if you continue north the road turns into 4-17 (the road looks like it ought to go this way :-) If you see the 4-17 sign, turn around and go back a couple hundred feet and you'll see the road you need to be on. 4-17 is an interesting road in itself...there are several herd of wild horses there, it leads to the turn off to the White Mountain Petroglyphs and if you just keep going on it as far as you can with 2WD, you end up at the largest moving sand dunes in the Americas. If you want to look at the dunes, take the Study Area road, it's much prettier than the Off Road Vehicle area. The road actually continues past the dunes, you can drive a loop that will take you through South Superior (4-16) and then back through Winton from the other side, but you'd likely need 4WD to get through the sand that's blown across the road. Winton is quite a ways back, I've never marked the mileage, but you can pretty easily think that you must've missed it, it will come shortly after going up a fairly steep hill (don't try this in the winter in a 2WD, nearly got myself stuck out there). Winton is right there on the road, there's a really large concrete foundation and some remaining structural walls on the left, on the right across a ravine is a crumbling brick wall (no idea why it was there), there's no way across the ravine except by foot and it's very steep. If you wander around this area, you'll find something to the right of the big ruin that looks like some sort of cellar. Up the hill behind it is some kind of barbed wire fenced in area, the fence is falling down. You can go a little further up the road and see a few more ruins. You probably wouldn't really want to go up here in the evening, it's pretty easy to get lost on these roads if your not familiar with them and during the summer and weekends during the school year kids use the Winton area for keggers and other mischief :-) Anyone heading out on these Country Roads should probably stop by the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce on Dewar Drive and ask to purchase a Sweetwater County Search and Rescue map...$3.00 and worth every penny :-)
I was surprised to read that Winton, Wyo. was deserted in the 1930's. In fact, I lived in Winton in the early 1950's. My aunt, Gaila Griffin, owned and operated the boarding house located approximately 50 yards west of the cement foundation mentioned in your article. The boarding house was home for some 50 miners working in the six operating mines in Winton.
The foundation and basement structure you mention is all that remains of the Union Pacific store. The brick wall was part of a retaining wall for the road up to Number 1 mine. In all, there were six mines operating in the early 1950's and a few hundred single family dwellings were occupied at that time. Winton was laid out in a hodge-podge fashion with the main street running east and west in front of the company store. In addition to the store was the boarding house, a pool hall, doctor's office, elementary school, post office, tiple, bath house, and, of course, the mine office. The high school students from Winton, Dines, and Stansbury attended a modern facility in Reliance. Others went in to Rock Springs.
My wife and I visited the site in 1997 in an automobile but due to limited (non-existing) road maintenance I would recommend a 4WD today.
And yes Winton is also a car, one of the very firstto travel across the United States.
In the spring and summer of 1903, H. Nelson Jackson completed the first transcontinental automobile trip in this car. Jackson, a physician from Burlington, Vermont, was on vacation in San Francisco and made a bet at a gentlemen’s club that a car could endure the grueling trip through the rugged West, where there were virtually no roads, and across the East in less than 90 days. He purchased a slightly used Winton touring car, hired mechanic Sewall Crocker to accompany him, stocked up on supplies, and took off for New York City. The trip took 64 days, including breakdowns, delays while waiting for parts to arrive, and hoisting the Winton up and over rocky terrain and mudholes. Jackson and Crocker were hailed as heroes and inspired a generation of automobile enthusiasts. Their much-publicized journey caused people to think about the possibilities of long-distance auto travel, and think of cars as an alternative to railroads.
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Northbank, AB
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Koerth, TX
Koerth is on Farm Road 531 three miles west of U.S. Highway 77 in south central Lavaca County. The families of William Ryan, Bernard O'Dougherty, and other settlers of Irish descent first settled the area in 1833. The original community was known as Yellow Bank, for Yellow Bank Creek, and Antioch.
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Hamilton, Tx
Sheltered in a pleasant valley of Pecan Creek, the City of Hamilton delights home folks and visitors alike with its scenic beauty every season of the year. Lovely trees, historic homes and buildings surround the majestic Hamilton County Courthouse, the center of life and commerce of the community.
Hamilton County, organized in 1858, boasts rolling prairies, cultivated farmlands, tree-shaded rivers and creeks flowing through hills and valleys as well as small, rural communities. Agriculture continues to play a major role in the economy of the County; but, in addition, a full range of retail businesses, specialty shops, some featuring locally produced merchandise, and professional offices flourish. The County produces limited oil, gas and gravel.
The City has 3 parks with a total of 60 acres. One of them, Pecan Creek Park, a linear greenbelt, meanders 10-blocks through downtown with 3 cameo recreational areas plus a swimming pool enjoyed by families and children. Perry Country Club is a private facility whose golf course and pool are open to members and their guests with non-resident golfers permitted to play golf on payment of a green fee.
Texas Map Hamilton’s moderate climate affords the possibility of year-round fishing, boating and other water sports at City Lake, Cowhouse Creek, the Leon River and nearby Lake Proctor. Deer, quail, dove, duck and turkey hunting draws hunters to Hamilton from early September through early spring. Small game hunting for rabbit, fox, squirrel, bobcat and raccoon is also conveniently available. The annual Hamilton County Dove Festival celebrates the opening of dove season with a city-wide event reminiscent of an old-fashioned county fair and rodeo. Held in early September, the Dove Festival attracts about 5,000 visitors to Hamilton.
The highly acclaimed Hamilton Civic Theater performs five live shows each year beginning in the spring and ending with a children’s Christmas pageant. Under on-going renovation, the Hamilton Fine Arts Center houses exhibits, seminars, art and dance classes and more. There are more than 40 active local civic organizations serving a variety of age groups, community needs, educational and recreational interests.
16 down-home reasons you’ll love Hamilton, Texas:
* homemade jelly left on your doorstep
* a breeze through an open window
* hummingbirds and Morning Glories
* playing hide and seek by moonlight
* strolls around the town square
* expansive vistas of rolling plains
* fireflies dancing across the yard
* rocking chairs on front porches
* storekeepers who know your name
* homegrown tomatoes to share
* frogs in your summer garden
* sunsets of gold and crimson
* high school marching bands
* winding country roads
* friendly, caring people
* room to fly a kite
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Nuway, TX
(I'm sorry about that, but I have less than kindly feelings towards Texas. I hope nobdy read the things I wrote).
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Yek Dzonot, Mexico
(also known as Yoktzonot)
It's a town in the state of Yucatan.
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Texline, Tx
TEXLINE, TEXAS. Texline, on U.S. Highway 87 eleven miles southeast of Clayton, New Mexico, in western Dallam County, is named for its location on the Texas-New Mexico line. It began when the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway purchased land from the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Companyqv and built a division point there for its line in 1888. By the end of that year the town had a post office, a hotel, a depot, and railroad shops. Charles F. Rudolph,qv editor of the Tascosa Pioneer, predicted that Texline would be "the wildest and the roughest and the toughest town of this section," and for a time his prediction was right.
Texline served as the Dallam county seat from 1891 to 1903, when the county government was moved to Dalhart. The county's first public school was begun in Texline about 1892. Charles W. French, an agent for the Panhandle Land Improvement Company, described the boom days and the hardships that his family and other area homesteaders endured due to the lack of adequate medical treatment (until 1907, the nearest doctor was in Clayton) and occasional fuel shortages. Often the only fuel available was coal, which local residents purchased from the railroad. The town was incorporated in 1916, but removal of the railroad shops in 1923 caused population to decrease to 385 by 1940. Nevertheless, Texline retained some twenty-five businesses and several churches. By 1984 the population was 477. The XIT Trail Drivers' Reunion (see XIT RANCH) is held there annually. In 1990 the population was 425.
Mark
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Echo, TX
First settlement occured in the late 1870s. When the Miles and Gholson ranch sold out in 1881. One William Dibrell bought the site and renamed it Echo. A post office was granted in 1910 and by 1940 there were 75 people living in the vicinity.
The school and post office have been closed for years and the population was a mere 16 people from 1970 to 1990.
There was also an Echo in Bell Country, but that town has been completely absorbed by the town of Temple, TX.
Leslie
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Owl River, AB
http://ca.epodunk.com/profiles/alberta/owl-river/2004768.html (http://ca.epodunk.com/profiles/alberta/owl-river/2004768.html)
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Rockne, Tx
ROCKNE, TEXAS. Rockne, twelve miles southwest of Bastrop in southwestern Bastrop County, has its origins in the Meuth community, established by Andrew Meuth in 1846 between the sites of String Prairie and present Rockne. The second floor of the Meuth home was used for Catholic community worship. Eventually the parish split, and seven families began worship at the Rockne site. The first mass in Rockne was held at Phillip Goertz's home in 1876, and the next year Goertz and his wife, Catherine, with Michael and Rebecca Wolf, donated the site upon which the first church was built. The church burned in 1891. The second church was built on ten acres donated by John T. and Rosina Lehman and dedicated in 1892. By this time a small community had sprung up on the Rockne site. It was first called Walnut Creek, then Lehman or Lehmanville. In 1900 St. Elizabeth's School opened; its name was later changed to Sacred Heart. Lehman had a post office from 1900 to 1903, but it later became known as Hilbigville for W. M. Hilbig, a member of an area pioneer family, who established a business in the community in 1922. Rockne received its present name after Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne's death in 1931, when the schoolchildren of the community voted to rename their town in his honor. In 1935 Rockne was identified as an agricultural and cattle-raising community profiting from the development of surrounding oilfields. In 1940 the third Rockne Catholic church was dedicated on the site of the one dedicated in 1892. In the 1940s the population ranged between 150 and 280. By 1950 it had stabilized at 150. By 1976, when the Rockne church was renovated, the population of the community had grown to 400; it remained 400 in 1990. On March 10, 1988, Rockne opened its post office for one day, during which a Knute Rockne twenty-two-cent commemorative stamp was issued.
And of course the Rockne was a line of less expensive casr offered bu Studebaker from 1931 to 1933.
The Rockne Company produced automobiles from 1931 through 1933. The story is rather sad with the name serving as a tribute to an individual. In 1931 Albert Erskine, the President of Studebaker, offered Knute Rockne a position as sales promotion manager of Rockne cars. Rockne was a long time friend of Erskine and the head coach of the Notre Dame Foolball team. Rockne was worried that these new duties would interfere with his football program but Erskine reassured him that they would not. Studebaker began by creating a strong, durable, and inexpensive automobile named after the Notre Dame football coach. Just after the first Rockne automobiles began appearing in showrooms, Knute Rockne was killed in an airplane crash. The name persisted and used as a tribute, but most people were unwilling to purchase the car nearly sending the Studebaker Company into bankruptcy. Instead the company entered receivership and was able to continue automobile production. Erskine was removed from his position and he later committed suicide in 1933.
The Rockne automobiles were offered with an L-Head Studebaker six-cylinder engine with a choice of either 66 or 72 horsepower. The Rockne came in two lengths and could be purchased for around $600. Unfortunately, Ford's V8 automobiles outsold the Rocknes due to their stylish design, powerful engines, and low cost.
On April of 1933, the Rockne plant, located in Detroit, Michigan, closed its doors forever. A total of 23,201
Mark
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Ebony, TX
Originally called Buffalo (through 1890) the community was renamed in 1891 after their original application for a post office was rejected. (Texas' original Buffalo in Leon County had long had the name.)
A local cowboy named Ebony Shaw was a popular figure thereabouts and allowed his name to be submitted. The Ebony post office opened on January 5, 1891.
Now that the town had a place to pick up their mail and hang out, the population grew to 35 by 1910. By 1930, Ebony was getting downright crowed with a population that soared to 113 people. But, if people were standing in line at the post office, it thinned out pretty fast. The Great Depression was in full swing and soon people were leaving to look for work. By 1940 there were only fifty Ebonites and in 1945 the post office closed. The town was nearly deserted by the 50s and today all that is left is the building above and the local cemetery.
Leslie
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Yocop, MX
Yocop is a town in the state of Yucatan.
Nearby cities and towns are:
- Xikinku (1.9 nm)
- Luch (2.2 nm)
- Cozamil (3.0 nm)
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Peerless, Tx
PEERLESS, TEXAS. Peerless, also known as Gay's Mills, Hilldale, and Fairyland (Fairy Land), was a farming community on Farm Road 71 eleven miles northwest of Sulphur Springs in northwestern Hopkins County. Eli Lindley moved to the area in 1842. In the 1850s a small settlement developed there; it was called Gay's Mills for a water-powered flour mill operated by John D. Gay. In the 1870s the community was known as Hilldale, but its post office, established in 1880 with J. A. Leeman as postmaster, was called Fairyland (or Fairy Land). The latter name is said to have derived from the idea that the young girls at local dances looked like fairies, and that the local hilly terrain made the community seem like a fairyland. In 1885 the town had several steam gristmills and cotton gins, a broom factory, a church, a district school, and an estimated population of 400. Around 1891 the town name was changed to Peerless. This name is said to have been adopted after a family named Cotton planted a brand of potatoes called Peerless. Heavy rains prevented the harvest, and the overripe potatoes began to rot, giving off a pungent odor that wafted through the community, prompting the new name. By 1900 Peerless had two churches, two gristmills and cotton gins, and a population of 250. In 1905 the town school, still called Fairy Land, had two teachers and an enrollment of forty-six. The post office closed sometime after 1900, and during the 1920s the population dropped to 150. In the mid-1930s Peerless had two churches, a school, a cemetery, three businesses, and a number of scattered houses. Its population remained at a constant level until after World War II;qv in 1948 the town still had a population of about 150. After that time no further population estimates were available. In the late 1980s Peerless still had two churches, a cemetery, and two businesses.
Peerless was the name not one but two different auto campanies.
Peerless Motor Vehicle Company
Related Entries
* Automobiles
* Bicycles
* Cleveland
* Ohio
* Oldfield, Barney
The Peerless Motor Vehicle Company was located in Cleveland , Ohio. The Peerless Company originally built clothes wringers and bicycles but, in 1900 began producing its first automobiles. In its early years, Peerless was known for its innovation in automobile design. It was the first American automobile manufacturer to mount the engine in the front, using it to power the rear wheels through a solid drive shaft. This design dominated the American automobile industry throughout most of the twentieth century.
To promote the company and its products, the company hired a famous race car driver, Barry Oldfield, to drive one of its cars. The car soon earned the nickname the "Green Dragon." Oldfield set a number of speed records in the Green Dragon, making Peerless a respected name in automobile manufacturing. Over time, a number of "Green Dragons" were built to advertise the company.
Soon, Peerless began to promote its automobiles as luxury cars. The companys slogan became "All that the name implies." Advertising for the car described "an interior resembling a cozy and luxuriously furnished drawing room." The focus on luxury meant that only wealthy Americans could afford to own a Peerless. Unfortunately, although Peerless had been known for its technical innovations in automotive design in the early years, it began to stagnate by the 1910s and 1920s. Eventually, Peerless no longer focused on the luxury market and began to manufacture automobiles for mainstream markets. The company changed its slogan to "Now Theres a Peerless for Everyone."
Like many American automobile manufacturers, the Great Depression proved to be too much of a challenge to the Peerless Motor Vehicle Company. The company built its last cars in June 1931, although some of these cars were sold as new models in 1932.
The Peerless was based on the TR3 components, The bodywork ; first in aluminium (1957) later in polyester (1958 - 1960) Engine of the TRIUMPH TR3 - with a 4 speed overdrive. The car was never a success , the factory went bankrupt back in 1960.
Produktion : from 1957 to 1960
PEERLESS and WARWICK GT's : What is a Peerless?
In 1957, race car designer Bernie Rodger, along with John Gordon designed the prototypes for a new sports GT car. The production car became a 4 seat coupe, somewhat resembling a cross between an Aston Martin and a Bristol. They have a space frame made from square tubing, glass fibre body and are based on Triumph TR3 running gear; engine, transmission, guages, suspension/steering. But they have a DeDion rear, with a Salisbury differential, and sliding half-shafts. Two of the of the first production cars, with their engines furnished by Triumph's competition department, were prepared for the 1958 LeMans. One car ran, and finished 16th- that car is still in daily use in England.
Peerless cars were (mostly) built in 1958-59. There were 249 Phase 1's, and about 44 face-lifted Phase 2's. After Peerless parent company went under due to finiancal troubles, Gordon went on to develop the Chysler engined Gordon-Keeble, while Rodger resumed production under the name Warwick GT in 1960-62, with a tilt-up front end, and other styling changes. In a marketing effort similar to the Sunbeam Tiger, and AC Cobra, and predating the Triumph TR8 by more than 15 years, at least 2 Warwicks had their Triumph engine replaced by the aluminium Buick 215ci V8. These cars were shown to American investors, but failed to stir up enough interest, and soon Warwick ground to a halt as well, after producing only 39 cars.Some additional Phase 2's were later made by individuals from leftover Peerless components sold at auction.
More than 70 Peerless and Warwick GT's are known to have been imported into North America, both by dealers, and several individual owners. Many are still around today,several are being restored, and a few are being vintage raced. The only known remaining Warwick V8 is currently completing restoration in the US.
Mark
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Shanghai, TX
Located on a spur from the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway in 1899, Shanghai was planned to become an actual town like Pierce's Station (later Pierce, Texas). Abel H. "Shanghai" Pierce had contracted with the state of Texas for convicts to clear the land for the proposed town. The spur was built to bring in supplies and men. Although a cotton gin was built and prisoner's quarters erected, Shanghai and another planned town named Borden (after Pierce's nephew) never really got much beyond the planning stage.
Leslie
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ilfeld new mexico 87548
Janice is new to the game...we were discussing it in chat...and perhaps didn't fully understand that the game towns needed to be from Texas, Wyoming, Alberta or Mexico towns. As a regular player, I am asking if maybe we can let this stand, since she is a newbie? Besides, she gave us a D, which is a whole lot more interesting than E, A or Y! LOL
Leslie
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That's fine by me!
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Hi Janice, welcome to Road Trip! 8)
I'm okay with stretchin' the rules a bit, but how about editing your post to, say, Ireland, TX?
That way we get our "D" and we're still legal! ;D
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Desoto, Tx
DESOTO, TEXAS. DeSoto (De Soto) is twelve miles south of Dallas on Interstate highways 35 and 20, U.S. Highway 67, and Ten Mile Creek in southern Dallas County. It is bordered by Lancaster to the east, Glenn Heights to the south, Cedar Hill to the west, and the junction of the city limits of Duncanville and Dallas to the north. The community is located on the original land grants of W. Caldwell, Z. Heath, T. Rhodes, and C. Parks. It was founded in the 1840s by the Parks, Cheshier, Ramsey, and Johnson families. Parks is thought to be the first, and his land grant is the location around which the community developed. The Ramseys' daughter Mary, who was born in 1846, was reportedly the first white child born west of the Trinity. She eventually married another settler named F. M. Hamilton and lived in the area until she was ninety-four years old. In 1848 T. J. Johnson built the first general store in DeSoto at the junction of what became Belt Line and Hampton roads, and the place became known as the Store. In 1850 Otway B. Nance built a farm in DeSoto that eventually became a Texas historic landmark.
By the 1870s a community developed around Johnson's store. S. E. Judah built a harness shop in the 1870s, and his son built a general store in 1898. In 1884 a post office was established and named DeSoto, either after Hernando De Soto (see MOSCOSO EXPEDITION) or a local resident, Dr. Thomas Hernando DeSoto Stewart. By 1885 the community had a population of 120, a general store, and a cotton gin. By 1890 only the general store remained, and the population had decreased to forty-one. The post office remained in service until 1906.
DeSoto had seven businesses and a population of ninety-seven in 1930. The town was incorporated in 1949 and by 1950 had a population of 300 and eight businesses. In 1960 DeSoto had a population of 1,969 and twenty businesses. As Dallas expanded southward, DeSoto continued to grow and became a city of commuters. An estimated 90 percent of DeSoto's workforce commuted to jobs in Dallas or Grand Prairie. By 1970 DeSoto had 6,617 residents and seventy-one businesses. This growth brought about improvements to the municipal infrastructure, including road and park construction and a new water and sewerage system. Industrial, commercial, and residential construction increased also. A newspaper, the DeSoto News Advertiser, has been published since 1977. In 1980 DeSoto had 168 businesses and a population of 15,538. By 1984 the number of businesses had increased to 360, and in 1991 the population was 30,544. This growth is supported by civic facilities that include a police station, three fire stations, thirty-seven public parks, one public library, and ten public schools. In 2000 the population was 37,646, with 1,203 reported businesses.
And as some of us know DeSoto was a popular family car choice, a division of Chrysler from 1928 until 1961. My green Suburban is at the bottom.
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Hey, I found another D! ;D
Obed, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/ObedAB.jpg)
Penny Johnston, Sampling Technician
Obed Mountain Mine
Mark, thanks so much for your interesting history lessons on car manufacturing in America. A very appropriate subject for a thread named ROAD TRIP! 8)
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Dimmitt, TX
History in a Pecan Shell
The County was named after Henri Castro; the same man who had Medina County's Castroville named after him. W. C. Dimmitt was a partner in the original land development of the county and had nothing to do with Dimmit County down in South Texas, which is a misspelling of Phillip Dimmitt's name. Phillip Dimmitt had served in the Texas Revolution at Goliad. Now that that is clear, lets move on to the gunfight.
The Gunfight
While county-seat disputes were common in Texas, rarely did they result in fatal gunplay. This was the case however, in the dispute between rivals Dimmitt and Castro City back in 1891. Developer Ira Aten and Andy McClelland got into it on the courthouse lawn and a plaque commemorates the event today. The Handbook of Texas didn't mention the Victor (probably because it was just Andy and Ira in the gunfight), so we called the chamber and was about to ask if they'd go out and read the plaque for us. We spoke with Bill Sava, who seems to know his town and county well. He was able to tell us that there were no fatalities from the gunfight, and he didn't even have to leave his office.
WWII POW Monument
While Mr. Sava admits that Dimmit is a little off the tourist route, he did remind us that Italian Prisoners of War had been kept in Castro County during WWII. A monument dedicated to the ones who died in captivity is located on a ranch about 14 miles outside of town. He said that the lady who looks after the history of the shrine has letters from former prisoners and that several internees have visited over the years. We will add this to our growing list of things to do when we're in the area.
Leslie
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Temple, Tx
History of Temple, Texas
Temple had its beginning as a railroad town. On June 29, 1881, Temple Junction was created as the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway pushed north from Galveston. On this day, trains brought prospective buyers in for an auction of town lots - 157 business lots and 28 residential lots were sold... and the rest, as they say, is history.
The new settlement was named in honor of Bernard Moore Temple, the Santa Fe's chief engineer; however, he would never live in the town that bore his name.
The railroad lured a diverse population including doctors, lawyers and merchants. The city was incorporated in 1882, and by 1884 its 3,000 residents were served by three churches and a school, as well as two banks, two weekly newspapers, an opera house, and a waterworks, among others. Temple boomed, soon exceeding the size of nearby Belton, the county seat of Bell County. Attempts to relocated the county government to Temple failed.
Today, the city is one of the leading medical centers in the Southwest, thanks to King's Daughters Hospital (1896), Scott & White Hospital and Clinic (1897), and the Olin E. Teague Veterans center (1943).
Mark
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Etzikom, AB
If you believe in UFOs:
(http://cropcircles.galactic2.net/Sand-sirkelCanada_EtzikomAlberta-A-2001.04.1901_Small.jpg)
On the 19th of April 2001, the Canadian crop circle organisation CCCS received a report about a “crater like” circle in soil. The circle was located in an area of pasture-land in the vicinity of Etzikom, Alberta. The nearly perfectly circular formation with a high standing surrounding rim measured about 3,6 m in diameter. Investigators from AUFOGS inspected the circle. Three small holes or indentations were found inside the formation, in a roughly triangular configuration, near the outside perimeter. Rust-coloured "flakes" were found on the surrounding ground. CCCS suggests that it is possibly a meteorite crater, although a study by the Department of Geology from the University of Lethbridge found no direct evidence of this (although that was still their conclusion). A neighbour reported seeing a "funnel of fire" light in the sky about two weeks previous over the same location, which lasted about an hour. link (http://cropcircles.galactic2.net/relaterte_fenomen.htm)
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Mutt and Jeff, TX
Mutt and Jeff was named for the resemblance of the towns two main merchants to the comic strip characters. The postal authorities would've rejected the application for such a name out-of-hand, but Texas is worse off for not having M & J today.
The town had several businesses during the 20s, although the population was already leaving by the time the Depression hit. The town was totally abandoned by early1960s.
The town is not on maps and (thankfully) there is no Mutt and Jeff cemetery.
Leslie
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FRAZIER, TEXAS.
Frazier was just north of State Highway 49 and fifteen miles northeast of Jefferson in eastern Marion County. The Frazier school had thirty-nine black pupils and one teacher in 1899. In 1938 the community had a one-room schoolhouse that accommodated forty-five black elementary school students and one teacher. The Frazier school was consolidated with those of Jefferson by 1955, and in 1967 all that remained of Frazier was two cemeteries named for the Coore family, who owned the original land grants at the site.
Drop the "i" and Frazer was an automobile that I own! A 1951 frazer sedan one of the last made. Manufactured from 1947 to 1950 ( As 1951 model year ) by Kaiser Frazer Corp. KF bought out Willys (Jeep and passanger cars ) in 1954 and discontinued passanger cars in favor of the Jeep after 1955. Kaiser Jeep was bought out by American Motors in 1970 which was bought out by Chrysler in 1987.
If you look at the lite biege car at top and my brown one, they actually use the same body except for fenders and hood. they only reason the 1951 Frazer was even built was to use up the unfininshed older bodies left over from 1949-1950 planned production, Kaiser was aready using an all new body. Ironicly they had orders for over 55,000 and could only supply about 10,000.
Mark
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Round Hill, AB
(http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/enchant/alberta/e062.jpg)
An abandoned house, Round Hill, Alberta, 1995
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Lubbock, TX
Present day Lubbock is a merging of two towns - Old Lubbock and Monterey. Rival town promoters saw the writing on the wall and realized it was mutually beneficial to do so. The compromise was reached when Lubbock County was organized in 1891.
The town was named after Colonel Thomas S. Lubbock, Texas Ranger and brother of Texas Governor Lubbock.
1884: Post Office opened in Yellow House Canyon (now part of a city park)
1891: Lubbock County Organized / The newspaper Lubbock Leader was founded
1900: The Lubbock Avalanche newspaper is founded
1909: Santa Fe Railroad enters Lubbock from Plainview
1916: First Electrical Plant started
1923: Texas Technical College is founded (later Texas Tech)
1936: Lubbock Lake Archeology Site is discovered
1969: Texas Tech College becomes Texas Tech University
1972: Liquor is sold - Lubbock loses it's claim on being the largest "dry" city in the United States
Also....Buddy Holly was born and grew up in Lubbock. And "my" Ennis and Jack bought their bedroom set at the Lubbock Furniture Store!
Leslie
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Krakow, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/KrakowAB.jpg)
The wooden church of 1906 in the former Polish settlement Kraków,
near Hilliard, Alberta, 1996
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Waco, TX
(http://p.vtourist.com/1437664-Postcard_courtesy_of_wwwrootswebcomtxcoryel-Waco.jpg)
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OAK GROVE, TEXAS
OAK GROVE, TEXAS (Colorado County). Oak Grove is located at the junction of County roads 210 and 211 about nine miles southwest of Columbus in western Colorado County. The area had its own community school district in the early 1900s, and the Oak Grove School operated from 1897 to 1924. Teachers through the years included J. W. Holt and Beatrice Obenhaus. No population statistics were available throughout most of the twentieth century, but the community was shown on highway maps in the 1980s. In 2000 Oak Grove had a population of 40.
Mark
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Elbert, TX
The town was set up as a supply line to reach ranchers operating north of the Brazos River.
Elbert had a post office by 1904 and by 1915 it had a population of 30 with a cotton gin.
From 1940 until 1990 Elbert reported a population of 150 - a remarkable feat.
Leslie
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Tawatinaw, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2005211.gif)
Tawatinaw is a small hamlet in Westlock County in central Alberta, Canada 70 km north of the city of Edmonton. It is located two km to the east of Highway 2 on Township Road 614. It hosts a ski hill. Its population has never been over 1,000 and now has dwindled to no more than a few score.
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Whitewright, Tx
Local History
Settlers from Kentucky found Whitewright to be a land rich for cultivation and cattle, a wilderness of grasses, flowers and forest. Churches and schools were established very early and the construction of the M.K.T. Railroad from Denison to Greenville hastened the growth of Whitewright. The town was incorporated in 1887 and was named for New York capitalist William Whitewright, who had an interest in the M.K.T. Railroad.
Although the Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodists built churches in the area in the 1850s, the Christian Church was the first church in Whitewright. It was used as a community church and Rev. J.W. Connelly preached the first sermon.
In 1879, the town's first baby, Jesse Rayborn, was delivered by the town's first doctor, D.M. Ray. Grayson College was founded in 1886 by Mr. Piner and Mr. Anderson on the north edge of town. By the late 1800s, Whitewright had a population of 2,000 and was the first political subdivision in North Texas to eliminate saloons by a vote of the people.
Whitewright was thriving as a business center by 1894 with hotels, doctors, lawyers, dentists, restaurants, grocery stores, drugstores and banks. The 2 cotton gins in town bought 150,000 bales of cotton that year. Whitewright also boasted a flour mill, 2 lumber yards and a newspaper.
A fire destroyed much of the north side of town in 1884, and another fire in 1911 nearly demolished the entire town. Twenty homes and every business except the First National Bank were destroyed. The bank building still stands and was used as a public library until it was moved to the city municipal complex in 1978.
Today, the city of Whitewright is positioning itself for growth and prosperity. Our historic downtown is undergoing a renovation with new shops, restaurants and more. We hope you come visit us soon and become a part of our new history.
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Tuxedo, TX
Originally called Bonita, the town was born when the Texas Central Railroad laid tracks through Jones County in 1905. The post office was granted in 1907 and for some reason the name was changed to Tuxedo.
Leslie
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Owlseye, AB
(http://www.localwonders.com/LocalWonders/Alta/PicPages/StPaul/Owlseye1.jpg)
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El Alferez, Mexico
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Zitlaltepec, Mx
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Crisp, TX
Named for a long-ago Speaker of the House of the U.S. House of Representatives (Charles F. Crisp), Crisp began using the name when the post office opened in 1892. Settlement had begun a few years previously. The town reached its population zenith in the 1920s. It remained there through the 60s and then declined to just under 100 - where it has remained ever since.
Crisp's name lives on, however, in the form of brick. The word is impressed in the product of a local brickyard and like the neighboring towns of Palmer and Ferris, it turns up on occassion - usually in the sidewalks of brick collectors.
Leslie
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PANNA MARIA TEXAS A Polish ghost town, in south Texas, FM 81 just offhwy 183, population less than a100, PANNA MARIA i polish for virgin Mary. It is the oldest Polish settlement in the US
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Azle, Tx
AZLE, TEXAS. Azle is on State Highway 199 sixteen miles northwest of downtown Fort Worth in the northwest corner of Tarrant County; the town extends partly into Parker County. The first recorded settlement at the site occurred in 1846, when a young doctor named James Azle Steward moved into a cabin built by a Dutchman named Rumsfeldt. Other settlers came and established themselves near the local streams, Ash Creek, Silver Creek, and Walnut Creek. The first post office opened in 1881, and the town took the name O'Bar in honor of the man who obtained the postal service. Soon, however, the name was changed at the request of Steward, who donated the land for a townsite in order to have the town named Azle. The community's economy was based on agriculture. Several crops were grown, including wheat, corn, peanuts, sorghum, and cotton. Watermelons, cantaloupes, peaches, plums, and pears were also produced. Dairy farming became important in the early decades of the twentieth century, when local milk products were sold to creameries in Fort Worth. The population of Azle grew steadily, and by 1920 the census recorded 150 residents. By 1933 State Highway 34 (later State Highway 199) had reached Azle from Fort Worth, greatly improving transportation capabilities between the town and the city. Also, Eagle Mountain Lake was formed by a dam on the Trinity River east of Azle. In the late 1930s electricity was supplied to Azle and the surrounding countryside. The population grew between 1940 and 1960 from 800 to 2,696. It was 5,822 by 1980. After the 1930s agriculture gradually declined; fields were converted from wheat and corn production to housing developments. Manufacturing increased, and in 1984 Azle had twenty-six businesses. In 1985 the population was estimated at more than 7,000. The town's proximity to Fort Worth and its position as the "Gateway to Eagle Mountain Lake" have made Azle a popular place to live. In 1990 the population was 8,868. The population grew to 9,600 by 2000.
Mark
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Endiang, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/EndiangAB.jpg)
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Gem, AB
(http://www.countyofnewell.ab.ca/images/gem/image4.jpg)
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Mercedes, Tx
MERCEDES, TEXAS. Mercedes is in the Rio Grande valley on U.S. Highway 83 twenty-five miles east of McAllen in southeastern Hidalgo County. The site was first settled by ranchers in the late 1770s and was part of the Llano Grande Spanish land grant issued on May 29, 1790, to Juan José Ynojosa de Ballí. During the 1850s it was the location of the Anacuitas ranch, owned by Ramón and Manuel Cavazos. Apparently by the beginning of the 1900s it was replaced by the Fuste ranch, which was owned by the Cavazos family, alleged heirs of Ynojosa de Ballí. Lon C. Hill, Jr., a local land promoter and developer, owned 45,000 acres extending sixteen miles from the Rio Grande and including the site of what is now Mercedes. Hill, in preparation for developing the area, cleared land and constructed the Estarito Canal. On May 29, 1904, he formed the Capisallo Town and Improvement Company to develop the town of Capisallo a mile east of what is now Mercedes. Hill promptly renamed his new community Lonsboro and sold his company to the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company, which renamed the new town Díaz. The town's name was changed three more times, until the name Mercedes was finally adopted. The origins of the name have been disputed. While some sources assert that the town was named in honor of the wife of Mexican president Porfirio Díaz, there is no evidence that Díaz was ever married to a woman named Mercedes. When, on July 8, 1904, Mercedes became the first town on the Sam Fordyce Branch of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway, it was nicknamed the Sweetheart of the Branch.
To ensure a strong economic center for the new town, the Rio Grande Company placed restrictions on building permits on Main Street and on residential lots. Business structures were to be constructed of brick, stone, or concrete and cost no less than $3,000, and residential units were to cost no less than $2,000. Furthermore, it was stipulated that no alcoholic beverages could be sold in the town for fifteen years after its inception. The Company promoted Mercedes by luring northern settlers to the area with extensive publicity campaigns. They also transported prospective buyers to the area via railroad and gave them whirlwind tours of the surrounding Rio Grande Valley area. Grape cultureqv was introduced to the area in 1907, followed by large-scale production of citrus fruits and truck crops. That year the first hotel in the town was also opened. By 1908 Mercedes had a population of 1,000 and a school, a lumberyard, a feed store, a livery stable, and a weekly newspaper, the Enterprise. The town's first bank, the Hidalgo County Bank, was established in 1908 and had deposits totaling $100,000 by the end of the next year. Mercedes incorporated in 1909, the same year in which it was inundated by a devastating flood. The Mercedes Commercial Club was organized in 1911 and was active in publicizing the town. That year also the Mercedes Public Library was founded. A new city charter was adopted in 1914, and by 1915 the population of the town was estimated to be 2,000.
Camp Mercedes and Camp Llano Grande, located outside the town, were home to 15,000 soldiers during World War I.qv On April 15, 1918, the Mercedes City Council passed an ordinance making it illegal during the duration of the war for anyone to speak German or any other language used by the enemy, "in any school, public or private"; it was also made illegal "to advertise any trade, profession, or business by name or sign or to preach, lecture, or entertain in the German language." Mercedes had an estimated population of 3,414 in 1925. A new city charter was adopted in 1931. In 1935 oil was discovered in the Mercedes field, and the town's population grew to 7,624 by 1940. Mercedes had the best harvest season of all Valley towns in 1947-48, when it handled more than 2,000 carloads of produce. On September 17, 1952, Mercedes and Weslaco businessmen organized the B&P Bridge Company and awarded a construction contract for a new international bridge. Construction was begun that fall at the Progreso bend in the Rio Grande and was completed by the fall of 1953. By 1952 Mercedes had a population of 10,065 and 252 businesses. During the 1960s Mercedes was a center for cotton, vegetable, and livestock marketing and processing. Other industries included meat packing, box and boot making, and farm-chemical manufacturing. In 1961 the town's population was 10,943. By 1970 the number of businesses there was 140. During the 1980s Mercedes was best known for its annual Rio Grande Valley Stock Show and for the large number of nationally renowned bootmakers located there. In 1980 the city's population was 10,354, and in 1990 it was 12,694. In 2000 the town reported 377 businesses and 13,649 residents.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: James Lewellyn Allhands, Gringo Builders (Joplin, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, 1931). Miriam Chatelle, For We Love Our Valley Home (San Antonio: Naylor, 1948). Railroad Commission of Texas, Annual Report of the Oil and Gas Division, 1984. Emilia Schunior Ramirez, Ranch Life in Hidalgo County after 1850 (Edinburg, Texas: New Santander, 1971). Rio Grande Roundup: Story of Texas' Tropical Borderland (Mission, Texas: Border Kingdom, 1980). J. Lee and Lillian J. Stambaugh, The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1954). Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Alicia A. Garza
Mark
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Stagecoach, TX
Despite the 19th Century name – this community is one of the youngest that we’ll be reporting on. Stagecoach is a residential/ vacation development of a few hundred homes.
The name Stagecoach was chosen since it is located on a 19th century stagecoach route.
The town chose its first mayor in 1974 and incorporated in 1980.
The population was reported as 270 in 1978 and had increased to 340 by 1990.
Leslie
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Hoard, TX
HOARD, TEXAS. Hoard, also known as Democrat, is at the intersection of Farm Road 1801 and U.S. Highway 80-which parallels the Missouri Pacific line-six miles east of Mineola in southern Wood County. Sometime before 1870 a one-room box building known as the Democrat school reportedly existed in what was to become the Hoard community. The community was probably named after the owner of nearby Hoard's Mill. After the railway came through in 1873, this mill was operating near the line, but it apparently went out of business before Hoard was able to convince the railway to build a switch past it. By around 1910 the community had a rural commissary and a population of 150. The Democrat school reported 112 students by 1932, and in the mid-1930s the community had a number of dwellings, a church, and three businesses, including a factory and a sawmill. Hoard's population was reported as twenty-five by 1945, but by 1949 no further population figures were available. By 1960 nearby U.S. Highway 80 had grown to four lanes, and only a few scattered dwellings remained at Hoard. During the 1980s the community had a number of new dwellings and three businesses.
(http://ct.pbase.com/v3/89/475089/2/51177131.HoardTexas.jpg)
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Dodge,Tx
The town had its first settlers around 1825. Martin Parmer, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was the namesake for Palmer County was an original landowner. In 1872 Martin’s son William granted right-of-way to the Houston and Great Northern Railroad.
In that year the railroad built a depot, naming it Dodge Station.
Phelps-Dodge was the company that physically built the railroad. The company also provided names for the twin towns of Phelps and Dodge.When the post office was established in 1881 Dodge Station became Dodge.
By the mid-1890s the population was 150; by 1914 it was 500.
Dodge experienced two devastating fires. One in 1924 and one the following year. The town never replaced the destroyed buildings.
Dodge served as a junction for the Trinity Valley Southern and IGN railroads, for 35 years – beginning in 1901. The town was still holding out as late as 1936 when the Great Depression took its toll on the lumber industry and sawmills closed all across East Texas.
Dodge has retained a population of 150 from 1943 until the present.
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Edna Hill, TX
Settled in the 1850s, nothing much happened in Edna Hill for the first 50 years. According to the Handbook of Texas a school was in operation in 1900, so at least the town's children were educated while nothing continued to happen. No disasters occurred and no crimes were committed which must have pleased the residents. Even into the 1940s - nothing happened with such regularity that it became the norm.
WWII came and went - while Edna Hill still went about its quiet existence. The school merged with Dublin's school district in the late 40s and there was worry that things would now start happening now that something had finally happened.
The worry was proved unjustified as Edna Hill slipped back into the quiet routine for which the town has now become famous.
Leslie
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Legal, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2001278.gif)
Legal is a town in central Alberta located north of Edmonton on Highway 651. It was founded as a Francophone settlement and is now famous for its French-themed murals.
Legal was also where hockey star Kyle Chipchura went to school and played minor hockey.
Population: 1,058 (2005)
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Lancaster, Tx
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Lancaster, Tx
Founded in 1852 as a frontier post, Lancaster is only 15 minutes from downtown Dallas and strategically placed adjacent to the south sector of the Dallas city limits. Enjoying the amenities of big city life while maintaining a home town environment, Lancaster has a rich historical heritage that points to a proud past.
ImageFounded in 1852 as a frontier post, Lancaster is only 15 minutes from downtown Dallas and strategically placed adjacent to the south sector of the Dallas city limits. Enjoying the amenities of big city life while maintaining a home town environment, Lancaster has a rich historical heritage that points to a proud past.
* It is the purpose of the City of Lancaster to deliver high quality municipal services to the citizens of Lancaster. Through the delivery of high quality municipal services, we aim to provide the conditions necessary to advance the general health, safety, and well-being of our citizens and to improve their quality of life.
* It is our intent to always remain financially sound and provide services in an efficient, cost-effective, and fiscally responsible manner.
* It is our intent to remain responsive to our citizens? needs, to establish cooperative relationships with our citizens, and to provide opportunities for our citizens to participate in the development of the City of Lancaster.
* It is our desire to be a successful and progressive community, a visionary leader of the future.
Lancaster is one of the oldest communities in north central Texas. The area was first settled by members of the Peters Colony. On August 30, 1841, Republic of Texas President Lamar signed a contract with the W.S. Peters Company, authorizing the introduction of 600 families into Texas. The first group to arrive in the Lancaster area was led by Roderick Rawlins and his family. The Rawlins group set out from Greene County, Illinois, in September 1844 and arrived in the Lancaster area on January 2, 1845. They settled on the north bank of Ten Mile Creek, forming a community known as Hardscrabble. This temporary community consisted of two rows of log structures near the north edge of what is today Edgewood Cemetery on Nokomis Road.
Pleasant Run, the second community to be established in the Lancaster area, was founded in 1846, several miles north of Hardscrabble. M.M. Miller, and his wife Polly, who was one of Roderick Rawlins' daughters, built a two-room structure near what is now the intersection of Pleasant Run Road and Dallas Avenue. The Millers lived in one half of the building and established a general store in the other half. In 1848, the Millers' store became a post office as well, with biweekly delivery, and Miller was appointed postmaster. By the 1850s, Miller had laid out a town and sold lots; however, he never filed a plat of the town with Dallas County. At its peak, Pleasant Run boasted a stage stop, a hotel, a tin shop, a blacksmith, a woodworking shop, a steam-powered grist mill, and a school, in addition to the Millers' store.
The founder of Lancaster was "Honest A" Bledsoe. Bledsoe was born in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky in 1801. An interesting note about his name: according to family lore, when his father, Moses Bledsoe, first looked at his newborn son, he is said to have remarked, "He looks like a Bledsoe." Thus, his name, A Bledsoe, is unmarked by a period. As a young man, Bledsoe had settled in Missouri. In 1846, he ventured to the new state of Texas. Liking what he saw, he secured a 640-acre tract of land one mile west of what was later to become the town site of Lancaster and returned to Missouri to collect his wife and six children. Once his family was settled in Texas, Bledsoe began various speculative enterprises by which he hoped to make his fortune.
Bledsoe surveyed and staked off the original town of Lancaster in 1852. He purchased the land for the site of his new town from the widow of Roderick Rawlins, Mildred Parks Rawlins. Bledsoe laid out the town square and adjacent streets in the exact pattern of his birthplace, Lancaster, Kentucky. In this pattern, the streets enter the town square from the center of each side rather than from the corners. A Bledsoe's grandfather, Joseph Bledsoe, had used this same design when he laid out the town in Kentucky, borrowing the pattern from Independence Square in Philadelphia.
Bledsoe began to sell lots in his new town at public auction in 1853, although the plat of the town was not recorded in Dallas County until 1857. Reportedly, Bledsoe gave away as many as two-thirds of the lots to attract settlers from nearby Pleasant Run. Lancaster's growth accelerated following the death of M.M. Miller in 1860, and Lancaster soon surpassed its neighbor as the dominate community in the area. Incorporated in May 1866, Lancaster was one of the first incorporated communities in Dallas County.
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Rockypoint, WY
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Two Hills, AB
(http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/rfield/local-images/twohills1.jpg)
Two Hills is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 45 and Highway 36.
Population: 1,109 (2005)
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Sulphur Springs, Tx
THE STORY OF SULPHUR SPRINGS
Back in the early years of this nation, springs of sulphur water gushed out of the rich soil of Northeast Texas in a place now known as Sulphur Springs. The springs contributed sulphur water as well as crystal clear fresh water to this fertile area.
Before the white settlers arrived, the Indian tribes of this area used the camping grounds around the springs for their home. Vegetation as well as the giant oak and bois d'arc trees flourished to make this area a lush grazing spot for animals. As time went on, long trains of ox wagons carried supplies to the new outpost and the immigrants used the springs for their camping grounds.
Mr. Eli Bib built a small cabin on the spring lot and kept a small stock of staples, whiskey, persimmon beer and slabs of Mr. Bib's ginger cake. Mr. And Mrs. Bib were well known along the old Indian highways.
It was not long until a few other people came. Dr. & Mrs. Davis built a log cabin in 1849. It was Dr. Davis who visioned this place as a future city.
In 1850 the families were called together and organized the first church, the Methodist Episcopal. The church was completed in 1853. The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1852.
Benjamin and Ann Hampton built a two-story lodge, known as the Hampton House and it was said to have been the hiding place of Confederate documents and important personages. It later was called the Coffee House.
In 1850, the population was 441. At this time the city was beginning to take shape and commodities were brought in from Jefferson. Stores began to spring up to serve the influx of people.
The first post office was established in May 1854. The town was originally named Bright Star. Mail was delivered from Jefferson by Pony Express to the Post Office in the adjacent settlement of Tarrant. However, on May 11, 1871, the County Seat was moved from Tarrant to Sulphur Springs and the name Bright Star was removed from the Postal Directory. The local IOOF lodge was organized in 1857 in Sulphur Springs and still holds the original name. The Masons were organized in n1857 also.
At an early date the city government began to take form. The exact date is not known, but one of the first to hold office was William A. Wortham, who moved from Jefferson where he published his own newspaper. He bought the press of the Texas Star at Tarrant in 1854 and moved to Sulphur Springs where his brother-in-law, Will Ashcroft, along with Bill Davis, established the first newspaper, Independent Frontier, in the city.
In 1897, the Echo Publishing Company was founded in Sulphur Springs. It was a popular weekly with the first steam powered press and was known to be the biggest newspaper plant between Dallas and Little Rock. The plant burned and the new Echo Press was the first in Sulphur Springs to be run with the gasoline engine.
In 1884 the Sulphur Springs Enterprise, also a weekly newspaper, was founded. In 1884 Jim (Texas Cyclone) Davis bought the Vindicator, which he published until 1901. In 1916 John S. Bagwell bought the Hopkins County Echo and moved his family to Sulphur Springs. The Texas Star was absorbed into the Daily News Telegram in 1924. later, the Daily News Telegram was changed to the Daily Gazette and then to the Weekly Gazette. Finally, all the newspapers were consolidated into the Daily News Telegram and the Hopkins County Echo. These two papers serve Hopkins County today.
In 1857 ten acres were set aside for a Bright Star University. In 1877 Sulphur Springs District Conference High School began. This progressive school was established on the Bright Star University land on College Street. This school was the forerunner of the Methodist High School and became officially known as Central College in December 1882. It was the property of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was under its control. Under the new charter they re-named it Eastman College and Conservatory of Music and Art. The college burned before 1900 and Professor Eastman moved away.
The first steam-powered factory in this area was built in 1857 by the Bell brothers from Rollins, Michigan. The Morro Castle was built on the north side of Main Street. The builders of this magnificent old structure still remain a mystery.
In 1859 C. Denton was elected to head the new city government, which was incorporated.
January 1, 1862, brought news of the beginning of the War Between the States. After the war, business and trading revived in rail and lumbering. The town again had to be incorporated in n1866. Men of intelligence and influence aided this movement.
On August 10, 1868, Union troops rode into town and stayed for two years. At this time the county records were moved from Tarrant to Sulphur Springs. At the closing of the military regime in 1870, a new city government was installed, and A. J. Bridges, author of the Charter of the City, became mayor.
In 1872 a railroad line was extended to Mineola and settlers and visitors came in great numbers. Sulphur Springs was well known for sulphur water baths. People all over the nation were told of the curative power of the mineral springs and many came for treatment. Due to time and population growth, the springs were gradually covered and are now non-existent.
In 1879 another prosperous move was made. A railroad was established from Jefferson to Sulphur Springs. In 1855 the First National Bank of Sulphur Springs was nationalized. It is now the present Sulphur Springs State Bank. In 1886 a St. Louis and Southwestern Rail was brought through Sulphur Springs.
In 1887 an ice plant was erected. Perishables were brought in and shipped out. The present courthouse was completed in 1895. Wells were dug to take care of the city water supply until 1904. In 1904 a long distance telephone line was built from Sulphur Springs to Greenville. Soon Sulphur Springs was connected with the surrounding major cities. The City National Bank was organized in 1889.
Immediately after World War II a new city government was founded, new playgrounds were started, a city park, picnic tables, swimming pool, rodeo arena, baseball parks, little league and football stadium were built. The boundaries of the city have been expanded. A city beautification program was carried out and industries have moved in. The once small cabin on the spring lot has grown over the years into a city of 15,000+ people trying in all phases of economic endeavor to make it one of the best-known cities in Texas.
Mark
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Seven Persons, Alberta
Seven Persons is a small Alberta hamlet 20 km west of Medicine Hat, on Highway 3.
It was founded by Cyril Ogston in the 1800s. It was part of the great migration of Mormons leaving the United States in an attempt for religious freedom as the United States created laws that did not let them practice polygamy, a part of their religion at the time.
Throughout the years, especially with bus drivers and
train conductors, such jokes have been:
"If you are from Seven Persons how are the other six?"
"How can you have a baseball team from there? There
are only seven."
"I see two of you so the place must be called Five Persons
to-day."
What fun those who named the rail sections must have had
in trying to choose appropriate titles.
"Let's call this one Maple Creek. I'm sure those are
maple trees along that creek bank."
"Grassy Lake is a good handle for this one. It could be
a lake here, but I see only a sea of grass."
"I saw an island in the river, the Bow River.
How about Bow Island?"
"Dunmore is good enough for this division, Boss.
We done more work to-day than on any day since
we started."
(http://mc.multimap.com/cs/mi30//M-4/Y25/M-49380Y25568S25W700H400.gif)
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Shenandoah, TX
If you haven’t heard of Shenandoah’s colorful history during the Texas Revolution, its rivalry for county seat status, its being bypassed by the railroad, and its participation in the World Wars, don’t worry. Shenandoah had no history prior to the 1960s.
Shenandoah History
"Shenandoah ... is typical of the bedroom communities that have proliferated north of Houston in southern Montgomery County since the 1960s. Development of the subdivision, originally known as Shenandoah Valley, began in the late 1960s on a large tract of land on the east bank of Panther Creek just west of newly constructed I-45."
Leslie
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Hussar, AB
(http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/faculty/gregory_taylor/uploads/cadmium/images/wheatfield.jpg)
Durum wheat field, Hussar, Alberta
Hussar is a village in the province of Alberta. The community was named for the German settlers who had served in a regiment of the hussars.
2001 population: 181 (Source: Statistics Canada)
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River Oaks, Tx
RIVER OAKS, TEXAS. River Oaks is an incorporated residential community on State Highway 183 within the western boundary of Fort Worth in west central Tarrant County. In 1941 the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce deeded to the federal government 1,450 acres to construct a plant in which to build B-24 bombers, and to build a landing field, which would become Carswell Air Force Base.qv Construction began in April of that year; also that year local residents voted to incorporate their community. The construction of the air base, which was activated by the Army in 1942, became the catalyst for community development. River Oaks had a population of 2,000 by the end of the 1940s. During the 1950s water and sewer systems were completed, streets were paved, and a library was built. In 1960 the population of River Oaks surpassed 8,000. The dramatic population increase was due to the increased activity at Carswell and to the arrival of the General Dynamics Corporation in the Fort Worth area. For the next few decades the population level remained above 8,000. During the 1980s, however, the number of residents dropped, probably as a result of decreased activity at the air base and the decline in defense contracts received by General Dynamics. In 1989 River Oaks had an estimated 7,740 residents, and in 1990 it reported 6,580.
Interesting note on the cars parked in this photo. The smaller station wagon 2nd to the right is a late 1950's Borgward. When I grew up during the 1960's in southern California these high quaility German cars were still not an uncommon sight and apparently not in Texas either. Priced less than a Mercedes, they found a fair share of buyers during the import boom of the mid 1950's. The company found itself in receivership around 1960-61 and the bank ordered it shut down. One of the bank board members was also a high ranking BMW offical. It was later proven there were assets to equal debts. Had it not been for a conflict on interest we might have the opportunity to buy Borgwards Today! At that time BMW had nothing competive in the US market.
The other cars L to R are a 1950-52 Plymouth, 1955 Chevy, 1956 Chevy, 1952 Buick and 1950 Chevy.
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Sheffield, TX
The Spanish explorer Gaspar Sosa is said to have visited the area as early as 1590.
In 1849, the Army surveyed a road from San Antonio to El Paso and they included what is now Sheffield on their route because of the Pecos Spring and the Pecos River.
The first settler, a man named John Cannon moved into the area and bought the spring. Another early settler was Will Sheffield. He had a slight advantage in having the town named after him since he was the town's first postmaster (1898).
Six years into the new century, Sheffield had all the amenities of a thriving town. The oil boom of the 20s changed the entire region - including Sheffield - permanently. Sheffield didn't experience the type of lawlessness of other oil boom towns like Ranger, Kilgore, Mexia or Freer.
On the map, Sheffield is tucked into the smallest little cranny available in Pecos County like a spider in a huge room.
Leslie
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Dot, Texas
Dot is on Farm Road 1950 four miles southwest of Chilton in western Falls County. William B. Murphy applied for a post office and suggested that it be called Dot, his daughter's nickname; the post office was granted to the settlement in 1894. Two years later the community had two churches, a hotel, a cotton gin, and fifteen residents. Its post office was discontinued in 1905, and mail for Dot was sent to Chilton. Children from Dot attended nearby Liberty School, which in 1904 had one teacher and eighty-two students; by the mid-1930s it had forty-one students. The community appeared as a school, a church, and several residences on county highway maps in the late 1940s, when its population was twenty-five. The school was consolidated with the Chilton Independent School District in 1949. From 1964 to 1990 the population of Dot was reported as twenty-one. In 2000 the population was seventeen.
(It's just a Dot on the map.)
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Tomball, Tx
The area that is now Tomball, Texas was originally settled by German and European settlers in the early 1800s. The land now known as historic Downtown Tomball was originally granted to William Hurd in 1838.
Settlers came to Tomball mainly to promote agricultural activities, lured by its peaceful streams, its rolling pastures and beautiful pine trees.
In 1906 the area became the town of Peck, Texas. Shortly after, in 1907, the town was renamed after Senator Thomas H. Ball who helped the area thrive by running the railways through town, which was extremely important to the prosperity of the agricultural businesses in the area.
Tomball Texas Historical Info
In 1933 the Humble Oil & Refining Co. found Oil in Tomball. As a result, Tomball became known as "Oil Town USA," and the citizens benefitted from an unusual deal with the oil drilling company: The town was given free natural gas to all residents for ninety years!
Today Tomball is known for its small town atmosphere and as a peaceful home to thousands who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Houston.
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Lougheed, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2001354.gif)
Lougheed is a village in the province of Alberta. The village was named for Sir James Alexander Lougheed, lawyer.
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Dripping Springs, TX
A timeline of significant events in Dripping Springs’ history:
1849: a man named Fawcett is thought to be the founding settler. In the 1850s, other settlers arrived and began farming. The town became a regional center shortly before the start of the Civil War.
1857: Dripping Springs was granted their post office.
1881: The Dripping Springs Academy opened
1884: The town’s population reaches 130.
Dripping Springs was right on the road between Austin and Fredericksburg. That and its water granteed a prosperous future.
In the first part of the 20th century, Dripping Springs became northern Hays County’s principal town.
In the mid-1980s the population was just over 600. By 1990 its population had risen to over 1,000.
Having the word Dripping in your town’s name has contributed some amusing anecdotes over the years. Locals are used to it, but outsiders do a double-take when they read a headline stating: “Dripping Native to run for Office.”
Leslie
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Seagraves , Tx
SEAGRAVES, TEXAS. Seagraves, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 62/285 and State Highway 83, in northern Gaines County, was promoted in 1916-18 by the Spearman Land Company of the Santa Fe Railroad. The original settlers were the J. C. Sartin family, who arrived in 1905 with nearly 800 cattle. Originally the town was called Blythe for the Blythe Ranch, on which the post office was located in 1911. A name change was mandated because the Santa Fe had a station named Blythe in California, so the town was named for Santa Fe official C. L. Seagraves in 1918, after a railroad extension to Lubbock in 1917 made it a cattle-shipping center. In 1928 the town suffered a disastrous fire, but with regional oil production beginning in 1936 it boomed considerably. Seagraves was incorporated in 1925 and 1928. In the 1930s the chamber of commerce adopted the slogan "The City that Oil Built," and in 1955 its letterheads featured "The Caged Egg Production Center of the World" to promote its egg industry. The population jumped from 505 to 3,225 between 1930 and 1940, then declined to 2,090 by 1950. Seagraves was the county's largest town until 1950, when it was surpassed by Seminole. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Seagraves established a housing authority for aged and low-income families with federal help through HUD funds. The Seagraves Progress, which published its first edition in April 1923, later became the Signal and in 1932 the Gaines County News. Cedar Lake is seventeen miles southwest and attracts tourists. At the Seagraves-Loop Museum and Art Center, items used by early settlers are displayed; the museum sponsors an annual arts and crafts show. Seagraves is a market for a three-county area and has a carbon black plant, a sewing-machine factory, and a state mental-health clinic. In 1980 the population was 2,596. In 1990 it was 2,398.
Drop the 's' and Seagrave is a well know fire engine company with a history of over 125 years. Perhaps the engine in your communityu are supplied from Seagrave.
Seagrave Fire Apparatus LLC is a manufacturer of fire apparatus that specializes in pumper and rescue units, as well as aerial towers. In addition to manufacturing new equipment, they refurbish, repair and upgrade older Seagrave apparatus, including National Fire Protection Association updates to equipment.[1] They are a major supplier to the New York City Fire Department.
Seagrave was founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1881 by Fredric Seagrave and moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1891. It was acquired by the FWD Corporation in 1963 and moved their corporate headquarters to Clintonville, Wisconsin
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South View, Alberta
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2002685.gif)
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White Shed, TX
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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
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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:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AguilaresTexasAguilarBrothersMercha.jpg)
Leslie
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Stirling, AB
(http://waltonfeed.com/elevator/pic/stirnum1.jpg)
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.
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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.
(http://pix.epodunk.com/TX/tx_groesbeck01.jpg)
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Keene, Tx
KEENE, TEXAS. Keene is on U.S. Highway 67, Farm Road 2280, and the tracks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad five miles northeast of Cleburne in central Johnson County. The first settlers to reach the area, Jeremiah Easterwood and his family, arrived in 1852. Easterwood built a Methodist church, which also served as a school. Eventually the community became known as Elm Grove. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built into the area about 1890. A general store was established by Charlie Moore in 1893. In 1894 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists opened a school to train ministers on 836 acres in the community. The assembly hall was built on the campus of Southwestern Union College that year, and a post office opened. Postal Service officials selected the name Keene. The local post office closes on Saturdays rather than Sundays.
In 1896 Southwestern Union College, originally a high school, became a twelve-grade academy. New buildings were constructed, and the campus's original structure became part of an industrial training complex, which included a cannery, a laundry, and a broom factory. By 1900 Keene had a population of 500. In 1915 two additional years of education were added to the college's curriculum, and the institution became Southwestern Junior College. Keene had a population of 420 in 1926 and thirteen businesses in 1936. By the mid-1940s the town had 350 residents and sixteen businesses. Ten years later the population was the same, but the businesses had increased to twenty-six. Keene's proximity to Cleburne and Fort Worth contributed to rapid growth. By 1960 the population had reached 1,532. In 1966 it was 1,700. In 1963 Southwestern Junior College became Southwestern Adventist College, a four-year college. The college's operation is financed by Southwestern Diversified Industries, a collection of campus industries that produces a variety of goods, including furniture, brooms, and baked goods and operates a car wash, a motel, and a graphics company. In 1970 the population of Keene reached 2,440, and by 1976 the town had 3,150 residents and forty-nine businesses. In 2000 Keene had a population of 5,003 and eighty-eight businesses.
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Encinal, TX
There had been a small community called Ancaster near or on the land that is now known as Encinal. About the time the International-Great Northern Railroad came through in the early 1880s - there was a stop called Burro. Encinal is Spanish for Oak Grove and this name was submitted for a post office (which was granted) in 1883.
After the railroad came to town - it became a shipping point for sheep and cattle. The first school was established in 1886 and the population was a healthy 900 by 1890. In 1931 the town had three public schools with a total of 363 students.
In 1933 Encinal had a population of 800 and it stayed about the same through the 1940s. After the war the population drifted away until there were only 650 people living there. By 1949 it had dropped to only 300.
Natural gas had been discovered in the area in the 70s. Encinal has doubled its population from 300 people in 1980 to over 600 in 1990.
Leslie
PS...I love it that Cynthia Parker and Chief Quanah Parker came up again, a few posts ago!
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Lolita, Texas
Philip Dimitt, one of the first Americans to enter Spanish Texas operated a horse-trading post two miles north of present day Lolita in 1830.
Development didn't get started until 1880 when the Mitchell Ranch was fenced with the first barbed wire used in Jackson County.
The town came into being in 1909 and was named after the granddaughter of Texas Revolution veteran Charles Keller Reese. The railroad installed a switch and the town got a post office that same year.
Nothing much ever happened in Lolita, but in 1959, a naughty novel by Russian-born writer Vladimir Nabokov raised a literary mushroom cloud over the American cultural scene. Soon the figurative radioactive dust began to drift down on Jackson County.
Most if not all of the good folks in Lolita not interested in reading a book about a grown man's romantic obsession with a pretty teenage girl, it took a while for the community to realize it suddenly shared a name rapidly becoming synonymous with forbidden behavior.
Perhaps having read about Nabokov's best-seller in some general-circulation publication while waiting for a haircut, Lolita church deacon R.T. Walker decided the name of his town had been besmirched. Starting with his fellow congregants at the First Baptist Church, Walker began circulating a petition asking the government to take decisive action in response to what he saw as a veritable nuclear attack against American morals as well as an affront to his town.
Though his campaign stopped short of mass book burnings, Walker's petition beseeched the U.S. Postmaster General to drop his town's suddenly infamous first name and replace it with a nice, respectable surname: Jackson, as in Jackson County.
"The people who live in this town are God fearing, church going and resent the fact that our town has been tied in with the title of a dirty, sex filled book that tells the nasty story of a middle aged man's love affair with a very young girl," Walker fumed. To Walker's way of thinking, the literary accident that Nabokov happened to name his female character Lolita stood as "the toughest break our little town ever had." And in Walker's view, it dishonored the town's namesake.
"Knowing what a lovely little girl Lolita Reese was, it makes me mad," he said in a news story distributed by the Associated Press and widely published.
Walker's assertion that Nabokov's book was Lolita, Texas' "toughest break" amounted to something of a stretch. After all, the town had survived hurricanes, the 1918 flu pandemic and the Great Depression.
Even so, the petition from Jackson County went to Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield. Whether to abide by the First Amendment or just because some bureaucratic rule had not been followed, the government took no action on the request for a name change.
What Lolita ended up losing was not its name but a fair number of residents. They didn't leave because of the town's suddenly racy city limits signs; they just left, as have the residents of scores of other small Texas towns.
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Atascocita, Tx
Atascocita, Texas is one of the fastest growing areas in the Houston region of Texas. Located 6 miles east of Humble, Texas, Atascocita offers easy access to Humble’s beautiful Deerbrook Mall on FM 1960 at Highway 59 North. This small, but growing community is well established with over 15 neighborhoods including Eagle Springs, Walden on Lake Houston, The Oaks of Atascocita, Atascocita North and South, Atascocita West, Atascocita Trails and Timber Forest Subdivision, to name a few.
Also close by, Lake Houston, a 12,000-acre man-made lake, offers our residents fishing, boating and of course jet skiing opportunities. Enjoy the summer on Lake Houston while only a few minutes from home.
If you are considering buying or renting a home or apartment in the Atascocita area, you will find numerous forms of entertainment for your family. All of our golf courses (“for the avid golfer in the family”) welcome visitors, and new members. Atascocita Country Club, Walden Country Club, Tour 18, Kingwood Country Club and Deerwood Club all invite you to visit, tour and see the beauty of their clubs and courses.
For the travelers, Atascocita has the peace of the country while offering only a 15-minute drive to Houston’s extraordinary Intercontinental Airport. With its recent expansions and added features, the airport is exceptional, with all the comforts to make your travel plan a pleasant one.
Consider this an “Open Invitation” for you and your family to visit us at Atascocita, Texas. We are proud of our community and know you’ll appreciate the easy access to the mall, grocery and department store shopping, movies and other entertainment as much as we do. Friendly people and most of all the peacefulness and beauty of this area are awaiting you.
You’re sure to love Atascocita, and we WARN you…you may not ever want to leave!
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Atikameg, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2003306.gif)
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Goliad, TX
The site of Goliad was inhabited by Indians prior to the Spanish establishing a mission and fort in 1749. The Mission was Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiratu Santo de Zuniga. The fort was originally Presidio Nuestra Senora de Loreto de La Bahia.
Both the mission and fort had originally been established in 1722 on what is presently Lavaca Bay, hence the designation "La Bahia" - Spanish for bay.
An earlier mission (Mission Nuestra Senora del Rosario) just west of town was founded in 1754 with the purpose of converting the Indians. The mission was quite successful in breeding cattle, but was abandoned in 1807. There's a marker on the former site four miles west on highway 59.
The mission (La Bahia) is considered to be the first large cattle ranch in Texas since it was successful in raising an estimated herd of 40,000. Goliad was set up as a Mexican municipality in 1829. The town of Goliad moved across the river to the present location in 1836 when the county was organized and it was made the county seat of government.
Later in its history, Goliad County was the scene of the "Cart Wars" - an ugly series of incidents in Texas history which was brought to a close by a legislative ruling and the employment of the large Live Oak on the courthouse lawn.
Leslie
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Double Oak, Tx
DOUBLE OAK, TEXAS. Double Oak is on Farm Road 407 ten miles south of Denton in southern Denton County. The area had a school district as early as 1884, but Double Oak was not incorporated until the 1970s, when suburban sprawl from Dallas-Fort Worth arrived. Double Oak reported a population of 836 in 1980. Ten years later the residential community's population had nearly doubled, to 1,664. The population grew to 2,179 in 2000.
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Kahwin, AB
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Nopaltepec, Mexico
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Chandler Texas
My last name.
City Of Chandler
Welcome to the City of Chandler
Some of the earliest recorded inhabitants of this area were the Cherokee Indians. These native Americans led by Chief Bowles were defeated at Battle Creek in 1839. The battleground is located north of the Chandler city limits.
In 1859, Alphonso Chandler and his brother Haskell moved their families from Georgia to these rolling, wooded hills between Kickapoo Creek and the Neches River. They were one of the earliest white families in this area. Alphonso established a general store on his property, and in 1873 a US Post Office was added. The site was called Stillwater. By 1880 the Cotton Belt Railroad was expanding westward, and Mr. Chandler deeded land to the Texas & St. Louis Railroad for tracks and a depot. Land was also donated for schools, churches and a cemetery. The railroad brought new businesses, and the town, now called Chandler, quickly grew.
Chandler is also the birthplace of former U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough. Many items from his career as a statesman and author are on display at the Chandler Public Library including letters and documents from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Senator Yarborough was in the car behind the President and Governor John Connally on that day.
Chandler is located on State Highway 31 just 8 miles west of Tyler, Texas. The "City with a Heart" is the gateway to beautiful Lake Palestine. The Neches River is the main source for this man-made lake south of the city. Various waterfowl inhabit this area and during the cooler season it becomes home to many migratory species. Bald eagles can often be seen soaring in the skies and diving for fish.
Chandler is part of Brownsboro Independent School District. Two campuses are located within the city limits. Chandler Elementary is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. Chandler Intermediate is one of the newly constructed facilities in the district. Students attend secondary schools in Brownsboro.
Residents of Chandler are served by the Chandler Volunteer Fire Department. With grants and donations, the volunteers have been able to purchase the most up-to-date firefighting and rescue equipment. The modern facility is also a station for East Texas Medical Center EMS. The annual CVFD barbeque is held in May.
Looking for a church home? There are many churches representing most denominations in the city limits and immediate area.
Winchester Park provides baseball fields,exercise stations, walking paths and recreation areas for local residents. McCain Memorial Park, located on Hwy 31, has picnic tables and a walking path.
Commercial and retail businesses include walk-in restaurants, fast food franchises, three banks, a drug store, supermarket and a variety of stores as well as antique and flower shops. East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Frances Hospital have clinics in Chandler with full time doctors on staff.
You are always welcome in the "City With a Heart"!
And of course an automobile.
Chandler Motor Company produced automobiles in the United States of America during the 1910s and 1920s.
The Chandler Motor Company was incorporated in 1913, Frederick C. Chandler, President, headquartered and with its factory in Cleveland, Ohio. Chandler was a former designer for the Lozier Motor Company, a top end luxury automobile manufacturer. Chandler and several other Lozier executives left the company to form the Chandler Motor Company.
Chandler concentrated on producing a good quality motor-car within the price range of middle class Americans. Chandlers were well received in the marketplace.
In 1920 Chandler had a line of 6 cars, ranging from $2095 to $3595 in cost. In 1922 Chandler had 10 different cars, ranging from $1495 to $2375.
Chandler's peak year was 1927, when they sold 20,000 cars. Hopes for continued growth of the market led to overexpansion by the company the following year, which finished 1928 over half a million dollars in debt.
In 1929 Chandler Motor Company was purchased by its competitor Hupp Motor Works and the brand was discontinued.
Chandlers, like most cars built before steel sub framing became the industry standard in the mid-1930s, were built with a metal skin around a wooden frame. After a few decades the wood tended to rot; because of this Chandlers have survived in smaller numbers than some other more popular automobiles of the era.
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Ranger, TX
Back in the 1870s there had been a Texas Ranger camp two miles northeast of present-day Ranger along Palo Pinto Creek. The Ranger visits gave it the place it's initial name of Ranger Camp Valley. It did indeed have the appearance of a camp since all businesses, including schools, churches and stores were inside tents.
When the Texas and Pacific Railroad entered the valley in 1880, 160 acres were donated to the railroad and the community moved to establish the permanent town of Ranger. In the last few days of 1880, the town's new post office opened. Growth was slow but assured. BY the end of the 1880s Ranger had 350 people which grew to 750 by 1904.
The region suffered a drought in 1917 - just about the time the area's first oil well came in. With daily production measured at 1,700 barrels, this produced one of the largest (and some say the most archetypical) oil boom in Texas. The Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company had 22 wells either in production or being drilled in 1919. No fewer than eight refineries were under construction or refining and with $5 million in deposits, banking was good in Ranger. The 1920 Census figures have given the population of Ranger as 16,201, but the tent cities and transient population made an acurate count impossible. Some estimates go as high as 30,000. Ranger received a second railroad with the arrival of the Wichita Falls and Southern and soon five trains a day were stopping at the boom town.
Every silver-lining has its dark cloud and when the drought broke Ranger's dirt streets turned into a morass. Unsanitary conditions caused an outbreak of typhoid fever. An April fire in 1919, destroyed two downtown blocks. Naturally, the parasites descended on Ranger and violence, gambling and prostitution sprang up like the proverbial mushrooms.
The boom was short lived and while some in 1921 were hoping for new oil discoveries, a string of bank failures dashed all hopes. The 1930 population of Ranger (which was much easier to count than the 1920 census) was down to just 6,208.
After the bust, unrest and discontentment provided a strong base for the Ku Klux Klan. By 1980 Ranger had a population of 3,142 which has since declined to just under 2,600.
A mural of Texas Rangers in the Hamilton Post Office:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/HamiltonTexasPostOfficeMuralJT.jpg)
Leslie
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Retlaw, AB
(http://www.ghosttowns.com/canada/alberta/images/retlaw03.jpg)
"In the southeast sector of Alberta is Retlaw, eight miles west of the busy town of Vauxhall. The first homesteaders came to Retlaw in 1906 and lost most of their livestock the next winter, one of the worst on record. Prairie fires the following summer destroyed most everything the winter blizzards had left. Many homesteaders gave up and departed, yet some stayed. Their reward was short lived. Poor crops sounded the death-knell for Retlaw and many of its surrounding farms. By 1925, stores began boarding up windows and locking doors for want of customers. By 1957, only two families were left. But many of the old buildings stand awaiting the camera-carrying ghost towner. The town was named Retlaw—Walter spelled backwards—in honor of CPR official Walter R. Baker." -- H.B. Chenoweth
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Walix, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/WalixMx.jpg)
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Xochuca, Mx
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Austin, TX
I am amazed this one hasn't been played yet!
Austin, the capital of Texas, county seat of Travis County, and home of the University of Texas at Austin ... was established by the three-year-old Republic of Texas in 1839 to serve as its permanent capital, and named in honor of the founder of Anglo-American Texas, Stephen F. Austin.
Leslie
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North Cooking Lake, AB
(For all those holiday cooks going at it today) ;)
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El Lago, Tx
EL LAGO, TEXAS. El Lago is on Taylor Lake, Clear Lake, and NASA Parkway (also called NASA Road 1 and Farm Road 528) in southeastern Harris County. The community was started in the 1950s, incorporated in 1961, and grew from a population of 750 in 1967 to 3,550 by 1975, as workers were drawn to the nearby Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.qv The population declined thereafter, falling to 3,269 in 1990 and 3,075 in 2000.
Mark
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Otantepec, Mexico
Alternative Name: Otantepec
Name Type: Native
Area / State: Hidalgo
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Carpenter's Bluff, TX
Carpenter's Bluff is said to be named after a Red River ferry operator by that name. The town dates from about 1860.
After the Civil War, the town was briefly known as Thiefneck after the unsavory characters that congregated there. Rather than apply for a post office under that name, the townspeople decided to clean house.
The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway constructed the bridge, and later it became property of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The bridge became joint property of Grayson County, Texas and Bryan County, Oklahoma in 1966.
Leslie
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Franklin Texas
FRANKLIN, TEXAS (Robertson County). Franklin, the county seat of Robertson County, is on U.S. Highway 79 and the Missouri Pacific line near the geographical center of the county. The community was originally established in 1872, and took its first name, Morgan, from that of an International Railway Company official; in its first year the community had a depot and three stores. By 1879 it had 200 residents, and voters transferred the county seat from Calvert to Morgan. When the community applied for its post office, another Texas post office was named Morgan, so residents changed the name to Franklin, after the name of the original county seat. The first county judge to preside in the new Franklin was T. J. Simmons. The post office of the new county seat opened in 1880 with J. C. Mitchell as postmaster. The next year the community's first school building, a frame structure, was built; it burned in 1894, and another was erected which served the district until 1924, when a brick building was constructed. A stone courthouse was completed on January 7, 1882. By then J. A. Keigewin was publishing the town's first newspaper, the Franklin Weekly. By 1885 Franklin had three hotels, three churches, two gristmills, a school, and a harness and saddle plant operated by Elias Reynolds. A fourth church opened in 1892, but all the church structures were destroyed by a 1913 windstorm that also damaged every public building in the county. In 1890 Isaac R. Overall advertised a mineral springs, attracting visitors to his hotel and spa for the next several years. Franklin reported a population of 250 in 1882, of about 1,000 in 1890, and of 1,087 in 1942. In 1905 the First National Bank of Franklin was chartered, and the First State Bank was established in 1913. By the 1970s Franklin, an incorporated community, had a mayor-council form of city government.qv In 1989 it had a population estimated at 1,462 and twenty businesses. In 1990 its population was reported as 1,336.
One of my favorite classic automobiles was the Franklin. Manufactured until 1934, one of many carmakers that did not survive the depression. picured here are some fine examples of my favorite years 1929 to 1931.
The Franklin motor car was invented by the engineer John Wilkinson and manufactured by the industrialist H. H. Franklin and marked under his name. The Franklin was one of the most innovative motor cars of its time, featuring an air-cooled engine, scientific light weight and flexible construction at a time when other luxury car manufacturers were making ponderous machines. Although it was a luxury car, its unique features made the Franklin a pleasant and easy car to operate, and consequently most Franklins were owner driven. The company always featured many body styles, both factory and custom-made, which were conducive to being owner driven. The Franklin's design allowed it to set many records in point-to-point races which revealed its superior nimble handling, durability, economy and speed over the rough roads of the day. Throughout its history Franklin was a luxury car and it was in this part of the automotive market that it competed with the other notable makes of the day. As such it fell victim to the Great Depression along with many of these same fine luxury car manufacturers.
These remarkable motor cars engendered such a loyal and faithful following that interest in these automobiles never died out. Many individuals continued to operate Franklins as their every day automobiles or preserved them right up to the emergence of the antique and classic hobby, decades after production ceased in 1934. The H. H. Franklin Manufacturing Company was a very large employer in Syracuse, New York area, its home base, and many people across the world had very fond associations with the company and its motor cars either as employees, dealers, service personnel or just loyal customers of that fine make. For others who were younger it may have been an unforgettable recollection of a Franklin in the family or one which was owned by a neighbor. They were very distinctive automobiles and were not easily forgotten.
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Notikewin, AB
(http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fw/view/images/nw_npp_map.gif)
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New Birmingham, TX
New Birmingham, in Cherokee County, was supposed to be the third industrial metropolis to bear that name. The two other Birminghams, one in England and one in Alabama, had shown how the availability of iron ore could build a city where not even a town had been before.
The dreamer in the case of New Birmingham, Texas, was Alexander B. Blevins, a sewing-machine salesman who knew what had happened in the northern part of his native state of Alabama when northern industrialists invested capital to develop the iron industry there.
In the 1880s Blevins discovered that iron ore was abundant in Cherokee County and was already mined to supply a foundry at the Rusk Penitentiary. So he dreamed a big dream: a "New" Birmingham, perhaps even larger than the one in Alabama.
Blevins organized the Cherokee Land and Iron Company with the assistance of capitalists W.H. Hammons, James A. Mahoney, and Robert Van Wych. They leased 20,000 acres and began mining even while they built a fifty-ton furnace that Blevins named the Tassie Belle after his wife.
New Birmingham was laid out near the Kansas and Gulf Short Line Railroad. In addition to the furnace, the town soon claimed 2,000 residents who enjoyed the services of a bank, saloons, a newspaper, even the five-story Southern Hotel. Industries included a sash and door factory, a wagon and plow works, an iron pipe factory, and an electric generating plant. New Birmingham, "The Iron Queen of the Southwest," seemed well on its way to prosperity and permanence.
It was not to be. The dreamers had attempted too much too soon, and when the Panic of 1893 deprived them of new capital necessary to continuing developing until profits sufficient to sustain the furnace were earned, they were hard pressed to continue.
An attempt to involve English capitalists in the venture fell through because of Texas' Alien Land Law, and in 1890 Hammons was killed by a New Birmingham businessman. Then a fire destroyed the furnace, forcing the lay off of over 300 workers.
People moved away, businesses closed, and by 1896 only 200 residents, barely ten percent of the population less than five years before, remained. The post office closed in 1906.
Most of the buildings in New Birmingham were scavenged during the First World War to provide materials for construction in Rusk, and the hotel, the last building left standing, was destroyed by fire in 1926. Even the rubble of the old hotel was removed in 1932 during the construction of a highway.
The Birmingham in Alabama developed into the largest city in that state while the Birmingham in Texas disappeared, remembered now because of a historical marker. Even so, it reminds us that once there was a dream.
Leslie
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Muddy Gap, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/MuddyGapWy.jpg)
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Pierce, Texas is located along the former railroad tracks, which have been taken up in recent years. The roadbed is still in place although the line had been abandoned in 1940. The towns along this stretch of Highway 59 were named after the Hungerford/ Telferner families.
"Colonel" Hungerford was a Mexican War veteran with two daughters - Edna and Louise.
Louise married, widowed, and had a child named Eva. Her next husband was named Mackay who had made a fortune in mining in Colorado. Louise Mackay took her daughters to Europe where daughter Edna married an Italian Count named Telferner. With Mackay's money and 600 of Telferner's paisanos to do the work, they formed the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway. The locals named it the "Macaroni Line" from the diet of the Italian laborers.
Pierce-Arrow another of my favorite automakers build very high end luxury automobiles until 1938.
The ancestor of Pierce-Arrow was the George N. Pierce Company, founded by George N. Pierce (1846-1911) of Buffalo, New York, which various products including bicycles and bird-cages. In 1901, he started the George N. Pierce Motor Company, producing a small single-cylinder runabout under license from de Dion-Bouton, the Pierce, with some modest success.
In 1903 he decided to concentrate on making a larger more luxurious auto for the upscale market, and the Pierce Arrow was born. This proved Pierce's most successful product, and these solidly built cars with powerful engines gained much positive publicity by winning various auto races. During this period, Pierce's high-end products were sometimes advertised as the Great Arrow. In 1908 Pierce Motor was renamed The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company.
In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows to be used for state occasions, the first official automobiles of the White House. An open bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding to Harding?s 1921 inaugural.
In 1914, Pierce-Arrow adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when the headlights of the vehicle were moved from the traditional placement to either side of the radiator into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car. This gave the car an immediate visual identification from the side; at night it gave the car the appearance a widen stance. Pierce trademarked this placement and it remained in place until final model in 1938. Hence it is only beginning with the 1939 model year that other American car manufacturers put the headlights in the fenders. Through 1914 Pierce-Arrow also produced a line of motorcycles.
The Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol, owned by many top Hollywood stars, corporate tycoons; royalty of many foreign nations had at least one Pierce-Arrow in their collections. In American luxury cars it was rivaled only by the Peerless and Packard, which collectively received the accolade Three P's of Motordom. Industrial efficiency expert Frank Bunker Gilbreth (Cheaper by the Dozen) extolled the virtues of Pierce-Arrow, in both quality and in its ability to safely transport his large family.
Pierce-Arrow advertisements were artistic and understated. Unusually for automobile advertising, the image of the car was in the background rather than the foreground of the picture. Usually only a portion of the automobile was visible. The Pierce-Arrow was always depicted in elegant settings.
In 1928, Studebaker acquired a controlling interest in Pierce-Arrow. Studebaker's President, Alfred Erskine had hoped that adding the prestigious product would allow Studebaker to compete with the likes of Packard and Cadillac for a portion of the luxury car market. Under Studebaker?s ownership, Pierce maintained virtual autonomy over its product and product development. Approaching bankruptcy in 1933, Studebaker sold out their interest in Pierce-Arrow to a group of Buffalo businessmen after the South Bend, Indiana automobile company was placed under receivership.
In 1933, the company unveiled the radically streamlined Silver Arrow at the New York Auto Show; the car was well received by the public and the motoring press. The car was announced with the phrase "Suddenly it's 1940!" and Pierce sold five examples of this car priced at $10,000 dollars apiece. The company subsequently issued a production model named "Silver Arrow", however it failed to incorporate many of the features of the show car and failed to generate sufficient sales for the company.
Starting in 1936 Pierce-Arrow produced a line of camper-trailers, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge. Pierce was the only luxury brand that did not field a lower price car (eg Packard 110) to provide cash flow, and without sales or funds for development, the company declared insolvency in 1938 and closed its doors. The final Pierce Arrow assembled was built by Karl Wise, the firms Chief Engineer, from parts secured from the companies receivers. Pierce's holding were sold at auction on Friday, May 13, 1938.
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad converted five Pierce-Arrow automobiles (and a couple of Buicks) into motorized railcars, effectively buses and trucks on rail wheels. The nickname Galloping Goose was soon applied to these vehicles, based on their waddling motion and honking horn. All still survive.
Mark
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Edwand, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2003872.gif)
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Dakoming, WY
So named because it sits on the Dakota-Wyoming border in Weston County
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/DakomingWY.jpg)
Reconstruction and realignment of 4.6 miles of WYO 451 in eastern Wyoming
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Grapevine, TX
(http://www.ci.grapevine.tx.us/Portals/0/Skins/Grapevine/images/HOME-NAV-FLAG.jpg)
(http://www.ci.grapevine.tx.us/Portals/0/FireDepartment/2006%20breakfast.JPG)
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El Fuerte, MX
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Edinburg, Tx
EDINBURG, TEXAS. Edinburg, the Hidalgo county seat, is on U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 107 in the south central part of the county. It is part of the McAllen, Pharr, Edinburg metropolitan area. Hidalgo, on the Rio Grande, was the original county seat. John Closnerqv and William Briggs, who had land-development projects in the vicinity of Chapin, seventeen miles north of Hidalgo, made Chapin county seat. The townsite was named after Dennis B. Chapin, another of its promoters. Chapin's involvement in a homicide caused a change of name in 1911 to Edinburg, in honor of the birthplace in Scotland of John Young. The town grew slowly to some 800 inhabitants by 1915 and remained unincorporated until 1919. During its early years it served a ranching community, but the arrival of irrigationqv in 1915 initiated an agricultural economy. Edinburg quickly became a center for buying and processing cotton, grain, and citrus produce. Other economic developments before World War IIqv included vegetable, sorghum, corn, sugarcane, and poultry (eggs) industries. After the war the economy diversified further to include peach and melon production, food-processing plants, cabinetry, oilfield equipment, concrete products, agricultural chemicals, and corrugated boxes. In the 1970s tourism increased significantly.
The first railroad service in 1909 was a spur line of eight miles, extending from the one connecting Brownsville and San Juan. Seventeen years later the city received direct rail connections with Corpus Christi and San Antonio. After highways and trucks replaced rail service, Edinburg benefitted from its location on a major highway intersection. By the 1980s the city's trucking industry numbered six commercial freight lines and two bus lines. The city has been named the "gateway city" to the Rio Grande valley.
Edinburg's first radio station started in 1947 and by 1960 served both a Spanish and English listening audience. In the 1970s and 1980s three more stations were established. An influx of people from both Mexico and various parts of the United States has given the city an ethnic and religious mix. Hispanics constitute 80 percent of the population, and well over two-thirds of them are Catholic. The Protestant influx made its first appearance with the founding of the First Baptist Church in 1912. Other Protestant denominations arrived later and included the Disciples of Christ, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Christian Scientists, Seventh-day Adventists, and the First Foursquare Church. In 1946 the Rio Grande Bible Institute started its work of training Protestant ministers for Latin America. The first Catholic church, Sacred Heart church, did not open until around 1926. Two others were added later to serve the growing Catholic population.
By tradition, Edinburg is a Democratic stronghold that reflects county politics. The governing body consists of five commissioners, including the mayor, who administers through a city manager. State institutions and agency offices in Edinburg include the Texas Department of Human Services,qv a Texas National Guardqv company, the Evins Regional Juvenile Center, the Texas Employment Commission,qv and the Texas Rehabilitation Commission.qv In 1976 the city became the home of the South Texas Symphony Association, which sponsors the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Valley Symphony Chorale, and the South Texas Chamber Orchestra. The University of Texas–Pan American, founded in 1927 as a junior college, is in Edinburg. It had an enrollment of some 12,200 students during the academic year 1990-91, and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Also located in the city are Region One Educational Service Center and Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District.
The major historical landmark of Edinburg is its former city hall, erected in 1909 and located near the northwest corner of Hidalgo Plaza in front of the county courthouse. The plaza has a bust of the Mexican independence leader Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,qv after whom the county is named. The building, originally the county jail, has a trap door for hanging that has been used only once. Later the building became a city hall, and in 2005 it housed the county historical museum. During the late twentieth century Edinburg had an annual population growth of 3.4 percent. The 2000 population was 48,465.
Mark
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What was wrong with El Fuerte?
Oh YEAH--it ENDS with an E, too...oh well, we can't all have marbles...thanks, Meryl, for your attention to the intellectually challenged who are playing this game!
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Goose Egg, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/GooseEggWy.jpg)
A Close Call on the C.Y. Cattle Trail
by Rick Bonander
It was a cool crisp morning in early October 1877. George and Gilbert Searight had just brought up 27,000 longhorns from Texas. These cows were almost as wild as the buffalo on the open range that they were replacing. The Searight brothers were stocking the Goose Egg Ranch that they had just started. That spring a couple of the cowboys had found a nest full of Canadian Goose eggs and brought them back to camp for the cook to fry up for breakfast. They all thought that Goose Egg Ranch would be a good and fitting name for the new spread.
These wild longhorns had a tendency to wander far and wide over the range and it was a full time job for all of the ranch hands to keep them near the ranch boundaries. George Searight had gotten an early start and found two stray steers almost ten miles up the North Platte River from the ranch house. He was driving them back toward home along the C.Y. ranch house and just up from the river stood a huge old solitary buffalo bull blocking the trail. Ownership of that particular part of the trail was certainly in question. The bison charged the oncoming longhorns and the lone cowboy. It was only a matter of luck and of course good riding that no one was killed or maimed and all made it back home sagely. Yup, just another day in the life of a Wyoming cowboy.
This story certainly could be true, if not, it ought to be.
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Granny's Neck, TX
The community was named - not after a grandmother's anatomical feature - but a "neck" of land that jutted into the South Sulphur River. Granny was Mary "Granny" Sinclair, matriarch of a settler family that raised goats on this neck of land. Hence Granny's Neck.
Granny's Neck was a crossing on the once important Bonham-Jefferson road. Brigidier DeSpain, and his wife, Narcissa, arrived in 1846 to claim land that had been awarded to a relative who had been killed at Goliad. Since their grant included both sides of the river, they built a bridge and made a living charging people to cross.
A flood destroyed the bridge in the 1870s and the crossing was then named after the state appointed tollkeeper - G. W. Harper. After enough tolls were collected to pay off the bridge, the tollkeeper was relieved of duties and the bordering counties maintained the bridge. As the population dwindled, the road was closed.
Granny's Neck once had a school, but was later moved to nearby Pecan Grove.
Leslie
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Channelview, Tx
CHANNELVIEW, TEXAS. Channelview (Channel View), an oil refinery suburb of metropolitan Houston, is at the site where the San Jacinto River forms Old River, south of Interstate Highway 10 and the Missouri Pacific Railroad and eight miles southeast of Houston in eastern Harris County. It was named for its location on the northeastern curve of the Houston Ship Channelqv and was populated by blue-collar oil refinery workers and their families after oil discoveries in the area in 1916. After 1910, schools for both black and white students opened as ship channel industries grew. Beginning sometime before 1916 and continuing as late as 1942, the McGhee School served black students. The local white school had thirty-one pupils in 1925. A post office was established at the community in 1933, and the 1936 county highway map showed a sawmill, a school, several businesses, and multiple dwellings at the site. By 1938 the Channelview school district covered twenty square miles and employed one black teacher and seven white. Channelview reported a population of fifty and two businesses in 1940, and grew to 700 residents and twenty-three businesses by 1947. In 1967 a new Sinclair Petrochemical plant began production of isophthalic acid and metaxylene near the ship channel. At that time the town had a population of 7,860 and seventy-five businesses. Its population was 8,227 in the mid-1970s. In 1985 Channelview had 347 businesses. In the early 1990s it had a population of 26,115 and 385 businesses. In 2000 the population was 29,685 with 659 businesses.
You can own this lively home in Channeview for $145,000.
Mark
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Whitehouse, Texas
Whitehouse is a city in Smith County, in the Tyler metro area.
The latitude of Whitehouse is 32.226N. The longitude is -95.225W. It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is 476 feet.
The estimated population, in 2003, was 6,582.
(http://www.whitehousetx.com/images/homepage.jpg)
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Posters, we have another SIDE TRIP opportunity! Since Mark posted a letter that did not follow the post before his and Sandy has already posted according to his answer, rather than have them edit, I am declaring a SIDE TRIP.
The next poster can start with any letter of their choosing! 8)
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I couldn't resist:
Frannie, WY
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/wy/WY_279317.gif)
(http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.com/images/Photos/Frannie%202003.JPG)
Frannie (pop. 168 today) was supposedly named for Frannie Morris, the little girl of a man who ran a post office nearby. Like so many other towns in Wyoming, the little town of Frannie seems almost timeless. Other than the modern cars, it looks much as it might have eighty years ago.
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Elm Creek, Tx
ELM CREEK (McCulloch County). Elm Creek is formed by the confluence of Big Elm and Little Elm creeks a mile southwest of Fife in north central McCulloch County (at 31°23' N, 99°23' W). Big Elm Creek in turn has west and east forks. Its west fork rises four miles southeast of Pear Valley (at 31°16' N, 99°28' W) and runs north for eight miles to its confluence with the East Fork of Big Elm Creek (at 31°21' N, 99°27' W). Its east fork rises in Cottonwood Canyon in the Brady Mountains (at 31°16' N, 99°25' W) and runs north for nine miles to join the west fork. From that point Big Elm Creek continues northeast for six miles to join Little Elm Creek. Little Elm Creek rises a mile southeast of Lohn (at 31°19' N, 99°24' W) and runs north for 7½ miles. From the confluence of Big and Little Elm creeks, Elm Creek proper runs northeast for five miles to its mouth on the Colorado River, two miles northeast of Fife (at 31°25' N, 99°20' W). The local terrain is flat to rolling with local shallow depressions, surfaced by clay and sandy loams that support water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and grasses.
Mark
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Kopperl, TX
Named to honor Moritz Kopperl, director of the Santa Fe Railroad, the town shares a railroad history with other Bosque County towns. The history of Kopperl is not unlike hundreds of other Texas towns whose fortunes rose and fell at the whim of railroads and cotton prises - but it did have the good fortune to be the boyhood home of singer/ songwriter Steve Fromholz who used Kopperl as the backdrop for his song "Texas Trilogy" in 1969.
In turn, Fromholz' song inspired author Craig D. Hillis and photographer Bruce F. Jordon to extend the lyrics into a book using the same title as Fromholz' song. Texas Trilogy: Life in a Small Texas Town was published by UT Press in 2002. Despite the title, the book includes other towns in Bosque County and serves not only as a readable history, but also a cultural geography and sociological study of the entire region. Jordan's photos are suplimented by vintage photographs and the book should be an excellent model for other Texas towns who want to preserve their heritage beyond the standard dry text and dull photos of most histories.
Leslie
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Latex, Texas
Latex is a rural community in Harrison County, Texas located about 15 miles northeast of the county seat, Marshall. The community's name was derived, not from the rubber product, but from the names of the states of Texas and Louisiana (it is located near the border of the two states).
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Gee, this is a big day for SIDE TRIPS---
As I updated the Answers List, I discovered that Edinburg, TX, was played back on Page 25 by Leslie, and I did not catch Mark's repeat.
So, Leslie, the next time you post, go ahead and take a SIDE TRIP! 8)
Meanwhile, if someone wants to play before Leslie appears, go ahead with the letter "X".
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Xocche, MX--and don't think it was easy!
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A side trip, a side trip, a side trip...la di da di dah.... what fun...
Just like Fabienne got the chance to play an unused letter (Q for Quanah, remember that, folks?) I am going to go for the mysterious and elusive J
as in
JOT 'EM DOWN, Tx
What a name! Jot 'Em Down! Damn, we don't have names like this in Maine...well, maybe we do! LOL. Anyway, a little history in a pecan shell, as they say...
The area was already settled by 1885 when the Bagley School was in operation. By 1905 the one-teacher school had an enrollment of 46. The community appeared on highway maps as Bagley in the 30s.
In 1936 Dion McDonald built a store naming his business the "Jot 'Em Down Gin Corporation" after a fictional business on the Lum and Abner Radio Program.
The state highway department (in a rare display of humor) added the name to their official maps. During the school consolidations of the 40s and 50s, Bagley school merged with the Pecan Gap schools. The community was still shown on TXDoT's detailed county map in 2001.
The next lucky player gets an N
Leslie
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Nome, Tx
Nome, Texas History
"... In an attempt to avoid confusing passengers a new stop, called Buttfield, was established on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. Although a post office operated under that name from 1894 to 1903, residents and travelers began to refer to the junction as Nome after oil was discovered at Sour Lake (Hardin County) around 1900. The newer name probably referred to the gold strikes, which produced a similar population influx and economic boom at Nome, Alaska, at roughly the same time. ..."
Mark
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Edith, TX
Edith was on what is now State Highway 158 nine miles west of Robert Lee in west central Coke County.
The community began during the 1880s when cattlemen and stock-farming settlers came into the area, and it grew to include a store, gin, blacksmith shop, church, and lodge hall. A post office was established there on February 14, 1890, and named for Edith Bonsall of Ballinger.
An early recreation spot near the community was Dripping Springs, where seeping springs along canyon walls produced a profusion of ferns.
By the 1970s the town was abandoned. County maps for the 1980s show only the Edith cemetery near Salt Creek within a mile of E. V. Spence Reservoir:
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Houston, TX
The city began on August 30, 1836, when Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allenqqv ran an advertisement in the Telegraph and Texas Register for the "Town of Houston." The townsite, which featured a mixture of timber and grassland, was on the level Coastal Plain in the middle of the future Harris County, at 95.4° west longitude and 30.3° north latitude.
Leslie
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Netzahualcoyotl, MX
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Lampasas, Texas
LAMPASAS, TEXAS. Lampasas is on Sulphur Creek at the junction of U.S. highways 183, 281, and 190, in south central Lampasas County. Early Indian tribes made yearly pilgrimages to the Hancock mineral springs at the site; it is believed that the springs were discovered in 1721 by the Aguayo expeditionqv on its way to East Texas and in 1735 by a Spanish inspection mission from San Antonio. In November 1853 Moses Hughes, his ailing wife, Moses's brother Nimrod, and his family arrived at Hancock Springs,qv later known as Gooch Springs. Hughes built a mill on the north bank of Sulphur Creek, a log home in 1856, and later a cotton gin. News of Hannah's cure by the spring waters drew others who lived temporarily in tents and wagons along Sulphur Creek. John Burleson, the county's first resident, was awarded 1,280 acres of land including the present Lampasas townsite on April 26, 1838, in return for his services during the Texas Revolution.qv After his death the land was deeded in 1854 to his daughters, Elizabeth Scott and Martha Moore. Elizabeth and her husband, George W. Scott, laid out the town of Burleson, then in Coryell County, in July 1855, and Elizabeth designed the plans for the town square. When the Texas legislature established Lampasas County on February 1, 1856, it named Burleson county seat and changed its name to Lampasas. A post office was established in 1857. On April 21, 1873, Lampasas incorporated, responding to the need for a law to keep livestock off the public square. The Lampasas Guards organized on July 1, 1859, to protect settlers from Indians. Indian raids, particularly by Comanches, worsened during the Civil Warqv and after, and in 1870 a contingent of federal cavalry was quartered in Lampasas. By 1871 the town had fifteen to twenty businesses, including the profitable Dunn molasses business, several wool and mohair commission houses, and a number of county government agencies. Hart House was a stop on the stage and mail route. The Star Hotel, established in 1870, functioned as a community center, and a bank opened in 1884.
Methodists held the town's first regular services, received regular visits by circuit pastors by 1866, and built a church in 1880. Baptists built the county's first church in 1874, using lumber hauled from Austin. Camp meetings were held in Baptist-owned Hancock Park, then known as Anderson Park, and by noted evangelist William Evander Pennqv on the banks of Sulphur Creek. Catholics increased as Irish railroad workers flocked to the area in the 1880s. St. Mary's Catholic Church was established by Bishop Nicholas Gallagher,qv and a building was erected in 1885. A number of Protestant churches were also organized between 1880 and 1900. A courthouse fire on December 14, 1871, destroyed county records, and on September 27, 1873, heavy rains started a flood on Sulphur Creek that caused several deaths and extensive damage. The Donovan Mill was established by John Casbeer sometime after the flood. More recently, a fire at the Lampasas Ice and Produce Company on July 30, 1962, caused several explosions and released dangerous ammonia fumes. Several residents taught schools prior to 1869, when county subscription funded a two-story rock building on Sulphur Creek. W. W. Chandler began a public school in 1892 for which a building was erected around 1894. Community entertainment centered around school programs when an early theater, built in the 1870s, burned in the mid-1880s. In 1875 Douglas Y. Fox opened a race track that became the site of the first Lampasas County Fair. Charles A. Woolridge published the first county newspaper, the Chronicle, beginning on June 1, 1859.
In 1882 the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was extended to Lampasas, ending the town's cattle-trailing and gun-fighting era. As the western terminus of the line, Lampasas became a trading center for West Texas. New business houses were established, real estate prices rose, and the population soared to an estimated 3,500. Residents were frequently housed in tents because buildings could not be built fast enough. When the railroad resumed construction west in the mid-1880s, however, the population of the boomtown moved on. In 1990 Lampasas was a station on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. By 1882 tourists discovered the mineral springs and Lampasas became a health resort. In that year a syndicate of railroad officials built the Park Hotel near Hancock Springs and ran a mule-drawn streetcar to the railroad station. Subsequently, the Hannah Springs Company built the Hannah Bath and Opera House, where the Democratic state convention was held in 1893. In July 1901 five local women's clubs established the Lampasas Library and Social Club; a new building was constructed in 1962. The county's only hospital, Rollins-Brook, opened in April 1935. Buildings of Centenary College, managed by Methodists from 1884 to 1897, became St. Dominic's Villa, a Catholic girls' boarding academy open to all faiths, in 1900, but the institution closed in 1925 under pressure in part from the Ku Klux Klan.qv
The first power plant was established at Hughes Mill in 1890. In the 1920s the Texas Power and Light Company provided electric service. On March 28, 1936, the Lower Colorado River Authorityqv brought power supplied by the hydroelectric plant at Buchanan Dam. Stokes Brothers, later the Central Texas Trading Company, organized a produce house around 1880 to handle crops, encouraged the import of Angora goats, and by 1910 purchased much of the wool produced in Texas. During the depression of the 1890s little money circulated, and people bartered their produce locally. Later, wholesale houses were established, and the Lampasas Auction Barns were built north of town in 1959. In 1990 the town's economy centered on agriculture and pedigreed stock raising.
In 1901 the Abney gas well was drilled, but the presence of water that made it unprofitable prompted its use as a sulfur or salt well until 1949. Between 1920 and 1922 other test wells were drilled for oil and gas, but water prevented commercial development. Lampasas weathered the Great Depressionqv smoothly and by the 1940s welcomed new industry as the home office of the Motor Freight Company. Fort Hoodqv greatly affected the city's economy. During World War IIqv Hancock Park, known temporarily as Panther Park after the Tank Destroyer Center symbol, was used as a recreation center for troops. After the war Lampasas experienced a boom when the camp flooded the town with new residents. Attempts were made to restore the town's popularity as a vacation center after World War II. Hunting, fishing, and boating, as well as an annual rodeo, golf tournament, and historical festivals, attracted tourists. The town is a deer-hunting capital. Until 1960, when the Taliaferro home was sold, the town featured the Taliaferro collection of natural, scientific, and literary curiosities and area Indian relics. The population of Lampasas was estimated at 2,107 in 1904, reached 3,426 by World War II, jumped to 4,872 by 1952, and peaked at 7,682 in 1978. In 1988 the town had 6,749 residents and 145 businesses. In 1990 the population was 6,382
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Scotswood, AB
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Duffau, TX
According to the Handbook of Texas, the town was "named for Duffo, an Indian buried nearby." The handbook also has an entry for a New Yorker named Francis T. Duffau (1808-1871) who served in the Texas Revolution, was a teacher, lawyer, and businessman in Houston, a county clerk for Milam County, a trustee for (what became the Texas School for the Deaf) and who also served in the Texas Militia.
It's possible that Duffo the Indian is the town's namesake, but our money is on Francis.
The town was thriving for awhile, but after being bypassed by the railroad, it declined in the 1890s.
Duffau has its own cemetery - just off FM 2481 and Duffau Creek.
Leslie
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Utopia, Texas
Utopia, Texas, a small Texas Hill Country community, was settled in the early 1850s in northeast Uvalde County.
It is on the crystal-clear waters of the Sabinal River among rugged canyons shaded by Bald Cypress, live oak, and pecan trees, only 12 miles south of Lost Maples State Natural Area. Utopia, Texas offers a wide range of outdoor activities including swimming, tubing, horseback riding, hunting, hiking, cycling, and birding.
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Alvord, Tx
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Devil's Tower, WY
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Rinco de la Soledad, MX
Boy, that devil's Tower! Loved that movie...
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Doss, TX
Founded by the industrious Doss Brothers (Tom and John) in 1849, the community's first enterprises were a gristmill and distillery. The brothers also built a dam on Threadgill Creek and built a sawmill. In 1864 August Steiness bought the brothers out and started a post office in his house. Steiness died in 1866 and William F. Lange, came into possession of the property. The dam was expanded but later washed out in a flood. In 1875 a stone dam was constructed.
In 1898 a post office was opened in the store of F. W. Lange and the town was briefly known as Lange's Mill. The name Doss was assumed in 1907 when the post office moved two miles north.
Doss' population seems never to have reached 100. In 1925 it was 50 and seven years later it had only increased by 10. In 1964 it was down to a mere 22, but rebounded to 75 by 1972 - the number that continues to be used on the state map.
Leslie
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Shelby, Tx
Shelby was a settlement in Austin County that did not undergo a German name-change. A David Shelby was said to have been an original settler, however the founder of the town was one Otto von Roder (complete with umlaut). Otto had a mill for processing grain and the town was also known among the Germans as Rodersmuhl (Roder's Mill).
The mill was bought from Roder by August Vogelsang (Birdsong) and a tombstone of the Vogelsang family is visible in the top photo.
The post office was opened in 1846 under the name Shelby and by 1884 the 75 residents had three saloons, three stores, and a variety of essential businesses.
1904 was when Shelby's population peaked, and although the post office closed in 1912, the population remained at about 200 until after WWII. Today Shelby remains one of the more picturesque crossroads in the area and is not to be left out of driving tours.
And and many of us know Shelby is a car, various offerings from Britich AC,Ford and Didge with the touch of Carroll Shelby.
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Yocnajab, MX
(Other names: Jocnajab, San José Yocnajab, San Jose Yocnajab)
Population
106,202,903
Land Area
1,972,550 km2
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Bug Tussle, TX
John Truss, was a settler in the area in the 1890s and the town had originally been named in his honor. For some reason the name of Truss, Texas was changed to Bug Tussle.
Bug Tussle signs were popular with souvenir hunters and many people would marry there to have Bug Tussle on their marriage license.
The population dwindled to only 6 in the 1960s.
The David Graham Hall foundation took a lease on downtown Bug Tussle in the mid 1960s in an effort to restore it. During the restoration the population increased to about 30 persons.
The name continues to draw people. Antique car clubs (http://local.aaca.org/texas/Bug%20Tussle.htm) and other organizations will hold events there to use the name on their programs and posters.
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Eustace, Tx
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El Sauz, TX
El Sauz is said to be is a variant of sauce, which is Spanish for "willow." The original land grant was given to José Narciso Cavazos in 1781 by the Spanish crown. His history of ownership is sketchy - but it is known that he had stocked it with nearly 1,000 head of cattle.
While riding north from Brownsville in 1852, Richard King mentioned that he had discovered a deserted ranch in that region named El Sauz. This is also a mention of a coastal community named El Sauz established around that same time frame. Situated on Redfish Bay, this town had a post office (1870 to 1875) and it's said that after a hurricane in 1882, the community moved inland to the present location.
In 1881 Richard King and his partner Mifflin Kenedy incorporated El Sauz into their vast holdings. It later became a subdivision of the King Ranch. A post office by the name of Sauz was opened in 1893 and the town served as a stage-stop - for the Brownsville to Alice stageline. A school district was established in 1925 and the 100,000 acre ranch was owned by the Atwood family - an extension of the King family.
El Sauz made national newspaper headlines in late 1936, when two residents of San Perlita, disappeared while hunting on or near the ranch. Family and friends of the missing men (whose bodies were never found) claimed that over zealous King Ranch employees murdered the two men for trespassing. There was enough outrage to have the Governor (James Allred) to send a token force of Texas Rangers to the area under Capt. Bill McMurray to prevent the public from storming the ranch.
Leslie
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Zabcikville, Texas
Zabcikville reached a high-water mark of 80 people just prior to 1950. Today that many people can be found on any given Sunday at the only restaurant in town (and one of the two buildings).
John Zabcik founded the town with other Czech families and the sign above stands at what was once a service station. The 1990 census reported less than 40 people call Zabcikville home.
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El Indio. Tx
EL INDIO, TEXAS. El Indio is two miles east of the Rio Grande and seventeen miles southeast of Eagle Pass in southwestern Maverick County. It is probably named for nearby Indio Creek. In the early 1850s William L. Cazneauqv established his ranch on the northern portion of the Antonio Rivas grant, where the town was later established. By 1880 the Cazneau Ranch had become the Indio Ranch; a post office called Indio was established that year ten miles south of the present site of El Indio. At this time the site was also known as Presidio or Indio Ranch. The post office at Indio, where Charles S. Murphy was postmaster, was discontinued in 1884; that year the community had an estimated thirty residents, weekly mail, and a general store owned by Humphries and Walker.
In 1902 the firm Goldfrank and Frank promoted colonization and irrigation to cultivate alfalfa and cotton at Indio Ranch. It is believed that Francisco Maderoqv launched his revolution against the regime of Porfirio Díaz from the Indio Ranch sometime in 1910; incidents of cattle thievery, gun running, and military operations took place in and around the area throughout the Mexican Revolution.qv In 1928 the Indio Cattle Company, owners of the Indio Ranch, offered lots amounting to 20,000 acres of the ranch for sale. Advertising touted the farming potential that would be realized once the Maverick County Canal system reached the ranch. A highway, which was Farm Road 1021 in 1989, was constructed from Eagle Pass to Laredo in the early 1930s. It split the farming district of the ranch and paved the way for the development of El Indio at its present location. Irrigation waters via the county canal system reached the area in March 1938. A post office was established in El Indio in 1939 with Joseph Henry Ulery as postmaster. In 1941 the community had an estimated population of seventy-five and three businesses. The estimated population of the community remained steady throughout the 1940s and early 1950s; it rose to 370 in 1956 and 380 by 1964. In 1968 it was 148; the same figure was reported in 1990, when the community had a hotel, a school, a community center, a factory, and two businesses. In 2000 the population was 263 with two businesses.
Mark
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Otis Chalk, TX
Named Clalkton in 1926 after the rancher who owned the land where the oil discovery was made, Chalkton was a boom town - for awhile. Both the town and post office changed their names to Otis Chalk in 1939. Shortly after WWII, Otis Chalk had fifty residents which has since increased to 79.
Leslie
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Kirriemuir, AB
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George Ing & Visitors, Kirriemuir, Alberta, 1988
George lived alone in a dirt cellar under the shack seen behind him in the portrait. There he had a telephone and a radio where he liked to listen to oldtime music. He could play various musical instruments and while I was there he gave me some lessons with a simple accordian. I understand that he eventually moved to a seniors' residence in Consort, Alberta. ~ Harry Palmer
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Rosyth, AB
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Hillsboro,Texas
Visitor Information
Hillsboro and the surrounding area offer a relaxing opportunity for visitors to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take in a quaint community that offers history, performing and visual arts, outdoor recreation, shopping, and dining.
Hillsboro is located at the split of Interstate 35 East and 35 West in North Central Texas, about 60 miles south of Dallas/Fort Worth and 30 miles north of Waco. For directions, go to www.mapquest.com.
Established in 1853, the rich history of Hillsboro still lives on in its historic buildings and establishments. In the early 1900’s, Hill County was the second largest cotton-producing county in the country. The history of Hillsboro dates back to the advent of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad.
The campus of Hill College allows you to delve into history at the Texas Heritage Museum or to embrace the arts with the Performing Arts Series. From music to theater to jazz, Hill College offers free performances to the arts enthusiasts.
For those more interested in purchasing art for their homes or businesses, many locations offer different art forms including antique art, yard art, and award-winning art prints.
Outdoor recreation is also available for the nature enthusiasts and those interested in active endeavors. Lake Whitney, located approximately 15 miles west of Hillsboro, provides an outlet for those wanting to take in the fresh air, try out their watercraft, or try to catch the one that always gets away. Hillsboro also offers excellent parks for family activities and picnic options, as well as a nine-hole golf course to improve the golfer’s handicap.
From traditional to innovative, endless shopping options are available in Hillsboro. Whether shopping for antiques and unique items in our historic downtown or searching at Prime Outlets for the perfect outfit for a big event, Hillsboro offers numerous shopping opportunities from which to choose.
When you arrive in town, quench your thirst and whet your appetite with a taste of Hillsboro. With many restaurants from which to choose, you are guaranteed not to go hungry.
Mark
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Omen, Texas
OMEN, TEXAS. Omen, also known at various times as Round Hill, Canton, Clopton, Troup, and Old Canton, is a rural community on State Highway 345 in southeastern Smith County about two miles west of Arp and just south of Omen Road Bay. The area was first settled when Arnold O'Brien and his family arrived in 1848. The following year the county commissioners' court decided to build the Larissa-Shreveport Road through the northern part of O'Brien's land, and the road made the settlement accessible to other pioneers. In December 1849 O'Brien established in his home a post office that he named Round Hill. Thomas M. Bell also opened an inn as a stage stop on the Tyler-Henderson Road. In 1850 Thomas H. Weatherby, Mitus White, and James W. Powell bought a thirty-acre tract from Rebecca Mar Hill. Powell later sold his share to Alexander Douglas. The partners divided their property into lots and appointed themselves commissioners for the new town. In 1851 Thomas N. Gregory replaced O'Brien as postmaster and changed the name of the settlement to Canton. David H. Lindsey and Isaac Wayman Engledow opened the first store in Canton in 1852. That year citizens changed the name of the town to Clopton because the seat of Van Zandt County was also called Canton. A two-story shop, built by Lively and Walker, became the meeting place for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Masons. Other stores were established, and David Lindsey sold 2½ acres to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
The post office was discontinued briefly in 1854, then reopened under the name of Troup by Daniel P. Fowler. Residents, however, continued to call the town Canton, even in legal documents. In 1860 a deed called it "Canton-alias Troup," and Masonic Lodge No. 98 was officially recognized as Canton Lodge. By then the town had a blacksmith, a doctor, a cabinet and wagon maker, a dentist, a carpenter, and two teachers. A sawmill and a tannery were located nearby. Troup continued to prosper during the Civil War,qv but the advent of the railroad system in Smith County led to its decline. Early in the 1870s the International-Great Northern built a line northward through the eastern part of the county to Longview from a point approximately four miles south of Canton. Within a few years, traffic on the Tyler-Henderson road decreased significantly, and Bell's Inn was closed. Many local businesses moved south to Zavalla, a new railroad town. In 1877 the post office was moved there, although it kept the name Troup.
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Marathon, TX
Marathon is usually thought of as the entry to Big Bend National Park. It was named for its supposed resemblance to Marathon, Greece. It's possible, since we haven't visited Marathon, Greece for a comparison, but somehow we doubt it.
History in a Pecan Shell
The Halff Brothers of Alsace-Lorraine were Jewish merchants that eventually owned one million acres of land from San Antonio to Ft. Stockton. There were three, but one was drowned during a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. They operated the Circle Dot Ranch** near Marathon until they found out rustlers could easily burn over their brand. They rode on trail drives, but soon found they preferred leather in the form of banker's chairs and opened banks in San Antonio. One half of the Halff brothers, (Mayer) brought some of the first Hereford Cattle into the state.
**As a variation to the chicken/egg conundrum - TE asks which branding iron did they use first? Did they burn the dot in and try to put the circle around it, or did they have a contest to see who could put the dot in the circle?
Camp Pena Colorado
The Halff Brothers leased out the land for Camp Pena Colorado to the U.S. Army for 15 years, until the Indian threat dissolved. The camp was located about 4 miles southwest of Marathon. The camp was first occupied in 1879. It had water and was on the road connecting Ft. Clark and Ft. Davis, but was quite primitive. The coming of the railroad in 1882, improved things somewhat.
David St. Clair Combs, local rancher, donated the land for a public park in 1935. It's used by locals today and is barely known to visitors.
The Gage Hotel
Historic Register Property - most visible landmark in Marathon.
According to Docia Schultz Williams, the Gage has at least 3 resident spooks. Ask for room 10 if you want to be a believer.
The Gage was designed by Architects Trost and Trost who also built El Paisano in Marfa and El Capitan in Van Horn. All three were built in 1926. The builder of the Gage died one year after its completion. The Gage Hotel Chef is featured (as well as three of his recipies) in the book Top Texas Chefs' Favorite Recipes by Ginnie Siena Bivona and Sharry Buckner, Republic of Texas Press, 1999.
Leslie
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New Fairview , Tx
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Wimberley, Texas
--situated in Hays County; has become something of a bedroom community for those in the greater Austin metropolitan area.
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Yowell, TX
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Lamesa, Tx
History of Lamesa
Lamesa's first inhabitants were Paleo-Indians who hunted in the area and camped along Sulfer Springs Draw about 17,000 years ago. In later times the Apaches and later Comanche's also used the draw as camp sites for their hunting activities on the plains. Sulpur Springs Draw also served as a route for later ranchers and settlers traveling to the railhead in Big Spring.
Dawson County was organized in 1905 and named in honor of Nicholas Mosby Dawson 1808-1842 who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto and fell at Dawson's Massacre. The 1900 Census listed 37 persons residing in Dawson County.
The City of Lamesa had its beginnings in July, 1903 when a block of 160 acres was carved out of the home section of Frank Conner’s Ranch. Earlier the town site had been part of the large Slaughter Ranch, famous for its “Lazy S” brand. By this time ranching had been established in the area for more than 30 years.
Lamesa was plotted into lots, by M.C. Lindsey, Frank Connor, J. F. Barron, and several others about two miles south of the town of Chicago, which had been established in 1893. The name Lamesa was taken from the Spanish word Mesa meaning “Tableland” because it was descriptive of the town’s location on the high plateau of the South Plains. A. L. Wasson, a member of the first town committee offered La Mesa and Lamesa as possible names. Mr. Wasson preferred the Spanish version but the committee voted in favor of Lamesa.
A rivalry grew between Lamesa and Chicago and the post office was moved from Chicago to Lamesa. An election was held in 1905 to determine the new county seat of Dawson County. Lamesa won by a margin of five votes. The residents of Chicago were invited to move their town to Lamesa and the move was made in two days. Chicago passed into history and is today remembered by a historical marker on North 22nd Street.
The first school was opened in Lamesa in 1902. Daily mail service was initiated in 1906 via a stage line from Big Spring. The Santa Fe Railroad operating as the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company began rail service to Lamesa on October 1, 1910. Lamesa received it’s first telephone service in 1905 and electric service began in 1916.
During World War II Lamesa and Dawson County provided more men per capita for the armed services than did any other county in Texas. Dawson County was one of the five counties in the state to win the coveted Army Navy "E" award. Lamesa Field, an army airfield, was established in 1942 to give elementary and advanced glider training to army aviation cadets. The training field was deactivated on February, 1944.
The City of Lamesa was incorporated in 1917 and the first large project came in 1925 when a new city hall, water and sewer system and the brick streets around the square were built. In 1945 a home-rule charter was adopted establishing a council-manager form of government.
A new City Hall, located at 310 South Main was dedicated in 1963. The Old City Hall at the corner of South First and Dallas was remodeled as the new Public Safety Building housing the Police and Fire Departments. In 1993 the City purchased the old Lamesa Federal/Bluebonnet Savings & Loan Building at 601 South First Street and converted it into a new Municipal Building housing the City Administration and Police Departments. The old city hall buildings were sold.
W.C. Bishop of Chicago, Illinois, and wealthy lumberman George N. Fletcher established the Oto (later Bar To) ranch about 1887 on Fletcher's extensive landholdings in Dawson County. A post office was opened at the ranch headquarters on May 15, 1889, and named Chicago, both in honor of Bishop's home town and in humorous reference to the sparse population of the area. The postal facility served other large ranches in this vicinity, such as C. C. Slaughter's Long S. In the 1890s, Fletcher left the ranching venture, and A. F. Crowley and W. H. Godair became Bishop's partners.
By that time, a village had begun to grow up around the post office. B. A. Oden served as Oto ranch foreman and Postmaster of Chicago from 1894 to 1903. When Walter Stemmons replaced him in both positions in 1904, the settlement was renamed Stemmons. The same year, a post office was established in the new town of Lamesa, two miles south of Chicago. Dawson County was organized in 1905, and both towns entered the contest for county seat. When Lamesa won, residents of Chicago quickly relocated their homes and businesses there. The school and Baptist and Methodist churches also moved to Lamesa, within days, the Community of Chicago has disappeared.
For more about the history of Dawson County, please visit the Handbook of Texas Online from the Texas Historical Association.
There is a LA Mesa adjacent to San diego near my home.
Mark
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Allred, TX
The town is believed to have been named to honor Governor James Allred. Allred (the town) got off to a late start. Walter E. Young and M. A. Shields are credited with founding the 40-acre townsite in 1937, soon after oil was discovered in the vicinity. A water well was dug and construction of buildings began in January of 1938.
The first lot was sold in February and the post office opened in May of '38. Being the Depression and knowing what had happened to other boom towns, city fathers quickly acquired 120 additional acres to accomodate a population estimated to eventually reach 3,000.
Walter Young sold his interest in the townsite to one Pat Malone in January of 1939; under Malone's leadership, the light plant was enlarged and a telephone system was installed. Allred reached a population of 1,200 in 1939, making it the largest town in the county. Allred got it's first newspaper - the Allred Times on May 25, 1939. Publisher Roy Royal published one issue of the newspaper and it folded for reasons not known. By 1940 the population of Allred started a decline without coming near the projected 3,000. After WWII it was down to only 750 residents.
During the school consolidations, Allred's school district merged with that of Sligo. The Allred school was later put to use as a community building.
In the late 50s there were only five households left and theYoakum County Gas Company cut off their service - saying that it wasn't worth the cost of supplying them. In 1957 church, post office, and grocery closed and the last time it was recorded (1964) Allred's population was 50.
Leslie
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Denison, TX
(http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=24510)
Denison was the birthplace of the thirty-fourth president of the United States, Dwight David Eisenhower. The home he was born in in 1890 has been returned to its original appearance and sits in the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site, a three-acre area that includes a museum.
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New Hope, Tx
NEW HOPE, TEXAS (Wood County). New Hope is on Farm Road 1801 four miles east of Mineola and a mile north of the Missouri Pacific line (formerly Texas and Pacific) in southern Wood County. The community apparently moved north to this site from an earlier location, as there is a New Hope cemetery just south of the railroad line and about a mile south of the present location of the New Hope Baptist Church. The area was settled as early as 1842, when Georgia native Nathan Warren homesteaded his land grant at the site of what would later become the New Hope community. About twenty years later the area saw an influx of planters from Louisiana, who were said to have named the area "New Hope" because they hoped to regain their fortunes there. Reportedly no established community developed at that time. By sometime in the 1880s an establishment called the Bluejack Academy was serving the New Hope area with a summer school, and in 1884 the New Hope public school district was established. By 1896 the local one-teacher public school was serving thirty-two white students; ten years later the number of students had risen to forty-seven. By 1917 a Baptist church, originally founded in 1864 in nearby Greer's Neighborhood (later known as Golden Rule), had, after several moves and name changes, established itself as the New Hope Baptist Church at the second, more northerly site of the community. In 1932 the New Hope school district had four teachers for 126 white students in ten grades and one teacher for thirty-three black students in seven grades. In the 1940s New Hope had a church, five businesses, and a number of dwellings. By 1960 only a church and a number of widely scattered dwellings remained at the site, though by 1988 the community had gained a number of new dwellings and a school. New Hope apparently never had its own post office but was on the mail route from Mineola. The New Hope Baptist Church received a Texas Historical Commissionqv marker in the early 1980s.
Mark
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Ecleto, TX
When a post office was established [in present Ecleto] in 1852, the town was then known as Cleto and was in Bexar county. In 1854, following the formation of Karnes County, the Post Office Department designated the office as Ecleto. In 1921, Walter G. Riedel, nephew of Carl Edward Riedel (the man that Gillett, Texas had originally been named after) and others built a cooperative store and cotton gin here to serve the surrounding farm community. The post office was moved and opened in the store at that time. Although the store closed in 1971, the post office continued until June 30, 1987, when it was converted into a neighborhood delivery and collection-box unit."
It is also believed that there was a gin prior to 1921 - but the fact that the 1921 gin was cooperative makes it noteworthy.
Leslie
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Old Haymaker Place, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OldHaymakerPlaceWY.jpg)
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Eureka, Tx
EUREKA, TEXAS (Navarro County). Eureka is at the junction of U.S. Highway 287 and Farm roads 637 and 3243, eleven miles southeast of Corsicana in southeastern Navarro County. The settlement developed around a log schoolhouse known as Dunn's School just before the Civil War.qv In 1870 residents applied for a post office, and at a Grangeqv meeting decided on the name Eureka. That same year a post office was opened in the home of P. Anderson, and within a few years a small town grew up there. By 1885 Eureka reported several steam gristmills and cotton gins, two churches, a district school, and an estimated population of twenty-five. In 1914 its population was about 100. Three local schools were in operation by 1906-two for white students, with a total enrollment of eighty-five, and one for black students, with an enrollment of sixty-one. In the mid-1930s Eureka had a school and six businesses. The Eureka school was consolidated with that of Mildred after World War II.qv The community's population continued to be estimated at about 100 until the mid-1960s, when it was reported as 125. At that time two churches and several businesses still remained at Eureka. In the early 1990s Eureka was a dispersed rural community with an estimated population of 243.
Mark
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Alleyton, TX
Alleyton is hardly a household name, yet its importance to the Confederacy is well known by Texas Civil War buffs.
Since it was the end of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railroad line, it was also the point for distributing supplies that came in from England via Matamoros, Mexico on the "Cotton Road". Even cotton farmers from as far away as Warrenton (Fayette County) would make the trip to Brownsville.
Alleyton is also the the burial place of Dallas Stoudenmire, a local Confederate veteran turned gunman who became both an El Paso City Marshall and a U.S. Deputy Marshall in El Paso.
Eager to get into his new job in El Paso, he killed 3 men within 3 days of taking the job. It sounds worse than it was since they were all killed in the same fight. Dallas bullied and cursed the city council, but openly apologized when sober.
The apologetic side of his nature shows his good Colorado County upbringing. His homicidal streak he acquired elsewhere. Dallas returned to Columbus long enough to get married in February, 1882 but was shot dead within the year back in El Paso. This occurred some 13 years before John Wesley Hardin (from nearby Gonzales) was also shot dead in El Paso.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AlleytonGrave.jpg)
Leslie
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North Vermilion, AB
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Nazareth, Mexico
Mark
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Hico, TX
(http://www.hico-tx.com/images/topbar_main.gif)
Hico (pronounced "high-coh") is a city in Hamilton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,341 at the 2000 census. Each July, Hico hosts the Hico Old Settlers Reunion.
Ollie P. Roberts a/k/a "Brushy Bill", a resident of Hico, claimed to be Billy The Kid. Although his claim has been largely discredited by historians, Hico has capitalized to a small extent on his fame (or infamy) by opening a "Billy The Kid" museum where visitors can decide whether Brushy Bill was or was not the infamous outlaw. Brushy Bill's eminent partner, Nelson "The Cat" Montes died in near by Duffau.
(http://www.hico-tx.com/images/billy.jpg)
The Koffee Kup Family Restaurant is a Central Texas Landmark. Located at the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 281 in Hico, Texas, the Koffee Kup is a world famous stopping point for locals and travelers alike.
The Koffee Kup offers three separate dining areas, a complete breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu and seating for 116.
(http://www.koffeekupfamilyrestaurant.com/images/Mvc-004s.jpg)(http://www.koffeekupfamilyrestaurant.com/images/outsidekx.jpg)
(http://www.hico-tx.com/images/cowboys_legends.jpg)
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Oklahoma Lane, TX
Oklahoma Lane had been a part of the legendary XIT Ranch before it was broken up. In 1916 five Oklahomans brought their families to the site and named the community after their former home. They were joined by additional Oklahoman families which necessitated the building of two schools in 1917.
The schools, Sunnyside and Knox, were merged in 1921 as a district. An auditorium / gymnasium was added in the 1920s. During the school consolidations in the late 40s, the district was divided among Bovina, Lazbuddie and Farwell schools with the gymnasium becoming a recreation center. It remains the the nucleus of present-day Oklahoma Lane.
Oklahoma Lane doesn't appear on the state map, although it does on detailed county maps. The population has been given as 64 since 1980.
Leslie
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Evant, Tx
EVANT, TEXAS. Evant is on U.S. Highway 84 some twenty-five miles west of Gatesville in western Coryell County. It was first called Langford Cove, for Asa Langford, who in the 1850s built a sawmill and general store half a mile south of the present site. A post office called Cove was opened in 1876 with Langford as postmaster. In the late 1870s Evant Brooks moved to the area from Alabama and bought 160 acres of land. He donated sixty acres for a townsite in 1881, and in 1884 the name of the community was changed to Evant in his honor. By the 1890s Evant had three general stores, a hotel, a gristmill, a cotton gin, and 120 residents. The town grew over the next four decades, and its population stabilized at 500 during the 1930s and 1940s. It reported its peak population of 550 in the 1950s. When Evant was incorporated in 1976 it had a population of 540. In 1988 it reported nine businesses and 422 residents. In the early 1990s its population was reported as 438, served by twenty businesses. By that time the community had spread into Hamilton County. In 2000 the population was 393 with thirty-one businesses.
Mark
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Taketekik, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/TeketekikMx.jpg)
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Kurten, TX
Henry Kurten is said to have been a German soldier who decided not to go back to Germany after his furlough ended. It seems unlikely that soldiers in the 1850s would visit America while on leave, but until we have time to look into it further, we'll go with that explanation. Perhaps they had longer furloughs that enabled them to make Trans-Atlantic voyages.
Mr. Kurten bought a sizable piece of land and interested other Germans to come live on it. They paid off their smaller parcels of land by working on Kurten's farm.
The post office opened in 1890 and the population was 300 during the 1890s.
Kurten has never been over-populated and from the 20s to the 60s the population hovered around 100. It seems to be coping with the 50 people who have moved there in recent years. Its proximity to Bryan makes it convenient for Kurtenites to commute to work.
Leslie
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North Pearsall, Tx
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Lauro Aguirre, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/LauroAguirreMx.jpg)
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Eola, TX
The town, formally known as Jordan changed its name in 1902 when the first store was built and the town only had four families. Eola was created during a land boom when county school lands were put up for sale at fifty cents an acre in the 1890s. The sale attracted many Europeans – primarily Czechs.
A two-story schoolhouse was built in 1906. By 1914 Eola had a population of twenty-five which grew to 240 by 1931. In 1940 Eola had a population of 250 and was thriving. It reached its zenith in ’47 when 350 Eolans called the town home. Nine teachers taught elementary and high school classes.
Leslie
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Athens,Tx
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Salmon, Texas
The town had telephone service in 1914 and 100 persons to call one another. The population stayed under 100 persons, sometimes dropping as low as only 10 persons. It rose again to 100 in the 1960s and then dipped back to about 20 - where it was for the 1990 census.Salmon had a post office granted in 1902 - under the name of postmaster S.D. Salmon.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/SalmonTexas/SalmonTexasSign.jpg)
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Nubia, TX
Nubia was first settled around 1874 - seven years before the railroad arrived. Settlers were enticed by ads in eastern publications. The town got a boost with the arrival of the railroad and soon the town had all the businesses to insure longevity. A post office was opened in 1888 - but there's no explanation for the exotic name.
Nubia's first school was built in 1900 and the post office closed in 1917. Cotton, maize, wheat and some sugarcane was grown with the cotton being sent to Abilene for ginning. With the building of Camp Barkeley in 1940, Nubia suffered. Land was purchased by the government and compensation was slight. Advances in farming techniques and WWII depleted Nubia's population and by 1947 only twenty Nubians were living there supported by a single business.
Leslie
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Atlanta, Texas
Mark
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Antelope, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/antelopeWY.jpg)
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Ellinger, TX
Joseph Ehlinger, was born in Alsace, France and actually served in Napoleon's army before its defeat. He at least got to see Moscow. He also was present at San Jacinto and received a grant of land for his service. He had just built a fine house in Fayette County and had gone to Europe to bring his family to their new home. While crossing Buffalo Bayou near Houston, his horse became entangled in wild grapevines and he drowned. The family entered the house he had built for them without Joseph being there to see it.
Charles Ehlinger was Joseph's son and he became a surveyor. He laid out the plat of the original town which was then known as Live Oak Hill and was just north of present day Ellinger - near the old cemetery. He was also the town's first postmaster. His son, Charles W. Ehlinger grew to become a merchant, farmer and a Board Member on the First State Bank of Ellinger.
The Southern Pacific Railroad came through the area in 1873 and missed Live Oak Hill by two miles. In 1880, land was donated and a man named Andrea Ondry, suggested they name it after Joseph Ehlinger.
When the Ellinger post office was opened, it was in Colorado County. Sometime between 1877 and 1889 it became part of Fayette County. The location has changed over the years - at one time it was in the former bank.
The town entertained the idea of becoming the tomato capital of Texas in the 1930s before a late April freeze ended that dream.
Today the blinding lights of modern gas stations distract the Houston-Austin traveler from noticing that there is a community on the north side of the highway.
L
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Robstown , Tx
ROBSTOWN, TEXAS. Robstown, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State Highway 44 in north central Nueces County, was established about 1906 by real estate developer George Paul of Washington, Iowa, at the junction of the Texas Mexican and the Brownsville and Mexican railroads. The town was named for Robert Driscoll.qv It grew rapidly after the development of the Winter Garden Region as a truck-farming area and the discovery of oil in Nueces County in 1930. The population was 948 in 1920, 4,183 in 1931, and 6,100 in 1940. By 1948 Robstown had seven cotton gins, five packing sheds for vegetables, five schools, twenty churches, and 220 businesses. The town incorporated in 1912 and adopted a mayor-council form of city governmentqv in 1948. A ten-acre park and swimming-pool complex was completed in 1963 to expand the municipal recreational facilities. Among the businesses reported in the 1960s were companies related to the petroleum industry, a ready-mix concrete producer, and portable-building manufacturers. The population grew steadily during the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1980 Robstown had 12,100 residents. Since that time the population has remained relatively static, with some 12,849 residents reported in 1990 and 12,727 in 2000. The economy of the town is supported by the surrounding agricultural and petroleum interests.
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Normandeau, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NormandeauAB.jpg)
The Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Historic Fort Normandeau are run by the
Normandeau Cultural and Natural History Society for the City of Red Deer.
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Uhland, Texas
Uhland stands today on what was the site of the former Live Oak Community. There was a post office from 1892 to 1902. Even with the closing of the post office, the town prospered.
As late as 1950 there were seven business in Uhland. In 1970 there were no business and 90 people living in Uhland, and today (June 2001) there is a café and a population of 386. Uhlanders commute to nearby San Marcos or Lockhart.
A marker showing where the Comanches crossed on their way to the coast during the Comanche Raid of 1840 is found just south of the former downtown Uhland.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/UhlandTexas/UhlandMarkerForComancheRaid601.jpg) (http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/UhlandTexas/UhlandMilkBottleMotel601.jpg)
The former office of the Milk Bottle Motel
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Dickinson, Tx
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Nopolo, MX
(http://www.bajaquest.com/loreto/images/nopolo01.jpg)
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Odlaw, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OdlawTX.jpg)
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Windemere, Tx
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Estanco Viejo, MEXICO...appears to translate to 'Watertight Old'. Looks pretty in that desolate way.
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Olfen, TX
Olfen, ten miles north of the confluence of the Colorado and Concho rivers in Runnels County, is a German Catholic community. In the early 1890s German Catholics who had immigrated to Colorado, Fayette, and other counties in Southeast Texas from 1846 to 1890 looked toward West Texas for farmland, a healthy climate, and a place to establish a Catholic environment. By the 1890s the railroad had built as far as Ballinger on the Colorado River. Bernard Matthiesen, from Ellinger in Fayette County, went by train to Ballinger in June 1891 and again in October 1891 by horse and wagon to look for farmland. In 1893 he bought land and moved his wife Elizabeth (Hoelscher) and family to what is now Olfen. In 1901 Matthiesen and Willy Glass wrote to Bishop John Anthony Forest in San Antonio and obtained permission to build a school, to be used also as a church. Father Frank Maas was the first pastor.
The community was first called Fussy Creek, then Maas, and finally Olfen, after Olfen in Westphalia. The first mass in the church-school was the wedding mass of Bernard Niehues and Amalia Matthiesen. The new bride, given the privilege of naming the church, chose the name St. Boniface, for a popular German saint. The community grew quickly. In 1909 Father Frank Garmann, who had succeeded Father Maas, built a new church. In 1921 a group of men from outside Olfen, whipped up by the anti-German sentiment during and after World War I, took Father Joseph Meiser from the rectory, intending to tar and feather him. Unknown to them the housekeeper, who had managed to conceal herself, telephoned parishioners, and within minutes a caravan of cars was in pursuit. The men, seeing them, pounded on Father Meiser and shoved him out of the car, giving up the plan to tar and feather him. The 1909 church burned to the ground on January 15, 1922. The people immediately got to work and in ten months built a large and beautiful Romanesque church, dedicated on November 16, 1922. The community was still listed in 1990.
L
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New Berlin, Tx
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Nixon, TX
History in a Pecan Shell
Named after John T. Nixon when the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway crossed his ranch in 1906. Nixon sold lots on the site and within months, the new town had a gin, barber, bank, butcher, store, doctor and a lumberyard. Originally named Nixonville with the opening of the post office in 1906, it was shortened two years later.
That same year the residents and school of neighboring Rancho, Texas moved to Nixon with their church following in 1911. By 1914 there were 1,300 people with the previously mentioned businesses along with a newspaper, telephone service and at least two more stores.
Nixon's population shrank to 1,037 in 1930, but by 1940 it had increased to more than 1,800. Railroad service to Nixon ceased in the 1970s.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/NixonTexas/NixonTexasMuralonDrugStoreTOPtb505.jpg)
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Neinda, TX
The town, which dates to the 1880s, was once called Banner until 1900 when the time came to apply for a post office. The source of the name is not reported although the postmaster probably knew. John O'Brien was the first and last postmaster - but the year of its closing isn't known.
The town's hopes of prosperity were dashed when the railroads found other routes.
In 1940 Neinda's population was given at 75 which decreased to only 31 for the 1990 census. The city cemetery is still maintained by an association and a Pioneers Reunion still holds a homecoming each year.
Leslie
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Andrews, Tx
ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Andrews County has been in existence since 1876, when the 15th Legislature of Texas created 54 counties in the Panhandle and South Plains out of Bexar County. The political control of the county has passed through several other counties and districts since its inception. On July 22, 1910, the county records were finally transferred from Midland County to Andrews County, and the Commissioners' Court held its first meeting.
Andrews County's first oil well blew in December of 1929. By 1956, the County produced more than 60 million barrels of oil annually - giving us recognition as the number one oil producing county in the state of Texas and in the United States.
The City of Andrews was incorporated on February 2, 1937. On June 9, 1959, the citizens of Andrews adopted a charter with the Council - Manager form of city government. The City Council meets twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. The city continues to operate under this structure serving a current population of 9,652.
In 1961, the Municipal Administration building was constructed at the corner of N. E. 1st and Logsdon Avenue. The Facility currently houses most of the city offices including the Municipal Court. A public safety building was constructed in 2003 and is located at 130 N Main. This new building houses both the police and emergency service personnel.
These are exciting times in Andrews. A forward-thinking leadership has taken a shared community vision to produce over $70M in public investment in the last five years. The City of Andrews is a leader in improving quality of life, supporting good growth and development and strengthening infrastructure and a long-term water supply.
A dedicated workforce and efficient operating structure enables the City of Andrews to maintain extremely low charges for service. The City’s property tax rate remains the same at .1966/100 valuation, the second lowest in Texas of cities over 5,000 population. Also, the City’s minimum utility bill for Water, Sewer and Sanitation service is the lowest in West Texas. The low cost of services contributes to an overall low cost-of-living in Andrews.
Exciting changes continue for the City of Andrews as the new Andrews Economic Development Corporation enters the second year of operation. A new 50 acre south Business Park and tax abatement incentives are just a few of the many opportunities Andrews is creating to support existing companies and entice new businesses to the area. Go to the new web site of Andrews' Economic Development Corporation at www.andrewsedc.com for details.
With the recent opening of the Andrews Business & Technology Center … a state-of-the-art facility offering job training, continuing education, higher education courses and the latest in distance learning technology and the development of numerous quality of life initiatives … Andrews is clearly a community “on the move.”
History of Andrews For more information on the unique history of Andrews.
Mark
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Stony Plain, AB
(http://www.skychasers.net/Pump.rainbow.jpg)
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Noria Tetaciari, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NoriaTetaciariMX.jpg)
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Italy, TX
Italy bears no cultural ties to the "Old Country"and if there are citizens of Italian heritage - it's merely coincidental. The name was contributed by the postmaster of 1880 who imagined the climate of Texas comparable to that of Italy.
A timeline of significant events in Italy, Texas:
1860: Scattered settlement begins
1879: the brothers Aycock built the first house and use it as a combination of house, store and post office. The town was split over what the name should be - some wanting Egypt and others Italy. Gabriel J. Penn, the Waxahachie postmaster settled the matter for them by filling in the blank on the application with the name Italy. The postal authorities gladly accepted Italy (there was already an Egypt in Wharton County).
1890: The population reaches 500 Italians (not really Italians, but what else are you going to call them?)
1891: A big year for Italy. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad arrived (actually in December 1890), the first newspaper was published, and the town was officially incorporated.
1900: population is 1,061
1901: The International-Great Northern Railroad reaches Italy
1913: The Electric Interurban between Waco and Dallas comes through Italy (Electricity for the city was provided by Waco)
1920s: Italy had five gins, a compress, and a cottonseed oil mill.
1925: The population reaches 1,500 and the Italy Independent School District was established.
1930: Italy starts the Great Depression with a population of 1,230 people and 45 businesses.
1960: Italy's population remains nearly the same with only 1,183 people and half the businesses.
The Italy High School in 1909:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/ItalyTexasHighSchool1909PCTem.jpg)
Leslie
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Yerbabuena, Mexico
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Argyle, TX
(http://www.argyletx.com/images/main.GIF)
The Town of Argyle seeks a motivated and creative leader to fill the vacant position of Town Administrator.
Applicant should possess an MPA or equivalent academic credentials and have at least 5 years of progressive municipal experience as a city manager or assistant city manager.
Salary and benefits are competitive with the Metroplex market and depend on qualifications.
Submit resume to Codi Delcambre, TRMC, CMC, Town Secretary, PO Box 609, Argyle Texas 76226.
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Edom, Tx
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Mayoworth, WY
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/wy/WY_23377.gif)
Mayoworth is in Johnson County. The community was named after May Worthington, the daughter of a postmaster.
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Hondiga, MX
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Adon, Wyoming
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Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
--border town situated in the State (estado) of Tamaulipas. Directly across the river from Laredo, of "The Cowboy's Lament" fame. Nuevo Laredo has historically had the reputation as the kind of city that a Jack Twist could look for love in all the wrong places.
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Oakalla, TX
Settled in the 1850s, there is little to say about Oakalla until 1879 when the post office opened.
By 1881 the town had a gin, store and doctor. By 1890 the town had 100 people and a dozen businesses. In 1896, the population had increased to 175.
A two-story school built on a donated site in 1890, also served as a church until 1908.
In 1920 the wooden school was torn down, and rebuilt using stones from a rock school building that had been on Gregory Branch. In 1929 the building was expanded by two rooms.
Sometime after 1930 the post office was closed and the town's schools merged with those in Briggs in 1946 and 56. In 1958 the entire district merged with Lampasas schools.
The population went from 180 in 1925 to around 100 from the 40s through the 70s. It fell to 45 in the 1980s. The 1920 school remains in use as a community center and library.
Leslie
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The town of Italy, TX, was inadvertently misalphabetized in the Answer List and replayed.
With Meryl's permission, I am declaring a Side Trip for the next poster.
Next poster, this is your chance to take the game anyplace you wish -- perhaps to a "Q" or "J" town. :)
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The town of Italy, TX, was inadvertently misalphabetized in the Answer List and replayed.
With Meryl's permission, I am declaring a Side Trip for the next poster.
Next poster, this is your chance to take the game anyplace you wish -- perhaps to a "Q" or "J" town. :)
or V
We haven't had a single V town played yet.
Leslie
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Valentine, Texas
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Elgin, Texas
--situated in Bastrop County, not far from Austin, for which it has, like so many other smaller towns in the area, become something of a bedroom community. My mother taught special education on the elementary-school level for many years in Elgin.
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Nio, Mexico
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Oilton. Tx
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Navo, Texas
(in dutch 'NAVO' stands for NATO)
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Opdyke, TX
The town's name is pronounced O. P. Dike - just as you would pronouce someone's name. The someone in this case was probably Charles W. Opdyke, director of the Santa Fe Railroad. It is also suggested that the name could've been after a relative of the man (W. A. Dykes) who had built the town's first cotton gin in 1937.
Opdyke had no 19th Century history. The town got started in 1925 - and it wasn't until 1945 that they had a population of 50. All activities revolved around the gin throughout the 40s and 50s with a service station/general store to serve the needs of the citizens. By the late 50s the Farmers Co-op Gin was the town's last business.
Leslie
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Eldorado, Tx
The Tom Ratliff Civic Theater History
The picture show building, known as The Lone Star Theater, was built in 1930 by Mr. and Mrs. T.K. Jones. It was built shortly after the Whitten oil well made history. Having profited from this venture, Mr. Jones wanted to invest in real estate in Eldorado. To give the town some class, he built the picture show building. The construction was done by a Mr. Chidester from Menard who also did other construction work for Mr. Jones. The advent of the oil well triggered growth in the community and several other buildings on Main Street were constructed about the same time. Despite the fact that it was a boost to the community, some felt that talking pictures would be the downfall of the town.
T.K. and his wife sold it to Catherine Creigh Hall in 1944. It remained in that family until 1961, when Tom Ratliff purchased it from the Halls to house the insurance business he had purchased from his brother Jack Ratliff. Tom Ratliff modernized the very front of the building only, leaving the auditorium in tact to be used for storage.
In 1986, Tom Ratliff decided to retire and considered selling the building. He quoted a selling price which his wife, Winnie Helen considered to be ridiculously low. She made him a better offer on the spot, and he quickly said, "Sold!" Tom felt he had made a good business deal, but before the sale could be finalized, he had to put on a new roof and install new air conditioning. He was not so sure of his good business deal after that!
In 1986, a community theater group began to produce plays and developed into an organized group called " The Way Off Broadway Players". Their first show was in 1986. They became incorporated in October of 1989.
Shortly after incorporating, the group needed a permanent home and they approached Winnie Helen about the possibility of purchasing the old picture show from her. To their great surprise and delight she gave them the building on March 16, 1994. She stipulated that it be called the "Tom Ratliff Civic Theater" in memory of her husband Tom who died September 3, 1991. The Way Off Broadway Players as well as the community were deeply grateful, and plans for renovation were started immediately. The renovation was done by Herman Walker Construction of Eldorado.
The Way Off Broadway Players are a non-profit, tax exempt corporation (501-C corporation). There has been wonderful support from the community and neighboring communities from the beginning.
Eldorado was also the name of Cadillacs top of the line luxury personal car, from 1953 to 2002. Cadillac once considered 'standard of the world' now just another higher priced car. Far too many years of complacency by General Motors, lack luster styling, poor reliability causing huge rapir bill by owners, lead many to seek their luxury motoring elsewhere. The final 2002 is nearly idenctical to the model introduced in 1992.
Mark
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O'Farrell, TX
O'Farrell is on Farm Road 995 nine miles west of Atlanta in northern Cass County. It was settled in the 1870s, and a post office was established there in 1886 and remained in operation until 1905. In 1890 the community had a post office and store run by W. S. Thompson, with a Baptist church and cemetery nearby. By 1896 it included two stores, a gin, and the church. The first population estimates for the town were recorded in the 1940s, when it had two rated businesses and a population of forty. In 1983 O'Farrell had a church, a cemetery, a town hall, and a population estimated at twenty. Its population continued to be reported at twenty in 1990. -- Cecil Harper, Jr., The Handbook of Texas Online
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Lloydminster, Canada
--unique community in Canada, legally existing in both the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan simultaneously. Straddling the border of the two provinces, this is the Dominion's only bi-provincial town.
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Raywood, TX
Originally settled in the 1830s, Raywood experienced the various adventures and misadventures of its neighboring southeast Texas communities until the 1890s when a man named Alex Miller introduced rice farming in 1890.
Raymond Harwood was the proprietor of the local rice mill and the town was named by combining his two names. Raywood was platted alongside the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in December 1893. A post office was granted in 1894. The population ranged from 100 to 125 until oil and gas was discovered in the mid-50s.
The late discovery occured when automated drilling methods had long been in place - so the "boom" only amounted to a doubling of the small population.
Leslie
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Duncanville, Texas
The origin of Duncanville can be traced as far back as 1840, with the community's beginning as a small settlement. It was not until some forty years later, with the construction of the Chicago, Texas and Mexican Central Railroad connecting Dallas and Cleburne that Duncanville began to emerge as a town. The coming of the railroad to Duncanville changed the community. The railroad line connecting Dallas to Cleburne was to be completed not later than April 15, 1881. With time running short to complete the railroad on time, a shortened method of railroad construction was adopted at an open field owned by James R. Horne and G.H. Finley. Doing this allowed the railroad to arrive in Cleburne two hours ahead of the deadline and a switching station was later built in the open field. It was called Duncan switch.
In 1881, Charles Nance arrived by train at Duncan Switch to visit his sister, Mrs. William Horne. Finding the area much to his liking and envisioning a bright future for this part of Dallas County, Mr. Nance made the decision to stay in this area. He formed a partnership with Chris Horne, for fifty dollars purchased a lot from G.H. Finely, and built the first building, Nance Brothers, at Duncan Switch.
In August of 1881, Nance forwarded a petition to the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. to establish a post office. Residents at that time were receiving their mail at post offices in Cedar Hill, Wheatland, or Jim Town. His application was returned with a notation to choose a different name because there was already a post office in Jasper County, Texas with the name of Duncan. There had been individuals in the community who had refused to sign Nance's original petition and many others who were hard to convince, so he simply added "ville" to Duncan, so it now read Duncanville. The petition was returned to Washington and, in early October 1881, he received the order to open the new post office under the name Duncanville.
With Mr. Nance as the first postmaster, the post office opened in the general store and the first mail bags were received October 1, 1882.The growth and development of Duncanville occurred along the railroad tracks. In 1883, a large two-room depot was constructed immediately adjacent to the railroad tracks. Over time, businesses began emerging along the east side of the tracks. The first businesses to be established were the cotton gin, two general stores, and a doctor's office.
Mark
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Entrance, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2003903.gif)
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EBENEZER, TEXAS
Ebenezer is a tiny rural community located off Recreational Road 255 about thirteen miles northwest of Jasper in northwestern Jasper County. Settlement began in the area by 1860 when pioneers William P. M. and Mary Ann Dean established a family graveyard. In 1861 they gave land for both the cemetery and the Ebenezer Methodist Church. Circuit-riding ministers used the log building for both Methodist and Baptist congregations. A new building replaced the structure after it burned in the 1890s. In the early 1900s a third building served as both a church and schoolhouse. Highway maps of the 1930s showed the school in Ebenezer that served area farming families. Sometime after this the school closed, and the church was deactivated in 1965. Though Ebenezer was still shown on maps in the 1990s, no population estimates were available in 2000. The Ebenezer Methodist Church and Ebenezer Cemetery received Texas Historical Markers in 1986 and 1987 respectively.
(http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/samray/ebbanner.JPG)
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Rock Crusher, TX
Near the Bachelor Prong of Hords Creek, the railroad had built a large steam-driven roller-type rock crusher for creating roadbed material.
A post office was open from 1912 to 1914, when the town had two stores. The town reached its population peak about this time with 400 persons, most of them employed moving, crushing and hauling away rock.
In 1916, three schools combined to comprise the Rock Crusher school district.
In the 1920s and 1930s Coleman county roads were supplied with gravel from the crusher.
During the Depression, the town was down to 150 inhabitants. The crusher was removed and the large hole which was left became a small lake.
The town was deserted by the 1960s and the lake was filled with silt.
Leslie
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Richland Hills, Tx
Welcome Home!
The City of Richland Hills is a vibrant, progressive community strategically located in the crescent of Northeast Loop 820 and Texas State Highway 121 in Northeast Tarrant County. The convenient location provides residents easy access to all of the amenities offered within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
The roughly 8,132 residents also enjoy some of the best housing values in north Texas in stable, well-kept neighborhoods with large lots and attractive, affordable homes. With forty-nine percent of city revenues received from sales tax and property taxes paid by businesses, residential property taxes are among the lowest in Tarrant County.
The City's schools are in the acclaimed Birdville Independent School District (BISD) {http://www.birdville.k12.tx.us/}. Within a ten-minute drive, Tarrant County College {http://www.tcjc.cc.tx.us} offers a wealth of classes. Several major colleges and universities are also within easy driving distance.
The City has a well-equipped Library and Parks and Recreation Department. The City offers a wide variety of activities including preschool, youth, adult and senior citizen classes, plus special events and building rental. Three public parks offer tennis courts and jogging trails.
Richland Hills accommodates more than 320 businesses which includes two of the top twenty largest industrial parks in Tarrant County. Both Midway Business Park and Richland Industrial Park front State Highway 121. Businesses also have access to the vast labor force in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex with the Richland Hills Trinity Railway Express Station {http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org}. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) {www.dfwinfo.com} projects the rail station to be the second busiest stop on the line between Fort Worth and Irving.
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Saguarochic, Mexico
Many thanks to Fran for overseeing our Road Trip for a few days while I was away. Well done! :-*
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Crowheart, WY
(http://wyohancockhorses.net/pics/jjcover2.JPG)
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Tankersley, TX
According to the Handbook of Texas, The land for the town was donated by R. F. Tankersley in 1864. A post office was granted in 1910, although it was discontinued in 1963. Tankersley's zenith was reached in 1946 with 75 persons. Increased mobility drastically reduced the town to only 20 by 1953.
This is Mr. Tankersley, himself:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/RFTankersleyCopyrightFortConchoMuse.jpg)
Leslie
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Yaxa, Mx
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Albright, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2003237.gif)
Albright (population ~671) is a town in Alberta. It's elevation is 2,408 ft.
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Thelma, TX
Thelma, at the junction of Loop 1604 and the Southern Pacific line, fifteen miles south of downtown San Antonio in southern Bexar County, was established around 1900. A post office opened there in 1906, and after the San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad was built through in 1912, Thelma became a station on the line. By 1914 the town had 300 residents, a general store, and four dairies. Its post office was replaced by general delivery in 1921. In 1940 one business and a population of twenty-five were reported at Thelma. Thelma declined after World War II,qv and in the early 1990s it was a dispersed rural community with a few scattered houses.
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Aspermont, Tx
ASPERMONT, TEXAS. Aspermont is at the junction of U.S. highways 83 and 380 and Farm roads 610, 2211, and 1263, fifty-nine miles north of Abilene in central Stonewall County. It was platted as a townsite in 1889 by A. L. Rhomberg, who provided the land and gave it the Latin name for "rough mountain." A post office was opened the same year. Earlier area residents called the place Sunflower Flat. The population had reached approximately 250 in 1898, when Aspermont replaced Rayner as county seat. Rayner contested the election, and the courthouse relocation was deferred until 1900, when litigation cleared the way for construction. Aspermont was incorporated in 1909 with a population of 700; construction of a lake and water-supply facilities began in 1914. Local businessmen made donations to encourage railroad construction, and the Stamford and Northwestern Railway line was extended from Stamford in 1909 and leased to the Wichita Valley Railway Company. Aspermont had 400 residents by 1900 and 600 by 1910. World War Iqv reduced the population to 436 in 1920, but it rebounded by 1930 to 769; by 1940, thanks to the discovery of oil, it had increased to 1,041. The local economy relies on ranching and oil. In 1970 the town had 1,198 residents and fifty businesses; in 1980 the population reached 1,357. A hospital was built in 1965. County facilities in town include a library, a swimming pool, and a livestock show barn. An annual rodeo is a feature event. The population in 1990 was 1,214. In 2000 the population dropped slightly to 1,021.
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Thrall, TX
The town had originally been called Stiles Switch in 1876 when the International-Great Northern railroad arrived at the site.
The Stiles school (named after a local ranching family) opened in the 1880s. The post office opened in 1901 under the name of Homer S. Thrall, a Methodist minister and historian who wrote a much-circulated history of Texas. The Stiles school expanded and was renamed the Thrall School in 1908.
The town was a farming and ranching center with a population of 150 by 1914.
Oil was discovered in 1915 and 200 wells were sunk on area ranches and farms. The estimated population approached 3,000 before falling to only 272 when the boom faded. Thrall's growth has always been under control - with a population of around 400 through the 1940s. In 1952 there were 584 Thrallites - nearly the same as the 593 people reported in 1988. In 1990 it had declined a bit to 550. The year 2000 reported a population of about 700.
L
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Lindbergh, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2004404.gif)
The community was named for aviator Charles Lindbergh.
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Hanna, Alberta
--1981 population was 2,662. Local industries, as of 1984, included coal mining and dairy farming.
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Ashwood, TX
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Donna, Tx
Spurred by the arrival of the railroad a small town had sprung up on a site between McAllen and Weslaco. One of the town sites charter members, Mr. T. J. Hooks, had put all of his resources and energies in making the town self-sufficient. His efforts were not lost on the town folks and at a secret meeting it was decided to show their appreciation with a special gesture. A party was arranged in honor of T. J. Hooks. His daughter Donna, living in Beaumont, was invited to attend. When Mr. Hooks arrived at the little railroad station to pick up his daughter he was amazed to see a sign hung at the side of the rails, reading "Welcome to the town of Donna". The few surviving attendees of this time still swear that they saw tears in the eyes of T. J. Hooks..
Donna Hooks Fletcher was equally surprised and in the coming years she played a prominent part in the towns development.
Today Donna is a major player in the toursim industry and home to thousands of retirees from all over the United States
Mark
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Adobe Walls, TX
The name Adobe Walls has been applied to several trading posts north of the Canadian River.
The earliest date is given as 1843 and the first structure appeared around 1845-46 when an 80 foot square adobe structure was built and aptly called Fort Adobe.
Indian misbehavior forced the post to close by 1848. Attempts were made to reestablish the post, but it was finally blown up in frustration, providing the Panhandle with its first landmark ruins.
In 1864 the First Battle of Adobe Walls was fought when Colonel “Kit” Carson and his force of 335 men (with 75 Indian allies) fought hostile Kiowas, with assorted Apaches, Comanches, and Arapahoes near the ruins. The casualties were three dead with 15 wounded for the Army and Indian casualties were estimated to be 60 killed or wounded.
Ten years later, Dodge City, Kansas merchants opened a trading post/ restaurant/ saloon a mile from the original ruins. Trade with the area’s buffalo hunters flourished until June1874 when the Second Battle of Adobe Walls took place. The main building was constructed of sod - in the fashion of Kansas buildings - and although the complex was overwhelmed by a force estimated between 300 to over a thousand Indians, the defenders held their own with only three dead (one an accident after the fight was over). The post was abandoned.
Later the Turkey Track Ranch made its headquarters near the original site. Former Army scout and survivor of the 1874 fight, Billy Dixon built a house at the ruins of Fort Adobe. In 1887 Dixon’s house became the community post office and Dixon became postmaster.
Adobe Walls as touted as an up and coming settlement in an attempt to recruit settlers, but in truth it never truly developed. The population never exceeded 20 throughout the 20th Century and only scattered houses remain today.
Leslie
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Stoneburg, TX
Stoneburg is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Farm Road 1806, two miles northwest of Bowie Lake Dam and fifteen miles west of Montague in west central Montague County. A settlement began in the early 1870s. In 1883 school was conducted by W. T. Small on a ranch between Stoneburg and Bowie, twelve miles to the south. In 1893 the tracks of the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway reached the area. That year a post office was established named Riley, but after five months the name was changed to Stoneburg, in honor of J. M. Stone, an area rancher who donated land for the townsite when the railroad arrived. By the early 1900s the town's population surpassed 150. Until the Great Depressionqv the number of residents remained above 100. The post office closed on March 31, 1954. Since World War IIqv the population has steadily declined, dropping to fifty-one by the late 1980s. In 1989 the town had only a service station and two churches. In 1990 the reported population was still fifty-one. -- The Handbook of Texas Online
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Grover, Wy
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 137 people, 48 households, and 38 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 61.5/km² (159.0/mi²). There were 56 housing units at an average density of 25.1/km² (65.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.35% White, 0.73% Asian, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.92% of the population.
There were 48 households out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.2% were married couples living together, and 20.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,687. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
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Ratcliff, TX
The town came into being with the arrival of a wagon train from Georgia in 1875. Jesse H. Ratcliff, built a sawmill here in the mid 1880s. The post office opened in 1889 and named in Ratcliff's honor. Ratcliff sold his mill in 1901 to the Central Coal and Coke Company. This new operation evolved into a huge lumber operation known by the four Cs in it's name - The Four C Mill.
The population swelled to 5,000 people and Ratcliff was spared the fate of many East Texas towns because of the size of the milling operations. But as the forests were cut, the writing was on the wall for Ratcliff. By 1920 almost all of the trees had been cut. The town declined until a reforestation project was launched in the 1930s. Davy Crockett National Forest was established and the Ratcliff Recreation Area opened.
Ratcliff has two Texas historical markers: one for the town and another for the Four C Mill.
L
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Fort Stockton, Texas
--county seat of Pecos County. Gateway for most travellers to Big Bend National Park.
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North Escobares, Tx
of 2000, there were 1,692 people, 412 households, and 390 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 246.5/km² (638.3/mi²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 73.6/km² (190.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.47% White, 0.06% African American, 0.12% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 94.44% of the population.
There were 412 households out of which 72.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.3% were non-families. 4.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.11 and the average family size was 4.26.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 46.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 10.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $15,958, and the median income for a family was $16,750. Males had a median income of $16,071 versus $6,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $4,562. About 59.7% of families and 61.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 67.1% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
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Snook, TX
Click on the plate for a video on YouTube about Chicken Fried Bacon in Snook Texas.
(http://www.cricketschirping.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/chickenfriedbacon.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbTO0GlONU)
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Kimbro, Texas
--tiny community in eastern Travis County. Here is a little blurb on the place's history I found online:
Originally named Cottonwood, the town was named after Lemuel Kimbro, who had recieved the land in a grant awarded in the 1830s. A post office was established in 1901 and discontinued the following year. In 1907 Kimbro had a school with thirty-nine students which was eventually consolidated with other neighboring schools to form the Manda common school district. Kimbro had a population of twenty-five in the 1930s and has stayed at 50 for the last 50 years.
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Onion Creek, Tx
ONION CREEK, TEXAS. Onion Creek was a farming community on Onion Creek and the Rock Island and Pacific line, seven miles from Ennis in Ellis County. During the 1930s and 1940s the population there was estimated at twenty-five. County highway maps from the 1980s showed the Onion Creek community with two railroad stations.
Mark
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Knickerbocker, TX
The town was once second only to San Angelo in size and political influence in the county after Ben Ficklin was washed away in the great flood of the Concho River.
The name comes from two of the town's early settlers who were related to Washington Irving, the American writer who was at the peak of his popularity at that time.
Diedrich Knickerbocker was the fictitious narrator of Irving's History of New York.
In 1875 the three Baze brothers donated land for a church, school, and cemetery on the northwest side of Dove Creek. They installed an irrigation ditch to grow hay, and melons to sell to the Fort Concho soldiers.
In 1877 Joseph Tweedy, J. Barlow Reynolds and the Grinnell Brothers drove their herds of sheep from their camp near Brackettville.
They established the Knickerbocker ranch / store on the SE side of Dove Creek.
A post office was opened in 1881. In the 1880s the Tweedy Mercantile Company dealt in oats, wheat, and corn. Second only to the crops was sheep production.
After a collapse in wool prices, the original settlers left, leaving only J.Tweedy. He platted a townsite on his land, and set up his own irrigation company for farms along Dove Creek.
Stephen Dexter Arthur planted cotton as an experiment in 1887 and produced Knickerbocker's first bale. The ruins of his water-driven gin can be seen near the bridge at Dove Creek. Arthur built a Methodist church on land donated by Joseph and Elizabeth Tweedy. In 1889 the town relocated to a site with better water.
The town had twenty-five residents in 1884, fifty in 1890 but by the late 1890s the population had swollen to 250.
During its boom times, Knickerbocker seemed to have two of everything. The town had two gins, two saloons, two blacksmiths, two hotels and two stores. It also had an undertaker - just one.
Kinckerbocker also had an early sanitarium since doctors all across the country were sending people to dryer climates. Later, nearby Carlsbad became a huge facility for tuberculosis patients.
Knickerbocker's adobe store / post office, built in 1896 remained standing until 1936. Knickerbocker got its first school, in 1889 and a school for Mexican children six years later.
A lawless element hung out near Knickerbocker and two members of this group staged a train robbery near Sanderson, Texas.
A brick school built in 1926, served until the school consolidations of the 1950s. In 1956 Knickerbocker merged with Christoval.
Today there isn't much left in Knickerbocker except for the brick community building.
Leslie
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Rek Hill, TX
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Lusk, Wy
In 1918 the Buck Creek Dome oil strike briefly boosted Lusk's population to ten thousand. Today, only three thousand people live in the entire county. The Stagecoach Museum in Lusk is a wonderful place to explore another piece of Wyoming's history -- the glory days of the Cheyenne-Deadwood stagecoach route during the Black Hills gold rush.
A local character who epitomizes that era was Mother Featherlegs, an auburn-haired woman who wore red pantalets, ruffled drawers that tied at the ankle and flapped in the wind when she rode. An admirer said she looked just like a feather-legged chicken, and so she was christened. She and her cohort, Dangerous Dick Davis, ran a saloon and brothel out of their cabin southwest of Lusk. It was a favorite gathering place for those on the wrong side of the law. Her local fame soared in 1879 when she was discovered shot dead at her spring, with the missing Dangerous Dick's footprints all around. She was rumored to have had a lot of money hidden away. Whether it was stolen by her murderer or still waits to be found depends on whose story you believe. Either way, she is remembered fondly by local residents. A marker stands at the site of her cabin, and her famous pantalets have had adventures of their own. Stolen from the historic site in 1964, they graced a Deadwood saloon until 1990, when a determined posse of Lusk residents raided the saloon and got the pantalets back.
If you take Highway 85 north out of Lusk, you'll pass through the most dangerous and desolate section of the Cheyenne-Deadwood stage route. Horse thefts, stage coach robberies, and other misfortunes were fairly normal, starring westerners with colorful names like Persimmons Bill Chambers, a famous outlaw, and Stuttering Brown, the man sent by the stagecoach company to stop outlaw depredations. Although many of these stories are tragic, some are triumphant, others are simply funny. In 1876 Persimmons Bill held up the stage and murdered the Metz family. Either plucky or foolish, Mrs. Thomas Durbin road the next stage north from Cheyenne with $10,000 in her handbag. She arrived safely in Deadwood and delivered the money to her brother-in-law who started up a bank, and hopefully treated his sister-in-law well the rest of her life.
Phatty Thompson's initiative was on a different scale. In 1877 he decided that Deadwood's population of shady women needed pets, so he purchased a number of cats at twenty-five cents each from enterprising Cheyenne youngsters, packed them in a huge crate, loaded them on his wagon, and set out for Deadwood. En route the wagon tipped over, the crate broke open, and Phatty's investment escaped. Fortunately, Phatty had some "tasty morsels" with him that eventually convinced most of the cats to return to the crate. Upon arrival in Deadwood, Phatty's business instincts proved sound -- his feline companions for lonely ladies sold for ten to twenty-five dollars each.
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Kress, TX
Founded in 1890, the town had been named Wright, after a local preacher. On the stage coach line from Canyon to Plainview, with a school, post ofiice and store, it had everything a 19th Century town needed to prosper.
When the railroad arrived in 1906, the post office / store moved to the rails. The town was renamed for Pioneer George H. Kress.
In 1909 a promotional booklet gave the town's population as 500 - a number that was probably inflated. The first school opened in 1907. In 1915 the first garage and filling station was erected, a grain elevator was built, and a weekend rodeo was organized for local recreation.
The main highway through town (Hwy 87) has moved twice - forcing businesses to relocate as well. Infrastructure in the form of electricity and gas were introduced in the late 1920s.
Kress was home to over 650 people by 1953. A bank opened in 1963 - ending a bank-less period that had lasted from the 30s to that date.
Leslie
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Shepherd, TX
A nice name to celebrate both the season and our own Jack and Ennis. :)
Happy Holidays, Road Trippers! 8)
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Danevang, TX
Danevang (Danish Meadow or Fields) come into being in 1894. A group of Danes who had already been in the U.S. formed the nucleus. They were joined by others who arrived directly from Denmark. The land was acquired by the Danish People's Society and the Lutheran Church was its anchor and support.
The Danevang Post Office was started in 1895. The hardships of life in Texas drove some of the settlers to California where they formed another colony, which prospers today as a tourist attraction.
On the church lawn stands a short obelisk which has a chronicle of the community's triumphs and tragedies engraved on it.
The cemetery tombstones are nearly 100% Danish surnames. Some of the stones have the Danish birthplaces engraved on them.
The school taught classes both in English and Danish, but they also had language instruction in Danish during the summer months. They had their own community library and formed several cooperatives which remain in place today.
The community still keeps weather statistics for the weather bureau. There have been only 7 recorders since the records started being kept in 1896.
Happy Holidays to all you Kings of the Road.
Below is a picture from a CD entitled "Christmas from Ennis Road" by the Ennis Sisters.
(http://www.avondalemusic.com/ennisxmas.jpg)
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Gasoline, TX
A Very Brief History
A group of settlers got together and sunk a well in the area about 1903. Today only a few houses dot the landscape where Gasoline once was. Even the cemetery (Rest Haven) is two miles north. The unusual name dates from 1907, the date when they got the first post office. How they decided on this unusual name is lost to history, but the Handbook of Texas suggests that the town's cotton gin ran on gasoline and gasoline was still regarded "as a novelty" in the Panhandle.
A Full Day in Gasoline
No population reports were given, however, school expansions indicate that Gasoline was once thriving. Residents could have their horses shod at the blacksmith while they got a haircut or visited with friends at the café. They could then pick up some liver pills at the drugstore and if they had time, they could watch gasoline being poured into the engine at the 'gin'. Even with the town being named gasoline, they were sensible enough to use kerosene for their lighting. They got electricity just in time for the Great Depression (1929) and the Handbook tells us that the town only had one telephone for years.
Perhaps "Fireproof, Texas" should have been considered.
The town's gin burned in 1938 and shortly thereafter, the population dwindled to 20 persons. After WWII, the few remaining schoolchildren started attending classes in Quitaque and the post office closed in 1948.
Leslie
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Esmeralda, Mexico
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Alexo, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/AlexoAB.jpg)
Alexo, Alberta (population ~56) is a hamlet in Alberta.
It is located along the David Thompson Highway, between Nordegg and Rocky Mountain House, at an elevation of 1,200 m. Shunda Creek, a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River runs through the community.
It was named after the Alexo Coal Company, which operated a mine near the community in the 1920s and 1930s.
The former townsite, now known as Camp Alexo, is currently owned by the Youth and Volunteer Centre of Red Deer, Alberta.
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Oxien, TX
In 1900, the heirs of John Harris of Galveston offered for lease a league of land in the southeast part of Runnels County. This area was to become known as the Oxien Community. On July 27, 1905 a post office was opened with W.W. McKissack as postmaster. The mail was brought from Talpa three times a week at first; when the town grew the mail was brought daily. At one time Oxien consisted of a cotton gin, a general store with post office, a telephone switchboard, and a filling station. In later years an another store and filling station were opened. Oxien’s school was built in 1909. In 1913 the Oxien school and the Dietz school consolidated. The combined school was relocated on the Jarm Morrison place. In 1920 a larger building was erected. After this the school was know as the Dietz School District No 31. In 1930 this school was consolidated with Crews. In the early days church was held in the school house. In 1924 the Baptist Church was organized and a building built. It disbanded in 1937. The post office closed in 1913. The town site is marked with a few brick and rock foundations.
Leslie
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Namao, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2004637.gif)
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Olmito, Tx
OLMITO, TEXAS. Olmito is off U.S. highways 77 and 83 two miles northwest of Brownsville in southern Cameron County. The Olmito post office opened in 1905. A station was established in the area in 1911, when the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway was constructed. In 1914 the community had a population estimated at fifty, a post office, a grocery store, and a cotton gin. The next year a school was also in operation in the town. The post office closed in 1918 and reopened in 1925. In 1933 Olmito had a population estimated at seventy-five and seven businesses. The population remained at seventy-five through 1948, when there were two businesses in the area. By 1950 the town had a population of 150 and six businesses, and in 1952 the population was 200. In 1970 the Olmito Independent School District was consolidated with the Los Fresnos Independent School District.
Since the 1980s Olmito has received attention because of John Lennon Memorial Park, which is leased to the county at a dollar a year by the McNamara brothers because Lennon "did a great deal to promote peace and world harmony." The park holds an annual celebration in conjunction with Earth Day and another on Lennon's birthday.
During the 1960s a colonia developed northwest of Olmito. It too was known by the name of Olmito. In 1986 it had 274 dwellings and a population of 1,233. Olmito is Spanish for "little elm."
Mark
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Oxkutzcab, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OxkutzcabMX.jpg)
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Bigfoot, TX
Originally called Connally's Store, the name was changed to honor William A.A. "Bigfoot" Wallace who was a resident of the area. A museum devoted to "Bigfoot" Wallace is the main draw for visitors.
The town dates from 1865, although they didn't get a post office until 1883.
The town suffered a disastrous fire in 1903. By 1907 there were 105 students in the Bigfoot school. Devine absorbed Bigfoot's school in the statewide sweep of school consolidations of the late 40s.
This is a portrait of Bigfoot Wallace:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/BigfootWallace603TexasRangerMuseumW.jpg)
Leslie
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Trophy Club, Tx
AT A GLANCE
Where every home comes with hundreds of acres of natural beauty and a prestigious country club featuring 36 holes of golf!
With a unique history there is no other community like the planned community of the Town of Trophy Club. The planning and zoning activities covering all aspects of town development over the years have resulted in an ambiance like no other place. Trophy Club is an independent town with an elected mayor and five member council. All of the elements of quality community living come together here where comfort and peaceful living make this an outstanding place to be in any stage of life. Much of the town’s appeal is the wide range of home choices and resident participation in community activities, schools, churches, clubs, organizations and town advisory groups.
Trophy Club is a work in progress. The population of Trophy Club is expected to grow to 10,177 residents from the current 7,400 by 2013. Careful planning is a hallmark of our town and plans are constantly being reviewed to ensure that the growth of the community maintains the neighborhood atmosphere that residents have come to treasure.
The strategic location of the town places us at the center of a major growth area. A developing quality highway and road system around us provides easy access to all areas of the Metroplex, whether for work or play. Close proximity to both the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Alliance Airport will continue to be a major factor in our growth.
On this website you will be able to visit our neighborhoods, our schools, our churches, parks, clubs, advisory groups and our Town government. Please browse through this site for items of interest to you. If you would like more information on any aspect of our town, please contact us. We welcome your inquiries and would appreciate your input on our site so we can make it more useful to you and other visitors.
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Bishop, WY
Bishop is in Natrona County, in the Casper metro area.
The community was named after Marvin L. Bishop, president of the county woolgrowers association.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/BishopWY.jpg)
The Bishop Family Home was constructed in 1907, one of the earliest multi-story brick houses in Casper. The residence is an example of a Four Square Home with colonial revival details, reminiscent of the Virginia boyhood home of the original owner, Marvin Lord Bishop, Sr. The home has been continuously owned and occupied by the Bishops, one of Casper's original pioneer families.
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Peacock, TX
1909: Peacock was originally called Alluvia when it was a stop on the Stamford and Northwestern Railway.
1910: The name was changed when J. W. Peacock, postmaster, moved his store to Alluvia.
The population at that time was 100.
1914: A tornado wrecked the town, but growth continued
1920: The population was 350 people.
1940: the town was reduced to 216 residents
1964: The Peacock school closed.
1980: The population was 125.
And I found this interesting request online:
WW2 Paratrooper from Peacock, Texas
I am an English tour guide who takes people to visit WW2 battlefields in Normandy. I now live permanently in Normandy and I am trying to research the story of a WW2 paratrooper from Peacock, Texas who died in the house where I now live on June 8th 1944. His name was Ray C. Kennedy and originally came from Peacock in Texas. I know from your online article that this is a very small town and I am currently trying to research Mr. Kennedy's story in order to hopefully, one day, publish it. I know Ray Kennedy was born in 1917 and his parents (Surilla and Mr. C. E. Kennedy) lived in Peacock at the time of his death. Is there any resource you can think of in order to further my research and to possibly, maybe, trace any family he may have in Texas today? Many thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide. Kind regards Stuart Robertson Normandy, France, July 12, 2006 [email protected]
Leslie
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Kovar, TX
(http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsSouth/KovarTexas/KovarTexasRoad105JT.jpg)
Kovar is eight miles south of Smithville in southeastern Bastrop County. It was named for an early settler, Martin Kovar, who arrived in the area around 1870.
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Red Butte, Wy
of 2000, there were 439 people, 160 households, and 134 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 360.6/km² (941.0/mi²). There were 163 housing units at an average density of 133.9/km² (349.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.81% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.68% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 160 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.6% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 13.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 111.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $70,350, and the median income for a family was $71,500. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $32,321 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,751
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Ecatatpec, MEXICO
seems to be an ugly suburb of Mexco City, lots of inner-city, poverty problems.
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Concord, TX
(note: this article was written in 2002)
Forty years ago this year, Concord vanished.
Not the one in Massachusetts; the one in East Texas.
In 1962, the waters of the Angelina River rolled out of their banks to form Sam Rayburn Reservoir. In the process, they swallowed up a settlement that had existed in Angelina County for more than 125 years.
As a young reporter for the Houston Chronicle, I stood a few hundred yards from Concord¹s muddy main street and watched the town¹s 100 or so families -- the Moses, the Motts, the Hopsons and others -- weep over the loss of the homes their ancestors had hewn from logs in the river bottom. Concord¹s families fought the U.S. Corps of Engineers as long as they could.
In the end, they gave up and watched as the dam builders pulled down their log houses, destroyed their school, moved their church, dug up the bodies of their ancestors in Concord Cemetery, and finally rolled behemoth tree crushers into the community to flatten its last remains.
When Forest Hopson realized he would have to leave, he moved his small frame home with the help of neighbors. He then ripped apart the other buildings on his land and carried the lumber to his new homesite in his old, battered pickup truck.
But Hopson couldn¹t carry with him one of his proudest possessions, a 12-foot cedar tree in his front yard. For ten years Hopson had decorated the cedar as his Christmas tree.
One of the first homes to go was a log cabin built by Colonel T.L. Mott, one of the community's first settlers.
Mott pitched a tent in the river bottom in the early 1800s and soon built the cabin for his family and for later use as a post office for the town. In 1878, Mott was buried where his tent once stood. The site became Mott Cemetery, one of five graveyards relocated by the dam builders. One of Colonel Mott¹s sons, Rev. R.L. Mott, founded Concord Missionary Baptist Church, which marked its 99th anniversary just before it was moved. One of the old colonel's grandsons owned Concord¹s only store, a combination grocery and service station. Before the dam builders demolished it, the store was used to store wooden coffins for transporting the dead from Concord¹s cemeteries to a new graveyard several miles away on Texas Highway 63.
The relocation of the graves bothered Concord¹s families the most. Matthew Mott, another of the old colonel¹s kin, said: "When they move the graves, the souls of our pioneers won¹t have any place to rest. They¹ll just roam around, never leaving Concord." Today, forty years later, maybe Concord's spirits are still there.
How sad....
Leslie
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Dalhart, Tx
DALHART, TEXAS. Dalhart, the county seat of Dallam County, straddles the border of Dallam and Hartley counties in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle. The original settlement was platted early in 1901 by W. J. Blair and Charles W. Thornton when the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway built west from Liberal, Kansas, and crossed the Fort Worth and Denver City line. The site of the crossing was known for a time as Twist Junction. J. H. Conlen supervised the laying of the Rock Island tracks and made an old boxcar into a section house on the site. Later the settlement was named Denrock, a combination of the names of the two railroads; in 1901 Robert B. Edgell named his new newspaper the Denrock Sun. But when postal authorities objected, the town adopted the name Dalhart, combining the first syllables of the names of the two counties in which it is located. On June 11, 1901, Ora D. Atkinson and other promoters incorporated the Dalhart Town Company, and the first and only sale of lots was held on July 20. Dalhart was incorporated as a town on May 6, 1902, and as a city on April 6, 1904. It replaced Texline as Dallam county seat, as a result of an election on February 21, 1903. From that time on, Dalhart quickly grew as a shipping center for the XIT Ranchqv and other area ranches. The activities of the W. P. Soashqv Land Company also contributed significantly to Dalhart's progress. C. E. Williams, a noted well driller, built the town's first water tower in 1906. Previously, it had been necessary to buy water at twenty cents a barrel from barrels lining the railroad tracks.
By 1912 Dalhart had a population of 3,500. The two railroad lines, which erected machine shops, roundhouses, and a lever control tower, contributed to the town's prosperity, and Dalhart played a major role in establishing the Enid, Ochiltree and Western and other small railways. In addition, it had three banks, a flour mill, a large grain elevator, a planing mill, a modern utilities system, a hospital, an ice plant, several hotels and churches, and a high school athletic program serving an ever-expanding agricultural area. When oil companies began drilling in the Panhandle,qv Dalhart was among the first towns to sell oil leases. The Dallam County Public Library, the first county library in Texas, opened for circulation in January 1921. Dalhart's population was further increased with the development of its East Heights addition in 1928.
During the drought years of the 1930s Dalhart was notorious for its "black dusters" (see DUST BOWL). R. S. (Uncle Dick) Coon, a wealthy businessman who owned the DeSoto Hotel, became legendary for his generosity to depression-stricken farmers and cowboys. In August 1934 Dalhart became the site of one of the first three erosion-control demonstration projects in Texas, sponsored by the federal land bank, and the first to be devoted specifically to wind erosion. The Work Projects Administration and National Youth Administrationqqv also had chapters in Dalhart. Dalhart Army Air Fieldqv was established about two miles southwest of town.
In 1990 Dalhart remained an agribusiness center for a wide area of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In addition to cattle feedlots, a bottling plant, and feed and meat processing plants, Dalhart is noted for its schools, hospital, and nursing home. The Dalhart Texan has served as the area newspaper since December 11, 1902. The Rock Island shops continue to help furnish the city's payrolls. Three U.S. highways, 87, 385, and 54, converge at Dalhart. Since 1936 Dalhart has been the home of the XIT Ranch Reunion and Rodeo, held in August. It was the XIT Reunion Association that built the landmark Empty Saddles monument and later established the XIT Museum. Another community event is the annual Railroad Week. Two miles south of Dalhart is Rita Blanca Canyon, site of Rita Blanca Lake. The city's population increased from 5,899 in the 1950s to 6,854 in the 1980s. In 1990 it was 6,246, and in 2000 it was 7,237.
XIT
What is "XIT" and why is everything in town named after it? The XIT Ranch (pronounced as initials) was the largest ranch in the world in the 1880s. It contained over 3 million acres in ten Texas counties and ran 150,000 head of cattle. The land comprising the ranch was traded by the State of Texas to the Capital Syndicate of Chicago in exchange for building the state capital in Austin.
XIT Rodeo & Reunion - Held every year since 1925 to honor the cowboys who worked the ranch. Always the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of August. Ten to twenty thousand attend the Rodeo, World's Largest Free Barbecue, Parade and much more.
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Tow Texas
TOW, TEXAS. Tow is on Farm Road 2241 and the western shore of Lake Buchanan, twenty miles northeast of Llano in northeastern Llano County. It is the oldest community in the county. It began with the arrival in 1852 of David and Gideon Cowan and their mother, Ruth, from Tennessee. The Cowans were directed by local Indians to a salt bed near the Colorado River, which they developed into a successful saltworks. Significant not only in the local economy, the Bluffton-Tow Salt Works was also known as the Confederate States of America Salt Works for its contribution to the Confederate cause. The operation was destroyed by the "salt works cyclone" in 1871. John F. Morgan arrived in the area with his family in 1853 and soon established a hat business, using beaver and other fur trapped locally. When the Tow brothers, William and Wilson, arrived with their families in 1853, they named the nearby area in which they settled Tow Valley. A post office was established there in 1886 as Tow with Mathew B. Clendenen as postmaster. Tow grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s with the addition of retirement and recreation to its economic base. From a population of fifty before 1950, the lakeside town had grown to 305 by 1974, when it had a post office and numerous businesses. In 2000 the population was still 305; thirty-one businesses were reported.
(http://images.cafepress.com/product/5926994_240x240_Front.jpg)
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Winnie, TX
For Mark:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/WinnieTX.jpg)
1951 Chevrolet Pickup
Custom Built by Hot Rods & Custom Stuff for "Bubba Nelson" in Winnie, Texas
More pictures here: http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/bubba1.html (http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/bubba1.html)
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El Calaboz, Texas
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Zepayahutla, Mx
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Albuquerque, TX
Located on the Clear Fork of Sandies Creek, Albuquerque was once believed to have been in Wilson County. The discrepancy was cleared by a survey in 1914. The town was only two miles south of where Gonzales, Wilson, and Guadalupe counties joined. The Handbook of Texas suggests that the name was "probably" suggested by "South Texans who had fought in New Mexico under Henry H. Sibley."
Brothers-in-law Henry S. Hastings and Samuel McCracken from Mississippi are regarded as the town's first settlers. The town began in the early 1870s with official recognition coming with the opening of the post office in 1870. Thirteen short years later it was already fading into ghost-town status. The post office closed its doors briefly, reopened and then closed for good in 1883.
The fledgling town had the basic businesses to survive including a cotton gin, blacksmith, store, saloon and school, but with no railroad on the horizon, the odds were stacked against Albuquerque's survival.
It did have it's fifteen minutes of fame when John Wesley Hardin was involved in not one, but two killings.
Albuquerque's decline was attributed to the growth of nearby Union, Texas, aka Union Valley which was two miles south of Albuquerque. Eventually even the die-hard residents abandoned the town and by 1912 the town was totally deserted.
Leslie
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Ekbalab, Mexico
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Beiseker, Alberta
Where Jack and Ennis spent the night in the Siesta Motel
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/siestamotel.jpg)
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Ralls, TX
Ralls, the largest town in Crosby County was founded by John Robinson Ralls. He was also the town’s benefactor. W. E. McLaughlin helped Ralls plat the townsite in July of 1911.
Ralls paid to have a number of businesses and houses moved from the community of Emma. The idea was to be near the Santa Fe Railroad tracks – a move that rarely failed. Ralls also donated land for a new school and in 1913 a new school opened in a $17,000 building.
Ralls plan bore fruit. Being on the railroad brought the town prosperity unimaginable in Emma. Most importantly the railroad brought an infusion of settlers – the lifeblood of any embryonic town.
The chamber of commerce was founded in 1917, with John’s brother Percy as president.
Ralls was incorporated in 1922 with a population of just under 1,000 Rallites.
Ralls suffered like many Texas towns during the 1930s – but almost exactly halfway through the decade – June 19th, 1935 – Ralls suffered one of Texas’ worst hailstorms. Two citizens were killed and the cotton compress was left without a roof. Our source doesn’t include a tally on damage to the crops – which had to have been costly and destructive.
Irrigation improved crop production and helped Ralls withstand the droughts of the early 50s.
Leslie
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Sherman, Tx
The City of Sherman, Texas, is located at the crossroads of U.S. 75 and U.S. 82 in North Texas. The county seat of Grayson County, Sherman is a community of 36,000 residents, and home to several Fortune 100 industries as well as to Austin College, a vibrant arts community, and abundant recreational opportunities. Excellent schools, beautiful scenery, and a variety of shopping, restaurants and hotels add to the community.
Sherman is 60 miles north of Dallas - close enough to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to access the urban amenities - yet it still retains an unhurried and friendly atmosphere of smaller communities. Sherman also has a richly diverse history, and is only 10 miles south of Lake Texoma, one of the largest reservoirs in the state of Texas and well-known for its champion bass fishing, sailing, camping and hiking. Sherman welcomes you!
One of my best buds is named David Sherman.
Mark
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Newbrook, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NewbrookAB.jpg)
4-G GARFILD 115J
Sold to Raymond Nendze, Newbrook, Alberta
Spruce View Charolais of Andrew, Alberta, was established in March of 1984 with the purchase of 6 half French cows. We are strictly a 2-year-old bull marketer, since we start calving a little later than the other purebred breeders. We have approximately 40 - 48 2-year-old bulls annually for sale by private treaty or through our annual sale consignments. We have been members of the North Central Alberta Charolais Breeders for the past 13 years, marketing both males and females through the annual sales at Nilsson Bros. in Clyde.
We like to attend most of our local rural stock shows. Due to other off farm interests taking up a lot of our time, we do not do the big shows. Our 2 children are actively involved in 4-H which allows them to compete in the local and district levels. They really enjoy the experience of meeting fellow members and socializing with them at various functions. These exchanges seem to be a highlight for the kids.
Our operation consists of my wife, Effie, my son, Lyle, my daughter, Larissa, and my parents, Syl and Margaret, who worked hard in getting our herd started.
Feel welcome to stop by any time to visit and have a coffee.
We are located 16 miles north of Mundare or 3 miles south of Andrew on Secondary #855.
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Kent, TX
The town, once called Antelope, was founded in the early 1890s.
A post office was granted in 1893 and by 1914 the population was a thriving 25 persons. The population doubled in the mid-1920s and remained at that level for 40 years. The post office was reported closed in 1960 but has since reopened.
Kent had a population of sixty-five in the late 1960s - falling to 60 by the mid-1970s where it remains today.
This is the ruin of the Kent Public School
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/KentTexasPublicSchool06BrianBrown.jpg)
Leslie
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Tiki Island, TX
VILLAGE OF TIKI ISLAND, TEXAS. The Village of Tiki Island is a coastal community located off Interstate 45 on a tiny peninsula in Jones Bay, five miles west of Galveston in Galveston County. The residential development was in existence by the late 1960s and incorporated on August 30, 1982. In 1990 the town had a population of 537. That number increased to 1,016 in 2000. The Village of Tiki Island has a mayor and alderman form of government, and the resort community has a police department, volunteer fire department, and one church.
The Tiki Island Volunteer Firefighters Department (TIVFD) was founded in 1986 as a chartered, nonprofit association dedicated to protect life and property endangered by fire or medical emergency. TIVFD is made up of Tiki residents who give their time to help ensure the health, safety, and welfare of everyone in and around the community. The Department consists of eleven Firemen, four Emergency Medical Technicians, one Paramedic, and one Registered Nurse.
(http://www.villageoftikiisland.com/fire1.jpg)
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Dixon, Wy
Dixon, Wyoming, in Carbon county, is 132 miles W of Fort Collins, Colorado and 161 miles NW of Denver, Colorado. The town is home to some 79 residents.
Mark
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Noxville, TX
Noxville's first resident was a man named Creed Taylor who built a stone house there in 1869. Other settlers came in the 1870s to settle nearby (4.5 miles east). In 1879 a storekeeper named Nox opened the town's post office. The Noxville school (circa 1880) was the first stone school in Kimble County.
In 1940 the school merged with the Harper ISD in Gillespie County. In 1911 the post office was moved west to the James River. By the 1920s, the town had a store and gas station. The post office closed its doors in 1942.
The population was fifteen or less until 1974, when it suddenly jumped to 75. By 1990 it had declined to only three people.
Leslie
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East Waco, Texas
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Olivarez, Tx
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Zipp, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/ZippTX.jpg)
Guadalupe River near Seguin, TX
Sometimes called Zippville, Zipp is a small community located on U.S. Highway 90 and the Guadalupe River about two miles west of Seguin in central Guadalupe County. The village probably began during the early 1900s and was named for the Zipp family.
The main activity in the area centered around a cluster of businesses that included a service station, restaurant, and boat shop. A small airport was located nearby. The first population figures were available in 1970 when the census listed ninety-eight residents. That number remained constant through the 1990s, though most of the businesses had closed. In 2000 the population was 110, and a catering business operated in the area.
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Pharr, TX
Originally a Spanish land grant made in 1767, heirs broke the grant into smaller tracts in the late 1800s. John Connely Kelley and Henry N. Pharr arrived about 1909 and bought 16,000 acres of land. Pharr, a Louisiana sugarcane grower founded the Louisiana and Rio Grande Canal Company to construct an irrigation system for a sugar plantation. Kelley formed the Pharr Townsite Company, naming the new town after his partner.
Pharr became a stop on the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway around 1911. Four thousand acres had already been sold to settlers and the town had a depot, hotel and bank. The Rio Grande valley sugarcane industry went bust - dashing Pharr's hopes. Kelley assumed control of the existing irrigation system and supplied water to vegetable and cotton farmers. In 1915 the population was a mere 600.
In 1916 the town incorporated and it had its own newspaper three years later. That same year Pharr and two other small communities formed the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD.
By 1920 Pharr had grown to 1 nearly 1,560 and eleven years later it had doubled. The population was 4,784 in 1940. In 1956 a vote to merge with neighboring McAllen was soundly defeated. By 1960 the population had reached 14,000 and by 1990 it was nearly 33,000.
The Pharr Hotel in 1913:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/PharrHotel1913TexasOPtb.jpg)
L
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Robinson, Tx
Historic Robinson
The City of Robinson traces its beginnings to the settlement of the Robinson brothers, John and Levi, who began farming in the area around 1852. Known originally as Robinsonville, the city was incorporated in 1955 under the name of Robinson and adopted the present Home Rule form of government in 1999.
Mark
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Navidad, Texas
NAVIDAD, TEXAS. Navidad is on Farm Road 822 ten miles west of Edna in the Navidad gas field in northwestern Jackson County. Soon after 1845 German immigrant John Jacob Knopp settled the area. Navidad functioned as a mail stop from 1869 to 1882, 1891 to 1918, and 1920 to the late 1950s, at which time the post office closed for the last time. By 1892 the community was on the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway and by 1896 its population had reached 200. By 1914 Navidad had acquired a telephone connection and become a banking and shipping center for local farmers. By 1926, however, the population had dwindled to twenty-eight. In 1936 Navidad consisted of a rural school, one business establishment, and about seventeen farms running along a bladed earth road. From 1926 to 1969 the number of residents hovered around twenty-eight, but by 1988 Navidad consisted of little more than widely scattered dwellings.
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Dew, TX
The area was first settled in the 1850s by Alabamans and was first known as Avant or Avant Prairie. In 1870 the Sunshine Methodist Church moved here from Harrison Chapel and the community's name was changed to Sunshine, Texas. The last name came about in 1885 when the town applied for a post office. Like many towns, there was a mix-up caused by either poor penmanship or poor eyesight and the desired name of Drew (after a local person) was officially recognized as Dew.
By the early 1890s, the town had most essential businesses and a respectable population of 150. After WWII the town still had less than 200 people. In the early 1990s, only 71 residents called Dew home. A cemetery association that had been organized in 1912 is still operating and the town has an annual homecoming.
Leslie
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Woods Landing, Wy
In 1883 Col. Sam Wood started out with his family in a Conestoga wagon from Atlantic, Iowa, to come to Wyoming Territory. At the foot of the Medicine Bow Range, he staked out a house site on the Big Laramie River and built the first house, the site that now bears his name. Woods Landing became a welcome spot for freighters and stage drivers, and the saloon Sam Wood opened beside the river became a popular place for the scores of tie hacks in the vicinity. Ties cut and hewn in the mountains were floated down river to Laramie during the spring run-off and the woodsmen celebrated the end of the tie drive at the riverside saloon. In 1927, a young Indiana couple, Mayne and Clarence Lewellen, who had come west to find a cure for Clarence's tuberculosis, bought the property and began development of what is today's Woods Landing Resort. They hired a stalwart young Norwegian, Hokum Lestrum to build a dance hall, which was constructed entirely of hand-grooved logs (with no nails). The hall was built on top of 24 boxcar springs and even today is reputed to be the best dance floor in southeastern Wyoming. The dance hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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Gramm, WY
(Only 6.8 miles from Woods Landing)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/GrammWY.jpg)
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Menard, Texas
--the county seat of Menard County.
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Diboll, Tx
Diboll, Texas
For more than 100 years a sawmill has nurtured a community. Once, just a Whistle stop, Diboll has grown into a community that feels more like a large family. Located in the heart of the piney woods of East Texas, Diboll offers an open invitation to come live in our town.
Whether it's a day spent on our many area lakes, a hunting trip, a golf outing at Neches Pines Golf Course, a pristine 18-hole municipal course, or hours spent at our city's history center, there's plenty of activities to keep you busy and an important part of the community.
Our city also boasts an excellent school system, an active Boys and Girls Club, a beautiful civic center, city parks, and a library. Our many churches support the community's spiritual needs and sustain family values.
Attractions, historic sites and natural beauty are tempting, but what really stands out are the people, the smiles, and the southern hospitality that always makes you feel at home.
Mark
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Lamar, TX
Founded in 1839, Lamar was a rival to the then thriving Aransas City, Texas which was just across Copano Bay at Lookout Point. Aransas City had the customhouse which guaranteed prosperity. Lamar became the first coastal town in (what was then) Refugio County.
The President of the Republic was petitioned by a group of settlers to move the customhouse from Aransas City. Their forceful argument that the new town was twice the population of Aransas City convinced the President - who just happened to share the same name of the town. The change was made and the worse fears of Aransas Citizens became a reality. Aransas City virtually disappeared.
Lamar's star rose and its prosperity surpassed that of its former rival - that is until the town was destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. Only a few shellcrete foundations remained.
Lamar found itself in Aransas County when that county was established in 1871.
The cemetery, said to be the oldest in the territory, remains relatively unchanged and is one of the more picturesque coastal cemeteries in the state. It has been designated a historical landmark.
A list of all interments has been made available through the Lamar Cemetery Association. Authored by Mary Lou Brannon the information is available at the Aransas County Public Library and at the cemetery itself.
Leslie
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Richardson, Texas
--situated in Dallas County, today a suburb of Dallas (the Big D).
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Nanchititla, Mx
Mark
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Abee, Alberta
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Eagle Lake, Texas
--situated in Colorado County; "located by 3,000-acre lake of same name...has meat-packing plant, wholesale houses [1945]"
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Elmendorf, Texas
ELMENDORF, TEXAS. Elmendorf is at the junction of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Farm Road 327, some seventeen miles southeast of downtown San Antonio in southeastern Bexar County. The town was established in 1885 and named for Henry Elmendorf, former mayor of San Antonio and promoter of the first brick plant in the vicinity. W. F. Saenger discovered that the clay in the area was suitable for pottery, and that became an important local industry. A post office opened at the community in 1886, and by 1890 Elmendorf had a pottery, a general store, a hotel, and a population of fifty. The settlement grew rapidly after 1900, and by 1914 it had nine general stores, a cotton gin, a hotel, and a population of 300. The community's largest employer for many years was Star Clay Products, a firebrick factory. The population of Elmendorf was consistently reported as 300 until the 1950s. During the 1960s it fell to 200, but later it grew steadily, and in 1990 the town reported 568 residents and eighteen businesses. The population in 2000 was 664.
Mark
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Friendship, TX
Friendship and a nearby town called Old Friendship (AKA Allison) were founded in the 1880s. According to information provided by Harold Grinstead, the land was first settled by Elihu Creswell Allison in 1847. Allison was partially destroyed in a 1921 flood.
In the 1970s it was decided to impound the waters of the San Gabriel River. Laneport Dam (the original name) was the result. It was renamed Granger Dam some time later. Graves in the Friendship Cemetery were reintered at other cemeteries and the Friendship school consolidated with Granger schools in 1958. The former Friendship Community holds a reunion every year on the third Saturday of October.
The Deadly Flood of 1921
The rain started at 6 p.m. on September 10, 1921 and continued until 6 a.m. on September 11th. Although no official measure was mentioned - it was estimated that 50 inches of rain fell. One Henry Rozacky (who was 83 when he gave his report to the paper) had no trouble recalling the soggy events. He reported that a "dry and empty" 50 gallon drum in his backyard was overflowing about 2 a.m. and that the lightning was giving everything a greenish tinge. He reported that the blacksmith shop was washed away and that the general store was a total loss. He and a neighbor rescued 26 bales of ginned cotton that were bobbing away from the gin. In Mr. Rozacky's words: "You'd be surprised how readily 500 and 600 lb bales of cotton can float." He continued: "we got hold of them and pushed them before us until we reached a hill at the old Brookshire place. "...and you know, no one gave us a dime for their bales as they came to take their own." "One man tied a bale onto a tree and after the waters receded that bale was suspended in mid-air."
The flooding wasn't just in Friendship, either. Further west, the waters took out the North San Gabriel River bridge in Georgetown.
A family of three in Friendship lashed themselves to a tree but all drowned. Twenty-six people were trapped at Laneport - when they were "engulfed" by the flood. All were later found drowned - and Mr. Rozacky said he helped construct the twenty-six coffins. Rozacky went on to say that "not a single bridge of any type was left standing." "The bridge across the San Gabriel at Hoxie was swept away and the railroad tracks at Circleville stood on end in an arc." One house (the C.B. Arnold home) was carried downstream and deposited "where it now stands." Several other homes were involuntarily moved great distances by the surge of water.
After the rains, mud was everywhere -- its quantity nearly matched by its depth. With the bridges gone, horses became the best method of transportation. One man on horseback sank up to his saddle and had to be pulled out by a block and tackle. Scores of domestic pigs turned feral and had to be shot.
The old iron bridge at Hoxie was moved to Wilson H. Fox Park on Lake Granger and became part of the nature trail.
Finally it was decided that it just wasn't worth it - if the water wanted Friendship so bad - let the water have Friendship. In the summer of 1977 the spillway for the dam was constructed.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/FriendshipTexas/FriendshipTexasRoadGoingEast.jpg)
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Podunk, TX
Before suburbia, gated communities, and strip shopping centers - back when convenience stores were corner groceries and before pedestrians became extinct; Texas cities had very distinct neighborhoods. These self-reliant communities were usually held in place by stable landmarks like high schools, fire stations or theaters. When residents needed something really important - there were buses to take them on a downtown adventures. Sometimes these communities had their own parks and sometimes they even had their own watertowers. This is the story of one such community, its watertower and the mystery of the name. It's also the story of a record-breaking basketball game played by an underdog team of fourteen-year olds in 1948.
Houstonian author Jay Grady has started a grassroots movement to have his old neighborhood officially recognized as "Texas' Official Mythical Town."
The neighborhood went by other names, but the most popular was and is Denver Harbor. The original boundries of "Podunk" were west of (what is now) Wayside, north of the tracks and not far from from the notorious juncture of Lyons Avenue and Jensen Drive (aka "Pearl Harbor").
Former Denver Harborites or anyone wishing to sign Dr. Grady's petition for Official recognition are encouraged to visit his website www.podunktexas.com.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/PodunkTexasDrJayGradyBookCover306.jpg)
Leslie
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Kerens, Tx
Welcome to the City of Kerens, Texas
[Mandatory Water Shortage]
a growing and friendly Central Texas city conveniently situated between Corsicana and Athens on SH 31. The city lies about 70 miles southeast of downtown Dallas and some 180 miles from Houston.
One of the city's most well-known hometown boys is Big Tex. He now stands on the grounds of the State Fair of Texas and greets visitors from around the world. But Big Tex started life in Kerens as the world's largest Santa Claus. He was built and erected by local citizens and stood in the middle of Colket Avenue, the Kerens main street, during the years of 1948 and 1949. From there he warmly welcomed passersby during the holidays. After two years, however, he was adopted by the State Fair of Texas and became Big Tex.
We invite you to visit us whenever you can. We hope to see you soon!
THE SYMBOL OF THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS, Big Tex was born on the main street of Kerens. In 1949 the citizens of Kerens, under the leadership of the Chamber of Commerce, set about to build the world's largest Santa Claus. For a couple of Christmas seasons the red-suited figure was the talk of the country. An enterprising Chamber official sold the metal framework to the State Fair of Texas where he has been ever since. During the centennial celebration in 1981, Big Tex came "home" for a week where he presided over the 100th birthday of Kerens.
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San Saba, Texas
--the county seat of San Saba County; "trading, shipping center for wool, mohair, cattle, turkeys, pecans [1945]".
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Adobes, TX
The five lines in the Handbook of Texas say that it came into being in the 1870s as "farming community" - as unlikely as that seems today. Sheep were raised as well as whatever crops they could coax from the rocky soil. But the Rio Grande did provide abundant water and in 1914 irrigation pumps allowed the residents to grow cotton. By 1930 Adobes had 750 irrigated acres.
Reportedly still operating in the 1980s, Adobes today offers the visitor a melancholy but memorable vision of what most people imagine a borderland ghost town to be.
A former residence in Adobes:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AdobesTexas2EWhetstone405.jpg)
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Sterling City, Tx
STERLING CITY, TEXAS has been called the "Windmill City" because at one time, the number of windmills standing in the city boundaries was near 150. However, the number of windmills has diminished within the City, but windmills can still be seen throughout the range land and still serve a valuable aide for ranchers of Sterling County.
Sterling City, the county seat and only city in Sterling County, is a
community with 1081 people enjoying the pleasures and the
comforts of living in a small town.
In the past few years, Sterling City has gone through some noticeable changes to include beautification projects, water well improvements, the renovation of the Sterling City Depot, and others.
Sterling is also the brand name of a car marketed tin the USA from 1987 to 1991 produced by the now defunct Rover in the UK. Although the Honda power train proved reliable the cars suffered from indifferent quality and poor US dearler service.
Mark
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Yolox, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/SanPedroYoloxMX.jpg)
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Xala, Mexico
Latitude 19.7625
Longitude -98.6500
Altitude (feet) 8165
Lat (DMS) 19° 45' 45N Long (DMS) 98° 39' 0W
Altitude (meters) 2488
Time zone (est) UTC-6(-5DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 12152
Leslie
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Aubrey, Tx
AUBREY, TEXAS. Aubrey is in the Cross Timbersqv region twelve miles northeast of Denton and forty miles north of Dallas in northeastern Denton County. The site was originally named Onega (Ornega, Ornego) when the Texas and Pacific Railway built a section house there in 1881. The same year the name Aubrey was drawn from a hat to replace the name Onega, which was not popular, and a charter for a post office, to be operated in the railroad depot, was granted. Although the Key Schoolhouse settlement, established in 1858 by Dr. George Key, was only about a mile from what became the downtown part of Aubrey, Lemual Noah Edwards, a Civil Warqv veteran from Alabama, is given credit for founding the town. He built the town's second house, a large, imposing, two-story structure, of lumber hauled from Jefferson in 1867. After the first businesses, east of the railroad tracks, burned in 1887, the town was rebuilt west of the tracks, partially on land donated by Edwards. He also helped the town grow by giving each of his ten children land on which to build a home as a wedding present. By 1920 Aubrey had more than thirty businesses and a population of 700. The automobile, the boll weevil,qv and the Great Depressionqv contributed to the decline of the population over the next several years. By the 1980s peanuts had replaced cotton as the number-one crop; an annual average of 3,000 tons is processed in the local drying plant. The sandy, fertile land and the moderate climate have attracted many horse ranchers to the area, which, according to some, is becoming the "horse capital" of Texas. Other farm products include cattle, hay, fruits, and vegetables. A number of cabinet shops are also located in the area. In 1980 Aubrey had a population of 948. In 1986 Ray Roberts Dam was completed nearby on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. In 1990 Aubrey had a population of 1,138. By 2000 the population was 1,500.
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Yarboro, Texas
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Olga, TX
Olga was near the Coke county line in Nolan County. There is no record available how the town came to have such a Russian-sounding name. The community was abandoned by 1940.
The first postmistress had the pioneer-sounding name of Annie Parker and apparently liked to link events with holidays. The town's post office opened on Columbus Day, 1892, and was moved to Blackwell on Halloween, 1910.
Leslie
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Argyle, Tx
ARGYLE, TEXAS. Argyle is on U.S. Highway 377 and the Missouri Pacific Railroad six miles southwest of Denton in southwestern Denton County. Between 1850 and 1867 fourteen families settled in the area under the auspices of the Peters colony,qv and in the 1850s twenty-nine families settled on vacant or unclaimed land in the area. At that time the place was known as Pilot Knob or Waintown. Early settlers raised cattle on the open ranges nearby. The first post office in the area was near Pilot Knob, where Emily Wilson was appointed postmistress in 1878. She had the post office in her log cabin, two miles east of the site of future Argyle, where a stagecoach delivered the mail. The first school in the area was in Graham, one-half mile to the north, in 1875. In 1876, the Graham Baptist Church, the first formal church in the area, was organized in the school. Previously, a ten-day revival had been held every fall at John Wells Campground, two miles west of Argyle.
The Texas and Pacific built its track through the area in 1881. Argyle was founded on November 7, 1881, when James Morrill was given the authority to build and maintain a depot, switches, and side tracks there. The community was named Argyle by a railroad surveyor, after a garden in France. In 1881 the post office was moved from Pilot Knob to Argyle. Mail was delivered by the railroad four times daily. By the late 1880s Argyle had two rural mail routes, each thirty miles long, which took a full day to ride. New cash crops, such as wheat and oats, were grown to ship on the railroad, and hogs and sheep were raised. In 1888 the Argyle State Bank was established. By 1890 Argyle had a population of 148 and several businesses, including two steam gristmills, a cotton gin, two general stores, a hotel, and a hardware store. In 1895 a fire started in a dry goods store and destroyed the entire business section, but it was rebuilt by the early twentieth century.
Denton County was divided into seventy-three school districts in 1884, and Argyle received its own district. It had nine grades; any student wishing more education had to attend school in Denton. In 1885 Argyle built a two-story brick school, and by 1891 the Argyle district was the fifth largest in the county, with 107 students. The town reached a population of 238 and five businesses in 1930. By the mid-1930s Argyle had electric service, and telephones were available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday through a switchboard operator. The cotton gin burned in 1930 and was never rebuilt, and area farmers started growing peanuts instead of cotton.
After the population peaked in the 1930s, the community began to decline. It reached a low of ninety in 1950. Local soils were depleted. As opportunities to work in Dallas-Fort Worth industries and war factories increased during World War II,qv young farmers moved from the country to the city. By the 1960s the population rose slightly, to 125. Argyle voted to incorporate on September 19, 1960, and did so in 1962. M. H. Wilson was elected the first mayor. The next year the Argyle Volunteer Fire Department was founded. Argyle's newspaper, the Quad Town News, was published that decade. In the 1970s more businesses were located in Argyle, including two grocery stores, several service stations and garages, beauty shops, a leather and shoe-repair shop, and a cafe and bakery. The railroad depot was moved in the 1970s, when the old section house was being used for Sunday school classes, but the railroad was still shipping agricultural products and manufactured goods. In the next two decades Argyle grew considerably as big-city residents moved to a country atmosphere. In 1990 it had a population of 1,575, which grew to 2,365 in 2000. That year Argyle's one manufacturing establishment made wooden cabinets.
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Eagle Flat, Texas
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Telegraph, TX
Telegraph came into being sometime before 1900 - the year a post office opened. The name comes from the telegraph that connected the string of military installations - or the telegraph poles that were cut nearby.
The natural setting made it a popular hunting and fishing destination although the year-round population remained at only 25 people from the mid-1920s through the 1960s. A poulation boom in the mid 1960 swelled the population to 56 - but by 1970 it was back to only 31. By the 1990s there were reportedly only three people living in the town.
The Telegraph General Store:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/TelegraphTexasGeneralStoreDetail817.jpg)
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Hickory Creek, Tx
Hickory Creek encompasses 15 square miles, the largest landmass of the Lake Cities. With its rolling hills and Lewisville Lake shoreline, its population of 2,100 resides on family farms, ranches and in several subdivisions.
In the last several years, the availability of residential housing has grown. The most recent growth added the subdivisions of Shore Haven, Lakeview, and Glenview.
Commercial development has also exploded in the sleepy town of Hickory Creek. Hickory Creek is home to Rave Motion Pictures, Wal-Mart, McDonalds/Chevron, Sherwin Williams, Children’s Lighthouse, Primrose School, and Marine Quest. Hickory Creek’s growth is continuing with retail development along FM 2181 and the I-35 corridor.
A volunteer Parks Board has worked diligently throughout the years to develop several parks within the town. In 1998 the dream of many Hickory Creek residents came true when Tanglewood Park was equipped with playground equipment, benches and tables. Point Vista Park, another city-leased U.S. Army Corps Park, along with Arrowhead Park, are equipped with boat ramps.
Hickory Creek is a general law city governed by a Mayor and five council members. The town has created a new Town Administrator position, which also serves as the Chief of Police. The town maintains a police department, community development department and a public works department. The Lake Cities Fire Department provides fire protection.
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Keg River, Alberta
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Runningwater, TX
First called Wadsworth, the people applied for a post office under the name Running Water - to promote the town by calling attention to the fact that it did, indeed, have running water. The PO opened in 1890 and was renamed the following year. Dennis Rice is credited with founding the town.
Runningwater's "Grand Opening" (complete with barbeque) occured in August of 1892. Several planned businesses failed and then a drought and a plague of grasshoppers in the mid-1890s set the town back. New settlers were attracted to the area in 1895 and by 1907 the town had three stores, and the same number of churches.
Things were looking good for the town when the Fort Worth and Denver Railway bypassed the town in 1928. The post office moved to Edmonson Switch on the railroad line in 1937 and Runningwater was abandoned. The community was still shown on detailed county maps although no population figures were given.
Edmonson has dropped the Switch off its name and is still on the map with a population of just over 100 persons.
Leslie
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Rosebud, Tx
Rosebud, with a population of about 1,700, is a growing town with many beautiful homes, a medical clinic, a nursing home, a consolidated high school (Rosebud - Lott, located at Travis), thriving businesses, good farming land surrounding the town, 13 churches, a city-manager system of government, an efficient Mayor and City Council, a Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture - and a rosebush in every yard!
Rosebud is now more than 100 years old, having celebrated its centennial in 1987. The leadership and citizens are determined to keep the town forever as lovely as its name.
Rosebud was originally settled on the west bank of Pond Creed in 1878. Known as Pool's Crossing or Greer's Horse Pen in those early days, the settlement in 1884 became known as Mormon after several Mormons moved there. The post office was opened at this time also. The settlement and post office moved east a few miles to its present location, and the search for a new name began. The postmaster at the time, Allin Taylor, submitted the name "Rosebud" to the postal service because of the beautiful roses blooming in Mrs. J. L. Mullins' front yard, and on April 23, 1887, the postal service accepted the name, and Rosebud was officially born.
There are light industrial and commercial properties in the downtown area. Since the principal industry in the locale is agriculture, there are several agribusinesses in the community to serve farmers and ranchers with their needs.
Landmard public buildings such as City Hall, D. Brown Memorial Library, schools the clinic, nursing home and churches are interspersed in the residential areas of Rosebud. Several structures and sites have received Texas State Historical Markers.
The homes in Rosebud convey a feeling of comfort and prosperity. Rosebud's residents possess a unique friendliness toward each other and newcomers. The neighborly attitude causes newcomers and strangers to take notice and this compliments a community that always keeps the welcome mat ready to receive new people and old friends.
Rosebud is founded on strong religious values which can be influential to the revitalization of the town's people. Strong moral and spiritual people attract others who wish to share these good neighborly values.
The efforts of community leadership are felt when the Rosebud "theme" is repeated . . . "There's a rose bush in every yard in Rosebud, Texas." When the popular Ripley's Believe It Or Not published this "Rosebud Theme" in its pages there was a pride that bloomed in the community. The arrival of the 100th birthday of the city caused a civic revival of the yearly rose planting to maintain "Everything's Rosy In Rosebud" motto in Rosebud, Texas. Persistent leadership can be noted when there is quality life and people practice involvement.
Many elderly residents enjoy their retirement years in Rosebud, Texas. The elderly are a valuable asset and a source of wisdom and encouragement to help make Rosebud a unique city. These Senior Citizens are integrated into the mainstream of the economic, political and social life of Rosebud.
Rosebud City Lake is an 18-acre reservoir used principally for an emergency source of water supply for the city. The city's water source is a contract with the Central Texas Water Supply Corporation and its treated water comes from the Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir. Rosebud's water is approved by the Texas State Health Department. Rosebud residents are provided with the finest gas, electric and telephone service available. Cable television service is also available.
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Devine, TX
Devine, Texas was established in 1881 as a result of the rail extension of the International-Great Northern Railroad from San Antonio to Laredo. The town was named after Judge Thomas Jefferson Devine from San Antonio, who was a jurist and attorney for the railroad. Devine was incorporated in 1904, and boasted a population of 504 at that time. The population doubled to 1,000 when irrigation became possible in 1915 through the Medina Irrigation Company. The town's principal crop also shifted from cotton to vegetables, corn and small grains.
The town's close proximity to San Antonio has made it a choice location for those wishing to live near the city, but who still want to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere that a rural community can bring. In 1988, the population was 4,016. Devine has a municipal airport, public library, golf course, public swimming pool, and two nursing homes.
In 1990, the Devine ISD had an enrollment of 1,400 students, and Devine had a total population of 3,928.
(http://www.devinetx.com/images/newindex_r1_c1.gif)
(http://www.devinetx.com/images/newindex_r2_c1.gif)
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Earlywine, TX
Named for John W. Earlywine, former postmaster of Wren, Texas.
The Harris Spring ME Church in Earlywine
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/EarlywineTxHarrisSpringMEChurch0806.jpg)
Leslie
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East Bernard, Tx
EAST BERNARD, TEXAS. East Bernard is on the west side of the San Bernard River at the intersection of State Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 90A, fifteen miles north of Wharton in northeast Wharton County. The community was originally on the east side of the river, where Jethro Spivi built the first residence around 1850; hence the name East Bernard. Settlement was slow until 1859 and the arrival of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway. A bridge was built, and the depot, Bernard Station, though originally located on the east bank of the river, was moved by 1869 to the west side, to the site of East Bernard's future Main Street. The rest of the town grew up around the railway. The first post office was established in 1866, but the community was probably not officially named East Bernard until 1874. After the Civil Warqv the community began to grow rapidly, as new settlers arrived with British surnames. Although Joseph Habermacher operated a store and saddle shop in Bernard Station some time before 1867, the main influx of German and Slavic immigrants came after the 1880s. In the mid-1890s the farming community had a population of 150, and businesses included a steam gin, a gristmill, a telegraph office, and two general stores. The first church in East Bernard was established in 1893, when German Methodist settlers dismantled their church in Content, three miles south of Weimar, and moved it by rail to East Bernard, where it was rebuilt in 1909. Catholic and Baptist congregations started holding services in private homes around 1900; their sanctuaries were completed between 1905 and 1907. The present Catholic church, built in 1925, has stained glass windows from Czechoslovakia, mosaics from Munich, a statue of St. Anthony from Italy, and statuary carved in the German Tyrol. An Assembly of God congregation began Pentecostal services in a private home in 1970 and moved into a new building by 1978. The first school building was erected around 1888 one mile north of the depot; by 1912 a brick high school had been built in town. Around 1916 East Bernard became an independent school district, and by 1956 nearby schools in Nottawa, Muldoon, Bernard Prairie, and Lissie were consolidated with the East Bernard school. A Texas historical marker now marks the site of the original school. East Bernard has had several newspapers, the first of which, the East Bernard Tribune, began in the 1920s. In the late 1980s the town was served by a weekly paper with the same name. Riverside Hall, built in 1927 on the east bank of the river, became a popular dance pavilion, where Paul Whiteman was once featured. In the early years of the settlement pioneer merchants H. P. Stockton and John G. Leveridge had operated a banking business in the back of Leveridge's General Store; by 1907 they had organized the Union State Bank. R. B. Boettcher purchased the controlling stock in 1911. In 1960 J. R. Peace, owner of a large furniture company, helped organize a chamber of commerce, which, since East Bernard is unincorporated, performs much of the duties of a city government. In the 1980s East Bernard's economy, though centered on agriculture, also included a gas pipeline company, a major kite-manufacturer, and several research corporations. In 1988 the population of 1,500 was served by sixty-three businesses. In 1990 the population was 1,544, and in 2000 it had grown to 1,729.
This lovely 1700 square foot home is offered at $150,000. a quarter of what it would be here in San Diego.
Mark
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Deadmans Corner, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DeadmansCornerWY.jpg)
Glendo Dam (less than 10 miles from Deadmans Corner)
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Rankin, TX
Established in 1911, Rankin is the oldest town in Upton County.
Named after rancher F. E. Rankin, the town came into being when the former county seat of Upland (11 miles North) was bypassed by the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway.
A post office was established in 1912 and most of the population moved to town from Upland. Rankin however did not officially become county seat until 1921.
With the discovery of oil in the twenties, the population rose to an estimated 1,500 by 1928 and the town was incorporated that year.
The boom created funds to expand Rankin's infrastructure and explains the presence of the over-sized Yates hotel (now the Rankin Historical museum).
The boom also funded a brick school, the courthouse and a two-story office building.
Oil close to Rankin was not found (at that time) and the population moved on to new fields. The population declined to 935 by 1931 and declined further during the Great Depression.
By 1940 the population was a mere 672 but an oil discovery north of Rankin came in building the town anew and bringing the population nearly up to what it was during the first boom.
Rankin has retained a population between 1,000 and 1,500 from the 1950s through the 2000 census with oil, sheep and cattle remaining the economic base.
Leslie
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Nesbitt, Tx
NESBITT, TEXAS (Robertson County). Nesbitt, just west of Farm Road 46 and seven miles southeast of Bremond in northern Robertson County, was established in the late 1880s. By 1892 it had a cotton gin, a gristmill, a schoolteacher, and a physician. A post office operated there from 1886 to 1905. In the 1940s Nesbitt had seventy-five residents, two stores, a church, a school, and several scattered dwellings. In the 1970s and 1980s county maps showed scattered dwellings and a cemetery in the area.
Mark
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Toledo, Texas
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Old D'Hanis, TX
Also known as New D'Hanis, the designation doesn’t mean as much to travelers as it does to local residents. “Old” D’Hanis which is just over a mile east of what travelers today regard as D’Hanis. The colony was Henri Castro’s third settlement in Texas and was named to honor his European agent, William D'Hanis.
When it was formed in 1847, twenty-nine Alsatian families formed the nucleus of the town. Each family was given a twenty-acre farm and a town lot. In 1850 the entire town was a mere twenty buildings and when compared to safe and secure Castroville, D’Hanis was a primitive and crude outpost. Two years after the settlers arrived, Fort Lincoln was established to protect them from frequent Indian raids. Several tombstones in the old cemetery testify to the violence.
A post office was granted in 1854. The town became a stage stop along the San Antonio-Rio Grande road and St. Dominic Church was formed in 1847. The church building was abandoned in 1914 when the congregation moved to New D’Hanis. The sandstone arches that form the ruin seen today are from the original construction of 1853. Other stones are from an 1869 extension.
The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built through Medina County in 1881 and bypassed the town creating “New” D’Hanis (a mile and a fraction west) in the process.
D’Hanis endured floods in 1894, 1919, and 1935.
The kilns of the D'Hanis Brick and Tile Company (founded 1883) are featured in T. Lindsay Baker’s excellent Building the Lone Star – a book on civil engineering marvels around Texas. Seco Pressed Brick, which opened in 1910, became D’Hanis’ second brick manufacturing company.
D'Hanis had a weekly newspaper from 1908 until 1923.
Our Lady Queen of Peace, was built in 1924 for the town’s Mexican-American congregation.
The population of the town has never exceeded 600 people.
The old D’Hanis Cemetery and the ruins of St. Dominic Church are worthy of a stop for anyone traveling US 90. They are just east of the high school, a quarter of a mile south of highway 90.
The townspeople stopped using the cemetery in 1893 due to a Diphtheria epidemic, but the old-world artistic inscriptions and the wrought-iron markers make the Old D’Hanis Cemetery one of the most interesting in Texas.
Leslie
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Savery, Wy
Resting quietly between the desolate beauty of the Red Desert to the west and the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains to the east, the Little
Snake River Valley is one of the most isolated places in Wyoming.
There is a strong sense of history here exemplified by the many old
log cabins scattered around the area. However, the people who
make the valley their home will tell you that the real magic here is
the easy pace of life
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Yougeen, TX
Yougeen is on U.S. Highway 181 six miles south of Beeville in south central Bee County. The area was originally granted as part of the McMullen-McGloin colony. In 1911 Eugenia McGloin donated five acres for a railroad station, which she named Yougeen. In 1939 a railroad switch, an amusement house, and a small school were located at Yougeen. As late as the mid-1960s there were still two stores at the site. Since that time most of the residents have moved away, and in the early 1990s only a few scattered houses remained in the area.
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Noral, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/AB_2004691.gif)
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Linch, Wy
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Holland, TX
The town was named after early settler James R. Holland who reportedly moved into the area in 1874. His construction of a steam cotton gin in 1878 insured that the community would thrive. A post office (granted the following year) was there to meet the railroad when it arrived and the town soon became a major cotton shipping point.
By 1884 the population was a substantial 300 persons and the following year a Masonic lodge was organized. The population doubled in just six years and by that time they had acquired a newspaper.
Holland is included in the string of towns from La Grange to Hillsboro that were settled by Czech immigrants.
In 1933 the population was just over 700 and it's one of the few smaller towns (not on a major highway) to have increased in population over the years.
Leslie
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Deerwood, Wyoming
Deerwood is in Albany County, in the Laramie metro area. (Wes Brown's territory) ;D
The community was named after Deerwood ranch, owned by Fred W. Geddes
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Daingerfield, Tx
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Decatur, TX
Wise County was established in 1856 and named after Virginian Henry A. Wise who supported Texas annexation.
The town was originally called Taylorsville after The Mexican War Hero Gen. Zachary Taylor, but was changed in 1858 to honor Stephen Decatur, Revolutionary War naval hero. The town was platted by early settler Absalom Bishop who became a member of the Texas Legislature.
A post office was opened in 1857 and the first school was opened that same year. Decatur was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail.
During the Civil War, 5 members of the Unionist Peace party were tried and executed in Decatur in 1862.
The last Indian raids occurred around 1874 and by 1882 the Fort Worth and Denver Railway laid tracks to town. The population tripled from 579 in 1880 to 1,746 in 1890.
Decatur's population high-water mark was in 1928 when 3,200 lived there, but commuters from Fort Worth have recently boosted the growth to where it now stands at over 5,000.
Leslie
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Roosevelt, TX
History in a Pecan Shell
Named after Teddy not Franklin.
Roosevelt's population has never exceeded 150 people.
A local ranch imported Angora goats from South Africa in the 1920s and horses were raised here for the US Cavalry. Polo ponies were trained here as well, and Polo matches were a frequent activity in the 1920s.
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Tatum, Tx
TATUM, TEXAS. Tatum, twenty-one miles northeast of Henderson on the Rusk-Panola county line, was settled in the 1840s by Albert and Mary C. Tatum, for whom it was named. In 1848 the Tatums built a plantation in the area; it was so large that the boundaries were said to be "out of gunshot sound of the mansion." The plantation house was very grand, with a long hall for dances, where over the years thousands of guests wrote their names on one wall. When the Santa Fe line built through the region in 1885, a townsite was divided into lots. Paul (Uncle Fox) Tatum laid out the streets, and, when a post office was established in 1886, became postmaster. In 1896 or 1897 the Old Miller School was opened six miles northwest of Tatum. A bank was established in 1903. In 1904, when a population of 154 was reported there, part of the town was destroyed by a tornado, and in 1905 a fire razed nearly all of its north side. By 1925, however, the population had risen to 428. The eleven-grade Tatum school was the most modern in the area by 1929, and that year it was consolidated with the school of nearby Stewart. In 1954 Tatum reported 599 residents. A marker was placed near Tatum in 1976 to commemorate Trammel's Trace,qv an early trade route, part of which forms the boundary between Rusk and Panola counties. By 1984 Tatum had a population of 1,339, and by 1988, 1,531, with sixteen businesses. Tatum has been a farming, dairying, and lumbering center for most of its history. In 1990 it had an estimated 1,289 residents.
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Mount Pleasant, TX
(http://www.mpcity.net/art/splasher.jpg)
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Tilley, Alberta
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Ychnul, Mexico
Latitude 20.1667
Longitude -88.5667
Altitude (feet) 124
Lat (DMS) 20° 10' 0N Long (DMS) 88° 34' 0W
Altitude (meters) 37
Time zone (est) UTC-6(-5DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 2009
Leslie
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Lufkin, Tx
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New Sarepta, Alberta
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Acuff, TX
The town's namesake - Michael S. Acuff arrived in the area around 1891 but the town didn't get their first school until 1902. A six-room brick schoolhouse was built in 1924. Acuff had its own post office from 1903 to 1912 and things have been pretty quiet since then. During the 1940s Baptists and Methodists shared the same church and the population swelled from (no figures available) to 50 people in the 1950s. It has since declined back to a more manageable population of 30.
Leslie
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Four Corners, Wy
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Sundre, Alberta
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Eliasville, TX
Settled in the 1870s, ranchers William Leander and Thomas Franklin Donnell established ranches here in 1876, and later built the flour mill as well as a stone dam and a pedestrian suspension bridge. The mill burned in 1927. The town was named after the first storekeeper, Elias DeLong.
With the oil boom of 1921 Eliasville was incorporated, and the town grew rapidly to a population high of 1,500. At its zenith, Eliasville had two movie theaters, various stores, several churches, a school, hotel and three gas stations. The population dropped to only 400 in 1940, and by 1980 it was down to around 100. Eliasville is listed in T. Lindsey Baker's "More Ghost Towns of Texas", and is consider by Baker to be one of the most picturesque ghost towns in the state.
Leslie
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Emory, Tx
EMORY, TEXAS. Emory, the county seat and largest town of Rains County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 69 and State Highway 19, at the center of the county. It was named for Emory Rains,qv who settled east of the townsite around 1848. The community was originally known as Springville, reportedly for the many springs in the area. A town plat was evidently prepared by the late 1840s, and by 1857 a store, a tannery, a gin, and a number of houses occupied the site. When Rains County was organized in 1870 Springville became the county seat, and the name was changed to Emory in honor of Rains, who had played an important role in the authorization of the county. A post office founded the same year has continued to operate to the present. A log house initially served as a temporary courthouse. In 1872 a two-room frame courthouse was built; it burned in 1879, along with all of the county records, and the county offices were again housed in the log house until 1884, when a brick courthouse was constructed. About 1880 the Denison and Southeastern Railway was built across the county, making Emory a shipping point for the surrounding lumber-producing area. In 1885 the town had two churches, two sawmills, two cotton gins, two saloons, two hotels, a weekly newspaper named the Rains County Record, and a population of 600. The town continued to prosper during the early years of the twentieth century. By 1914 it had three banks and 700 inhabitants, and in 1920 its independent school district was established.
The 1920s witnessed a period of unprecedented prosperity in Emory, and by 1929 the community, now incorporated, had a reported population of 1,000. The Great Depressionqv and the agricultural crisis of the early 1930s, however, began a decline that continued until the 1960s. By 1931 the population had fallen to 750, and by 1936 it had dwindled further to 447, as many inhabitants sought their fortunes in the larger cities. The early postwar period saw modest population growth, but it was not until the late 1950s, when nearby Lake Tawakoniqv was built and Rains County began attracting large numbers of retirees, that Emory began to see sizable increases in the number of inhabitants. After the mid-1960s the town grew steadily, from 578 in 1965 to 813 in 1985 and 963 in 1990. Over the same period the number of businesses increased from twenty to thirty-seven. Tourism and agriculture form the mainstays of the town's economy. In 2000 the population was 1,021 with 160 businesses.
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Yturria, TX
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Abbott, TX
The town was named after Joseph Abbott, lawyer, teacher, judge, and U. S. congressman for District Twenty (Ellis, Hill, Kaufman, and Navarro counties).
The Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad arrived in 1881 and a post office was opened the following year.
In the 1890s Abbott had two cotton gins, and a gristmill as well as the essential businesses every small town needed. The town had a series of fires (1897, 1903 and 1904) but rebuilt each time. An interurban railway connecting Forth Worth and Waco was established in 1913 - the same year Abott was electrified.
In 1920 a paved highway was built and things looked promising. But after the Great Depression arrived, the town became a flagstop on the railroad. School enrollment was 240 in 1930 but with consolidations of other schools - this increased to over 500.
From only 156 people in 1890, Abbott reached it's peak in 1914 with 713 citizens. By the start of WWII there were only 264 people - not far from what it is today.
It is against the law in Texas to mention Abbott without declaring that Willie Nelson is from Abbott. Old-timers still remember Willie carrying his guitar to school and one person we talked to reported that he thought that Willie's sister played guitar better than he did.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/AbbottTexasGroceryPostOffice201.jpg)
Leslie
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Table Rock, Wyoming
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Kirk, TX
KIRK, TEXAS (Bexar County). Kirk was at the junction of the International-Great Northern and San Antonio Southern railroads, at a site just off present Interstate Highway 35 fourteen miles southwest of downtown San Antonio in southwestern Bexar County. In 1930s the community had a station and a number of houses; children attended school in nearby Von Ormy. The community declined after World War II,qv and by the 1950s it was longer shown on maps.
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Kampepen, Mexico
Latitude 20.7167
Longitude -89.2500
Altitude (feet) 52
Lat (DMS) 20° 43' 0N Long (DMS) 89° 15' 0W
Altitude (meters) 15
Time zone (est) UTC-6(-5DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 4639
Leslie
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Navarro, Texas
--small town of 191 (as of 2000 census), situated in Navarro County.
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Ovilla , Tx
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Almeda, TX
Dr. Willis King, promoted the townsite on the International-Great Northern Railroad in the early 1880s. Since his position gave him naming rights - he chose his daughter's name.
The town had a population of fifty and a post office in 1893 (closed in 1959). By 1914 the population was up to 200 but down to only eighty by 1925.
Businesses continued to increase up through the 1960s, although residents were without water or a fire department. In 1963 the town was given a sewer system and it has now merged into greater Houston with very little remaining of the original town.
Leslie
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Athol, Wyoming
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Lockhart, Texas
--the county seat of Caldwell County. Old Protestant Church (Episcopal) [still standing as of 1945] was used as a hospital during the Civil War.
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Texon, TX
Texon is located about 3 /10 mile south of Hwy 67 on FM 1657. Here you'll see a derrick and the well-preserved remains of Santa Rita #1, the well that brought in the huge Big Lake Oilfield. Historical marker will provide details.
There are two "ghost towns" in Reagan County. Texon has the greater population. The other is Stiles, with only the ruins of the recently torched former courthouse (Christmas Eve 1999).
Texon was a planned community that at one time had a population of over 1000. The Big Lake Oil Company was sole owner of the property. Sidewalks, street signs and mailboxes with two or three wooden structures are all that remain. Two homes appear to be occupied and strangely enough, as if anticipating a rebirth, the street signs are new reflective ones, in some cases standing alongside the old wooden ones that they're replacing. The postal service has also installed a new mailbox looking out of place among the five-foot tall weeds.
It's obvious that there is recent activity with the wells. Hoses and wires follow the grid of the former yards where deer and jackrabbits now graze undisturbed and unfrightened by visitors. The abundance of these creatures along with roadrunners, makes Texon a good spot for observing wildlife.
Leslie
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Noonday, Tx
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Yecapixilac, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YecapixilacMX.jpg)
Yecapixtla (also called Yecapixilac) in the State of Morelos, Mexico, is a beautiful town that was conquered by Moctezuma between 1440 and 1460. During its conquest the Spanish and natives fought a great battle. In 1529, Charles V left this town to Hernan Cortes.
Yecapixtla is the place where the Augustinian convent of San Juan Bautista was built and also where you can admire the gothic rosette and the bas-reliefs on the facades, just some of the fascinating examples of XVI century architecture.
Yecapixtla is also very popular for its delicious "cecina" or cured meat, one of Mexico's famous traditional dishes. The main festivity is the "tianguis" or market day which takes place on the last Friday in October.
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Circle Back, TX
The name comes from a ranch whose brand was a circle on the back of cattle.
From 1918 to 1954 the settlement a dozen or so houses and a six-grade school. Naturally there was a store/post office and a gas station. In 1949 the community, reached its high water mark of about 100 people.
When the store burned in 1954 it pretty much finished the town – since it was also the post office.
By 1980 the population was 49 and a few years later only the Baptist minister and his family was left.
Circle Back is 66 miles NW of Lubbock.
Leslie
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Karnes City, Texas
--the county seat of Karnes County.
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Yatzingo, Mexico
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Oak Forest, TX
Oak Forest reached its high water mark (population-wise) about 1896 with 200 residents. There was a blacksmith, a hotel and a general store as well as a piano teacher and a doctor. The Handbook of Texas reports that they "enjoyed daily mail delivery by 1914" and that "Thereafter its population declined sharply." We have to wonder what was in those letters.
There has been no business conducted in Oak Forest since 1965 and the scattered resident population adds up to about 25.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/OakForestTexas.jpg)
Leslie
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Tye, Tx
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Eskota, Texas
--small community situated in Fisher County. Here is something I found relating to this place on the Handbook of Texas Online:
Eskota, on Sweetwater Creek in southeastern Fisher County, in 1881 was a shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway for Dan and Riley Trent's ranch. The community's post office was established in 1888 and received its name after the "Eskota" rather than the "Trent" station marker sign was delivered. Eskota is a word of Indian derivation. The settlement prospered for a time as the only railroad town in the county. Its two-story hotel served train crews and other travelers. In 1947 Eskota had fifty people, a church, a store, and a section house. By the early 1980s it had one business and was on the Missouri Pacific. The community still existed in 1990.
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Avenir, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2003316.gif)
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Recluse, Wy
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Estelline, TX
Originally part of the Diamond Tail Ranch, Estelline was named after the daughter of a local resident (Estelle de Shields) and founded by the Wright Brothers (Elam and Math) in 1892. With the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Estelline became a shipping point for cattle driven in from Paducah and Silverton.
A post office was opened that same year (1892) and within two years the town had a school, two hotels and a cotton gin. An improved school (two stories) was built in 1909 and the town incorporated three years later when the population had reached 1,000.
In 1927 a branch of the railroad was built from Estelline to Plainview, but with the onset of the Great Depression the population decreased to about 600 by 1940 - the year that the city suffered fire damage. The 1980 population was 258 which has since declined to 168 people.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/EstellineTexasCitylimit706KenRudine.jpg)
In "A Love Born From Steel," Ennis and Jack take to their children to a rodeo in Estelline. Well, obviously that was fiction!
Leslie
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Eisenhower Junction, Alberta
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New Chapel Hill, Tx
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Little Medicine, WY
Little Medicine is in Albany County, in the Laramie metro area. The community was named after the Little Medicine River.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/ChildresstoLaramie.jpg)
Childress, Texas, to Laramie, Wyoming
Here's a link to someone's blog (http://www.hal-pc.org/~mmcham/wes02d2.html) with an account of traveling from Childress, Texas, to Laramie, Wyoming, and beyond in July of 2002.
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Eliza, TX
Although nothing remains today of Eliza, it had its own post office in operation from 1859 through 1871. Eliza seems to have enjoyed its most prosperous years in the 1870s, but it stopped appearing on maps in the 1930s.
Leslie
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Adams Landing, Alberta
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Ganado, Texas
--city located in Jackson County, with a 2004 population estimated at 1,876. Ganado is the second-largest community in the county, after the county seat of Edna.
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Olivia, TX
The town has a similar beginning to nearby Danevang. Both we started as Lutheran Colonies within two years of one another (Danevang 1894 and Olivia 1892). The primary difference was Danevang was Danish while Olivia was made up of Swedes.
The Reverend C.J.E. Haterious brought the settlers to the area and then named the town after his wife, Olivia Olson Haterious.
Cotton was the primary crop and after taking their cotton all the way to Edna for ginning in 1893; they soon bought a small gin to use right where they were.
The town had only 50 residents in 1927, but improvements like a highway and electricity brought the population back during the 1930s. The school was consolidated in the wave of statewide school consolidations during the early 1950s. Today it has about the same number of people as it did in 1914.
Leslie
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Arroyo Alto, Tx
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Old Brooks Place, Wyoming
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East Sweden, TX
The town had its beginnings in 1885 when three Swedes from Williamson County each purchased a half-section of land in McCulloch County. In the fall of the following year Swen L. Hurd and family made the trip and they were joined two years later by four other families.
Evidently life was good and they wrote to friends back in the old country who arrived before 1890. The town had a population of 63 in 1889. Church services were held in private residences at first and in 1890 a minister from Mason held services here once or twice per month. In 1891 the populace switched from Lutheran to Presbyterian and they received a full-time pastor. In 1892 three acres of land were donated by the three original landowners for a church, school and cemetery.
The first church building was built in 1892. In 1903 the town was bypassed by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad and nine years later the town was bypassed by the Santa Fe Railroad.
Around 1905-1906 a Swedish Methodist from Travis County organized another Swedish community west of Brady and the towns became East Sweden and West Sweden. West Sweden declined into a ghost town while East Sweden hung on. In 1916 the town was hit by a tornado which destroyed the church although it was rebuilt within four years. It wasn't the town's last disaster. The school burned in 1933 but was rebuilt the following year.
Residents raised cattle and sheep and East Sweden had not one but two dairies. Cotton farming provided a cash crop as well as oak and wheat crops. A man named Swen Hurd built the town's first cotton gin which later relocated to Salt Gap.
A monument commemorating early Swedish settlers stands in front of the former school and in 1976 a time capsule was buried nearby.
Annual Event
Residents and former residents gather each August for a homecoming.
Leslie
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Naucalpan, Mx
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Nancy, Texas
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Yodzonot, Mexico
Latitude 19.9333
Longitude -88.0500
Altitude (feet) 85
Lat (DMS) 19° 55' 60N
Long (DMS) 88° 2' 60W
Altitude (meters) 25
Time zone (est) UTC-6(-5DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 630
Leslie
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Tucker, Tx
TUCKER, TEXAS. Tucker is a rural community in southwestern Anderson County eight miles southwest of Palestine on the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the combined U.S. highways 84 and 79, two miles from the Trinity River. In 1866 African Americansqv who worked on the Long Lake cotton plantation organized the Green Bay African Methodist Episcopal Church in the area. The name Green Bay was later applied to a small school for black children and eventually to a black high school. As the white community known as Prairie Point developed, the black portion of the community was often still referred to as Green Bay. What was then the International and Great Northern railroad was built through the area in 1872, and a post office called Prairie Point opened at the site in 1873. In 1882 the name of the post office and the town was changed to Tucker, after W. H. Tucker and the Tucker family, who owned land and operated a general store in the area. By 1884 Tucker had an estimated forty inhabitants, a steam gristmill and cotton gin, a church, and a district school. The town shipped cotton, cottonseed, and fish. In 1896 the population was estimated at 150 inhabitants. The post office closed in 1905. In 1913 A. L. Bowers drilled several unsuccessful wells in the area, and in 1932-33 several profitable oil and gas wells were developed in Tucker and nearby Long Lake oilfield by the Tidewater and Texas Seaboard Oil Company. A small refinery was built adjacent to the railroad in Tucker. In the 1930s the community had an estimated sixty inhabitants. The two Tucker schools served some forty-two white pupils and eighty-six black pupils in 1932; the schools later became part of the Westwood Independent School District. In the late 1930s Tucker had two churches, three businesses, a factory, and numerous oil storage tanks. Tucker's population fell to forty in 1964 and fluctuated between sixty-five and eighty-five in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The population was consistently estimated at 304 inhabitants from 1978 through 1990. In 1982 the town had three churches, numerous scattered dwellings and oil tanks, and an oil refinery a short distance to the north. In 1984 the nearby oilfield was still in production, but by 1992 the oil refinery had closed down.
Tucker was also the name of a automobile, made famous in Frances Ford Coppolas movie "Tucker" staring Jeff Bridges. Unfortunately fill with many historical inaccuracies it did bring forth a moment in automotive history. Of the 50 cars produced 47 are accounted for.
The Car You Have Been Waiting For
The Tucker '48 automobile, brainchild of Preston Thomas Tucker and designed by renowned stylist Alex Tremulis, represents one of the last attempts by an independent car maker to break into the high-volume car business. Ultimately, the big three would continue to dominate for the next forty years. Preston Tucker was one of the most recognized figures of the late 1940s, as controversial and enigmatic as his namesake automobile. His car was hailed as "the first completely new car in fifty years. " Indeed, the advertising promised that it was "the car you have been waiting for." Yet many less complimentary critics saw the car as a fraud and a pipe dream. The Tucker's many innovations were and continue to be surrounded by controversy. Failing before it had a chance to succeed, it died amid bad press and financial scandal after only fifty-one units were assembled.
Much of the appeal of the Tucker automobile was the man behind it. Six feet tall and always well-dressed, Preston Tucker had an almost manic enthusiasm for the automobile. Born September 21, 1903 in Capac, Michigan, Preston Thomas Tucker spent his childhood around mechanics' garages and used car lots. He worked as an office boy at Cadillac, a policeman in Lincoln Park, and even worked for a time at Ford Motor Company. After attending Cass Technical School in Detroit, Tucker turned to salesmanship, first for Studebaker, then Stutz, Chrysler, and finally as regional manager for Pierce-Arrow.
As a salesman, Tucker crossed paths at the Indianapolis speedway with the great engine designer Harry A. Miller, and in 1935 they formed Miller-Tucker, Inc. Their first contract was to build race cars for Henry Ford. The company delivered ten Miller-Ford Indy race cars, but they proved inadequate for Ford and he pulled out of the project.
During World War II, automobile companies' operations were dedicated to the war effort. Denied new car models for four years, by the war's end Americans were anxious for a new automobile, any new automobile. The time was right for Tucker to begin his dream. In 1946, he formed Tucker Corporation for the manufacture of automobiles.
Tucker with Henry Ford
At the Indianapolis 500 speedway 1932, L to R: Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Preston Tucker, Henry Ford II, Benson Ford, and Edsel Ford. Photo: P.188.8255
zoom in on either image
He set his sites on the old Dodge plant in Cicero (south Chicago). Spanning over 475 acres, the plant built B29 engines during World War II, and its main building, covering 93 acres, was at the time the world's largest under one roof. The War Assets Administration (WAA) leased Tucker the plant provided he could have $15 million dollars capital by March 1 of the following year. In July, Tucker moved in and used any available space to build his prototype while the WAA inventoried the plant and its equipment.
The fledgling company needed immediate money, and Tucker soon discovered that support from businessmen who could underwrite such a venture, meant sacrificing some, if not all, control of his company. To Tucker, this was not an option, so he conceived of a clever alternative. He began selling dealer franchises and soon raised $6 million dollars to be held in escrow until his car was delivered. The franchises attracted the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and in September of 1946 it began an investigation, the first of a series that would last for the next three years.
The agreements were rewritten to SEC satisfaction and the franchise sales proceeded. In October, Tucker began another proposal, a $20 million dollar stock issue contingent upon a completed prototype and clearance by the SEC. That same month, Tucker met his first serious obstacle. Wilson Wyatt, head of the National Housing Agency, ordered the WAA to cancel Tucker's lease and turn the plant over to the Lustron Corporation to build pre-fab houses.
Tucker may have been an unfortunate pawn in a bureaucratic war between the housing agency and the WAA, but the battle continued until January of 1947. Franchise sales fell, stock issues were delayed, and Tucker's reputation was severely damaged. In the end, he kept his plant, but the episode made him some real enemies in Washington, including Michigan Senator Homer Ferguson. But Tucker did find some allies. The WAA extended Tucker's $15 million cash deadline to July 1 and Senator George Malone of Nevada began his own investigation of the SEC.
A Tucker business card
Front of card
Back of card
zoom in on either image
Meanwhile, Tucker still had a prototype to build. During Christmas 1946, he commissioned Alex Tremulis to design his car and ordered the prototype ready in 100 days. The time-frame was unheard of, but necessary. Unable to obtain clay for a mock-up, engineers, many from the race car industry, began beating out sheet iron, a ridiculous way to build a car but a phenomenal achievement. The first car, completely hand-made, was affectionately dubbed the "Tin Goose."
The Tucker '48 premiered June 19, 1947 in the Tucker plant before the press, dealers, distributors and brokers. Tucker later discarded many of the Tin Goose features, such as 24-volt electrical system starters to turn over the massive 589-cubic-inch engine. For the premier, workers substituted two 12-volt truck batteries weighing over 150 pounds that caused the Tucker's suspension arms to snap. Speeches dragged on as workers behind the curtain tried feverishly to get the Tin Goose up and running. Finally, before the crowd of 5000, the curtains parted and the Tucker automobile rolled down the ramp from the stage and to its viewing area where it remained for the rest of the evening. Stock finally cleared for sale on July 15.
By the spring of 1948, Tucker had a pilot production line set up but his stock issue had been $5 million short and he again needed immediate money. He began a pre-purchase plan for Tucker automobile accessories such as radios and seat covers. Although he raised $2 million, advanced payment on accessories to a car not yet in production was the final straw for the SEC. On May 28, 1948, the SEC and the Justice Department launched a full-scale investigation. Investigators swarmed the plant and Tucker was forced to stop production and lay-off 1600 workers. Receivership and bankruptcy suits piled up, creditors bolted and stock plunged. Image of Stock Certificate
A Tucker Stock Certificate for 100 shares - May 3, 1948. This is a black and white copy of the certificate. The original is currently on display in the museum.
zoom in on either image
The SEC's case had to show that the Tucker car could not be built, or if built, would not perform as advertised. But Tucker was building cars. Seven Tuckers performed beautifully at speed trials in Indianapolis that November, consistently making 90 mph lap speed. However after Thanksgiving, a skeletal crew of workers assembled the remaining 50 cars the company would ever produce. In January 1949, the plant closed and the company was put under trusteeship.
"Gigantic Tucker Fraud Charged in SEC Report" ran the Detroit News headline in March. The article related an SEC report recommending conspiracy and fraud charges to Tucker. Incensed, Tucker demanded to know how the newspaper had seen the report even before him. SEC Commissioner John McDonald later admitted he delivered the report to the paper in direct violation of the law. Feeling tried and convicted by the press, Tucker wrote an open letter to many newspapers around the country.
On June 10, Tucker and seven of his associates faced a Grand Jury indictment on 31 counts - 25 for mail fraud, 5 for SEC regulation violation, and one on conspiracy to defraud. The trial opened on October 5, 1949 and from the beginning the prosecution based its entire case on the "Tin Goose" prototype. It refused to recognize the 50 production cars and called witness after witness who, under cross-examination, ended up hurting the government's case. In the end, Tucker's defense team merely stated that the government had failed to prove any offense so there was nothing to defend.
On January 22, the jury found the defendants innocent of any attempt to defraud, but the verdict was a small triumph. The company was already lost. The remaining assets, including the Tucker automobiles, were sold for 18 cents on the dollar. And incredibly, Preston Tucker began again. In 1951, he went to Brazil to seek backing for another new car. With the new project almost underway, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died December 26, 1956.
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q219/jpwagoneer1964/tucker.jpg)
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Red Willow, AB
(Albert) Garnet Truax was one of a group of 31 Burnsites (followers of Nelson Burns) and their families who set out from Toronto in 1909 to settle at the foot of the Rockies in Beaverlodge, Alberta.
The group decided to cooperate on most aspects of the endeavour, sharing expenses, labour, and equipment. They wanted to farm cooperatively as well, and purchased several "South African Scrips", which were land grants given to veterens of the Boer War and then sold off at discounted prices by the ones with no interest in farming. The group sold all their unnecessary belongings, packed up the rest, and set off on a four or five day train trip to Edmonton, Alberta.
Once in Edmonton, the Burnsites had to decide where they were going to settle. No suitable large blocks of land were available nearby, but some friends had seen the land around the Beaver River Valley, and were so enthusiastic that the Burnsites were convinced.
The group left Edmonton late in the afternoon on April 20th, 1909, in a rather impressive procession of 14 wagons and 18 teams of oxen. The oxen apparently inspired the locals to refer to them as "The Bull Outfit", and the name stuck. They travelled four or five miles that first day and made their camp. The awoke the next morning to find their wagon wheels frozen to the ground.
Once they got used to the wagons and oxen, the settlers averaged about 13 to 15 miles a day. The going was hard, and there were a few mishaps, but this part of the trail was relatively well-used. They made Athabaska Landing by April 27th, where they left a large percentage of their freight to be shipped up the river and across Lesser Slave Lake, to lighten the load and make faster headway.
After having to wait at Shaw's Point (Grouard) for the rest of the freight from Athabaska to arrive, the settlers set off for the Peace River Crossing, which they reached on June 28th. From there, it was south again to Dunvegan, Spirit River, Grand Prairie, and finally the beautiful sight of the Beaver Lodge River Valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where they arrived on July 14th, 1909 - three months after leaving Edmonton.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/RedWillowAB.jpg)
Garnet and Maud's Cabin
Red Willow, Alberta, c. 1919
Garnet filed his claim on land which is now part of the town of Beaverlodge. In addition to farming, he also clerked and ran freight for the owner of the general store. In 1914 he married Maud Sherk, who had also come to Beaverlodge with her parents as part of "The Bull Outfit". They moved to nearby Red Willow, where Garnet's parents and brother spent a very cramped winter with them in 1919. After his father's death in 1922, Garnet moved his family to Vancouver, where he went to work as a longshoreman. His children stayed in British Columbia, except for his son Albert (Al), who moved back to Beaverlodge to raise his family.
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Wolf, Wyoming
Home of the Eaton Ranch, where you can go horseback riding in the Big Horn Mountains
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/EA5B22AC-CA31-4FFE-B0F2-CCC99D0ADE2.jpg)
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/0464F935-EEB6-4528-919F-FA68672F3BB.jpg)
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Fink, Texas
Fink formed shortly before the Civil War when the family of Fred Fink and others moved into the area from their former home in Mississippi.
The community was underdeveloped until after the war when all of NE Texas was infused with new settlers looking to start fresh with cheap Texas land.
Fink had a post office from 1897 to 1903 but the population never came close to a hundred. It declined to less than 20 during The Great Depression and averaged little more than that for the remainder of the 20th century. It is now what is known as "a dispersed rural community."
The fourth Friday in June has been declared Fink Day in Texas, by the Texas Legislature (people who are familiar with the name). This coincides with "National Fink Week" which is a celebration held by families sharing that same surname. Fink barely appears on county maps, but due perhaps to its semi-humorous name, it appears clearly on the Official State Highway map - just below the Red River in Grayson County.
The Legend of the origin of
the noun "Fink" and the verb "to Fink"
by Raul Hashimoto
19th Century Mississippi Keelboat operator Mike Fink - once featured in the Walt Disney Davy Crockett series of the 1950s - was a real person with a reputation for heavy drinking and carousing. One of the stories about Fink places him in a shooting match with his best friend. The two were also rivals for the attention of one particular woman and this supposedly non-lethal "duel" had the men shooting targets off of each other's head - winner would get the girl. When it was Mike's turn he perforated his friend's forehead. Onlookers never knew if it was "shooting under the influence" or an intentional and very abrupt end to the rivalry. Some say that Fink himself, never knew.
A "Fink" came to mean someone who was capable of betraying his best friend, although the years have softened it a bit to that of a informer or snitch. As a verb - to "Fink" on someone was a petty betrayal for little reward. It became a popular "friendly insult" in the 1960s. The term of rat - for informer was added in some circles - making the term rat-fink which is somewhat redundant.
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Knippa, Tx
KNIPPA, TEXAS. Knippa, originally known as Chatfield, is on the Southern Pacific Railroad, U.S. Highway 90, and the Frio River, between Sabinal and Uvalde in southeastern Uvalde County. It was named for founder George Knippa, who moved his family to the site in the 1880s. Knippa had been a frequent visitor to the semiarid Frio River area of Uvalde County in the 1870s and early 1880s, a period of abundant rainfall in the area, and witnessed an open country of luxuriant grazing land traversed by spring-fed rivers. He moved his family from Fayette County to the railroad siding of Chatfield soon after the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway had extended its railroad line west from San Antonio to Uvalde.
The period of abundant rainfall in the Frio River region ended with the drought of the early 1890s, dashing the hopes of many of the farming families who had followed Knippa to the area. Around 1900 the rains returned, and a new wave of settlers, mostly Germans, moved to Knippa. A post office was opened in 1898. On February 16, 1898, the Uvalde County Commissioners Court established School District No. 12 at Knippa and authorized a school building. In 1900 fourteen students attended the one-teacher school. A two-room school was built in 1907.
A mine for traprock, an igneous rock used in road construction, was opened west of Knippa around 1905 and attracted Mexican laborers to the area. The traprock quarried at Knippa was used to ballast the Southern Pacific Railroad. Because the quarry was originally opened up as a gold mine, it was said that all of the railroad ballast contained a small amount of gold.
Most of the original settlers in the community were Lutherans. A Lutheran church was built on land donated by George Knippa in 1910. Church services, directed by Rev. Gottlieb Langer, were conducted in German. At the beginning of World War I,qv however, the Uvalde Council of Defense prohibited the use of German. The community responded by taking the council to court, and the prohibition was eventually rescinded by the United States Supreme Court.
By 1914 Knippa had a population of fifty, telephone connections, two cotton gins, two general stores, and two lumber companies. The St. Joseph's Church, a Catholic mission, was constructed in 1913 through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Knippa. In 1915 a Baptist church was built in the community, with Reverend Rubottom as minister. A two-room school building was built in 1907. The school was moved to a brick structure in 1924 and was accredited in 1926. A small one-room school, constructed in 1927, served as a catechetical center and was the site of many Mexican-American social events.
In 1929 Knippa had a estimated population of 400 and twelve businesses; by 1933 the population had dropped to an estimated 150. By the end of World War IIqv and for the four succeeding decades the population was 325. In 1944 the Methodist, Baptist, and Church of Christ congregations were holding regular services at Knippa; the Church of Christ constructed a new building in 1948. Rev. Raymond Wolf, pastor of the Knippa Lutheran Church between 1957 and 1967, was selected Rural Minister of the Year for Texas in 1964. In 1990 St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, and the Church of Christ were active in Knippa. The population was 360, and the town had nine businesses. In 2000 the town had 739 inhabitants and nineteen businesses.
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Austonio, TX
Originally called Pearville, the name wasn't popular with residents and so they held a contest in 1930. Ruth Tucker won the contest with the name Austonio - an amalgam of Austin and San Antonio. The fact that the town is easily 250 miles from either city evidently didn't count. A post office was granted in 1932 and in 1940 there were 150 people to call Austonio home. The decline set in after WWII and school consolidation with Lovelady in 1964 shattered any hopes of regaining population. The post office closed its doors in 1971, followed by the other stores that closed one by one.
Leslie
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Oak Leaf, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OakLeafTx.jpg)
Population 1,209, located in Texas's Ellis county, about 17.7 miles from Grand Prairie and 18.5 miles from Dallas.
In 1983 a group of one hundred home owners, members of the Red Oak Creek Homeowner's Association, made the decision to incorporate into a city which they named Oak Leaf. The name of the City was chosen due to the multiple creeks and large oak trees in this far northern part of Ellis County.
Through the 90's Oak Leaf's population has grown by about 23%. It is estimated that in recent years Oak Leaf's population has been growing at an annual rate of 1.7 percent.
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Foxpark, Wy
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Knobbs Springs, TX
Named for three small hills, the area has been known as Knobbs, The Knobbs, Yegua Knobbs or Gleam. It was first settled in the 1860s and Wendish families arrived in the 1880s. The town's prosperity peaked in the 1880s and 90s. In 1889 a post office opened under the name Gleam (no explanation available) and continued operating until 1906.
The community school showed an enrollment of 69 students for the 1905-06 year. It was eventually consolidated with the Lexington ISD in 1950, although the 1919 schoolhouse still stands and is in use as a community center.
As of this writing The Knobbs Springs community consists of the church, cemetery and the former school.
Leslie
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Seely, Wyoming
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Ysleta, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YsletaTX.jpg)
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Ayr, TX
In January 1890 the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway sent fifteen surveyors to survey a potential spur. The FW & D was in competetion with the Santa Fe Railroad and the mission (to create a shipping point for area ranches from Roswell, New Mexico to Big Spring) was a secret one.
Five miles from the center of the county a townsite was platted and named for the Scottish city of Ayr. Early the next spring, land buyers came to the region and settlement was begun. A store was built and a post office opened. Success looked assured - except for the rival town of Grenada. This town, which later changed its name to La Plata, was under the direct control of the XIT Ranch.
The all-too-familiar battle for county seat status began. It looked so serious that Texas Rangers were stationed at Ayr as a precaution. In October of 1890, La Plata won the election. The count was 97-7. There were allegations of fraud, but the vote stood. The spur project was abandoned and the post office was discontinued.
Ayr's brief life-span was a mere five years.
Leslie
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Rancho Alegre, Tx
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Erith, Alberta
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Hempstead, TX
The town was named after Dr. G.S.B. Hempstead from Portsmouth, Ohio. An oil painting of Doctor Hempstead is on display in the Hempstead Library.
1856: The Hempstead Town Company is formed in anticipation of the railroad's arrival.
June 1858: The town becomes the terminus for the Houston and Texas Central Railroad.
November 1858: The Washington County Railroad from Hempstead to Brenham is opened
1857: post office is established
1861-1865: Hempstead was a manufacturing center and had three encampments of Confederate troops stationed in the vicinity. A prisoner of war camp was also located in Hempstead.
1866: After the war, Union troops were stationed there throughout reconstruction, much like nearby Brenham. George Armstrong Custer is stationed in Hempstead for a time.
1873: Becomes Waller County seat
1872 & 1876: Fires destroy much of the downtown section of Hempstead
1881: First public school opened
1891: First newspaper started as The Weekly News
1899: Hempstead is disincorporated
1935: Hempstead is reincorporated
Captain Alfred H. Wyly is buried in the Hempstead Cemetery.
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Dish, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DishTX.jpg)
informitv / news
16 November 2005
Texas town renamed Dish to promote satellite television
A Texas town has changed its name to Dish as part of a promotion for the EchoStar Dish Network satellite television service.
The tiny town of Clark, just north of Fort Worth, Texas, has legally changed its name to Dish. Town signs have been changed to reflect the new name.
In exchange, every household will receive free basic satellite television for ten years, including equipment and installation.
The city makeover stunt is part of a re-branding exercise by the Dish Network, promoting ‘Better TV for All’.
The officials of Clark voted to rename the town Dish at a packed town hall meeting representing the 125 residents of the rural community.
“We accepted this challenge because we believe this relationship will give us a unique opportunity to put our town on the map,” said Bill Merritt, Mayor of Dish.
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Havana, TX
While the community of Havana dates back to a Spanish land grant - it is hardly more than a colonia and a string of businesses along highway 83 today. The Havanna cemetery on the south side of the road remains as the town's cultural cornerstone. For this reason our photos are entirely of the cemetery.
During a severe flood early in the 20th Century - many of the residents of Havana moved to higher ground which they named La Joya.
History in a Pecan Shell
The original land grant was made to José Matías Tijerina in 1767. Tijerina had come from Europe via Cuba and decided to name his small Texas community after the Cuban port/capital.
The community was granted a post office in 1886, which moved to Sam Fordyce in 1905.
Only in the 1970s did the population exceed 100 persons. In 1976 the community only had 176 people - and ten years later there were only 180. The descendants of José Tijerina are buried in the cemetery.
A rather unusual tombstone (not shown) is one for a Master Sergeant Perez - who served in the Union army during the Civil War.
Veteran's graves from other wars reflect the high degree of participation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in U.S. conflicts. One shaded grave has a small handmade helicopter suspended from an overhanging Mesquite tree.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/SouthTexasTowns/HavanaTexas/HavanaCemeteryView1101.jpg)
Havana Cemetery
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Albion, TX
There's not too much to say about Albion. They had a post office from 1886 to 1904 when it closed the first time. It reopened in 1912 and stayed open until 1929. The population was a reported 20 persons in 1940 but it has increased to 50 for the 1990 census.
Leslie
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Nenaxi, Mx
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Iddesleigh, AB
The community was named for the Earl of Iddesleigh.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/IddesleighAB.jpg)
Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh GCB PC (1818–1887), British statesman, was born in London on 27 October 1818. His ancestors had long been settled in Devon, tracing their descent from Galfridas de Nordcote who settled there in 1103. He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Stafford Henry Northcote, as 8th baronet in 1851.
He entered Parliament in 1855 as Conservative Member of Parliament for Dudley, and was elected for Stamford in 1858, a seat which he exchanged in 1866 for North Devon.
Steadily supporting his party, he became President of the Board of Trade in 1866, Secretary of State for India in 1867, and Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1874.
In the interval between these last two appointments he was the president of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1870, when they gave the Northwest Territories to Canada, and one of the commissioners for the settlement of the Alabama difficulty at the Treaty of Washington with the United States in 1871.
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Hotchkiss, Alberta
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South Pass City, Wy
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Yucuñuti de Benito Juárez, Mexico
(http://maps.fallingrain.com/perl/map.cgi?kind=illum&scale=-5&x=480&y=360&xcenter=-97.8975&ycenter=17.6364&lat=17.6364&long=-97.8975&name=Yucunuti%20de%20Benito%20Juarez&c=)
geographical location: Dist. Silacayoapam, Oaxaca, Mexico, North America
geographical coordinates: 17° 38' 11" North, 97° 53' 51" West
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Zacatecas, Mexico
--the capital of the State (estado) of Zacatecas. Another of the cities of northern Mexico that grew rich on silver mining, this historic city, founded in the sixteenth century, has the distinction of having its colonial center designated an UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is also the home of the Museo Rafael Coronel, with its outstanding collection of Mexican masks.
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St. Hedwig, Tx
ST. HEDWIG, TEXAS. St. Hedwig is near the junction of Farm roads 1346 and 1518, sixteen miles east of downtown San Antonio in eastern Bexar County. The site was first settled by John Demmer, a native Silesian, in 1852. In 1856 four other emigrants from Silesia settled in the area and constructed a log cabin to serve as the first church for the community. A post office called Cottage Hill opened in 1860, but the name was changed in 1877 to St. Hedwig for the duchess and patron saint of Silesia. A stone church was built in 1868. In 1897 the population included 200 families of Polish and German stock-primarily immigrants from Gross Strehlitz in Upper Silesia-and their black tenants. In 1945 a general merchandise store served a population of 100. The number of residents grew steadily after World War II,qv reaching 200 in 1956, 589 in 1965, and 650 in 1970. The town incorporated in the 1970s and in 1990 had 1,443 inhabitants.
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Grit, TX
Settled by cotton farmers around 1889. When the time came to open a post office the town wanted to be named after General Frederick Funston, Spanish American War Hero. Saddened to discover that Funston had already been so honored in Texas, the town settled on the more earthy name of Grit - said to be the texture of the local soil.
The post office opened in 1901, the first store opened around 1903, and the town had its first school building in 1908.
The Baptist church met in the Grit school until it built its own building in1924. Telephone service began around 1914 when the town had 30 people. It remained at 30 until the 1960s when 63 people lived in Grit. This number held into the mid 80s, but it has since declined back to the 1914 level of 30 citizens. The post office has since been discontinued, but Grit remains on state maps.
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Twin Butte, Alberta
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Evadale, Tx
EVADALE, TEXAS. Evadale is at the junction of U.S. Highway 96 and Farm roads 105, 1131, and 2246, twenty-five miles northeast of Beaumont in southwestern Jasper County. During the 1830s and 1840s the site was called Richardson (Richardson's) Bluff, for early settler Benjamin Richardson, who operated a ferry on the Neches River and who also served as postmaster in 1839. Town lots for the area were listed in county tax rolls as early as 1859. After Richardson's death in 1849, the land was sold to John A., Philip U., and Charles T. Ford. At this time the site was often referred to as Ford's Bluff. Hoping to establish a sawmill, Philip Ford went to New Orleans to buy machinery but contracted yellow fever there and died shortly after returning to Jasper County. Nonetheless, Ford's Bluff became an important collection point for logs, which were floated down the river to Beaumont mills. In 1893 John Henry Kirbyqv chartered the Gulf, Beaumont and Kansas City Railway and rebuilt a tram line that already ran from Ford's Bluff to Buna as part of his larger common carrier project. Kirby renamed the site for Miss Eva Dale, a teacher at Jasper's Southeast Texas Male and Female College, and constructed a mill there by 1904, when the post office was established. By 1914 the Evadale plant, known as Mill U, included kilns, a circular sawmill, and a planing mill with a daily capacity of up to 70,000 board feet. Evadale had a population of 300 by 1920. The Kirby mill closed during the Great Depression,qv and by the late 1940s the town's population had fallen to 100. Economic revitalization began in 1948, when the Champion Paper and Fiber Company acquired riverfront acreage for a pulp mill. By the 1970s the giant Temple-Eastex pulpwood and paper mill dominated the local economy. With the new activity, the population in Evadale reached 700 by the early 1960s. In 1984 the town had twenty-two businesses and an estimated 715 residents. In 1990 its population was 1,422 and in 2000 it was 1,430.
Mark
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Engle, TX
The area was settled in the 1850s by Czech immigrants. Nearby Praha became the cultural center of the area - especialy after the church was constructed in the 1880s. Engle residents worshipped in Praha and the Praha cemetery made a separate one for Engle unnecessary.
J. E. Engle, an engineer for the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway was the namesake of the community after a railroad stop was established in the late 1870s.
A post office was established at Engle in 1888 and closed in the 1930s. By 1900 Engle had a blacksmith, a tinsmith, a lumbersmith, and three saloonsmiths. Historic photos reveal that a photography studio also operated in Engle.
The 1950 census showed Engle had a population of 250. Today much of "downtown" Engle is occupied by a machine shop utilizing many of the town buildings. The population retains strong community ties with nearby Praha.
The Engle Depot:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/EngleRRdepot.jpg)
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Yes, it was. Signal Butte is this butte/bluff IMMEDIATELY west of Ten Sleep, about a mile west of the middle of town. The ONLY other use of the name "Signal" in the entire state is Signal Peak in the Tetons.
I never thought much of Signal Butte till the movie came out but I did take this quick photo not too long ago...but I guess I might get a better one when I'm up there in a week taking care of ranch business.
The old rodeo ground along Nowood Road before the bends is a dead-ringer for the corrals in the movie (when we came down off the mountain in 63 and Aguirre got all upset at us)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/signal-butte.jpg)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/signal-butte-map.png)
-Ennis
Do you have a map that shows the relationship of Ten Sleep to the canyon and Brokenback Mountain??
(By way of explanation, this is in reference to a post on page 4 of this topic!!)
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Echeta, WY
Echeta is in Campbell County, in the Gillette metro area. Elevation is 4,081 feet.
The community name derives from the Indian term for "horse."
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/JD-Challenger-Horse-Spirit-Night.jpg)
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Arlington, Texas
--city located in Tarrant County; part of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Arlington, which is home to both the University of Texas at Arlington and the noted theme park Six Flags Over Texas, had a 2000 population of 332,969. Here is a bit of the place's history I found online:
White settlement in the Arlington area dates back at least to the 1840s. After the May 24, 1841 battle between General Edward H. Tarrant (Tarrant County is named for him) and Native Americans of the Village Creek settlement, a trading post was established at Marrow Bone Spring in present-day Arlington. The rich soil of the area attracted farmers, and several agriculture-related businesses were well established by the late nineteenth century.
The city was founded in 1875 and is named after General Robert E. Lee's Arlington House (in present-day Arlington County, Virginia). After the arrival of the railroad in 1876, Arlington grew as a cotton-ginning and farming center, and incorporated in 1884. The city could boast of water, electricity, natural gas, and telephone services by 1910, along with a public school system. By 1925 the population was estimated at 3,031, and it grew to over four thousand before World War II.
Large-scale industrialization began in 1954 with the arrival of a General Motors assembly plant. Automotive and aerospace development gave the city one of the nation's greatest population growth rates between 1950 and 1990. Arlington became one of the "boomburbs," the extremely fast-growing suburbs of the post-World War II era. U.S. Census Bureau population figures for the city tell the story: 7,692 (1950), 90,229 (1970), 261,721 (1990), and 359,467 (2004 estimate). Tom Vandergriff served as mayor from 1951 to 1977 during this period of explosive development. Six Flags Over Texas opened in Arlington in 1961, and in 1972 the Washington Senators baseball team relocated to Arlington and began play as the Texas Rangers. A noted heavy metal band from Arlington, Pantera, formed in 1981.
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New Moore, TX
AKA Nurmoore
In 1892, Samuel F. Singleton and Marion Virgil "Pap" Brownfield filed on 16 sections of land along the present-day Lynn and Terry County lines for future cattle, railroad and township purposes. In 1896, Singleton sent his son, Willie and a cook to the area to set up camp. As with many business propositions, the men had different ideas about the use of the land. The men decided to part ways and divided the land. Singleton ended up with the Lynn County territory and Brownfield, the Terry County land.
Singleton then purchased the nearby Slash L Ranch, consisting of 30 sections, in 1898. He put more than 5,000 head of cattle on the land. However, the problem of drought and poor watering holes forced the rancher to spend $19,000 to dig wells. The most successful and least tainted water came from present day New Moore.
After Singleton's death in 1922, the family decided to sell the ranch. W.McCarty Moore from Dallas purchased approximately 17,000 acres and commissioned G.O. Newman of Newman Bros. Land Development Co. in Fort Worth to market his purchase. To prove the worth of the land the company broke and planted 3,000 acres in cotton in 1924. Within the year, the company sold inexpensive land of 13,240 acres to about 50 farmers who came largely from the Nolan County area.
As families with the names of Rogers, Bevel, Crutcher, Strasner, Light, Pharr, Parker, Fails, and Isreal came to western Lynn County, the company dubbed the settled area New Moore in honor of Newman and Moore.
In 1924, Moore built the Slash L School on the west side of the land that later came to be known as the Marshall place, about five miles southwest of New Moore. The school was to take care of the many children of the new farmers. The school building was a crude, one-room structure, without water or electricity. It had many windows to let in light, according to Hoskins' New Moore, Texas account.
"Mesquite wood was used in the stove to warm the building. The room held from five to seven grades with one teacher for all students. Mrs. Ella Walker from Wolfe City was an early teacher there. Moore personally paid her salary, as well as the salaries of other teachers out of his own pocket as long as the school existed," according to Hoskins.
Another school was authorized by Lynn County Commissioners later in 1924, a wooden structure built at New Moore, across from the Frank Rogers home, which was the old Singleton Ranch headquarters. Both the Slash L school and the New Moore school operated until they were consolidated in 1928.
In the fall of 1928, another school was started one mile north of New Moore. In 1929, the modern four-room brick building was opened and the two other schools were closed and consolidated into the new larger school.
Unfortunately this was also the first year of the depression so families began to move to towns to seek employment. The population continued to dwindle in subsequent years.
The New Moore school closed in 1953. The last business to close in New Moore was the cotton gin, which ginned its last bale in 1986.
Leslie
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Egremont, Alberta
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Ten Sleep Canyon!
(The car route to Brokenback from Signal...not the sheep-herding route)
-Ennis
Map showing Ten Sleep, Brokenback Creek (with north and south forks), the mountain (marked with red square) and the Canyon across the middle:
(http://www.brokeback2008.com/photos/canyon.png)
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Hi EDelMar! Ten Sleep Canyon isn't actually a town, but it's so nice to see you here, I'll let it stand. And after all, we're talking Ten Sleep, the fictional Signal. Thanks for playing. 8)
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New Birthright, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/BirthrightTX.jpg)
New Birthright, a farming community a mile west of Birthright and nine miles northeast of Sulphur Springs in north central Hopkins County, developed around the time of World War II, when residents from old Birthright moved there to be closer to the junction of State highways 19 and 154 and Farm Road 71.
In the late 1940s the community had several businesses, a church, a cemetery, and a number of scattered houses. By the early 1960s only the church, the cemetery, and a few houses remained. During the late 1980s New Birthright was a dispersed rural community.
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Thedford, TX
Thedford is just south of Lindale and north of the intersection of Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 69 in northwestern Smith County. It was named for Lem Thedford, a pioneer settler who organized the rural school district. The site became a shipping point on the International-Great Northern Railroad in 1874. The community had a population of twenty-five in 1910, and the 1936 county highway map showed a small cluster of dwellings and a cemetery at the site. In 1966 Thedford consisted of a collection of dwellings, some clay pits, several dirt roads, and the Sitton Cemetery. The community reported sixty-five inhabitants in 1990.
-- The Handbook of Texas Online
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Detroit, TX
Former Vice-President John Nance Garner's birthplace is about 6 miles SW on FM 410. Garner's name is more closely linked with Uvalde, Texas, where he had a vast sheep ranch. Garner and Sam Rayburn (who grew up in Fannin County) were fast friends throughout their lengthy terms of service in Washington. Rayburn, although a long-term resident of North Texas, was actually born in Tennessee.
The Starkesville Post Office moved to the new townsite along the Missouri Pacific Railroad and after the move was known as Bennett. Detroit, Michigan was the hometown of the railroad agent and he saw fit to rename the town Detroit.
The approximately 700 people of Detroit have done a great job of keeping their town looking its best.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/DetroitTexasDowntown0406BarclayGibs.jpg)
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Ten Sleep Canyon!
(The car route to Brokenback from Signal...not the sheep-herding route)
-Ennis
Map showing Ten Sleep, Brokenback Creek (with north and south forks), the mountain (marked with red square) and the Canyon across the middle:
(http://www.brokeback2007.com/photos/canyon.png)
Thanks for posting this map I requested!!
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Talty, Tx
TALTY, TEXAS
Talty is near Farm Road 1641 eight miles northwest of Kaufman in northwest Kaufman County. The area was originally settled by a number of Irish Catholic pioneers, among them Tom and Martin Layden, Edmund and Daniel Vaughan, and William O'Connor. The community was originally called Layden's Ridge and later known as Irish Ridge. Talty was legally established with the filing of deeds on March 27, 1874.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Talty had a general store, a gristmill, and a grocery and drug business. In 1891 the community's Catholic population built St. Martin's Church on a tract of land donated by Martin Layden. A school was started about the same time, and a post office opened in 1899 and closed in 1901. In 1902 the Catholic residents of Talty constructed a convent and persuaded nuns of the Sisters of Notre Dame to come to the settlement. The sisters administered a parochial school near the convent until fire destroyed both structures in 1924.
Between 1900 and 1936 Talty had sixteen residents and two businesses. In 1956 the population reach sixty, and the town had three businesses; in 1966 residents numbered 150. In the late 1980s the population had fallen to thirty-two, where it remained in 1990.
Mark
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Yellowpine, Texas
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Elm Grove, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/ElmGroveSchoolSign03.jpg)
Leslie
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Eccles WY. It's like 2 trailers north of Worland.
-Ennis
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Sundown, Tx
SUNDOWN, TEXAS. Sundown, at the junction of Farm roads 301 and 303, fifteen miles southwest of Levelland in southwestern Hockley County, was originally part of the C. C. Slaughterqv ranch. Bob Slaughter derived the name from that of a favorite movie, although some old-timers believe that the choice followed a long discussion among settlers which ended at sundown. Farm tracts were surveyed in 1926, and the town was laid out in 1928. Walter Miller opened the first store in 1929, and T. B. Stone built a gin in 1932. In 1938 R. A. Guthrie became the first postmaster. A Sundown school district was established in 1928, and major growth followed successful oil drilling in 1937. Sundown became known as "Boomtown, USA," and was famous as the small town with the long main street, a 2½-mile strip. Oil-related business increased prosperity, and the town was incorporated in 1947. In 1949 a tornado ravaged the town, killing or injuring twenty people and causing heavy property damage. In 1950 Sundown had a population of 1,487 and forty-eight businesses. In 1960, when the population was 1,186, the town leaders developed a comprehensive plan for development by 1965. Six churches, a school, a bank, a library, and businesses connected to oil, farming, and ranching industries were reported in the 1960s. In 1970 the town had thirty businesses and a population of 1,129. The population was 1,511 in 1980 and 1,759 in 1990. Sundown has a museum exhibiting mementos of its oilfield developments, oil paintings depicting the early boom days, and other displays. Its school district has been one of the richest in the state.
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Normandville, Alberta
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Eddy, TX
Bruceville and the separate community of Eddy both became stations on the Katy Railroad (the Missouri, Kansas and Texas) when it built through McLennan County in the early 1880s. Lucien N. Bruce became Bruceville's namesake when he donated land for the depot. The railroad connection drew population from Mastersville, a town that could ill afford to lose it. Soon Bruceville's population was approaching 30 - many of them coming from the doomed town of Mastersville.
A Bruceville school district formed in 1904. Banking in Bruceville was short-lived. Although a bank started in 1907, a drought, forclosures and unpaid loans caused it to close in the late 20s - even before the arrival of the Great Depression.
Bruceville had a respectable population of 500 throughout the 30s and 40s. However after WWII, increased mobility allowed people to seek work in distant cities. The town declined by half in the late 40s and by 1970 there was only a reported population of 25 people. Clearly something needed to be done if Bruceville was to be saved from becoming a ghost. They found an ally in their neighboring town of Eddy - two miles distant.
Before the Katy Railroad arrived, Eddy, Texas was Marvin, Texas. In 1883 railroad superintendent Everett B. Eddy had the honor of replacing Marvin (whoever that had been). Eddy was a little smaller than Bruceville - with 150 residents shortly after it was founded. Still, it was quite independent with its own newspaper and essential businesses.
During the 1890s Eddy surpassed the population of its neighbor by several hundred. Bruceville and Eddy's future merger may have been fortold when, in 1928, the two communitees consolidated their schools - a first in McLennan County. Eddy's population was just under 500 in the 20s. By the mid-1940s the population was down to 350. With the construction of I-35 in the early 60s, commuting to Waco and Temple became easier. In the 1960s the population doubled to 600. The towns incorporated as one in the mid 1970s and the population rebounded to over 1,000 by the 1980s. Bruceville-Eddy incorporated in the mid-1970s and the population soon increased to over 1,000 people. It has since inrcreased to 1,490.
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Yucote Acres, TX
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Spring Valley, Tx
Also a city near where I live in San Diego.
Spring Valley, Texas, in Harris county, is 8 miles W of Houston, Texas. The city is part of the Houston metropolitan statistical area (MSA). About 3,611 people people live in Spring Valley.
The People and Families of Spring Valley
In Spring Valley, about 74% of adults are married. Homes in Spring Valley tend to contain married couples.
Wealth and Education
In 2000, Spring Valley had a median family income of $109,020. Overall, families in Spring Valley are likely to be financially secure. Not many of the people of the city are below middle class. Spring Valley does not have a large underclass. It turns out that people in the city tend to be educated, and a lot of them are college grads. As it happens, more people than usual in Spring Valley are able to work from their homes. It turns out that the city is home to a lot of successful single people.
Political Inclinations
The Democratic party was the top fund-raiser among political parties in Spring Valley.
Spring Valley Housing
Of the houses, apartments, etc. in Spring Valley, about 95% are lived in by their owners, not renters. The average property tax bill in the city is higher than that of most other communities in Texas.
Commuting
In Spring Valley, 93% of commuters drive to work. One alternative to driving in Spring Valley is the public transportation system.
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Yareni, Mexico
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/01d-Yareni-zae.jpg)
The town of Santa Ana Yareni is located in the Eastern (and northern) Sierra Madre mountain range, at an altitude of 7500 feet.
The town of Santa Ana Yareni
As you can see in the photo, Santa Ana Yareni is nestled at the base of a mountain, which is called I’iya Reni (Blood Mountain) because of the red color of its soil. The ya of Yareni is a shortened form of i’iya, which means ‘mountain’, and reni means ‘blood’.
There is a legend which tells how Santa Ana got its name. Cosamaloapan, the patron saint of the neighbouring town of San Miguel Aloápam, became angry with the inhabitants of the town because of their disrespect for her. She punished them by causing the nearby river to overflow, carrying the people of San Miguel to the base of this mountain behind Santa Ana. Their blood turned the soil of the mountain red.
According to the 2000 INEGI census the population of the town is 1,004. Many of the inhabitants of Santa Ana Yareni have emigrated to Oaxaca City, to Mexico City, and to various parts of the U.S.A.
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Illinois Bend, TX
Illinois Bend was named after homesick settlers from Illinois - who moved to Texas in 1862 - during the Civil War. Before their arrival it had been named Wardville after a local landowner - C. M. Ward. The name was changed to Illinois Bend in 1877 when a post office was granted for the community. Illinois Bend had a population of 300 by the mid-1880s.
Illinois Bend suffered the death-blow of never having a railroad connection and the population shrank to a little over 100 persons by 1910. The Illinois Bend post office closed and after WWII the population declined to less than 70.
L
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Delacour, AB (northeast of Calgary)
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Redbird, WY
(Welcome, nova20194) :)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/RedbirdWY.jpg)
South of Mule Creek Junction and Redbird, U.S. 18-85 south approaches Wyoming 270 west to Lance Creek. Photo taken 09/04/04.
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Durant, Tx
DURANT, TEXAS. Durant, two miles northwest of Clawson in northwestern Angelina County, was the last sawmill town established in the county on the Cotton Belt line (officially known as the St. Louis Southwestern Railway). Around 1909 Louis C. Odum built a small mill at the site on the railway; Durant was often referred to as Odum's Town because Odum was not only a sawmill owner but also a county commissioner and the first postmaster at the community. The local post office opened in 1909 and was closed in 1915. Durant was named for the Durant Lumber Company, which at one time operated a mill there. From 1909 to 1915 the town served as a shipping point for lumber and farm goods. In 1912 Odum sold his sawmill to Arch Carraway, who moved a mill to a site near Durant from Nacogdoches County. Carraway went out of business when the area timber supply was exhausted, and the community subsequently declined. The population of Durant was listed as five in 1910 and twenty-five in 1920. In 1945 the settlement had one business and a population of twenty-five. The population was again reported as twenty-five in 1965. By the late 1980s Durant was an abandoned railroad station.
And Durant was once a automobile. the yellow one pictured belongs to Lance Haynes of San Diego and I have seen this car at several auto events over the years.
The Durant was a make of automobile assembled by Durant Motors Corporation of New York, New York from 1921 to 1926 and again from 1928 to 1932. Durant Motors was founded by William Crapo Durant (also known as Billy Durant) after he was terminated as the head of General Motors. Billy Durant's intent was to build an automotive empire that could one day challenge General Motors.
The Durant automobile is considered to be an example of an "assembled" automobile because so many of its components were obtained from outside suppliers. From 1921 to 1926 the vehicle was powered by a four cylinder Continental engine. The vehicle was directed at the Oakland automobile price point.
Production of the vehicle was suspended for the 1926 and 1927 model years. When the Durant was reintroduced, the car was redesigned and powered by a six cylinder Continental engine; some of the early vehicles were marketed as the "Durant-Star". Bodies for the vehicle were supplied by Budd Company. In 1930, some Durants were built with all steel bodies, also supplied by Budd.
Durant Motors was found insolvent and automobile production ended early in 1932.
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Toyah, TX
Toyah currently has two businesses. A gas station and a tire repair shop. Most of the residents work 18 miles away in Pecos. At one time there were over 1,000 residents of Toyah, a fact that is proven by its substantial brick buildings.
The telephone directory shows 40 subcribers not including county and state agencies/offices.
The town dates to 1881, the year that the railroad came through. Stagecoaches connected Toyah with Fort Stockton that same year. The town enjoyed a brief period of prosperity when it became a shipping point for cattle. Later, the town of Toyahvale (south of Balmorhea) became more popular since it was nearer the ranches.
From just before WW I until the depression, Toyah's population remained over one thousand people. That figure was cut in half and the decline was on by 1931.
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Harvie Heights, AB
Can you tell I have my Alberta map in front of me? Actually, I stayed in Harvie Heights last summer when I was working on the findingbrokeback.com (http://findingbrokeback.com) website. It's right next to Canmore, so those of you planning a trip to Alberta might want to look for accommodations in Harvie Heights as well as Canmore.
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San Leanna, Texas
SAN LEANNA, TEXAS. San Leanna is near Farm Road 1626 ten miles south of Austin in southern Travis County. It began as a subdivision of Austin in the 1950s but in 1970 was incorporated with its own mayor-alderman government. San Leanna reported a population of 200 in 1974; by 1988 the number of residents had increased to 297. In 1990 the population was 325.
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Arcola,Tx
ARCOLA, TEXAS. Arcola is at the junction of Farm Road 521 and State Highway 6 and the intersection of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific railroads, twenty miles east of Richmond in southeastern Fort Bend County. The site is on part of the league granted in 1822 to David Fitzgerald,qv one of the Old Three Hundred.qv A large portion of the grant was sold to Jonathan Dawson Watersqv in the middle 1840s. By acquiring the whole league in 1850, Waters became the owner of one of the largest cotton and sugar plantations in Texas, which he called Arcola. The Houston Tap Railroad was built through the area of the plantation in 1858. After Waters' death the plantation lands were purchased by Col. T. W. Houseqv of Houston. The Arcola community was formed predominantly by freed slaves. A post office was established in 1869 and served off and on until 1920. Arcola became a railroad junction in 1878 when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe was built through the county. By 1884 the community had a sugar mill, two steam gristmill-cotton gins, two general stores, a Baptist church, and a school. In 1903 the Arcola school district had two schools serving forty-two white pupils and four schools serving 176 black pupils. In 1914 the community had an estimated fifty inhabitants and one general store. In 1940 Arcola had a church, a school, the Riceton-Arcola cemetery, and four businesses. Arcola's population slowly grew to 120 in 1949, 299 in 1968, and 661 in 1986, when the community incorporated. Some of its growth may be attributed to its proximity to Houston. Arcola had two churches, a school, and a number of scattered dwellings in 1980 and a population of 666 in 1990. The population grew to 1,048 in 2000.
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Arp, TX
The area was settled in the late 1860s, although things didn't really get going until the International-Great Northern Railroad came through in 1872 and made this stop on their line "Jarvis Switch." Growth was non-existant to slow until 1897 when truck farmer J. W. Melton relocated from Troup, Texas and started shipping tomatoes. A post office was granted in 1898 as "Strawberry, Texas" but this name only lasted a year. It was renamed for a newspaper editor named William Arp. By 1902 Arp had three churches, no fewer than five general stores, a drugstore and physician. Arp grew as a vegetable and fruit shipping point for area farmers and became the postal connection for Omen, Texas when their post office closed in 1906.
By 1914 the town had a population of nearly 400. Omen, Texas continued to decline and even their Masonic lodge moved to Arp. In 1931 oil was discovered and Arp became the headquarters for The McMurry Refining Company. The population reached it's high-water mark in the mid 1930s with 2,500 citizens but as the Great Depression wound down, so did the population - reaching about 1,000 by the end of the decade. It was still at that level in the 1960s, even though the number of businesses had declined by half. In 1989 there were just over 1,000 residents which declined to 812 by 1990.
Downtown Arp:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/ArpTexasDowntownArp0106BG.jpg)
L
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Pincher Creek, AB
Pincher Creek is a town in the southwest of Alberta, Canada. It is immediately to the east of the Rocky Mountains in the centre of ranching country.
The town received its name in 1868 when a group of prospectors lost a pincer in the small creek at this location. These pincers would have been used as a mechanism for trimming the feet of the horses and thus had some value to the group. It is alleged that for many years afterward, prospectors continued to search for the pincers whenever they passed through this area near the creek.
In 1906 the community on the banks of this creek was officially incorporated as a town and named Pincher Creek. For centuries before this area was settled, the Blackfoot, Peigan and Kootenai Nations lived in or frequented this region. Today the community is thriving. Many residents are descendants of the pioneer families who settled here over 100 years ago.
The town is in a particularly windy part of Alberta, because of the strong Chinook winds that blow off the mountains, and is said to have the highest average wind speed of any town in North America. The strong winds have given rise to a significant amount of wind farm development in the area, with the towers and blades of wind turbines being a characteristic of the scenery.
The town was severely affected by a flood that hit the area in 1995 as the peak stream flow discharge was 271 cubic meters per second
Notable Individuals: Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin was born in Pincher Creek, as was Stuart McDowall, Canadian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
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Kickapoo, TX
Kickapoo was on the east side of the Trinity River near the site of the present-day junction of U.S. Highway 190 and Farm Road 3152, ninety miles north of Houston in western Polk County. A community of settlers was there by 1846. They named the site for a group of Kickapoo Indians that often camped there on their treks from Northeast Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The only group of Indians to actually settle permanently in the area were the Pakana Muskogees. Samuel Rowe and W. B. P. Gaines laid out the town in 1853. Their plot also included Patrick's Ferry, which had been operated by Isham T. Patrick and James Abbey as early as 1834. The community served as a Trinity River landing but lost much of its importance with the coming of the railroads to East Texas in the late 1870s. Although another community was established a mile away from the original settlement during the first quarter of the twentieth century, the Kickapoo post office, established in 1919, was discontinued sometime after 1930. The population dwindled from 100 in the early 1940s to an estimated forty by the latter part of that decade. Lists of towns dated 1949 do not include Kickapoo. The old townsite now lies under the waters of Lake Livingston, a man-made reservoir completed in 1968
(http://www.utep.edu/twp/kick.jpg)
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Old Moulton, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/OldMoultonMarkerTexas805JT.jpg)
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Nacmine, AB
The original name of the town was Monarch. It was later renamed after it founders, North American Collieries (NAC and Mine) and was situated four miles west of Drumheller on what was then the main highway between Calgary and Saskatoon and was the deepest mine in the Valley. As pretentious as its mine appeared to be, the townsite was even more so. It was a company town. The houses were attractive and painted in various colors. The houses were spread well apart with generous lots of over 100 feet being allowed for each house. Nearly every house was surrounded by a garden. Old time bunkhouses were eliminated. A two story hotel afforded accommodations for 160 single men. Children’s education was also provided in an up to date school building. The teachers lived in bungalows equipped with furnace, water, and electric lights. The village was entirely self-supporting having a post office, bank, two general stores, butcher shop, billiard room and an ice cream parlor. The company laid aside grounds for baseball, football, golf links, a skating rink, and a gymnasium. Things did go well until the depression of the 1930s. The mine kept operating until 1961 when it finally closed after 40 years. Today there are numerous abandoned buildings in Nacmine but some people decided to stay. Some day it undoubtedly will become part of the city of Drumheller.
H.B. Chenoweth
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Erskine, Tx
ERSKINE, TEXAS. Erskine, on a site originally known as Kickapoo Springs, was near Kickapoo Creek twenty-eight miles southwest of Paint Rock in southwestern Concho County. The settlement was established in 1883 and acquired a post office the same year. In 1884 Erskine had a hotel, a general store, and a population of seventy. Local employment centered on the shipment of livestock and wool. Erskine apparently declined after the post office was moved to the nearby community of Vigo in 1887.
Also the name of a car produced by Studebaker from 1927-1930. her is the sad sory of rhe Erskine.
was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana from 1927 to 1930. The brand was named for Albert Russel Erskine (1871–1933) who was the president of the Studebaker Corporation at the time.
During his term as Studebaker’s President, Erskine encouraged Studebaker engineers to develop advanced engines. As a result Studebaker began to amass not only numerous racing wins, but also began to claim more of the upper priced market. This left Studebaker without an entry level automobile in the United States, and Erskine, who had always been fascinated by smaller European vehicles saw market potential in a short wheel based, compact car, especially if it could expand Studebaker's presence in the European market.
When introduced in time for the 1927 model year, the car was named after its creator, and marketed as The Little Aristocrat. To make the Erskine affordable, Studebaker fitted the cars with a six-cylinder Continental engines rather than the more advanced Studebaker units and priced the cars at $995. Body design was by Ray Dietrich; the design proved to be quite a head-turner, and received numerous accolades from the British and French press. Initially, sales demand was promising. However, within a year Ford introduced its Model A and priced it at $525 dollars, undercutting the Erskine by $470.
To remedy this, Studebaker marketing suggested that the Erskine become a larger car, which when implemented grew the wheelbase from 108" to 114". The Erskine was no longer small, and became more like its Studebaker brethren. Ultimately, the Erskine was absorbed into Studebaker by May 1930. A little over a year later, Studebaker would try again with the 1931 Rockne brand automobile.
To his credit, Albert Erskine successfully strengthened Studebaker’s core automobile business and helped to guide the corporation toward technical advancements that eventually would help the company through the first few years of the depression.
However Erskine also encouraged the payment of stockholder dividends from Studebaker’s capital reserves as the depression deepened; this inflated the value of the stock, and eventually weakened the company. In addition to the two failed marques he created (Rockne and Erskine), Erskine also had purchased luxury car maker Pierce-Arrow during the high rolling 1920s, which had to be sold off to investors as a means of improving cash flow.
Rather than lose control of Studebaker, Albert R. Erskine committed suicide in 1933 on the grounds of Studebaker’s proving grounds (now Bendix Woods Park) outside of South Bend, Indiana.
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Eckert, TX
Once named Nebo, Texas after the local topogrphic feature called Mount Nebo, the town came into being when several families built around their Mount Zion church in the mid 1870s. When Wilhelm Rudolph Eckert applied for a post office, he modestly requested the name Eckert, Texas. His request was granted in 1903 and in just twenty-two years the population skyrocketed to 100. By 1933 it was down to a mere 15 people, but still the town held its ground. By the mid 1960s Eckert had a population of seven.
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Turner Valley, AB
Turner Valley is a small Alberta town southwest of Calgary. It is the birthplace of Canada’s Oil & Gas industry, and is home to the famous Dingman #1 Oil Discovery Well, which blew in on May 14, 1914. A drive along picturesque Highway 22 from Calgary and west of Turner Valley provides breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains, foothills, sparkling rivers and a multitude of wildlife. Turner Valley’s close proximity to the Kananaskis are and the City of Calgary make it a perfect place to live and the Oil and Gas Interpretive Centre, a great day trippers adventure.
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Rowlett, Tx
ROWLETT, TEXAS. Rowlett is four miles east of Garland and twenty miles northeast of Dallas in northeastern Dallas County and western Rockwall County. It is bordered on the east and south by Lake Ray Hubbard and on the west by Rowlett Creek. Dr. Daniel Rowlettqv moved to Texas from Kentucky in 1836 and later purchased a large tract of land in Collin County. A creek running through this property was named Rowlett's Creek; a portion of this creek runs through Dallas County and the western section of Rowlett into Lake Ray Hubbard. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas line was built through the area in 1886, and the Rowlett community received a post office in 1889. By 1892 the town had an estimated population of 200, a general store, a mill, and a cotton gin operated by D. W. Housley. Its population grew to 350 by 1896; by 1914, however, the population had declined to 200. By then the town had Catholic, Christian, and Methodist denominations. Rowlett received electrical service in 1924. The community was incorporated in 1952, when it had a population of 250 and ten businesses. Eighty-four citizens voted unanimously for incorporation. With the completion of Lake Ray Hubbard in 1971, a building boom began, and the population rose to more than 1,600 by 1973, to 2,500 by 1975, and to an estimated 10,573 by 1989, when the community reported 200 businesses, mostly light industry and services. The population of Rowlett in 1990 was 23,260. In the early 1990s the community had more than thirty miles of shoreline on Lake Ray Hubbard, and a nature trail and Springfield Park were on Rowlett Creek.
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Trickham, TX
If you believe the story about how Trickham got it's name, then this town was a pioneer in "truth in advertising."
Store owner Bill Franks (never trust a man with two first names) used to sell whiskey to cowboys that was actually water from Mukewater Creek. This was before the concept of repeat customers evolved. Mr. Franks was also the one who applied for the Post Office (established 1879) and so his request was for Trickham (Trick 'em). Humor along the lines of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe Attorneys at Law.
Tyro, Texas (also Coleman Co.) probably heard the story and when their post office shut down in 1881 and they needed a name for it to reopen in 1884 they submitted Novice because of the store owner's inexperience.
The Historical Marker states that the town was a "trading post for ranching activities of Cattle Baron John Chisum."
Through the years, Trickham has had good times and bad, and the population has risen and fallen accordingly. The 1970s were particularly bad, for that was the decade Trickham lost their gas station, general store and post office. The reported population was 12 in 1970 and that's where it remains today.
There might be some health benefits from that water from Mukewater Creek after all. Then the joke would be on Mr. Franks.
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It's time for a SIDE TRIP! 8)
Instead of an R, Mark needed to play a Y, so Rowlett is a non-sequitur. Leslie already played a T based on his answer. No towns beginning with Y and ending with T are available, so Mark can't edit his post to comply.
The next eligible poster may play a town beginning with the letter of their choice, hopefully one that we "hardly never get." Choose well! ;D
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Yes, yes yes I am going for it! We have had one other V town (Valentine) and I am leaving you with a good last letter: L (a letter near and dear to my heart!)
Vanderpool, TX
Vanderpool is one of those rare places where you can get away from the world and still be in Texas. We would call it the "Crossroads of Western Bandera County" but you might get the idea there's a lot of traffic through here. There isn't.
The first settlers of the Sabinal Valley date to the early 1850s. Comanche misbehavior in the 1860s caused the settlers to rethink their plans, and it wasn't until 1886 that the town got a post office.
The Sabinal Valley had been home at various times to several Indian tribes and the fact that Apaches made villages, attests to the desirability of the location.
The rugged terrain and natural protection afforded the Indians, made this one of the last parts of Texas to be settled. A grave in nearby Leakey cemetery shows the last Indian attack there to be in 1881.
It had been known as Bugscuffle, and indeed - there was a Bugscuffle school. The first postmaster had the much more dignified name of L. B. Vanderpool, and decided for the sake of future generations to rename the town after himself.
The Vanderpool Cemetery:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/VanderpoolCemetery601.jpg)
L
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Leon Valley, Tx
LEON VALLEY, TEXAS. Leon Valley is near the junction of Loop 410 and State Highway 16, ten miles northwest of downtown San Antonio in northwestern Bexar County. The community was developed in the 1950s and had a population of 536 in 1960 and 1,960 in 1970. It incorporated in the 1960s and in 1990 had a reported 9,581 residents
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What the heck, I'm giving myself a SIDE TRIP since Leslie technically double-posted in her zeal to choose Vanderpool (nice town) and Mark already posted. Hey, I'm easy! So here's a nod to my profession and one of my favorite opera composers:
Verdi, Texas
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/verdi.jpg)
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Irricana, AB
Irricana is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the wide-open spaces of the Canadian prairies, thirty-five minutes northeast of Calgary, Alberta, en route to the Drumheller badlands off Highway 9 or 18 minutes east of Airdrie, Alberta off Highway 567. Irricana is located off two separate primary highways.
The name of the town is an acronym of "irrigation canals“, which are found around the Irricana area. The closest neighbouring village is Beiseker. Irricana is surrounded by the Municipal District of Rocky View.
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Alpine, Tx
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q219/jpwagoneer1964/Alpine2.jpg)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q219/jpwagoneer1964/Alpine3.jpg)
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q219/jpwagoneer1964/Alpine4.jpg)
ALPINE, TEXAS (Brewster County). Alpine is located in a wide valley in the foothills of the Davis Mountains in northwest Brewster County. Cattlemen lived in tents near their herds in the area between 1878 and 1882. The town began in the spring of 1882, when a few railroad workers and their families pitched their tents along a small spring-fed creek at the foot of what is now known as "A" Mountain. The railroad section was given the name of Osborne, and for a brief period the name Osborne was applied to the small community of settlers. The best of the springs was on a section belonging to Daniel and Thomas Murphy. The railroad needed control of the spring as a source of water for its steam engines, so it entered into an agreement with the Murphys to change the name of the section and settlement to Murphyville in exchange for a contract to use the spring. In November of 1883 the Murphys registered a plat for the town of Murphyville with the county clerk of Presidio County.
As the town grew the residents petitioned for its name to be changed to Alpine, and on February 3, 1888, the name of the local post office was officially changed. In 1888 a description of the town mentioned a dozen houses, three saloons, a hotel and rooming house, a livery stable, a butcher shop, and a drugstore, which also housed the post office.
Alpine grew very slowly until 1921. Then came the opening of Sul Ross State Normal College (now Sul Ross State University) and the construction of the first paved roads into the area. The college, along with ranching and the transcontinental railroad, made Alpine the center of activities in the Big Bend area of Texas. At this time city utilities, including water, sewerage, and electricity, came to the community. In the early 1940s, with the establishment of Big Bend National Park,qv Alpine came to be looked upon as the entrance to the park. Since the early 1960s the rapid influx of affluent retired people into the area has been an important factor in the town's continued growth.
Alpine is listed as one of the fifty safest and most economical places for retirement in the United States. It is often spoken of as the "heart of the Big Bend," the "Alps of Texas," "out where the West begins," and the "economic, cultural, and recreational center for Trans-Pecos Texas." Alpine was incorporated by 1929. The town is served by the Southern Pacific and South Orient railroads, Amtrak, and several bus lines and is crossed by U.S. highways 90 and 67 and State Highway 118. The Big Bend Telephone Company has its headquarters in Alpine and serves customers who are not served by Southwestern Bell. In addition to the facilities of three major petroleum companies Alpine has a number of financial institutions and small businesses. The medical needs of the area are met by Big Bend Regional Medical Center. The town has three public schools and more than eighteen churches. Recreational facilities include public parks, swimming pools, a golf course, tennis courts, and an outdoor theater. Alpine also has a TV cable system, two radio stations, and the campus communications program at Sul Ross.
The population was estimated at 396 in 1904. By 1927 it had risen to 3,000. The 1950 census reported Alpine's population at 5,256, but the 1960 census reported only 4,740 residents. A high of approximately 6,200 was reached by 1976. In 1980 residents numbered 5,465 and businesses 108. In 1990 the population was 5,637. In 2000 the population grew to 5,786.
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Ejide Nadadores, Mexico
population 3176
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Strathmore, AB
Strathmore is a town located along the Trans-Canada Highway in south-central Alberta, Canada, 40 km east of the city of Calgary, within the boundaries of Wheatland County.
Population: 10,336 (2006)
The town began as a hamlet for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) lines that were built in the area in 1883. In 1905, the CPR moved the hamlet of Strathmore four miles north to its current location. A track laying record was made between Strathmore and Cheadle when the railroad was built. In one hour 1.6kms of steel was laid and, at the end of the ten-hour working day, the rails were laid to Cheadle, 15kms for a record. Efforts by the Canadian government to develop western Canada led to increases in Strathmore's population and its importance as a rail supply stop. The CPR railroad tracks are now gone, the land having been subdivided.
Today, the town is an important agricultural community. Oil and gas exploration is also a growing interest in the area. It is the headquarters of the Golden Hills Schools Division. Many commute daily from Strathmore to Calgary. Over the past three years the town has seen a major growth in commercial development. The recent introduction of two McDonald's and a Walmart has forced a few smaller shops to close their doors because they have been unable to compete with these giants.
Strathmore has three elementary schools (Wheatland, Westmount, and Brentwood), one junior high school (Crowther Memorial Junior High School), one high school (Strathmore High School) and a Catholic School that runs from K-6 (Sacred Heart Academy) as well as a 7-12 catholic school (Holy Cross Collegiate).
Strathmore is the current home of Covenant Bible College Canada. The CBC-C campus relocated in 1995 from its prior home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In Covenant Bible College, students take a course in religious studies.
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English, Texas
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Haskell, TX
The townsite was originally known as Willow Pond Springs. Captain Randolph Marcy's expedition passed this way in 1849 and a member of the expedition wrote his brother about the place's potential. In 1879 the brother - named Thomas Tucker occupied the area renamed the place Rice Springs.
The post office was established in 1885 and the community was renamed after a soldier who died at Goliad - Charles Ready Haskell. The county was organized that same year and Thomas Tucker became the first judge.
The Haskell Free Press became the first newspaper in 1886.
In 1900 the Texas Central Railroad reached Stamford and Haskell connected in 1906.
The town incorporated in 1907.
Just before World War II - the Lawson oilfield was discovered six miles east.
Lake Stamford was built in the 1950s to provide water for municipal, industrial and recreational use.
Haskell's population peaked in 1970 with 4,166 people.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/HaskellWaterTower1102JWillaims.jpg)
Leslie
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Lethbridge, AB
Alberta's southernmost city, Lethbridge's most magnificent characteristic is its coulees—a network of large rolling hills that were formed by glacial spill water over ten thousand years ago. Sitting on a hillside, the University of Lethbridge is a unique building that appears to emerge out of this landscape. Crossing the coulees and the city's river source, the Old Man River, is the world's largest High Level Bridge—an impressive structure at 314 feet. The area's rich history can be explored at Fort Whoop Up and the Sir Alexander Galt Museum. During the Second World War, Japanese Canadians were forcibly relocated from the west coast to the Lethbridge area where they were made to work as farm labourers. This accounts for a strong Japanese cultural presence today, a fine example being the impressive Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. Also standing as a symbol for amends now made, the garden's name means Japanese and Canadian friendship.
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Ella, Texas
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Anthony, TX
A chapel built prior 1884 to honor St. Anthony of Padua is the reason for the name. A post office was granted on the New Mexico side but never opened. A post office on the Texas side opened in 1932 - the same year a Federal Prison called La Tuna was opened. The post office closed in 1965 and for sometime the town was called "La Tuna."
There were less than 50 people living in Anthony in the 1940s, but after incorporation, it soon grew to over 1,000 residents. Another growth spurt occured in the 1970s when it reached a population of 2,154. A post office opened in 1981 and the population has since increased to the present 3,850.
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Yetay, Mexico
Population: 7502
Latitude: 20° 33' 5N Longitude: 99° 39' 0W Altitude: 5524 ft.
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Yxcatlan, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YxcatlanMX.jpg)
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Nampa, AB
Population: 447
Leslie
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Ardrossan, AB
Ardrossan is a hamlet in Strathcona County, Alberta, Canada. It consists of about 200 houses, a church, a post office, a community centre, a seniors' hall and a recreational centre. Nearby there are also elementary and junior/senior high schools, a confectionery and a garage.
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Nowood, WY. Ain't on no map; but it is bigger than Lightning Flat these days.
Here's the International Terminal (Concourse A) ;) of their main airport... arrivals area. That's my truck parked in the Economy lot, and the man in the photo was of course waiting for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel shuttle.
-Ennis
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/nowood-1.jpg)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/nowood-2.jpg)
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Dumas,Tx
DUMAS, TEXAS (Moore County). Dumas, the county seat of Moore County, is at the junction of U.S. highways 87 and 287 in the center of the county. It was named for Louis Dumas, president of the Panhandle Townsite Company in Sherman, who purchased railroad survey lands in the Panhandle.qv In January 1891 Dumas and his associates formed the Moore County Townsite Company and platted the town on a site some five miles south of South Palo Duro Creek. The first building housed the company office, a hotel, a general store, and the first post office. James C. Wilson served as first postmaster and was followed by John F. Patterson, who opened a general store later that year. The following year Moore County was organized, and Dumas was elected county seat. By then several lots had been sold and a courthouse erected. The first school was constructed in 1892 on the block west of the courthouse.
A plague of grasshoppers in the summer of 1893 and a severe winter during 1893-94 almost reduced Dumas to a ghost town. Even Louis Dumas gave up hope and moved back to Grayson County. At times during the next few years only one family was reported as inhabiting the townsite. In 1900 Arthur Nield's mercantile store was the sole business in operation. In 1904 Phillips and Son bought this establishment and started an enterprise that is still in operation. J. V. Mills opened a rival general store, and the first bank was opened in 1908. Since there was no railroad, supplies were hauled overland from Amarillo. A skating rink was opened, and the county's first newspaper, the Moore County Pioneer, began circulation in 1909. Two churches had been established, and by 1910 automobiles and telephones were in use. When the Enid, Ochiltree and Western Railroad announced plans to build through Dumas, the population increased from twenty-three in 1903 to over 100 by 1915. Though that railroad scheme fell through, Dumas grew to around 200 and had a blacksmith shop, a barbershop, a lumberyard, a drugstore, and other businesses serving area ranchers and wheat farmers. After cotton was introduced to the county in 1918, a gin was opened in Dumas.
The determination of the Dumas residents to stay in their windswept environment paid off when oil and natural gas were discovered in the county in 1926. The population grew rapidly as Shamrock Oil and Gas and other major companies moved into the vicinity. In 1931 the long-awaited hopes for a railroad were realized with the building of the North Plains and Santa Fe line from Amarillo to Boise City, Oklahoma. These new developments greatly boosted the town's economic, civic, and cultural growth. Streets were paved, a fire department was organized, a new courthouse was built, and a new newspaper, the Moore County News, replaced the defunct Pioneer. Despite the Dust Bowl,qv the population of Dumas grew to 2,500 by 1935. In 1936 a zinc-smelting plant was established in the vicinity, as were several carbon black plants that utilized the sour gas from the oilfields (see CARBON BLACK INDUSTRY). World War IIqv further stimulated the area's petroleum industry, causing the population to increase from 2,117 in 1940 to 6,127 by 1950. On July 29, 1956, the county's worst disaster, a fire at the Shamrock-McKee plant near Dumas, killed nine plant employees and ten firemen. By 1965 deep-well irrigation and several petrochemical plants had further enhanced the town's economy. The population continued to grow, from 8,477 in 1960 to 12,194 in 1980, when Dumas had twenty-two churches, eight city parks, six public schools, two banks, a hospital, a nursing home, a library, two radio stations, a cable television company, and 257 businesses. In 1990 the population was 12,871, and in 2000 it was 13,747.
Dumas is in the heart of one of the state's leading grain sorghum producing areas (see SORGHUM CULTURE). Moore County also produces large quantities of natural gas, as well as two-thirds of the nation's helium (see HELIUM PRODUCTION). Several feedlots, grain elevators, beef packers, and fertilizer plants, as well as a tannery, attest to the leadership in agribusiness. The Moore County Historical Museum, housed in a former hotel, features memorabilia and displays of local history, area wildlife, Indian artifacts, and changing exhibits. The major annual event, complete with parade and carnival, is called Dogie Days and occurs during the second weekend in June. Fall events are the Moore County Fair and the County Art Bazaar. Moore County Airport is west of the city. Dumas was made famous by the hit song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas," recorded by Phil Harris in the 1940s. The song was written by Phil Baxter of Navarro County after he had spent a night in Dumas on a trip to Denver. In 1982 Dumas was the home of the Arturo Toscanini Society, a national group dedicated to preserving the conductor's memory.
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Salt Gap, TX
Named for the local creek of the same name, the town had a post office in operation from 1905 to 1913 - the year it closed. It reopened in the 1920s and closed for good several years later.
The population high-water mark was 60 people in the late 1930s. The town never developed past the store and school stage, but it remains a viable community in 2006 and still appears on the county map.
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Purple Sage, WY
Population 413, is located in Wyoming's Sweetwater county, about 144.4 miles from Salt Lake City and 151.6 miles from West Valley City.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/PurpleSageWY.jpg)
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Entwistle, AB
Entwistle is a hamlet in the province of Alberta. It is approximately 95 km west of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway. Entwistle sits on the east banks of the Pembina River, and at the intersection of the Yellowhead Highway and Highway 22. It is exactly halfway between Edmonton and Edson.
Entwistle has grown to become a popular staging area for the oil and gas industry. It is also quite famous for its annual rodeo, the Pembina River Provincial Park, and being the Diamond Capital of Canada.
In 1958, Entwistle resident Einar Opdahl found a diamond in the banks of the Pembina River. The diamond weighed 0.83 carats (166 mg), and was described as being “a perfect octahedron with eight faces; a clear, colorless stone.”Opdahl sold the diamond to gem cutter Ed Arsenault for $500. It was later claimed that Arsenault discovered the diamond.
When De Beers staked a claim for diamond mining in Alberta’s Peace River country in 1990, people were reminded of the discovery of a diamond in the Pembina River near Entwistle. Several Alberta-based exploratory companies staked diamond claims near Entwistle and the Pembina River in 1992.
Opdahl and Arsenault’s discovery and the mini-boom in diamond prospecting led Entwistle to claim the title Diamond Capital of Canada in 1994.
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Easter, TX
in Castro Country. Population 26.
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Rosalind, Alberta
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Devon, AB
Devon is a town in the province of Alberta, Canada, situated 26 km south of Edmonton, the provincial capital, and located on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.
Population: 6,095 (2005)
Devon owes its existence to one of the largest oil discoveries in the world. On 1947 February 13, the Imperial Leduc #1 well struck oil, and the new town of Devon was constructed shortly thereafter by Imperial Oil to accommodate its workers. The company was determined that the town would be well-planned, and Devon holds the distinction of being the first Canadian community to be approved by a Regional Planning Commission. The oil industry remains a major player in the town's business sector, though the economy has diversified to include tourism, manufacturing, and research.
Devon is amply served by schools, recreational facilities, and community services. It is only ten minutes away from the Edmonton International Airport, and is close to major rail routes and highways. It is located close to a motor sports park, a bird sanctuary, a botanical garden (the Devonian Gardens), and a number of other attractions to residents and visitors.
Devon is named after the Devonian formation (the strata tapped in the Leduc #1 oil well), which in turn is named for Devon county, England.
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Naught, TX
in Henderson County
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Purple Sage, WY
Population 413, is located in Wyoming's Sweetwater county, about 144.4 miles from Salt Lake City and 151.6 miles from West Valley City.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/PurpleSageWY.jpg)
I love this name! Classically Western to the nth degree.
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Tongue River, WY
This town on the Tongue River is in the Bighorn Mountains of north central Wyoming, in Sheridan County.
Some info on fishing can be found here:
http://www.wyomingfishing.net/riv_tong.htm (http://www.wyomingfishing.net/riv_tong.htm)
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Rendon, Tx
RENDON, TEXAS. The community of Rendon is located off Farm Road 1187 about twelve miles southeast of downtown Fort Worth in southern Tarrant County. Settlement began in the area, originally known as Cross Roads, by the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1880 the Hopper family came there. Other pioneers included the Norwood and Haddock families. The Norwood family helped organize a church which held both Baptist and Methodist services. In 1891 a post office opened under the name of Rendon, after Joaquin Rendon, the original land grant holder in the region. W. L. Norwood served as the first postmaster and also owned a general store. By the mid-1890s the town had flour mills, two gins, a blacksmith, and a population of twenty-five. On October 23, 1897, W. L. Norwood sold three acres for the site of a schoolhouse and graveyard. The oldest marked stone in the cemetery at that time dated to 1882. Summer "singing schools" were held in the church before it disbanded in 1914, but that same year, a Baptist church was organized. In the early 1900s Rendon maintained its population of twenty-five, and the school and church served area farmers. By 1950 the population had increased to eighty, with three listed businesses. Rendon organized its own volunteer fire department in 1954. The school was consolidated with the Mansfield Independent School District in 1967, and the population remained consistent at ninety residents throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Commercial development along nearby Interstate Highway 35W and the sprawl of urban Fort Worth resulted in dramatic population increases in Rendon during the 1990s. Estimates ranged from 7,734 in 1991 to 8,414 in 1996. In 2000 the census reported 9,022 residents.
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New York, TX
New York is a hamlet in Henderson County, Texas, USA, about 11 miles east of Athens.
New York lies at the intersection of FM 804 and FM 607 in a stereotypically flat portion of East Texas, surrounded mostly by farm land. It contains no streams, lakes, hills or other notable geographic features.
New York was first settled around 1856 by James C. Walker, Davis Reynolds, Jesse M. Forester, and A. M. Otts at a location south of the present site. The present site was settled in 1873. The community was reportedly named either by T. B. Herndon as a joke or by Reynolds because of his hopes for the town's future. By 1884 New York had two steam gristmills and cotton gins, two churches, a district school, and a population of 60, which rose to 100 by 1892. A post office operated there from 1876 to the first decade of the 1900s.
The town declined after it was bypassed by the railroad in 1901. Its school was consolidated with the Poyno system in 1936.
In 1986 nearby Dunsavage Farms (a restaurant, antique shop, and bed and breakfast) began to market New York, Texas, Cheesecake, which became nationally known by 1992. The company is now located in Athens, Texas.
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Kalgary, TX
Kalgary began life as Spur, Texas in 1905. It was then named Watson, for Richard Watson Self.
The townsite was on what had been part of the huge SMS ranch.
The Watson school was constructed in 1907 and a post office opened in 1911. The post office closed in 1913, reopened in 1925, changed its name when it started getting mail for another town named Watson in 1927 and closed for good in 1955. There were only 10 people in Kalgary in the 1930s. Their high water-mark was 1940 when the population reached 100.
The state-wide school consolidations of the late 40s, early 50’s merged the Kalgary ISD with Crosbyton in 1949. The school burned in 1952.
People interested in Texas town names with Alaska-sounding names may want to check Nome, Juno and Fairbanks.
Leslie
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Yokum, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/YokumTX.png)
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Mustang, Tx
We all know of the Ford Mustang introduced in 1964.
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Gooseneck, TX
The community which was once known as Honey Bend now exists only as a cemetery. The town was settled by the 1880s and the name comes from a prominent twist in the Brazos River - an Oxbow lake in-the-making.
The community at its peak was hardly more than a school and church, but they did manage to form a cemetery association in 1932 to maintain the original graveyard.
James James, sometimes known as "Double Jimmy" was a local celebrity and 1812 War Veteran who is interred in the Gooseneck Cemetery.
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Kathyrn, AB
Kathyrn is an unincorporated hamlet in the southern reaches of the Canadian province of Alberta, in the Municipal District of Rocky View.
Kathyrn is located approximately 38 kilometers or 23.6 miles northeast of the City of Calgary, on Highway 566. The Canadian National Railway line runs northeast through Kathyrn to Three Hills and Drumheller.
Neil McKay, a local farmer and large landowner, named this hamlet after his daughter. He had offered some of his land to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company in 1911 for a townsite, on the provision that he be permitted to give it a name. When the station was finally built in 1913, the painter who was in charge of the sign misspelled Kathryn and the settlement became known as Kathyrn. The post office opened January 1, 1919.
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New Dayton, Alberta
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Nimrod, TX
In Eastland County, population 85
Leslie
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Donalda, AB
Donalda is a village in central Alberta east of Ponoka. It was founded in 1911 and takes its name from Donald A. Mann, a Canadian National Railway official.
In 2001 Donalda's population was 263.
Donalda is home to the "World's Largest Oil Lamp", a 12.8 m high structure, one of the Giants of the Prairies.
It is the birthplace of Tricia Helfer, an actress on Battlestar Galactica.
The village of Donalda was first named Eidswold, after one of the British princesses. It was later changed to Donalda in the early 1900's.
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Abner, TX
Abner is seven miles northeast of Kaufman. The site, which bordered the College Mound community on the north, was first known as Johnson's Point.
It was settled in the late 1840s by Abner Johnson, who had piloted a keelboat up the Trinity River two years before. A Johnson's Point post office was opened in 1871 but closed two years later, when service was moved to Terrell. The post office was reopened in 1885 under the name Abner.
In 1890 Abner had one barber, two doctors, one general store, and a population of twenty-five. In 1896 the population was estimated at thirty-five. The community finally settled down to become a quiet neighborhood of rural homes when the school district was annexed to the Kaufman school system in 1949.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/abnerTX.jpg)
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Red River Station, TX
Hostile Indians prevented settlement of the area until the 1860s. During the opening months of the Civil War, Confederate troops of the Frontier Regiment were stationed here to patrol the border with Indian Territory. It served as crossing for the Chisholm Trail after the war.
In the 1870s, the population was a respectible 250-300 people and the community was served by a ferry. A post office opened under the name Salt Creek in 1883 and the following year it was changed to Red River Station. It closed in 1887. The 1880s were not kind to the community. First it was hit by a tornado, and then in 1887 it was bypassed by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad.
Nocona throve as Red River Station declined. The final nails in RRS's coffin were the establishment of another rival town (Belcherville) and the establishment of the rival Western Trail for moving cattle north. Red River Station became one of Texas' early ghost towns - having "enjoyed" a tumultuous span of barely 30 years. Only a cemetery and the name appear on detailed Montague County maps.
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Nachihui, Mexico
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Ingleside, Tx
Ingleside is located on the south-east tip of San Patricio County. Situated on the Corpus Christi Bay. The early communities of Ingleside have been known as Old Ingleside, Inwood, Ingleside Cove, Ingleside-on-the-Bay, Palomas, Cove City and Cove. The earliest community began in 1854 when George C. Hatch purchased land on both sides of the bayou. He later acquired over 3,800 acres of land, which he sold to Walter Ingalls, Henry Nold, James Aware, John Pollard, John W. Vineyard and others. They built homes on the bayou and at Ingleside Cove. Local lore and legend credits John Vineyard with naming Ingleside, which means ?Fireside.? Vineyard named Ingleside for his ancestral home in Scotland.
In 1855 George and Marcellus Turner settled in the area. In 1857 Marcellus obtained a grant for the first post office. A local general store was opened by George Hatch and Youngs L. Coeman. Henry Nold II operated the Ingleside Male and Female Academy, often referred to as Nold Academy. He operated the boarding school from 1857 until it was destroyed by Union soldiers in 1862. During this period of development, Ingleside?s primary industries were farming and ranching. In the 1880s, George Hatch and his son John Hatch introduced grape culture to the area which developed into a flourishing business. This business lasted until the 1930s when the vines were killed by blight. Steamships plied the waters of the bay between Corpus Christi and Ingleside, carrying trade goods.
The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was completed in Aransas Pass in 1887, but bypassed Ingleside, and Palomas (also known as Loma) was established as a flag stop for the railroad. Residents moved to set up a new town site on the railroad in 1893, and in the early 1890s real estate developers built a large hotel on the cove. The dreamed of boom never materialized, and the population during this period was listed as only thirty.
In 1909 developers Burton and Danforth laid out the present Ingleside town site, and in 1913 the Ingleside Common School District was formed. There were 80 students. In 1916 a hurricane destroyed many of the buildings that had built up in the town. Again growth in the area was stagnant. Grape production was begun again and was a booming industry between 1910 and 1920, fishing and vegetable production were the town?s economic mainstay until the vegetable sheds were closed in the 1950s.
In 1927, Humble Oil built a tank farm at Harbor City or Port Ingleside, and announced plans for a refinery in Ingleside. Construction boomed with the building of a housing complex, complete with paved streets and their own sewer for Humble employees. Ingleside experienced a period of growth and prosperity, the population grew to 1,125 and during this period two local newspapers, the Review and the Index began publication. But Ingleside?s prosperity was shorted lived. In 1944-1945 a labor dispute resulted in Humble closing the plant and put it up for salvage sale. Brauer Corporation opened an aluminum fabrication plant in 1948, and Reynolds Metal followed suit in 1950, opening a plant only five miles away. DuPont followed and a local plant was built in 1973. Ingleside developed primarily as a residential area and was incorporated in 1951.
In 1954, the Corps of Engineers cut a channel, La Quinta Channel, through Ingleside Point, thus demarking an area known as Ingleside-on-the-Bay, where the United States Navy intended to open its Homeport in 1995.
The population of Ingleside grew steadily after 1972 and in 2000 Ingleside had a population of 9,388, including 3,200 active duty naval personnel.
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Edgecliff, TX
Tarrant County, pop. 2423
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Fairview, AB
Fairview is a town in northwestern Alberta, in the heart of the Peace Country. It is fondly referred to as the "Heart of the Peace".
Population: 3,150 (2001)
High-quality soil in the surrounding area attracted settlers in the early 1900s, who formed the hamlet of Waterhole. In 1928 the Central Canada Railway (later part of Northern Alberta Railways) was built through the area, but bypassed Waterhole. The inhabitants moved 6 km north to found Fairview at its present-day site.
Today Fairview is a regional centre for agricultural machinery sales and oil exploration, and home of the Fairview College. Fairivew is located about 560 km northwest of Edmonton, and 110 km north of Grande Prairie.
Hec MacLean was the renowned sportwriter for the Calgary Herald but then moved to Fairview to become publisher of the Fairview Post newspaper.
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Willwood, Wy
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Damsite, TX
In 1906, The Rice Brothers of Houston with local investors bought land in the area and planed to impound Wanderer's Creek to provide irrigation. The company was registered as the Hardeman County Irrigation Company and if their figures were correct - they could irrigate 10,000 acres of land.
The town of Damsite was planned to be the center of activities and streets were platted before the dam was built. A dam was built at a cost of $75,000 and the project was successful until the death of the operating manager in 1916. The other investors lost interest and the land was put up for sale.
West Texas Utilities bought the land and installed a power plant. The lake itself was known as Damsite until a resort developer renamed it after his daughter.
and look at the location!
Hardeman County, Texas Panhandle
6 miles SE of Quanah
14 miles East of Punkin Center
4 miles East of Lake Pauline (formerly called Damsite Lake)
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East Coulee, AB
East Coulee, lying about 10 miles east of Drumheller in central-east Alberta, was once a thriving coal mining town which had a population of over 3,000 people. Today, the community barely hangs with about 200 permanent residents. Just east of the townsite, the recently restored historic Atlas Coal Mine, shut down decades ago, offers tourists a marvelous glimpse of the Drumheller Valley’s glorious past, including its eight-storey tipple for a bird's-eye view of the mine site and the Drumheller Valley; an original miner's shack, built of straw, mud, and manure; original mine offices — complete with original records from 140 different coal mines, and a wash house — one of the most complete in existence. The townsite has withered over the years with many boarded-up buildings. However, locals have turned the old school into a museum. Built in 1930, the museum still uses coal to heat the building. The museum features a restored 1930's classroom; miners’ artifacts, and magazines and hundreds of photos of the miners, their familiesand cultural lives.
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Epungio, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/EpungioMX.jpg)
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Oxtapacab, Mx
A Mayan pueblito in Yucatan.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/mayan-women.jpg)
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Big Stinking Creek, TX
In his well-researched and detailed Volume Springs of Texas, Gunnar Brune introduces us to hundreds of springs, streams, creeks, tributaries, wells and maybe a swamp or two - many of which have names unsuitable for towns.
Six miles southwest of Aspermont in Stonewall County is Big Stinking Creek. Sulphur springs feed the creek and give it its name (and odor).
It's not a heavily populated area, so there are few people that have to endure the embarrassment of giving directions to visitors. Big Stinking Creek flows for sixteen miles before joining the Salt Fork of the Brazos River.
Leslie
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Kitscoty, AB
The Village of Kitscoty is situated at the junction of Highway 16 and Secondary Highway 897 (the proposed link to Cold Lake). The Village is located approximately midway between Edmonton and Saskatoon (225 km and 295 km respectively). In addition, the village is within short commuting distance of Lloydminster.
The first settlers came to the district in 1905, and was incorporated as a Village in 1911. Kitscoty originally served a trading area stretching from Cold Lake in the north to the Battle River in the south. Kitscoty is named after a famous cromlech, 3 large stones in a tripod arrangement, found near a settlement in England known as Kits'Coty House.
Kitscoty is located in a prime agricultural area which has much heavy oil activity, both of which provide employment opportunities for the residents.
The slogan "Biggest Little Sports Centre in Alberta" is symbolic of both the enthusiastic participation of the residents and the various sporting facilities available. In addition there are several cultural and fraternal organizations active in the Village.
There is an abundance of raw land available for development of both residential lots and light industrial/commercial parcels. Water distribution and sewer collection facilities have been upgraded to accommodate future growth.
There are two schools-an elementary and a junior senior within the village. As well the administration offices of the County of Vermilion River # 24 are located at Kitscoty.
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Yaxnik, Yucatan, Mexico
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Kleenburn Wyoming, a little ways north of Sheridan as I recall; it's near Rt 14, the northern route over the Big Horns. Not much to it.
-Ennis
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Nightingale, AB
Lat: 51:09:49N Lon: 113:19:21W
Population: 140
The community was named for Florence Nightingale, the English nurse.
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Just a little bit of road trip trivia....
Florence Nightingale was named for the city of Florence, where she was born. Her older sister Parthenope (Greek for Naples) was born in Naples. That was one long honeymoon those Nightingales were on!
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/117px-Florence_Nightingale_1920_rep.jpg)
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Escobas, TX
In Zapata County, population 3
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Sandy, Texas
Sandy suffered frequent attacks by Indians, but the land was nonetheless settled and the townfolk were granted a post office in 1872.
Sandy became the consolidated school for the neighboring communities of Hickory, Spring Creek and White Oak, but like larger fish eat the smaller - the Johnson City school "ate" the one at Sandy.
(http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/SandyTexas/SandyTexasPO801.jpg)
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Yuyi, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/oaxaca.jpg)
Very nice, Sandy! You join Fran and Leslie in having posted towns with your own name. Mark posted one with that's his last name, but I don't recall right now what it was. ;D
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Iraan, TX
The name has nothing to do with the country of Iran. Oil was discovered on the ranch of Ira Yates and a contest was held to name the town that would soon materialize. Ira's wife was named Ann. The person who combined the two names won a town lot as a prize.
Iraan today has two newspapers. But as an Iraanian told us (in a confidential tone) "It's the same news." We bought both papers. It was the same news. Different photos though.
Because of its semi-remote location, the school district provides its teachers with housing.
Iraan is also the birthplace of Alley Oop, at onetime an extremely popular syndicated comic strip. Creator V.T. Hamlin was a newspaperman in Iraan when he came up with the idea for a caveman who looked like he was wearing bellbottoms when he wasn't even wearing pants. While virtually unknown now, Alley Oop was nearly as popular as Dick Tracy and Tarzan.
Mr. Oop had a dinosaur named Dinny and there is a likeness of both Alley Oop and Dinny at the 7 acre Fantasyland just west of town amid mulberry trees.
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Natívitas, Mx
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Skiff, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/SkiffAB.jpg)
The grain elevator at Skiff, Alberta, June 2006
Iraan is also the birthplace of Alley Oop, at onetime an extremely popular syndicated comic strip. Creator V.T. Hamlin was a newspaperman in Iraan when he came up with the idea for a caveman who looked like he was wearing bellbottoms when he wasn't even wearing pants. While virtually unknown now, Alley Oop was nearly as popular as Dick Tracy and Tarzan.
I used to love reading Alley Oop! His girlfriend was Oona. :)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/AlleyOop.jpg)
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Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Fort Saskatchewan is a city of 14,686 (2005 census) located 25 km northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
In 1875, under the command of Inspector W.D. Jarvis, the North West Mounted Police established Fort Saskatchewan as a fort on the North Saskatchewan River. The fort was later incorporated as a village in 1899, a town in 1904, and a city in 1985.
Fort Saskatchewan's main industries are agriculture and heavy industry. Fort Saskatchewan is part of the largest industrial area west of Toronto. Companies with operations in the area include, Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Agrium, Shell Canada, and Westaim. These plants are major employers for residents of Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.
Fort Saskatchewan is a booming community that offers many amenities to its residents, while still maintaining its "small town" feel. It has two high schools, four junior high schools, and seven elementary schools. It has a large indoor swimming pool with a hot-tub, sauna, and slide, over 35 km of paved bike paths, three indoor hockey arenas, a museum, and numerous parks. Recently opened, the Dow Centennial Centre, a multi-purpose activities centre, adds a 500 seat auditorium, indoor soccer field, ice rink, and a fitness facility to Fort Saskatchewan's attractions.
Fort Saskatchewan is home to the Fort Saskatchewan Athletics of the Sunburst Baseball League. Former college and professional baseball players make up the core of the baseball club. The Fort Saskatchewan Traders, of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, have also been a long time part of the city.
Fort Saskatchewan is the birthplace of actress Evangeline Lilly, of the television series Lost and such NHL hockey stars as Mike Commodore, Ray Whitney, Richard Matvichuk and Joffrey Lupul. Of these four players, Joffrey Lupul is the only one who has not yet won the Stanley Cup.
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Nockernut, TX
Wilson County, population 10
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Taft, Tx
TAFT, TEXAS. Taft is on U.S. Highway 181 and the Southern Pacific Railroad near the center of San Patricio County. It originated shortly after the railroad crossed the Coleman-Fulton Pasture Companyqv land in 1886 as a flag stop installed at the request of Thomas M. Coleman.qv A company windmill nearby was known as the Mesquital Mill, and when Coleman-Fulton built cattle-shipping pens on the railroad the small company settlement that grew up was known as Mesquital. In 1900, when Joseph F. Greenqv took over management of the company, he decided to build a town at the location. He named it Taft, after Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati, half-brother of President Howard Taft. The change in name took place in 1904, and a post office was opened that year with Imogene Warburton as postmistress. For the next seventeen years Taft was a company town. When Green took charge, all of the land in and around Taft was ranchland. In 1903 the company planted 200 acres in cotton near Taft. By 1909 2,300 acres were devoted to cotton, and Taft was fast becoming the agricultural center for the company. A surplus of buildings was available in Portland, Aransas Pass, and Rockport due to fizzled land booms; Green moved several across the open pastureland to Taft and started the nucleus of a town. A bunkhouse was moved from the ranch headquarters and later turned into a hotel. A school was established in the back of a warehouse, and several businesses were built on the south side of the railroad. The Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company sold improved acreage to farmers.
In 1909 the first dependable water supply on the Gulf Coast was discovered at Taft. Within a few weeks Coleman-Fulton started construction of an agricultural-industrial complex to process farm products. Funds were authorized to build a slaughter and packing house, a cold storage and ice factory, a light plant, a cottonseed oil mill, and cotton gins. Later a feed mill, a cotton compress, and a creamery were added. These industries enabled the company almost to guarantee anyone who bought land over the next two decades a market for agricultural products and enabled Coleman-Fulton to realize higher profits from its farm and ranch land. During the next decade the company town acquired a hospital, a bank, and a new school, which doubled as a meeting hall. In 1909 President Taft spoke in the school. In 1918 the directors decided to sell the entire ranch, including the city of Taft and its utilities, industries, and businesses. In June 1921 a huge auction attracted over 5,000 people, and the city of Taft was launched as a privately owned community. The company sold its last holdings in 1928. Green, who died in 1926, had purchased a considerable amount of choice land and several businesses in the sellout. In 1988 his heirs still owned part of the land. The company's last office, which also housed the two company-owned banks, now belongs to the Taft Blackland Museum, which displays pioneer items from the ranch era.
The city was incorporated in 1929 with Ben Ivey as mayor. In 1935 oil was discovered north of town, and the boom that followed helped Taft survive the Great Depression.qv During the 1930s, when local farmers began planting vegetables, packing sheds were built in Taft along the railroad. Vegetables continued to be packed in Taft until the 1950s, when the last shed was torn down. Two large grain elevators now serve the area farmers, who largely plant sorghum, cotton, and a limited amount of corn. Immediately after World War IIqv Taft enjoyed a residential boom and a growth in its school system. Retail business afterward declined, but jobs opening in industry, on the ship channel, and in Corpus Christi helped keep the population stable. The population in the city was estimated at 3,598 in 1988. In 1990 it was 3,222.
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Taber, AB
Taber is a town in southern Alberta, Canada in Municipal District of Taber. Taber was established in the late 1890s by European settlers on the banks of the lower Oldman River. Taber is an agricultural town of 7,671 (2005) famous for its corn due to the large amounts of sunshine the town and area receive. It has thus taken on the title Corn Capital of Canada, and has an annual "Cornfest" held in the last week of August.
Taber and Notogawa, Japan are sister towns.
Originally, Taber was known as "Tank No. 77," and was used by the railway to fill up on water. In 1903, it is said that the first Mormon settlers from the U.S.A. were the ones to establish a hamlet at the Tank. After the town's post office was built in 1907, the CPR decided to call the town "Tabor," probably after Mount Tabor in Palestine. However, various letters and station heads came out printed "Taber," so the CPR changed the name to make it match the records.
After time, Taber became a successful coal mining town. Coal mining declined in the late 1920's, but picked up in the 1930's after extensive irrigation in the area.
Irrigation helped not only the coal-miners, it also brought with it the production of sugar beets. In 1950, a sugar beet processing plant (Roger's Sugar) was built, which has become a vital part of the town's economy.
On April 28, 1999, Taber gained notoriety when 14 year old Todd Cameron Smith entered W.R. Myers High School and shot two students with a .22 calibre rifle, killing Jason Lang and wounding another 17 year old.
Cornfest is an annual summer festival held in late August, and it includes a midway (rides, booths, and tests of skill) and a stage with performers.
There are also corn-based activities, such as corn tasting and stuffing. Large-scale, local corn producers enter their best varieties inn the 'Best Corn of the Year' award.
Corn stuffing involves two people, one wearing an over-sized coverall. One of the contestants attempts to stuff as much corn as possible into the other's coverall. Whichever team can put the most corn in the coveralls in the allotted time wins.
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Ringgold, TX
The town was born with the arrival of the Rock Island railroad in 1892 although people had been living in the vicinity since the 1870s. When the Katy (Missouri, Kansas and Texas) Railroad entered Texas from the north, the two sets of tracks intersected here. This good fortune did not go unnoticed by landowner Joe Harris who quickly laid out a townsite. Named Harrisonia, the name was rejected by postal authorities when a post office was applied for. The reasoning was possible confusion with Harrison.
Mr. Harrison had the choice of resubmitting an invented name or using his wife's family name. His wife's maiden name was Ringgold. The Ringgold post office opened in 1892 when the town had an estimated population of 300. Growth was swift due to the railroad juncture and Ringgold became a shipping point for the area.
The population passed 400 by the mid 1920s. The population remained at 350 after WWII through the mid-1960s but it declined drastically in the 70s. It had been reported at 100 people from the 70s through 2005.
A disastrous grass fire on January 1, 2006 destroyed about half the buildings in Ringgold.
The Ringgold Cemetery after the fire:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/RinggoldTexasCemeteryAfterFire106Ke.jpg)
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Del Rio, Tx
DEL RIO, TEXAS. Del Rio, the county seat of Val Verde County, is on U.S. Highway 90 and the Southern Pacific Railroad near the confluence of the Rio Grande and San Felipe Creek, 154 miles west of San Antonio in the southern part of the county. The Spanish established a small presidial complex near the site of present Ciudad Acuña, the Mexican sister city of Del Rio, and some Spaniards settled on what became the United States side of the Rio Grande. The developments that led to the growth of Del Rio, however, took place after the Civil War.qv In the arid vastness of Southwest Texas, water was the key to survival; in the vicinity of Del Rio the San Felipe Springsqv provided millions of gallons. A number of developers acquired several thousand acres adjacent to San Felipe Creek and developed plans to sell small tracts of rich farmland to prospective buyers. These investors formed the San Felipe Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Irrigation Company in 1868. The organization soon constructed a network of irrigationqv canals, completed in 1871. Soon they began to sell small tracts of land to newly arriving settlers, who then established truck farms. Residents in the area referred to the slowly developing townsite as San Felipe del Rio. Local lore says that the name came from early Spanish explorers who offered a Mass at the site on St. Philip's Day, 1635. In 1883, after the first post office was opened, the United States Postal Department requested that the name be shortened to Del Rio to avoid confusion with San Felipe de Austin.
In 1885 Val Verde County was organized and Del Rio became the county seat. Early development was dependent on the railroad, the military, ranching and agriculture, government-related employment, and retail business. Other major economic activities were focused on tourism and ties with Mexico. From the mid-nineteenth century to the present the military has played a leading role in the fortunes of Del Rio. As soon as the Mexican Warqv was over, military expeditions into the area began with patrols and the establishment of frontier military camps at Del Rio and Camp Hudson, to the west on the Devils River. Most military activities were controlled from Fort Clark, thirty miles east, near the site of present Brackettville. In the twentieth century the government continued to use the isolated Del Rio area for different types of military training. As World War IIqv started, the army opened a base near Del Rio, Laughlin Field, for pilot training. Later the name was changed to Laughlin Air Force Base.qv Ranching and agriculture have always been an integral part of the economic scene of Del Rio. During the late nineteenth century sheep and goat raisers found the scrub terrain to be an ideal place for their livestock. For many years Del Rio served as a focal point for the wool and mohair industry.qv The development of the railroad in the 1880s served as an impetus to development of sheep and goat ranching.qv During that decade the Southern Pacific, which built a line from west to east, and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio, building west, linked up forty miles west of Del Rio. In 1990 the railroad still operated and served as a major employer in Del Rio. The town was incorporated on November 15, 1911.
The binational and bicultural population of Del Rio grew from fifty in 1880 to 2,000 by 1890. Thereafter, changes were slow until the 1970s, when the population grew by 40.8 percent. In 1990 Del Rio had a population of 30,705, and in 2000 it had a population of 33,867. Early Del Rio residences and businesses were close to San Felipe Creek. After the railroad developed, housing patterns began to move north of the rail line. By the 1960s the development of retail trade along U.S. Highway 90 brought growth north of the original townsite. In addition, Amistad Dam and Reservoir,qv built on the Rio Grande during the 1960s, also attracted housing.
Del Rio supports a council for the arts. The town's first school was established in 1874; in 1990 schools were administered by the San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District. Southwest Texas Junior College and Sul Ross State University have branch campuses in the community. The area also is host to a sizable winter Texan population. Del Rio has the council-manager form of city government.qv The United States Customs, the Border Patrol, and the National Park Service have had a significant impact on the region.
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Old McKeal Place, WY
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Edgerton, AB
Edgerton is a village in central Alberta east of Wainwright. The Canadian novelist Pauline Gedge lives here. The community was named for H.H. Edgerton, railroad engineer.
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Necessity, TX
Stephens County, pop. 10
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Yok Hom, Mexico
population: 2.163
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Millet, Alberta
Millet, Alberta, Canada is located approximately 40 km south of Alberta's capital city of Edmonton. The town has won nationally in the Communities in Bloom competition and markets its beautiful setting.
Population: 2125 (2005)
Millet has several small businesses, and two schools: Millet School and Griffiths-Scott Middle School.
In June of every year, a Millet Days celebration takes place. This is the annual parade, trade show, fireworks, and regionally famous Millet Days Soccer Tournament. Millet focuses on agriculture, recreation, and sports. The Millet Thunder hockey club has come back to Millet as of 2004. The Team is a part of the Chinook Hockey League, and is a senior A league.
The Town of Millet was named in honor of August Millet, who was believed to be a canoeist for Father Lacombe. On June 17, 1903, Millet was proclaimed a village by an Order-in-Council of the Northwest Territories. By 1908, Millet's first councillors were elected.
In October 1927 a disastrous fire destroyed many of the buildings along the east side of Railway Street, but the businessmen rebuilt across the street.
In 1950, the Board of Trade built a community hall and gave it to the Village. The hall is still being used today. In 1953, Northwestern Utilities brought natural gas to the Village. Griffiths Scott School was built in 1982, and a Senior Citizens Apartment was completed in 1983. On September 1, 1983, Millet was declared a town, and "Coming to Town" celebrations were held on October 15, 1983.
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Tynan, TX
Named to honor one John Tynan, the town was nothing but a few ranches before the arrival of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in 1888.
In 1906 the town was platted and the post office opened in 1911 - a short time before the town's first store opened for business. The town's first cotton gin was destroyed by fire in 1916, and when a new gin was built to replace it - it was a cooperative called the Tynan Gin Company.
In 1915 the Bank of Tynan opened, but it closed as a result of the Great Depression. A schoolhouse was built in 1916. During the late 1940s the two neighboring towns consolidated their schools into the Skidmore-Tynan school district. The population was only 212 in the late forties, and it remained at about that level ever since.
Tynan Grain Elevators:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/TynanTexasGrainElevatorsJT.jpg)
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Navenchauc, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Navenchauc.jpg)
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Cowley, AB
Cowley is a village in southern Alberta west of Lethbridge.
Cowley (1170m), all 300 acres of it, sits on flat land on the north side of the Highway. For years, one of Western Canada’s favorite calendar photos was an oblique aerial featuring Cowley’s blood-brown Alberta Wheat Pool elevators against the dramatic wall of the snow-scarred Livingstone Range. The elevators, the most westerly on the Alberta portion of the Crow’s Nest Line, are no more, and without them the town is not nearly as appealing: a typical Prairie village, a mundane collection of mostly houses scattered on ten urban blocks sandwiched between the Highway and the parallel CPR’s tracks on the north. Without its elevators, the Village struggles to catch the eye of a passing motorist.
Several scenes in "Brokeback Mountain" were filmed here, including the one outside of Joe Aguirre's trailer where Ennis and Jack first meet, and also the scene where Ennis gets sick in the alley after he and Jack part at the end of that first summer up on Brokeback.
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Yopú, Mexico
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Universe, TX
The date of settlement is given as 1861. The Headache Springs Medical Laboratory of the Confederate Army operated here during the war. One of nine facilities located west of the Mississippi, this is where Confederate doctors made medicine (and medicinal whiskey) from local roots, bark and mineral waters from the springs. They were, as the historical marker says, the "medicines of desperation."
In 1936, county maps showed a church, cemetery and school for Universe.
The school was consolidated with the Tyler ISD in 1952. In 1972 Universe was still considered "a residential community with a church, cemetery and three businesses." In 1990 part of the area had been designated the "Headache Springs Natural Park."
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Enilda, AB
The community name is a reverse spelling of the first name of Adline Tompkins, wife of the first postmaster.
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Acadia Valley, Alberta
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Yabeteclum, Mexico
Latitude 16.9403
Longitude -92.5583
Altitude (feet) 4895
Lat (DMS) 16° 56' 25N
Long (DMS) 92° 33' 30W
Altitude (meters) 1492
Time zone (est) UTC-6(-5DT)
Approximate population for 7 km radius from this point: 22351
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Manderson, Wy
Manderson, Wyoming, in Big Horn county, is 108 miles S of Billings, Montana and 348 miles NW of Denver, Colorado. As of the year 2000 census, 104 people lived in Manderson.
The People and Families of Manderson
In Manderson, about 61% of adults are married.
Manderson is noted for its large share of males. Interesting!
Wealth and Education
In 2000, Manderson had a median family income of $30,357. In Manderson, a noticeable number of people work from home rather than commuting every day.
Manderson Housing
An estimated 73% of living spaces in Manderson are occupied by their owners, not by renters.
Commuting
In Manderson, 85% of commuters drive to work.
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New Willard, Texas
NEW WILLARD, TEXAS. New Willard is on State Highway Loop 116 eight miles north of Livingston and eighty miles north of Houston in central Polk County. Settlement of the region was facilitated by the construction of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway through central Polk County in 1880. James R. Freeman built a sawmill near the future site of New Willard in 1886, and the Jefferson Lumber Company operated a mill there between 1887 and 1889. The settlement proper was founded in 1909, when the Thompson-Tucker Lumber Company transferred its operations from Willard in Trinity County to the Polk County site, which was promptly named New Willard.
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Daysland, AB
Daysland is a town in central Alberta located on Highway 13 east of Camrose.
Daysland is the birthplace of American Hockey League players Matthew Spiller and Richard Petiot. Both are NHL prospects, and approximately #7-8 defensemen with their respective National Hockey League teams.
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De Leon, TX
De Leon was born when The Texas Central Railroad sold lots off the bed of a flatcar on July 7, 1881. The name is attributed to Alonso De Leon, a Spanish explorer who also lent his name to the nearby Leon River.
The post office was opened within the year and by 1882, the town had a newspaper and a doctor. Like most of Texas, cotton was the major cash crop until the 1906 infestation of the boll weevil decimated the crop. Peanuts were the replacement crop and increased technology and irrigation insured its continuation. It is the primary regional crop to the present.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/DeLeonTexasWallOfRecallMural1205BGi.jpg)
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Nutio, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NutioMX.jpg)
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Old Lost Cabin, WY.
It's the original town of Lost Cabin, since repopulated 2 miles ESE at the present site of the Big Tepee mansion. (Here is the Big Tepee if anyone thought it looked like a tent, LOL)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/big-tepee.jpg)
-Ennis
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Nigton, TX
Trinity Country, pop 87
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Nat, Texas
NAT, TEXAS. Nat, on Farm Road 343 fourteen miles northwest of Nacogdoches in Nacogdoches County, was first settled by Henry Brewer, who obtained a league of land in the area between 1814 and 1820. It was called Crossroads for its Crossroads Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in which John Bone Paine, early settler and landowner, played a prominent role. In 1895 Nathan (Nat) Jarrell, who operated one of the four stores in the community, became the first postmaster, and the community was renamed Nat in his honor. That year the Nat school was also started. By 1897 the community reported a population of more than 1,700, with dairies, farms, and wood-related industries. In 1990 Nat had a population of twenty-five, an independent church, and a cemetery located at the original crossroads.
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Trinidad, Tx
TRINIDAD, TEXAS. Trinidad is on the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and Farm Road 1667, fifteen miles west of Athens in western Henderson County. Settlement of the area began before 1840, when O. M. Airhart ran the local ferry across the Trinity River, which was originally called the Trinidad River, and Zach Smith operated a ferry four miles north of the present townsite. By 1844 the town recorded a general store and a saloon. It became known as Trinity Switch, for its location on the Trinity River, when it became a station on the St. Louis Southwestern in 1880. When residents applied for a post office in 1880, the name Trinidad was chosen (instead of Trinity Switch) to avoid duplication with another post office with the same name. Records suggest, however, that the Trinidad post office was not actually opened until 1891. In 1910 five businesses and a population of seventy were reported. The population remained small until the 1920s, when Texas Power and Light opened a plant on the Trinity River, and a Lone Star Producing Company plant began manufacturing chemical fertilizer there. The 1930 population of 750 had decreased to 550 by 1940, when sixteen businesses were reported in the community. In 1990 Trinidad reported 1,056 residents.
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Dawn, TX
In 1887 Jim Moore, a ranch foreman built a dugout about six miles southwest of the present Dawn. It was bought in 1889 by J. H. Parrish who opened a general store for area ranchers.
When the application was filled out Mr. Parrish requested "Dawn of a New Country," or something similar. It was a little too long for the bureaucrats so they took the liberty of shortening it to Dawn.
The first school was opened in 1891 by James N. Askren.
In 1898 the Pecos Valley and Northeastern Railway came to town and built a depot.
Dawn prospered as immigrant farmers moved in and ranches shipped cattle.
Irrigation wells were dug and wheat was planted. During the 1920s Dawn had the county’s first school cafeteria. In the 1940s David Rodgers began marketing Deaf Smith corn meal, wheat berries, and stone-ground whole wheat flour. By the beginning of WWII the town had a population of 100 but after the war Dawn – like hundreds of Texas towns – lost businesses when people bought cars and moved away or started trading in other towns. In the 60s the Dawn school was consolidated with Hereford.
Leslie
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Nell, Texas
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Lamont, AB
Lamont is a town in central Alberta located east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 15 and Highway 831.
Population: 1,692 (2005)
Lamont is the birthplace of:
• Gene Achtymichuk, National Hockey League player
• Brian O'Kurley, former member of Canadian Parliament
• Ed Stelmach, Alberta Premier
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Thorp Spring, TX
The town's namesake is said to be Pleasant Thorp who settled in the region prior to the Civil War. Hostile Indians discouraged settlement until the early 1870s. In 1871 Sam Milliken purchased part of the old Thorp homestead and built a cotton gin. Since medicinal springs were in fashion, Milliken also built a resort hotel and touted the nearby springs.
In 1873 Mr. Clark and his two sons Addison and Randolph opened Add-Ran College (later to become Add-Ran Christian University which later evolved into Texas Christian University).
The town got a post office in 1893 and the population soon reached 400 - reaching a peak in 1904 just short of 500.
Its bright future was dimmed in the early 1890s when it was bypassed by not one, but two railroads. Still, the town maintained a 400-plus population through the 1960s. The last three businesses closed and in 1990 it reported 184 residents - the same figure they've been using ever since.
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Gallito, Mexico
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Orient, TX
Orient, in northeastern Tom Green County, derived its name from its location on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway. A post office was established there in 1909, and in 1914 a general store was operating. The local school had two teachers in 1930. The population of Orient was twenty in 1925 but only ten in 1934. The 1936 county highway map showed at Orient one business and scattered dwellings, with Skinner School, Wooland Station, and a mining site nearby. Nearby oil discoveries staved off Orient's demise, though its post office was discontinued in 1964, one of its two businesses was gone by 1965, and the other was gone by 1970. The population increased to forty in 1953 and remained at that level into the 1980s, when only a few houses and the abandoned Wooland railroad station marked the townsite.
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Tom, TX
There are three Toms, actually, in Sterling, Wilson, and Wichita counties.
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Midval, Wy
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Lysite, Wyoming.
-Ennis
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/lysite-store.jpg)
(http://www.mountwashington.com/wyoming/library.jpg)
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Elrod, TX
There are two Elrods...in Anderson and McLennan counties.
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Diamond, Wy
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Dewey, Wyoming, in Sheridan County
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Yew, TX
in Fannin County
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Wetaskiwin, AB
Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada. This city, population 11,154 (2005), is located approximately 70 km south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word wītaskīwin-ispatinaw, meaning "the hills where peace was made".
Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a very large museum dedicated to celebrating "the spirit of the machine". Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is also located a short walk away from the museum.
Wetaskiwin has the distinction of having the highest level of car sales per capita in Canada, thanks in a large part to city specific advertising produced through co-operation of all of the auto dealers lining the "Auto Mile". Though the slogan "Cars Cost Less in Wetaskiwin" tends to embarrass many of the residents of Wetaskiwin, the advertising campaign has clearly had an impact and is quite successful. In many cases, that slogan is all that the people in nearby towns know about Wetaskiwin.
Wetaskiwin, like much of rural Alberta, tends to vote very conservatively. In the 2004 federal election the Conservative candidate received almost 74% of the vote, enormously ahead of the local Liberal candidate who polled just under 12%.
Wetaskiwin sits on what was formerly the coast of the large sea that covered much of Alberta millions of years ago. The northwest end of Wetaskiwin is characterized by hills with sandy soil (formerly sand dunes), while the southeast end of the city is very flat with more silty soil.
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Naaman, Texas
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Nip and Tuck, TX
in Rusk County, not to be confused with Nip 'n Tuck, which is in Freestone County.
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Killam, AB
Killam is a town in central Alberta. It is located in Flagstaff County, east of Camrose at the junction of Highway 13 and Highway 36.
It is the birthplace of Kevin Martin the curling star and Kevin Sorenson the Conservative MP.
Population: 1,004 (2005)
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Mantua, Wy
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Aleman, TX
Originally settled in the 1880s and called Pleasant Point, the town name was clanged in 1907 to the inglorious sounding Piggtown, Texas after land promoter Mack Pigg. It relocated a mile from its original location to be on the railroad.
The name was exchanged for the more dignified (and appropriate) name of Aleman. Since the town had been settled by relocated German immigrants from Washington County, the Mexican railroad workers called the place after the Spanish word for German.
The Aleman post office closed its doors in 1943, but the town has continued to survive, despite the modest population.
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Naruna, Texas
NARUNA, TEXAS. Naruna is on Farm Road 1478 eighteen miles northwest of Burnet and three miles south of the Lampasas county line in northwestern Burnet County. A post office was established there in 1878 with William M. Spitler as postmaster. The name Naruna was suggested by Spitler in honor of the ship that had brought him to Texas. In 1884 Naruna had three churches, a school, and 150 residents; cotton and livestock were the principal products shipped by area farmers. The initial growth of the community was stunted in the later 1880s, however; population estimates fell to twenty-five by 1890. It is possible that the completion in 1885 of the Lampasas-Brownwood section of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, which bypassed Naruna to the north, prompted residents to move to towns on the railroad. The population in Naruna rose to seventy-five by 1892, but the community did not recover its earlier prosperity. The post office was discontinued in 1906, and mail for Naruna was sent to Lampasas. The population was ten in 1933, forty-five in the mid-1940s, and seventy-five in the mid-1960s; it was reported at forty-five from the 1970s to 1990. The Naruna school was consolidated with the Lampasas schools in 1944.
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Acme, AB
Acme is a village 83 kilometres (52 miles) northeast of Calgary, Alberta. It was the first village to be incorporated in the Municipal District of Kneehill. The population of Acme as of 2004 is 648. The village has a Bank of Montreal, General Motors dealership, lumberyard, a couple of restaurants, (NA&W, And Chinese Food) a couple of gas station convenience stores, (The Corner Store, Roadrunner Stop And Go(Formerly Marlenes)) NAPA Auto Parts store, a Pub, a Camp Ground, an Elementary School, a Senior High School (Junior High is in Linden), a senior's centre, a Royal Canadian Legion hall, a curling rink, outdoor skating rink, ball diamonds, a golf course, and a Centenial swimming pool. The community hall burned down in the spring of 2004 but has since been replaced - the new centre opened in spring of 2006. The village's baseball diamonds regularly attract summer baseball tournaments, which held the 2006 Midget AA baseball provincials (July 28-31, 2006).
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Elliott, TX
in Roberston County, pop 55...
or maybe it is Elliott in Willbarger County, pop 50.
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Three Forks, Wyoming
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Seebe, AB
Seebe is a hamlet in the north of the Kananaskis Improvement District in Alberta, Canada. There are tentative plans to redevelop the area into a small town, retaining the same name.
Seebe housed a Prisoner-of-war camp in the Second World War. An ecological and environmental research station of the University of Calgary is located nearby, on provincial highway 40 at Barrier Lake.
The tiny town of Seebe was located on land owned by Canadian hydroelectric giant Trans Alta Utilities since 1909. In 2004 Trans Alta decided to exit the real estate business and it sold the town, houses, a church, a schoolhouse, and a store to Moondance Land Company, displacing about 100 Seebe residents. The Stoney Nation, which owns land on the opposite side of the river, has land options which it might exercise in order to partner with Moondance. A mixed use development including condominiums, a golf course, and a clubhouse is one highly likely possibility. It is hard to imagine a more scenic spot, the lovely Bow River nearby and the majestic Canadian Rockies looming to the west.
The scene in Brokeback Mountain where Ennis and Jack jump off the cliff into the river was filmed here.
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Elm, TX
There are four Elms in Texas, in Collingsworth, Karnes, Limestone, and Rains Counties.
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Mills, Wy
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Stettler, AB
Stettler is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located 101 km east of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 12 and Highway 56. The town is located in the eastern region of central Alberta and nicknamed "The Heart of Alberta."
Stettler is also home to Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions, a popular attraction delivering rail tours to people from around the world.
The town also serves as a commercial hub for several smaller communities in the area, serving a population of approximately 30,000. Nearby communities include the villages of Big Valley, Gadsby, Donalda, and Halkirk, and the hamlets of Byemoor, Endiang, and Erskine, among others.
Stettler has recently been flourishing due to the province wide economy boom. Despite a disappointing loss to Fort Macleod for the new RCMP training facility, Stettler continues to prosper due to a strong agricultural and petroleum based economy . It is home to the Stettler Auction Mart the oldest Livestock Auction Market in Alberta (1954) and is undergoing its largest real estate boom in its history including major commercial and residential real estate activity. Recent activity includes a brand new 79 room Ramada hotel, a 30 room addition to the Best Western Crusader Inn, Wal-Mart, Tim Hortons, UFA bulk station, a relocated and redeveloped John Deere dealership, and many many more well known brands.
In 2005 Stettler celebrated its centennial along with the province of Alberta. Throughout July there were many celebrations.
Stettler was founded in 1905 and was named after Swiss immigrant Carl Stettler, who also founded a settlement east of the town at Blumenau, as well as being influential in the nearby community of Castor.
Stettler was home to the last man to be hanged in Alberta. In 1959, police discovered Raymond and Daisy May Cook and their five children shot and bludgeoned to death in the garage of their Stettler home, marking the most gruesome mass murder in the province's history. Evidence led police to the Cook's eldest son, Robert Raymond, who was released from prison only days before the crime.
It took 18 months and two trials for Cook to be sentenced to death. At midnight, on November 14, 1960, he was led from his cell in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to the execution chamber. He was pronounced dead at 00:18, and would be the last person to be hanged in the province.
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Reagan, TX
Reagan was named after William Reason Reagan who donated the land. It dates from 1873 when the Waco and Northwestern Railroad laid tracks between Bremond and Ross.
During the mid-1880s Reagan reportedly had nine (!) Cotton gins, five stores, and two hotels.
By 1890 they had a weekly newspaper and a thriving population of 500 people.
In 1905 there were two one-teacher schools for Blacks and one three-teacher school for others. Reagan schools consolidated into the Marlin ISD during the wave of school consolidations after WWII.
Reagan reached its high-water mark in 1914 with 600 Reaganites. Population fell during the 1920s and even further in the 30s. It was down to 353 by the time the U.S. entered WWII.
The Southern Pacific discontinued rail service in 1965.
The Reagan skyline:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/ReaganTexasPostOffice804PNewsome.jpg)
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Nado, Mx
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Old Elwood, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/OldElwoodTX.jpg)
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Delhi, TX
There are lessons to be learned here...
Delhi, Texas, (pronounced DELL HIGH), is situated in one of the more thinly populated parts of Caldwell County. Eighteen miles east of Lockhart, if you can find where FM 713 intersects with Highway 304, head south on 304 and you'll soon pass a cemetery, church and a simple building identified as the Delhi Community Center.
The well-tended cemetery is on the left side of the road. Enclosed by a tidy, but far-from-quaint cyclone fence, the cemetery's identity is confirmed by the overhead arch saying DEHLI - 1881. Tiny Confederate and American flags, their number disproportionately large to the number of graves in general, snap in the near-constant breeze.
A granite marker stands just outside the cemetery gate seemingly too elaborate for a community that no longer appears on state maps. The explanation is in the number of inscribed names.
According to the Handbook of Texas, the population of tiny (never-had-a-railroad) Delhi never exceeded 200 persons. Nevertheless, from the Civil War to Vietnam, the town supplied 32 soldiers to various wars, "police actions" and conflicts.
The first thing that catches the visitor's eye is the duplication of surnames.
Like most Delhi men, Alford J. Fogle served in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The Fogle family didn't participate in WWI, but they made up for it in WWII when Julius, Marvin, and Willey Fogle served.
The Cox family had John G. in the Civil War, Jessie G. in WW I and Joe H. in WW II.
Bartlett S. Reid was in the Civil War and a descendent also named Bartlett S. served in WW II.
Glenn B. Reid served in WWII and years later Carroll A. Reid was Delhi's solitary Vietnam casualty.
Although Spanish-American troop trains to Florida passed as nearby as Luling, Delhi didn't have a participant in the all volunteer Spanish-American War.
But, by the time the U. S. became involved in WWI - Delhi was again ready.
Two Neeleys, Penn E. and Clarence J. served in The Great War and then Lloyd C. Neeley served in WW II. Tyre Pendleton was in WWI while descendent George M. Pendleton died in the Korean War.
Horace and Vernon were either brothers or a father and son that served in WW II.
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Irma, AB
Irma is a village in central Alberta 29 km northwest of Wainwright and 178 km southeast of Edmonton along Highway 14 and Highway 881.
The Village of Irma came into being in 1908 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway came through. Irma was later incorporated as a Village on May 30, 1912. The village was supposedly named after the daughter of the GTPR second vice-president General William Wainwright, although some believe it was named after one of the secretaries of a GTPR official. Records show three major fires in the downtown area. These broke out in 1911, 1931 and 1963. Most of the buildings on Main street were reconstructed after the 1931 fire.
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Arnold, Texas
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Ditto, TX
Settlement of the area dates back to the late 1700s.
The town had originally been known as Agua Negra after the dark water of a local spring.
The first post office was called Mottomosa, but was discontinued by 1875.
In 1881 a new application was submitted to the postal authorities. Ditto was written into the space for the name - assuming that the authorities would understand that the town was requesting the same name as before - Mottomosa. The approval came for the name Ditto, Texas.
In 1884 Ditto fifty people called Ditto home, although their school was still Agua Negra. This seems to have been Ditto's high water mark.
In 1885 a petition was signed to make Ditto the Atascosa county seat. It would've won, had the women signers not been disqualified.
In the 1890s the population shrunk to 20 and the last time a census was taken - it was still 20.
In 1934 the Agua Negra School was consolidated with Poteet. After the war a few scattered dwellings occupied the area and remained into the 60s. Ditto no longer appears on maps and the few people who reside in the area would be surprised to hear that it was once a town.
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Oak Cliff, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/TexasTheatre.jpg)
The historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff was a town located in Dallas County, Texas (USA), that was annexed by the neighboring city of Dallas in 1903. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as "Dallas' older, established neighborhood". As such, it is often called "The Cliff."
Oak Cliff also has some of the most beautiful turn of the century and mid-20th century housing, many parks and remarkably close proximity to the central business district of downtown Dallas without the heavy vehicular traffic or higher cost of housing commonly associated with Dallas' northern neighborhoods.
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Forestburg, AB
Forestburg is a village located in east-central Alberta, Canada. The rich farmland of the area was first settled in 1905. Soon after the first of many "gopher hole" mines, homesteaders were soon coal mining on the banks of the Battle River in 1907.
The site was surveyed in 1919 after the Canadian Northern Railway arrived in 1916, and Forestburg was incorporated into a village. Today Forestburg's economy is based on agriculture, coal mining, oil and gas activity, and power generation. With approximately 75 businesses, the rate of employment is good. Forestburg has a good variety of retail and services, with major employment by Atco Power Ltd., Praire Mines and Royalties.
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Gober, TX
Settlers began arriving in the 1840s and the community was first called Grittersville, after one of the first businesses - a steam-powered gristmill. In 1879 the town began receiving mail and the population increased during the 1880s. Residents decided they needed a better name and so the men who had built the gristmill ( J. F. and William Gober) were so honored.
The population was a healthy 250 by 1890. Gober's industrial base was helped by a quarrying business. The population reached its high-water mark of 300 around the start of the Great Depression and it subsequently declined - reaching about 200 by the mid-1950s. Gober had a population of 246 in the mid-1960s which has since declined to the current estimate of 146.
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Red Buttes, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/redbuttes.jpg)
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Saint Paul, AB
St. Paul, Alberta is a small town in East-Central Alberta. It was formerly called Saint-Paul-des-Métis and was originally a French-Catholic settlement and mission to the Metis people.
St. Paul's major economic strengths are agriculture and the service industry. This has helped St. Paul maintain a degree of stability during the oil boom and bust cycles that Alberta is so dependent upon. Situated in Alberta's Lakeland, its location in the middle of one of the best natural playgrounds gives all who come to the area plenty of recreational opportunities of all kinds.
Population: 5,144 (2004)
St. Paul, Alberta has taken western hospitality to a new realm. The small Prairie town has built the world's first UFO landing pad. It's all in an effort to attract both tourists and Martians to this rural pocket of Canada. What starts off as a tongue-in-cheek celebration of Canada’s centennial has grown to full-fledged intergalactic fervour. There is a map of Canada embossed in the centre of the back stop of the Landing pad. The map is made of stones that were provided by each province of Canada. It has six 30 inch concrete pylons that make up the main column.
On June 3rd, 1967 the Hon. Paul Hellyer, Minister of National Defence, flew in by helicopter to officially open the Pad. The pad was one of over 100 Centennial Projects organized by the town.
The sign beside the pad reads: "The area under the World's First UFO Landing Pad was designated international by the Town of St. Paul as a symbol of our faith that mankind will maintain the outer universe free from national wars and strife. That future travel in space will be safe for all intergalactic beings, all visitors from earth or otherwise are welcome to this territory and to the Town of St. Paul."
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Lucerne, WY
in Hot Springs County, just west of the famous Thermopolis Hot Springs on the way to Yellowstone National Park. The average cost of a home in Lucerne is over $200,000. About 500 people live there and unemployment is a low 3 percent. The word Lucerne means alfalfa in French.
Stereo photo of the Lower Falls of Yellowstone, near Lucerne.
(http://athena.divshare.com/files/2007/03/18/246716/lower_falls_stereo.jpg)
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Ericksdahl, TX
in Jones County, population 35
Leslie
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Lacombe, AB
Lacombe is a town in central Alberta, Canada, located north of Red Deer, the nearest city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest major city. The town is set in the beautiful, rolling parkland of central Alberta, between the Rocky Mountain foothills to the west, and the flatter Alberta prairie to the east.
Lacombe is named after Father Albert Lacombe (28 February 1827 — 12 December 1916), a French-Canadian Oblate (Roman Catholic) missionary who lived among and evangelized the Cree and Blackfoot First Nations of western Canada. He is now remembered for having brokered a peace between the Cree and Blackfoot, negotiating construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through Blackfoot territory, and securing a promise from the Blackfoot leader Crowfoot to refrain from joining the North-West Rebellion of 1885.
One of Lacombe's most famous residents was Roland Michener, Governor General of Canada from 1967 to 1974. A local museum and park, Michener House and Michener Park, commemorate his legacy as one of Canada's most famous and influential Governors General.
Several times, the main street of this community has been used in films, since it was re-modelled to resemble a town in the early 1900s. Lacombe's lovingly restored Edwardian buildings in the downtown, a historic Flat Iron building, a working blacksmith shop, and the Michener House Museum all provide appealing visual backdrops for films, and a taste of the history of the town.
Anna Maria Kaufmann, an international opera singer now living in Germany was raised in Lacombe.
The Canadian University College was first located near Lacombe in 1909 and continues to operate today.
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Everett, Texas
population: 134
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In response to Front-Ranger's request for more variety in this old TRIP, I'm going to be declaring more frequent SIDE TRIPS just for the heck of it.
The next poster can choose a town starting with any old letter they please. Choose well! ;D
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Bordeaux, Wy
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Xhigui, Mexico
According to my sources, there are no X towns in Texas, Wyoming or Alberta, so we are forced to travel to Mexico....
Have fun with I whoever comes next!
Leslie
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Irvine, AB
Irvine is a hamlet in Alberta, located about 20 km east of Medicine Hat on highway 1.
During the September long weekend Irvine is home to the 20 Mile Post Days. This is a weekend event that includes a parade, and weeklong rodeo. It is known as 20 Mile Post Days because it is approximately 20 miles from Medicine Hat.
Irvine also features an elementary school, along with a Convenience Store, and a hockey and curling rink.
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Eaton, Texas
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New Deal, TX
pop 784, in Lubbock County.
Leslie
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Lomond, AB
Lomond is a village in southern Alberta, Canada, located southwest of Brooks and east of Vulcan. The village is a farming service community.
Lomond was named for Loch Lomond, Scotland.
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Dike, TX
Formerly called Booneville, after you-know-who supposedly visited the area, the townfolk changed the name to Dike after finding out there was already another Booneville in Texas.
The first postmaster was Isaac Rhodes who was sworn in on October 23, 1890. Rhodes was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison. This act might be regarded as a milestone in Harrison's rather lackluster presidency.
It was Bud Sheppard who suggested the name of Dike - after Dike, Iowa.
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Ekpedz, Mexico
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Zarquenos, Mexico
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Standard, Alberta
Standard is a village located in the southern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is situated within the County of Wheatland, approximately 80 kilometers east of the city of Calgary. Its 2006 population is approximately 380 residents. The village was originally settled by Danish immigrants. Standard's economy is based on the surrounding farming community and the energy industry, with a number of oil and gas rigs in operation in the vicinity. Chief employers include Agrium Liquid Fertilizer, which operates a manufacturing plant, and the Husky Oil Plant.
Standard is best known in Alberta for the tragic and well-publicized abduction and murder of one of its residents, 15-year old Kelly Cook, in 1981. The Grade 10 student regularly babysat for townsfolk, and on the morning of April 22, 1981, she received a phone call from a man who identified himself as Bill Christensen. He asked her to babysit for him that evening. Although she did not know the caller, she agreed, as 'Christensen' was a common surname in the area and crime was virtually unknown in the village, with residents routinely leaving their doors unlocked. The caller arranged to pick Kelly up that evening and drive her to his residence. At 8:30 that evening, a car pulled up in front of the house where she lived with her parents and siblings. The driver did not leave his car, and Kelly walked out of her house and climbed into the automobile's front passenger seat. The car then immediately drove off. A few hours later, her anxious parents, concerned that Kelly had not called or returned home, called the RCMP. A massive local search was launched but yielded almost no clues. Two months after her abduction, on June 28, her badly decomposed body was discovered in Chin Lakes, southeast of her hometown of Standard. The case caught the public's attention like few other murder cases because it was so unusual, with the killer actually picking up his victim at her house while her mother watched through the window. Despite the publicity this murder case generated, and a $100,000 reward offered by the Village of Standard for information leading to the arrest of Kelly's killer, as of January 2007, the case has not been solved.
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SIDE TRIP!
The next town can start with any letter. 8)
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Carpenter, Wy
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Rhome, Texas
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Eylau, TX
Five miles southwest of Texarkana in the lumbering section of southeastern Bowie County, Eylau was established soon after the battle of San Jacinto by Collin M. Akin, who bought land along the river. The community had a post office from 1885 to 1895. In 1890 the population of Eylau was estimated at thirty. By 1940 Eylau was no longer an organized settlement.
Possibly named after the Battle of Eylau in the Napoleonic Wars, fought on February 8, 1807, in East Prussia.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Eylau.jpg)
Napoleon at the Battle of Eylau by Jean-Antoine Gros
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Underwood Crossing, WY, which is just southeast of a big humonguous coal mine, the largest coal mine in North America!
(http://www.brokeback2008.com/photos/mine-1.jpg)
(http://www.brokeback2008.com/photos/mine-2.jpg)
(http://www.brokeback2008.com/photos/mine-3.jpg)
(http://www.brokeback2008.com/photos/mine-4.jpg)
-Ennis
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Gulf, Texas
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Foremost, AB
Foremost is a village in southern Alberta. It is located south of Medicine Hat, in Forty Mile County.
Foremost has a population of about 500 people. It has a strong agriculture industry. Recreation facilites include an ice arena, swimming pool, curling rink and ball diamonds. Every June the residents hold a parade, rodeo and tough truck competition. Hockey is a big sport in Foremost. The local team is called the Foremost Flyers. The school has a long history of winning sports teams. The Foremost Falcons and Forettes have won many provincial titles in basketball, volleyball, track and field and cross country running. The village also has a strong arts community presenting community theatre as well as a school dramatic department.
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Truscott, TX
Truscott had (in 1880) once been named China Lake for a grove of Chinaberry trees growing along a small lake.
With the organization of the county the name was changed to honor pioneer J. Truscott, an early settler.
Truscott was the first teacher of the Truscott school, established in 1888. The one-room schoolhouse served until 1907, when it burned.
That same year the town moved a mile to be on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway.
The Truscott school burned in1945, and even after a new school was built, enrollment decreased to the point where it closed.
Truscott was an aberration during the Great Depression when the population doubled from 250 in 1930 to 500 in1940.
By1980 Truscott was on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line and reported 187 residents.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/TruscottWall704TomWalker.jpg)
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Tangent, Alberta
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/sign.jpg)
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Three Hills, AB
Three Hills is a town located in the southern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is so named because of the three highly visible hills that are situated to its north.
Population: 3,554 (2005)
Three Hills was incorporated as a village in 1912, the year it was moved to its current location on the Canadian Northern Railway. With ranchers and farmers constituting its first residents, it soon became a centre for the surrounding wheat-growing area.
In 1922, the Prairie Bible College was established in Three Hills with L.E. Maxwell as its founding principal. This occurrence helped to increase the population of the town proper and its adjacent settlements. By the mid 1980's the nearby hamlets of Grantville and Ruarkville and the spacious 130 acre Bible College campus were annexed to the town.
Although a relatively small community, Three Hills had the distinction of hosting the Alberta Senior Summer Games in 1997. The town was chosen to host this event because of its being able to utilize large and well equipped facilities at the college. This included the opening and closing ceremonies which took place in the 4,300 seat Maxwell Memorial Tabernacle, Canada's largest religious auditorium (1954-2005).
Phil Callaway, a Christian humorist author and speaker was born in and still lives in Three Hills.
Actress Erica Durance, known for her role as Lois Lane on the hit WB Network TV show Smallville is a former resident.
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Sabinal, TX
Thomas B. Hammer is credited as being the first settler in the area. Hammer opened a stage stop on the eastside of the Sabinal River around 1854 and when a post office was granted the same year the town was designated Hammer’s Station. A Cavalry outpost was established in 1856 on the west bank of the river for the settlers protection. The camp’s presence, however, didn’t intimidate the bandits that killed Hammer in 1857.
Sabinal got a railroad (Southern Pacific) connection in 1881– the same year that Turkish Angora goats were introduced. In 1893 the town had two hotels and the population was reported as 150 for 1884 – not bad for the era.
By 1906, the year the town incorporated, 500 Sabinalistas called the place home. Irrigation for cotton crops was provided by the lumberyard’s windmill and enough cotton was produced to keep six gins in operation. Wool and mohair production were important economic mainstays.
Water and fire departments were established and telephone service began – all in the magic year of 1906. By 1911, the population had swelled to an estimated 1,500 – and those who could read, read The Sentinel - the town’s own weekly newspaper.
A school specifically for Hispanics was opened in the mid 1930s. With schools consolidations, a new elementary and high school were built in town. Five school buses fanned out daily to gather students over the district’s 356 mile territory.
The population reached its zenith in the mid-1950s, with about 2,300 people, but it had declined to 1,570 by 1974 By 1990 the estimated population was about the same.
Sabinal River
The Sabinal River which flows from springs north of Vanderpool (Bandera County) continues past Sabinal to the west of town and eventually joins the Frio River. The Sabinal River is only 60 miles long, and for some of its length it flows underground. The Spanish had originally named the river Arroyo de la Soledad, or "Stream of Solitude."
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/SabinalRiverTexas404.jpg)
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Lyman, Wyoming
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Norris Junction, Wyoming
It's in Yellowstone National Park.
To many people, the most exciting thermal area in Yellowstone National Park is Norris Geyser Basin. The geyser basin is Yellowstone's most compact thermal area, with literally hundreds of geysers, pools, hot springs and other features, many of which can be viewed on a walk of less than two miles. It is divided into two areas: Porcelain Basin to the north and Back Basin to the south. Porcelain Basin includes such geysers as Africa, which displays constantly; Dark Cavern Geyser, which erupts several times an hour and shoots 11-20 feet; and Constant, which also erupts several times an hour but at heights of 10-40 feet. One of the high points of Back Basin is Echinus Geyser, but the most interesting geyser is Steamboat. It is unpredictable, but it is the most powerful in the park and shoots water 300-350 feet into the sky. Steamboat erupted in 1969 and was thought to be dormant until March 1978, when it "went off" with great gusto. Since then it has erupted several more times.
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Nutsford, TX
in Lampasas County
Leslie
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Dogpound, AB
The community was named for a nearby creek.
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SIDE TRIP!
The next town may begin with any letter.
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Buffalo, Wyoming
Gateway to the beautiful and historic Bighorn Mountains
Thank you, Meryl!!
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My pleasure, Lee. Good choice! 8)
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Ogg, Texas
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Grandfalls, TX
The original town site was located at the upper falls of the Pecos River. The upper falls were called Grand and the lower falls Great. In the 1880s dams were built that channeled water to power a cotton gin.
A school was organized in 1892 and the schoolhouse also served as a church for 7 different denominations. A flood caused a major setback in 1894 and many families left. Scandinavian families came in 1897, including a woman physician, Dr. Charlotte Bergman.
The population was dwindling in 1925 due to a severe drought several years prior and a slow economy. Things were looking bleak when oil was discovered and the population doubled to 500 in 1929. Incorporation came in 1940. Throughout that decade the population was about 650. The 50s and 60s saw Grandfalls reach its peak of around 1000 people. The 1990 census showed 583 people in Grandfalls.
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Spring, Tx
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Glenwoodville, Alberta
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Ego, TX
In Live Oak County
Leslie
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Ozada, Alberta
80 km west of Calgary
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SIDE TRIP!
The next town may begin with any letter. 8)
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Quicksand, TX
Early settlers named the community after a nearby creek. The town was thought to be the geographic center of the county and for that reason (and to comply with the legislature's mandate) it was made the Newton County seat.
The first meetings of the county officials took place at the home of Josephus S. Irvine, a San Jacinto veteran. When it became known that Quicksand was a little off center - a vote was taken and Burkeville was made the seat in 1848. This was contested, so an election was held in 1849. Burkeville was retained by an 86-82 vote.
In 1853 a new town called Newton - four miles southwest of Quicksand was established as county seat.
It is reported that Quicksand had a post office for only one month (in 1871), which might be a state record.
Leslie
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Dinton, Alberta
where the church is Ennis and Alma got married in.
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Niblock, TX
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Kavanagh, AB
Kavanaugh is a small hamlet in Alberta, located between Millet and Leduc. Kavanaugh is approximately 30 km south of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta.
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Heinsburg, Alberta
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George West, TX
George West was a rancher who had dreams of building his own town.
He settled in the area in the early 1900s, and in 1912 he granted a right-of-way to the railroad, insuring that his town would have a good chance of surviving. The railroad (The San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf) came to town the following year. Mr. West built most every building in the town including the power plant.
Although the population was a mere 200 people in 1925 - oil and gas discoveries brought an additional 800 people to town by 1929. Uranium was discovered in the 1950s and George West experienced a little growth because of it. The population has held around the 2,600 mark for the last 20 years.
L
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Tofield, AB
Tofield is a town in central Alberta located east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 14, Highway 834, and Highway 626.
The town is served by the Tofield Airport, operated by Three Hills Airport Commission.
Population: 1,818 (2001)
Before 1865 only Indians lived in this area, the home of the Cree. Beaverhill Lake (known then as Beaver or Beaver Hills Lake) was full of fish and wildfowl. A variety of wild fruits could be eaten fresh or added to pemmican. Big game animals, including herds of buffalo, were available for food and clothing.
Tofield's Indian legacy is evident in the names of local creeks: Maskawan, Amisk and Ketchamoot. The latter refers to Chief Ketchamoot who came from Ft. Pitt in 1860 to help the local Crees against their traditional Blackfoot enemies. Victorious, he remained in the area, and is buried on the bank of the Ketchamoot Creek.
Tofield's first school was organized in 1890 and named McKenzie School in honor of the first postmaster in the area, at the Logan post office. The Tofield Post Office was obtained in 1897, and was located at the south end of Beaverhill Lake.
The town of Tofield had its beginning in 1906 when Morton and Adams built a General Store near the Post Office at a site southeast of present day Tofield. By the spring of 1906 other businesses, including a lumber yard, hardware store, another general store, a drug store, a blacksmith shop and a hotel, had been founded.
Very soon after that, the town moved to a site northwest of the old site and north of the present townsite when the Edmonton-based company Crafts and Lee offered free lots that were near the site of the proposed route of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. By fall of 1908 two blocks of businesses were filled and all residential lots were full.
Later that year the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway decided on a route south of the second townsite and the town moved again, to its present location. Tofield was proclaimed a village on September 9, 1907 and became a town just two years later in 1909.
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Dorothy, Alberta
where Earl's life came to a brutal end...
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/dorothy.jpg)
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Yegote, Mexico.
It's warm there!
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Easton, TX
Easton is a city in Texas, United States. Located mostly in Gregg County, a small portion of the city extends into Rusk County. The population was 524 at the 2000 census.
Easton is located at 32°23′13″N, 94°35′8″W (32.386874, -94.585589)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.
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Northstar, Alberta
A town in northern Alberta.
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Rambler WY
Traveling to Rambler is no task for the tenderfoot. Located near the top of the western side of the Continental Divide is a small verdant dale in the middle of which is a clear blue lake. Close to the lake is what is left of Rambler. Once a booming copper mining town housing hundreds of people, only a few buildings still stand as the reminder of a town that produced half a million pounds of copper. All the ore was carried by mule train over the Divide and down to the smelter at Encampment. The alpine scenery alone is worth the trip
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Rosebud, AB
Rosebud, Alberta is a hamlet located in southern Alberta, about 100 km east of Calgary. It is located in the County of Wheatland. The nearest city is Drumheller, about 30 minutes east.
Rosebud sits in a sheltered river valley on the Rosebud River near the edge of the Canadian Badlands. This area was called Akokiniskway by the Blackfoot people, which translates roughly to "by the river of many roses".
The hamlet was founded in the 1885 by James Wishart. While following the Gleichen Trail to Montana with his family, they awoke to the river valley covered by wild roses, Alberta's official flower. Wishart then reportedly said, "Here's the promised land, we go no further."[1]
The beauty of the valley has attracted many people throughout the years, from nature lovers to artists. Notable artists A. Y. Jackson and H. G. Glyde, members of the Group of Seven, spent a summer in 1944 painting in the area.[2]
Over the years, farming and coal mining have been the primary industries. In 1972 the Severn Creek School was shut down as part of an Alberta wide education consolidating process and local children were bused to Standard and Drumheller. This resulted in many of the local businesses being closed and the hamlet population dropped to under a dozen people. However, the farming community of around 400 still supported three elevators and a seed cleaning plant.
Easter 1973, a group of young adults from Calgary brought about 40 teenagers out and camped in the now empty mercantile. This pilot event evolved into a summer camp initially funded by a grant from the Alberta government and then supported as Rosebud Camp of the Arts by Crescent Heights Baptist Church in Calgary. In 1977 a high school was founded using the old buildings of the town as classrooms and emphasizing practical, visual, music and the performing arts in its curriculum. In the 1980's, Rosebud School of the Arts began to run theatre, which eventually developed into Rosebud Theatre and the school shifted its emphasis to post-secondary education.
Currently the primary industries within the hamlet are tourism and the arts. Agriculture along with oil and gas production are significant industries in the surrounding area.
The current population is about 80 permanent residents. With the influx of students at Rosebud School of the Arts, the population changes throughout the year with a high of about 115.
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Doan's Crossing, TX
Vernon's 19th Century history is closely bound to the Red River crossing some 15 miles north. Corwin Doan operated a store at this point and supplied cowboys with all they needed to survive the trip. This is where an estimated six million Longhorn cattle crossed on their way to the railheads in Dodge City, Kansas.
The fencing of the west and the invention of barbed wire, put an end to the cattle drives that brought Texas back from the economic collapse brought upon by the Civil War.
There is a large granite marker that includes many of the brands of the most famous ranches in Texas.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/DoansCrossingTxGraniteMarker0207BG.jpg)
L
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Grass Creek, WY
Coal was discovered in Grass Creek in the 1860s and the Grass Creek Fuel Company quickly raised a company town for its workers. In 1884 a narrow gauge track was built and the town reached its peak between 1910 and 1920 with a population of 200. However increasing costs and competition from other coal mining areas forced the mines to close and the last coal came out of Grass Creek in 1940.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/grass_creek.jpg)
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Kinuso, AB
Kinuso is a village in northern Alberta east of High Prairie.
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Olton, TX
Olton was the first town in Lamb county and as such became the first county seat when the county was organized in 1908.
Initial settlement occured around 1900 on a piece of state land. The C. C. Slaughter ranch occupied most of surrunding property. Three miles from the present town, one A. B. Powell opened a store and post office in 1903. The name is said to come from Mr. Powell's son or a preacher. After several changes in location, the the post office settled at the home of T. F. Brown on the old Slaughter ranch. The 1910 population was 75 which increased to 300 by 1930 and 782 in 1940.
Throughout the short history of Lamb County, nearby Littlefield was vying for the title of county seat. Elections were held in 1929, 1932, 1937 and 1946, when Littlefield finally won.
In spite of the setback which has historically sent other towns into oblivion, Olton surprised everyone with growth. By 1960 the town had nearly 2,000 people. In 1970 there were 78 businesses servicing the needs of 1,782 and the last figure available was the 2000 census figure of 2,288.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/LambCountyCourthouseTXDoT1939OltonT.jpg)
The 1922 Lamb County Courthouse, which was torn down in 1964. This picture was taken in 1939.
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I'm declaring a SIDE TRIP for myself, because look what I found:
J and E Junction, TX
Population 3039. Nearby towns: Bon Ami, Mount Union ;)
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Nichi, Mexico
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Indian Creek, TX
Indian Creeks (as water courses) abound in Texas. There are 28 separate entries in the Handbook of Texas. Two towns are named Indian Creek, this one received a post office in 1876, giving it slightly more weight than the unincorporated Indian Creek near La Grange in Fayette County.
A school was built in 1877 and although the town had the basic business building blocks of a small town, it never really developed and remained tiny.
Writer Katherine Anne Porter was born in Indian Creek in 1890, and was buried in the Indian Creek Cemetery (two miles north) beside her mother in 1980.
Known to the family as “Callie,” Porter remembered her childhood in Indian Creek, although her Texas stories more closely resemble Kyle, Texas, where she once stayed with relatives. Her girlhood house in Kyle received a historical marker in the year 2000.
Porter’s remembrance of citrus trees on the family farm in Indian Creek questions her memory.
The Indian Creek school consolidated with the Brookesmith ISD before 1950.
L
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Keoma, AB
Keoma is a designated place (an unincorporated hamlet) in southern Alberta, in the Municipal District of Rocky View.
Keoma is located approximately 42 kilometers or 26.1 miles northeast of the City of Calgary, on Highway 566. Keoma is just east of Highway 9, north of the Trans-Canada Highway.
"Keoma" is an Indian name for “over there”, far away. The hamlet was settled in 1910 when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) opened up land for irrigation. It is assumed that the CPR named the site, but this is not definitive. The post office was in operation from January 15, 1910 to June 27, 1986.
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SIDE TRIP!
The next town may begin with any letter.
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Rockyford, AB
Rockyford is a village in southern Alberta, located approximately half way between Calgary and Drumheller in the County of Wheatland.
The Village of Rockyford was first settled in 1913 and takes its name from a "rocky ford" that crossed Serviceberry Creek a half mile south of the village.
This friendly small town puts on the “Biggest Little Show in Alberta” in late July, the Rockyford Lions Rodeo. It’s much more than just a rodeo in Rockyford; wild cow milking, sheep riding, mutton busting, relay, businessmen’s wild cow riding, poker bull fight, a parade, beer gardens, kids midway, chuck wagon races and much more.
Many of the scenes in Brokeback Mountain were filmed in Rockyford, including all of the rodeo scenes, the Riverton Post Office, the Childress Dance Hall exterior, and the phone booth.
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Dinero, TX
1846: First called Barlow's Ferry after ferry operator E. Barlow
1858: Dinero's first school is opned.
1872: Name is changed to Dinero (Spanish for "money"). Legends of lost Spanish silver mines may have suggested the name, but others say it comes from the rich resources of the county.
1885: The population is twenty and the town receives a post office.
1892: Population reaches 70.
1914: The population, now numbering thirty, moves one mile west to the rails of San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad.
1920s: Oil and gas discoveries prove disappointing and hopes of a boomtown are dashed.
1943: Dinero's population stands at fifty.
1949: Dinero's segregated schools are merged with schools in George West.
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Orion, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OrionAB.jpg)
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Nigini, Mexico
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Isla, TX
Isla is an unincorporated community in northeastern Sabine County, Texas (USA).
It is located at the junction of State Highway 87 and Farm Road 276, eleven miles northeast of Hemphill.
A post office was established in 1896 and by the mid-1930s, Isla had an estimated population of twenty-five and three businesses.
There are approximately 350 living in the Isla area today.
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Atoy, TX
First settled before (but not developed until) the Civil War, Atoy briefly had a post office (1870-71). Although no population figures are available, Atoy seems to have reached its high-water mark in the 1930s, when it had a school, church, store, and enough students, church-goers and shoppers to keep them busy.
The Atoy school was merged with Rusk schools after WWII and today the community still has three churches, a cemetery and a few residences.
L
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A new twist! Thanks to Leslie (MaineWriter) for the inspiration. :-*
The XYZ Rule:
When a town is posted that ends in X, Y, or Z, an automatic SIDE TRIP is in effect. The following town can begin with any letter. (You still must leave 2 posts between before you can post again, though).
This new rule is posted at the beginning of the thread in case you want to review it later. :)
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Great new rule, Meryl. :)
Wapiti, Wyoming
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Industry, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/IndustryTX.jpg)
Industry is always mentioned in any history relating to the settlement of Germans in Texas. Johann Frederich Ernst came to the area via New York and Missouri. Ernst received a grant of land directly from the Mexican government in 1831. After independence from Mexico, the fledgling Republic of Texas granted a post office to the town that had grown from "Ernst's Place" to Industry.
The name it is said, was given to the residents for their hard-working attitude by their Anglo neighbors.
Tobacco was a major crop at first and Industry as well as New Ulm manufactured cigars. Cotton became the dominant crop before the Civil War and continued after.
The population started decreasing from the time of the Depression through the 1960s. Ranching gradually replaced farming and today about the only cotton seen is in the tops of aspirin bottles.
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Crossfield, AB
Crossfield is a town (incorporated) in southern Alberta, in Canada.
Crossfield is located 43 kilometers or 27 miles north of the City of Calgary, on Highway 2.
As a rail station on the Calgary to Edmonton (C&E) line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Crossfield was founded in 1892. Crossfield was named after an engineer with the Canadian Pacific Railway survey crew. In 1980, the Town of Crossfield was incorporated.
The Town of Crossfield is a member of the Calgary Regional Partnership. Crossfield is within the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is growing as a result. Crossfield is north of the City of Airdrie and south of the Town of Olds. Crossfield is surrounded by the Municipal District of Rocky View.
Crossfield is also the location of a Brokeback Mountain filming site, Monroe's grocery store. Empty now, Monroe’s Riverton Grocery Store still bears its authentic “Choice Meats/Fresh Produce” signage.
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Double Mountain, TX
The last standing structure in Double Mountain:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/DoubleMountainTexasLastStructure110.jpg)
L
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Nocac, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NocacMX.jpg)
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Carseland, AB
Carseland is a hamlet located along Highway 24 approximately 19km South of Cheadle, in south central Alberta, Canada.
Carseland is the site of a few Brokeback Mountain filming locations.....the highway intersection where Ennis was dropped off at the beginning of the film, and the hotel and bar where Ennis and Jack shared their first drink.
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Dozier, TX
Near the Salt Fork of the Red River in northwestern Collingsworth County. The site was on the Rocking Chair Ranch until the ranch ceased to exist.
Post office was granted in 1904 with the Dozier school district being organized five years later when a schoolhouse was built.
The school's location changed several times until a larger building was constructed in 1913. This school lasted until 1929, when a brick school was built.
By 1930 the population of Dozier was 60 and it somehow increased during the Great Depression to 100 by 1940.
Leslie
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Rymers, Texas
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Seba Beach, AB
Seba Beach is a summer village located 85 kilometers (52.8 mi) west of Edmonton. The main employer to those within the village and sourounding area is Sundance Generating Plant A coal-fired power plant located on the south side of the lake, owned and operated by TransAlta Utilities.
A large cabin-going community exists during the summer, although the village is populated year round. Local sites include Wabamun Lake, the village marina and pier, several restaurants, a general store, a public library, mini-golf, a golf-course and several RV parks. August long weekend is the annual Regatta at Seba Beach, which features a parade, dance, foot races, fireworks, beach volleyball tournament, and cribbage tournament, among other events. During the summer and fall, there is a weekly farmers market on Saturdays. A general store exists in the community.
The lake itself has a large population of Northern Pike along with whitefish and trout.
The main sailing club of the Seba Beach is Edmonton Yacht Club, and is located at 1st Avenue and 2nd Street West within Seba Beach.
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Huckabay, TX
Originally called Flat Woods around 1875, by the end of the decade a store opened and the towns first postmaster, John A. Huckabay, submitted his name on the application.
The town opened a cotton gin but when a bank opened in the 1890s - it closed soon after. The population was 174 at the turn of the 20th Century. An academy operated from 1900 to 1910 and the town was connected to Stephenville in 1927 by the construction of highway 108. The town has lived a peaceful existence for over 100 years and the population hasn't changed that much from the 1900 figure.
(NB: This town ends with a Y so the next player gets an automatic side trip...the XYZ rule!)
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Bragg Creek, Alberta
Near Moose Mountain.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m312/Belbbmfan/moose.jpg)
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Komensky, TX
In May 1895 a number of residents, primarily Czech, Moravian, and German newcomers to the area, met at the home of C. M. Karasek on Woods Prairie to plan the construction and operation of a school named in honor of Jan Amos Komensky (John A. Comenius), the noted seventeenth-century Czech-Moravian educator and bishop of the Protestant Moravian Unity of the Brethren Church.
Through the years the school and its supporting facilities grew to accommodate well over 100 students in the first through seventh grades. By 1915 it was recognized as a model for rural schools in Texas. Consolidation after World War II deprived Komensky of its school but not its community spirit. Cotton was last grown in the area during the 1950s, and during the 1980s one farm service center remained to serve the needs of residents, who at that time grew corn, cattle, and hay.
(XYZ Rule applies to next post)
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Justiceburg, TX
The town that had been known as Leforrest had a post office operating under that name from 1902 - 1905.
In 1910, Jefferson Davis Justice bought land in the area. He gave the railroad a right-of-way and donated land for the townsite. The town was then renamed in his honor. The railroad came through in 1911 and the people and businesses of Leforrest moved to the new town of Justiceburg.
The population of Justiceburg has never exceeded 100. The closest it came was in 1980 when 76 people were recorded. Many of the people living in the area are descendants of Jefferson Davis Justice.
Justiceburg, TX was the birthplace of Norm Cash (11/10/1934 - 10/12/1986).
Cash, a left-handed hitting first baseman, had a distinguished career in major league baseball, with the Chicago White Sox (1958-1959) and Detroit Tigers (1960-1974).
Cash led the American League in batting in 1961, hitting .361 (he later admitted to using a doctored bat for most of that season.) For most of the rest of his career, he was primarily known as a power hitter for the Tigers; he finished with 377 career home runs, and was a key contributor on Detroit's 1968 World Championship team.
Cash fell overboard while fishing in the Great Lakes on October 12, 1986, and drowned.
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Galahad, AB
Galahad is a small village in east-central Alberta, located just a few miles north of the Battle River valley on the route a former CN rail line. The four streets and three avenues were aligned with the railway (NW to SE), rather than conventional north-south-east-west orientation. The major economic base of the Galahad region is agriculture (wheat, barley, canola as well as raising beef or pork), oil & gas production, coal mining and power generation.
The village hosts modest services including general store, gas station, restaurant, motel, post office, and library. The community received high-speed internet access in 2006. There is no school in Galahad, and all students are bused 16 km to Forestburg, Alberta for all classes (kindergarten to grade 12).
Recreation facilities include a bowling alley, outdoor skating rink, ball diamonds, playgrounds, and a campground (on the former school grounds). Hiking and cross country skiing trails can be found at nearby Big Knife Provincial Park. For downhill skiing, there is a small ski hill called Valley Ski Club is located just south of Alliance, Alberta (22 km from Galahad). Other activities including hockey, baseball, softball, golf, curling and swimming are available in nearby communities of Forestburg, Alberta, Killiam, Alberta, and Castor, Alberta.
Major transportation routes nearby include Alberta provincial highway 36 and Alberta provincial highway 53.
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DuNoir, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DuNoirWY.jpg)
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Roaring Springs, TX
Roaring Springs was once a part of the Matador Ranch. In anticipation of the railroad coming through, they platted a town in 1912 and called it Ragtown. It seemed like a good idea at the time. When they got their post office in 1913 they were told to get serious and they came up with Roaring Springs - named after a point on Dutchman Creek.
The Travelers Hotel (c.1914) in downtown Roaring Springs is on the Texas Historical Commission's endangered buildings list.
The Quanah, (!) Acme and Pacific Railroad operated from 1913 to 1971.
The high population of Roaring Springs was 514 people - reached in the 1940s.
L
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Sangudo, AB
Sangudo is a village in northern Alberta 120 km northwest of the city of Edmonton on Highway 43. The main sources of revenue for the village are tourism from the Alaska Highway which extends through Highway 43, oil production, and from agriculture which is mostly cattle ranching.
The Pembina River runs through the village.
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Olotla, Estado de Hidalgo, MX
(http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/hidalgo-state-mexico/hidalgo-state-mexico-map-c0.gif)
Olotla is located towards the very bottom of the map, just left of center.
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Abernathy, TX
The town was born as a stop on the Santa Fe when it connected Lubbock and Plainview. The name came from M. G. Abernathy, one of the partners in the South Plains Investment Company - who promoted the town.
Abernathy was initially built with structures from the town of Bartonsite, seven miles NW. A post office was granted in 1910 and four years later there was a respectible population of 300 which increased to 1,500 by the mid 20s. With the arrival of the Great Depression the population dropped to 850 where it remained until after WWII when a small oil boom boosted it to nearly 2,000.
(NB: XYZ rule applies...next player gets an automatic side trip!)
L
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Conrich, AB
Conrich is an unincorporated hamlet in southern Alberta, in the Municipal District of Rocky View.
Conrich is located two miles east of the City of Calgary's eastern limits. (approximately 17 kilometers or 10.6 miles northeast of Calgary's city center, on McKnight Boulevard. It is anticipated that the hamlet will eventually be annexed by Calgary, but current proposed annexation plans finalized in 2006 indicate the new boundaries will stop short of Conrich for now.
Conrich got its start as a flag station for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. A flag station was exactly that: passengers wanting to board had to flag the train down. The land for the site was obtained from W.F. Birch. The railroad reached here in 1913, and the name comes from the surnames of two real estate developers, Connacher and Richardson . The Canadian National Railway took over the line in 1918. A post office operated at this site from August 15, 1925 to December 12, 1960.
At the intersection of the rail tracks and Range Road 283 (also known as Rainbow Road), just a mile east of Conrich, is the site of the Brokeback Mountain filming location of "Jack's murder".
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Harmony, WY
(XYZ rule applies)
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Quitman, TX
The county's first and only county seat, Quitman was formed in 1850 and named after John A. Quitman, a governor of Mississippi and a General during the Mexican War who distinguished himself at Monterey and also served as governor of Mexico City during the U. S. occupation.
In 1872 as the Texas and Pacific Railway headed west across Texas, they wanted to have a depot there, but as was the custom, they demanded tribute. James Stephen Hogg, who later became Texas' first native-born governor, stood up to the railroad. No money changed hands, but Quitman didn't get their depot, either.
The T & P chose Sodom, Texas - a town that changed its name to Mineola - according to The Handbook of Texas.
By the 30's Quitman's population rose to a respectable 950 before declining like most of Texas. An oil discovery reversed the decline and by the mid-1950s it was back in the 900s.
Quitman is the hometown of actress Sissy Spacek.
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New Fish Creek, Alberta
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Klein, TX
Klein is an unincorporated community in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston within north Harris County, Texas, bordering on Houston to the South and Tomball to the North. It is named after Adam Klein, a German immigrant whose best-known great-great-grandson is singer Lyle Lovett. Other famous sons and daughters of the Klein community include actress Sherry Stringfield, singer/songwriter Derek Webb, songwriter Aaron Tate, and Olympic gold-medalists Laura Wilkinson and Chad Hedrick.
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Nuñez, MX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NunezMX.jpg)
(XYZ rule applies)
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Veribest, TX
The town would be called Mullins - if not for the fact that another town (in Mills County) was using the name when a post office was requested in 1926. Isaac "Ike" Mullins was an original settler who donated land for a school and cemetery. The cemetery still bears his name - as does the Mullins Crossing on the Concho River.
With the requested name being rejected by the postal authorities, the townspeople chose a name that wasn't likely have a rival. Veribest was submitted and accepted.
Veribest actually increased during the 30s and by 1940 the town reached its zenith at 100 persons. Some Veribesters left during World War II to take war-related jobs, and the population dwindled down to 40 where it remained into the 90s.
Leslie
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Thorhild, AB
Thorhild is a village in central Alberta north of the city of Edmonton. Of the more famous former residents of Thorhild, are Leslie Neilson, and a less known Dr. Darren "Sliver" Feledichuk
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Deadwood, Alberta
Deadwood is situated on road n° 690 off highway 35 in northern Alberta.
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Dell City, TX
According to the Handbook of Texas Online, the town was started "sometime before 1949 when a post office was established there." There is no information on who the town is named after. The population was a little less than 200 in the early 50s, and peaked just short of 1000 in the early 60s. An estimated 40,000 acres are irrigated and onions, tomatoes and cotton were the principal crops.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/DelCitySignJP.jpg)
(NB: XYZ rule applies...side trip!)
L
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Cynthia, AB
(My real name) ;)
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Andrew, AB
Andrew (2006 Population 465) is a village in central Alberta north of Vegreville. Andrew is most famous as the home of the world's largest duck roadside attraction, part of the Giants of the Prairies.
Ed Stelmach became Alberta's premier-elect to succeed Ralph Klein in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 3, 2006. This was the result of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party's election to pick a new leader. Stelmach had been a third-place contender, but came up the middle to win the race over the favoured frontrunners. He officially became the province's premier on December 15.
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Weeping Mary, TX
Weeping Mary is a small, nearly all-Black community, just off Highway 21 in Cherokee County behind the Caddoan Indian Mounds Historic Site. Heading north on Texas 21 toward Alto, after a few miles take a left by the junkyard (a good place to browse for offbeat items and antiques) and the Thomas Chapel Church. The population is a mere 29 people scattered about four or five county roads off of CR-2907, aka Weeping Mary Road.
It is said that the community, which was never incorporated, was formed after the Civil War by freed slaves and named after the weeping of Mary Magdelene at the tomb of Jesus. However, local lore has it that it was named after a matriarch who formed a pact with the area's freed slaves not to sell their lands to white settlers. But when one man sold his plot of land to whites, the matriarch is said to have spent her life weeping for the loss of her community. Another legend has it that gold is buried thoroughout the community, but according to Weeping Mary resident J.L. Skinner - it is simply that: a legend. A local school opened in 1896, but closed sometime after WWII.
The church that was built in Weeping Mary was moved to its current location, which unfortunately is prone to flooding. Resident J.L. Skinner says that the congregation sometimes boats to the front entrance of the church when nearby Bowles Creek floods. The community has many multi-generational families, including the Skinner, Green, and Peyton families, to name a few.
The town has had its fair share of publicity with Photographer Rufus Lovett's There's Something About Weeping Mary feature in Texas Monthly in 1998, a children's murder mystery novel written by Merry Hasell Frels, entitled Simmering Secrets of Weeping Mary, and my own play and independant film entitled The Judgment of Weeping Mary which will be submitted at New York's Tribeca Film Festival in December 2006.
The community does not have a store, museum, or even its own cemetery. Weeping Mary's dead are buried in the Thomas Chapel Cemetery off Highway 21 North. The community has a playground with a single swing set (which was present at the time of my first visit in July 2004 but missing in October 2005), a single park bench and a trash can. A second church is under construction right next to the old one. Even with their small population the community still supports a gospel choir.
written by: Andrew Wilson
Director/Writer/Actor
NYC (formerly of San Antonio)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/WeepingMaryRoadSignTexasHwy21Andrew.jpg)
Leslie
(NB: XYZ rule applies...side trip for the next player!)
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Bronx, WY
(XYZ rule applies)
Twice in one day: Thanks, Leslie ;)
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Blackie, AB
Blackie is in the province of Alberta.
The community was named for John Stuart Blackie, author.
Lat: 50:36:25N (50.6068)
Lon: 113:37:08W (-113.6189)
Blackie is the Brokeback Mountain filming location for Ennis' fight scene outside the bar in Riverton on Thanksgiving Day.
Most of Blackie’s unpretentious homes rest on wheels or concrete blocks. Like Rockyford, Dorothy, Crossfield, and other Brokeback towns, Blackie has seen better days, but those are long gone.
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Easterly, TX
The name had originally been Acorn in the 1870s when the town was formed.
The post office opened in 1881 with Dan Easterly Sr. as postmaster, but when the railroad came to town (The International-Great Northern) a new post office was formed and the name changed for the new post master (Dan J. Easterly Jr.).
The population had been 700 people before WWI and by 1930 it was down to 250. By the 60s it was down to 200 and currently it is about 61.
Leslie
(NB: another side trip with the XYZ rule!)
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Wainwright, AB
Near the Saskatchewan border in Eastern Alberta.
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Tangent, AB
The Village of Tangent is located approximately 30 km west of Falher, Alberta or 65 km south of Peace River. The population is about 50 people.
In 1916 the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway Station opened at this location. In 1928 the settlers started coming. The name "Tangent" comes from how the railway curves and then forms a straight line. It is the Geometric term that inspired the name of the community.
At one time there was a school in Tangent, with up to 200 students. The present Tangent Pit Stop Store was a residence used by the Nuns who taught at the local school in and around the year 1967. Because the amount of students had decreased over the years, the school was finally closed and was torn down in the 1970's. Most were then bussed to Eaglesham, with just a few wanting to go to Falher.
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Topsey, TX
One of the few towns in Texas named after a mule, Topsey made its appearance around 1900. The post office was granted in 1901 but closed by 1918. Forty people called Topsey home in 1914 and it reached its peak in the 30s with a population of 100.The population dropped to twenty in the 1980s, where it remains today.
Leslie
(NB: XYZ rule...side trip!)
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Jelm, WY
(http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/wy/WY_23363.gif)
From ePodunk:
Jelm is in Albany County, in the Laramie metro area.
One tradition says the community was named after E.C. Gillem, who provided ties to the railroad in the 1860s; another says the name derives from Scandinavian term for "helmet."
The latitude of Jelm is 41.057N. The longitude is -106.012W.
It is in the Mountain Standard time zone. Elevation is 7,579 feet.
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Milo, AB
Milo is a village in southern Alberta, Canada east of the city of Calgary. It is mainly an agricultural service community.
Amenities include a community hall, curling rink, tennis court, walking paths, hotel, library, school, and skating arena. A campground is located in a small park beside nearby McGregor Lake reservoir. The lake, which is a major part of an irrigation system, is popular for fishing, swimming, boating and birdwatching.
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Otey, TX
Originally the site of Palo Alto, one of the largest antebellum cotton plantations in Texas, it was just one of the holdings of the Mills Brothers (Robert and David G.). Mills bankrupted during Reconstruction, the brothers lost the land to creditors and in 1908 the state bought it and other plantations to build the Ramsey Prison Farm.
In 1911 a post office was granted but the origin of the name is a mystery. In 1914 the population was given as 700 and the Ramsey Farm reported 624 inmates.
The population declined to a mere 150 in 1958 and mail was rerouted through the Rosharon post office in the 1970s.
Otey today is actually surrounded by the sprawling 15,040-acres of what is now called the Ramsey Unit of the TDC and visitors have to pass through prison roadblocks to enter the town. It sits at the end of the FM 655 cul-de-sac.
(NB: XYZ...side trip!)
Leslie
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Quealy, WY
(Leslie, you are our Queen of XYZ) ;)
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Claresholm, AB
Claresholm is a small community located about midway between Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada along Highway 2. The location was originally a watering stop for steam engines on the Canadian Pacific Railway line along the Macleod Trail. The first settlers arrived in 1902, and the village was established in 1903. Claresholm was incorporated as a town in 1905, when Alberta became a province of Canada.
Population: 3,622 (2005)
One of the Famous Five involved in the Persons Case, Louise McKinney, lived in Claresholm.
RCAF Station Claresholm was established near the town in 1941 to train pilots for service in World War II. The station was reopened for a period in the 1950s to train NATO pilots.
Just west of Claresholm is the John Hart Farm, which is the site for two Brokeback Mountain filming locations........Ennis and Alma's "Lonesome Ranch" and Ennis' cabin where Jack came to see him after the divorce.
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And Bob is our King of Alberta Film Locations. ;)
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Medicine Mound, TX
Like the old saying goes: "If you find Medicine Mound - you had to have been looking for it." It's not that it's difficult to find - since it still appears on the state map - it's just that it is on a long extended spur off of Highway 82. (FM 91 on the east and FM 1167) on the west. The mountains that comprise the mounds are visible from Highway 82. There are actually four elevations that rise 200-250 feet above the landscape. These are natural mounds that were held sacred by the Comanches.
The older Medicine Mound community that had been here prior to 1908 moved 2½ miles north to be alongside the tracks of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway as it built through Hardeman County. Medicine Mound was once a vibrant town with a respectable population of 500 served by 22 businesses. A devastating fire in the early 30s (arson) destroyed most of the town. By the end of the Great Depression the population was 210 and the town still had 6 buildings left.
Today there are three - about the same number of historical markers. The Medicine Mound school merged with Quanah's district in the mid-1950s - about the same time the post office closed.
The Mounds of Medicine Mound
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/MedicineMoundTexas707KenRudine.jpg)
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And Bob is our King of Alberta Film Locations. ;)
And I hope to see you there soon. :)
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And I hope to see you there soon. :)
You bet! :D
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Dominguez, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/tabasco.jpg)
(XYZ rule applies)
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Longview, AB
Longview is a village in southern Alberta south of Black Diamond. It is on the Highwood River.
Located in an area that the Indians once used for hunting and gathering, Longview originally was a small community hamlet that was established at the turn of the century to service the many farms and ranches.
After oil was discovered in Turner Valley in 1914 the area boomed and "Little New York" was born. The community eventually shifted a few miles west of it's present location and re-assumed the name Longview. The population swelled to an unbelievable 2500 in the oil days.
In the 1940's, as the petroleum industry declined in Longview and surrounding area, so did a large proportion of the population that depended on the oilpatch for a living. Longview's long standing position in the area allowed it to survive and it pushed for and received local government in the 1960's.
Currently, Longview is home to approximately 310 residents. It not only stands as an important service community but also as a "gateway" to the Kananaskis, one of the most beautiful tourism zones in Alberta.
Longview is a filming location for 1992 movie, "Unforgiven".
Approximately 5 miles south of Longview along Highway 22 is the filming location of the opening scene of Brokeback Mountain. The tractor trailer is seen driving south on Highway 22.
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Walburg, TX
A multi-ethnic community of Germans, Wends, Czechs, Austrians, and Swiss, the town was first known as Concordia.
Storekeeper Henry Doering added a post office to his store in 1886 and submitted the name Walburg after his German hometown. It was accepted by the postal authorities and has been Walburg ever since.
In the 1890s the town had a gin, doctor, blacksmith, pharmacy and a bank. The estimated population was a mere 16 people in 1890, rising to 102 by 1904.In 1925 there were 200 residents, and after an unexplained surge in the late 20s when it doubled, it returned to 200 by 1933. The population has remained stable since the end of WWII.
Leslie
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Gun Barrel City, TX
The town began as an unincorporated community in the 1960s after completion of Cedar Creek Reservoir. It was incorporated in the early 1970s so it could legally sell beer and wine. The town takes its name from a former road, Gun Barrel Lane (which is now State Highway 198), as well as its motto, "We Shoot Straight with You" and its symbol, a rifle.
(XYZ rule applies)
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I love the XYZ rule!
Black Diamond, AB
Black Diamond is a sister town to Turner Valley. There exists a three-kilometer trail next to the roadway between Black Diamond and Turner Valley named the Friendship Trail. It has a hospital, shops, hotels and residences, an elementary school [K-8] and highschool [9-12] as well a hockey rink and a Boys and Girls Club. Little oil or gas remains. It is located in the Foothills Municipal district.
Black Diamond in nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies in the midst of some of Canada's best ranch country. The scenery in the area is quite spectacular.
In 2006, Black Diamond had a population of 1,900.
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Dewberry, AB
Dewberry is a village in central Alberta, north of Vermilion.
(http://www.villageofdewberry.ca/chuckwagon.jpg)
"The World's Largest Chuckwagon" can be found in Dewberry.
(XYZ rule applies.)
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Camel Hump, WY
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Paradise Valley, AB
Paradise Valley is a village in central Alberta, Canada, located just off Highway 897 about 37 kilometers (23 mi) south of Kitscoty.
The economic base of the village is agricultural.
There are several churches and a K-12 school in Paradise Valley.
One of the grain elevators has been converted in to the Climb through Time museum.
Paradise Valley is the home of the "Three Cities" Arena, the site of the "Three Cities" Park and the site of the annual "Three Cities" Fair. Paradise Valley, of course, is one of the Three Cities. The other two are the nearby hamlets of McLaughlin and Rivercourse.
In 2006, Paradise Valley had a population of 183.
(XYZ rule applies)
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Jeddo, TX
Jeddo was granted a post office the year it was founded (1874). By 1890 there was one store for the 20 residents and in 1892 two schools reported a combined enrollement of 59 pupils. A mysterious population spike occured when 560 residents were reported in 1896. It may have been explained as an error except it reoccured in 1904 when 559 residents were reported. By 1914 it returned to a more likely figure of 12. No record was kept until around 1933, when ten Jeddoans were present for a headcount.
In 1919 a new school building was built and by 1930 their were thirty students with two instructors. Jeddo's post office closed in 1927. The favored figure for the years 1939 to 1990 was a population of 75.
The well-mainted cemetery just north of the main intersection contains the graves of several notable figures - including a veteran of the War of 1812.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/JeddoTexasCemeteryGate1003.jpg)
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Oxtotepec, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/OxtotepecMX.jpg)
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Consort, AB
Consort is a village in eastern Alberta, Canada, located about equidistant between Edmonton, Calgary, and Regina. It lies on the crossroads of Highways 12 and 41, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) west from the Saskatchewan border.
In 2006, Consort had a population of 739.
The primary industries are farming, ranching and oil production.
The local weekly newspaper, The Consort Enterprise is published since 1912.
Singer k.d. lang was raised in Consort.
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Tell, TX
The Two "Towns" of Tell
Childress County
Tell was founded in 1887 on what had been called "Tell-Tale Flat." A post office was granted under that name in 1888 and opened in the dugout home of postmistress Belle Garrison. But by 1905 postal authorities nixed the hyphenated name and shortened it to Tell. A store was opened in 1906, followed by a gin, grocery and drugstore. By 1916 the primary businesses were joined by others and the town had four churches. A bank was in operation from 1916 until its merger with a Childress bank in the Great Depression. Postwar prosperity drew population away from Tell and into Childress and other distant cities.
The school merged with the Childress ISD in the early 1960s, leaving the brick school to become a community center. 1984's population was a mere 59 people which later swelled to 63 for the 1990 Census.
Hall County
The Tell in Hall County was actually a post office established in the last half of the 1890s, at the home of Will and Clementine "Clemmie" Rothwell. The mail route extended from Childress to the Matador Ranch, more or less following the route of present-day FM 96. The post office became an important personal link between cowboys and their familes back home. When the town of Tell (above) was established across the county line, the Hall County post office of Tell was closed on the next to the last day of the 19th Century.
Note: Tell is about 10 miles south of Childress, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/TellTexasPostOffice79259TonyHool307.jpg)
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Little Smokey, Alberta
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Vilna, AB
Vilna is a historic village in central Alberta, Canada.
Vilna is located in Smoky Lake County, on highway 28, 150 km northeast of the city of Edmonton. Bonnie Lake Provincial Recreation Area is located 6 km north of the community, on the shores of Bonne Lake.
Vilna was founded in 1907, mostly by central european settlers, and started to develop in 1919, when the railroad reached this area. It was named in 1920, after the city of Vilna (modern Vilnius in Lithuania). The settlement was incorporated as a village on June 13, 1923. In 2006, Vilna had a population of 274.
It claims to be home to the world's largest mushroom: a metal sculpture.
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Afton, TX
(NB: Afton, WY has already been played, but there is also an Afton in Texas)
First known as Patton Springs (after a hunter who had camped at the springs) prior to the 1890s, a post office was granted under the name of Beckton (after the first postmaster). The post office soon closed and the community started using the name Cottonwood. When the time came to open a new post office, the name was already in use by another post office and so Patton Springs/Beckton/Cottonwood was in a quandary. Enter citizen and romantic Myra Kelly who suggested the name from the English song "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton." The new post office opened in 1900 when the town was populated by Myna Kelly and nine of her friends. The town was so poor that the grocer (Afton's sole business) operated out of a tent. Other businesses opened and by the time the 20s had arrived people were (perhaps facetiously) calling Afton "Little Fort Worth."
Afton kept an estimated population of 100 for the 1970 and 1990 censuses, but by 2000 there were only 15 people remaining.
A former gas station in Afton:
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Neji, Mexico
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Iowa Colony, TX
From the Brazosport News, the Official Weblog for the Petrochemical Underarm of Texas, March 5, 2005:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Outhouse.jpg)
Iowa Colony, the tiny farm-oriented burg in the middle of Brazoria County, is gonna be gettin' flush toilets, which should greatly upgrade its reputation in the land where Texas began.
It wasn't that long ago that Iowa Colony was nothing but a speed trap on Texas 288. That got cleaned up about 9 years ago.
Now, word comes from Austin that Iowa Colony Sterling Lakes, Ltd. has filed a petition for creation of Brazoria County Municipal Utility District No. 31 with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. First, speed traps, now the outhouses. A way of life, gone forever.
(XYZ rule applies)
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Quail, TX
The first settlers were the Atkinson brothers (W. I. and T. S.), who established their families in dugout homes in1890 and planted cotton.
A post office was established in 1902 and a school, store and cotton gin all began operations in 1904. A telephone wire strung on a barbed wire fence connected Quail with Wellington. In 1910 the Quail Feather was first published. A new school was built in 1927 and the town's population peaked in 1930 with 300 people.
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Lac La Biche, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2001178.gif)
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East Liberty, TX
East Liberty is on State Highway 87 fourteen miles southeast of Center in southeastern Shelby County. The predominantly black community received its name in 1888 when the Rev. Jeff Goodwin organized the East Liberty Baptist Church there.
The church and school community, located in an area populated mainly by landowning black farmers, also periodically had a general store. The first school in the settlement was called Chinquapin for a huge chinquapin tree that grew in the schoolyard. In 1965 East Liberty had a twelve-room school with sixteen teachers and an enrollment of 337.
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Quarry, TX
It derived its name from its stone quarries, the economic base of its prosperity in the 1890s. By 1884 Quarry was a station on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway.
In 1891 its post office opened with Ananias M. Conover as postmaster.
By 1896 Quarry had grown into a small distribution center with a justice of the peace, a sheriff, a lawyer, two doctors, a hotel, and a Baptist church.
Quarry commerce flourished briefly with cotton processing, the development of quarries, and an influx of railroad employees. Commercial competition from larger Gay Hill, in Washington County, and the decline of stone quarrying in the area resulted in the rapid elimination of the commercial and processing sectors in Quarry. The community's post office was closed in 1905. Later in the twentieth century Quarry had several railroad tie manufacturing factories. In the 1980s ranching was the economic base of this community, in which the population was by then predominantly black.
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Judah, AB
(http://ca.epodunk.com/images/locatorMaps/ab/AB_2004279.gif)
Judah is on Cape Breton Island. The community was named for Noel F. Judah, railway auditor.
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Judah, AB
Judah is on Cape Breton Island.
Judah is in Alberta, but Cape Breton Island is in Nova Scotia. ???
Hardisty, AB
Hardisty, Alberta, ( 52°40′22″N, 111°18′31″W, Elevation: 625 metres (2,050 feet), is a town (pop 761; 2005) in Flagstaff County in Alberta, Canada. It is located in east-central Alberta, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the Saskatchewan border, near the crossroads of Highway 13 and Highway 881, in the Battle River Valley.
In 2006, Hardisty had a population of 760.
The main industries in and around Hardisty are petroleum and farming. There is a large petroleum "tank farm" near Hardisty, which is also a loci of oil pipelines. The oil industry in Hardisty focuses primarily on transport rather than oil processing or collection, and roughly 70% of all North America's oil is moved through Hardisty at some point. Some of the petroleum companies here are, Gibsons, Enbridge, EnCana, and many others.
Paperny Films taped the television show, "The Week The Women Went" in Hardisty in from June 2 to June 9, 2007. It is tentatively set to air on CBC in Canada in January or February of 2008.
The TV show is part documentary, part reality television, that explores what happens when all the women in an ordinary Canadian town disappear for a week and leave the men and children to cope on their own.
(XYZ rule)
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Jacinto City, TX
Named after the Battleground of the Texas Revolution, began in 1941 when Frank Sharp built a subdivision to house steel mills and war industry workers. After the war the population was 3,800 and the town incorporated.
Jacinto City holds the state record for the number of chambers of commerce in operation at one time. In the 1950s they had three separate chambers.
Most residents were refinery workers and their children attended Houston and Galena Park schools.
Population Record High 11,500 in 1964.
(XYZ again!)
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Bluesky, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/BlueSky.jpg)
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Queenstown, Alberta
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Nogalus Prairie, TX
From "No Gallows"
by Bob Bowman
The names of some East Texas towns can be downright confusing. And much of the confusion arises from mispronunciations which, during the passage of time, have become actual names.
Take, for example, the name Nogalus Prairie in Trinity County.
Local lore suggests the name originated when two horse thieves were hung from the branch of a large tree because the community had "no gallows."
While a morsel of truth may lie in the story, Clell Davis of Trinity County helped shed some light on the community's real origin.
The community was originally named Nogales Prairie because of the walnut and pecan trees that grew there when Texas was still a province of Mexico and Spanish families lived in the area. Nogales is Spanish for walnut and sometimes pecan.
When the first European settlers came to the area, they spelled the name like it sounded, and Nogales became Nogallis. The first post office opened in 1858 as Nogallis Prairie. In the late 1800s, it was sometimes called Logallis Prairie, but in 1894 the post office was known as Nogalus Prairie.
No less than John Wesley Hardin, the preacher's son and outlaw who spent a lot of time in Trinity County, mentioned the name in his autobiography, "The Life of John Wesley Hardin."
Hardin shot and killed a former slave near Moscow in Polk County in the fall of 1868 and was on the run from federal reconstruction troops.
His brother Joe was teaching school "on Logallis Prairie, about twenty-five miles north of Sumpter" and John Wesley fled there.
When Joe also told him that federal troops were coming to arrest him, Hardin waylaid and killed three soldiers in a bed of a deep creek. He buried the bodies in the creek bed about 100 yards from where the fight occurred.
Some 55 years ago, as a young boy growing up at Nogalus Prairie, Clell Davis was walking along a creek bed and found some bones. "That night at supper, I told my father about it, and he told me that his grandfather, Alexander Davis, told him that back in the l800s, a man shot three men and buried them near the creek bed," said Davis.
"The story really got my attention, but for some reason I never went back to look for the bones and, after 55 years, I had almost forgotten about it until I read Hardin's book," said Davis.
Today, however, the creek has been dammed and a pond covers the site. "A short distance from there, you can see the old roadbed where it used to cross the creek, and I believe this is where John Wesley Hardin shot the Union soldiers and where they were buried," said Davis.
As far as hangings are concerned at Nogalus, there were a number that occurred in the vicinity during and after the Civil War. During that time, a large group of Civil War deserters were camped in the community when they were chased down and hung from convenient tree limbs.
From the 1840s to about 1900, Nogalus Prairie was a "fair sized community," said Davis. From 1900 to 1918, the community had a Methodist church, several stores and saloons, a cotton gin, grist mill, and a Woodmen of the World lodge.
The post office closed in 1920 and today Nogalus is mostly a dispersed rural community. Its last population figure in 2000 was 106.
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Ellscott, AB
Ellscott is located in central Alberta.
The community was named for L. Scott, railway official.
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Thorndale Acres, WY
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Sunray, TX
By Texas standards, Sunray arrived late; materializing with the oil boom of 1929.
Named after the Sunray Oil Company in 1931, the town had previously been known as Altman.
The town had a post office in 1930 and incorporated in 1937.
School students were bussed to Dumas after their numbers overwhelmed the local school. The population has remained between 1,500 and 2,000 from the 1950s until the present.
(XYZ rule...)
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Balzac, AB
Balzac is a hamlet in the southern portion of the Canadian province of Alberta, in the Municipal District of Rocky View. It is located immediately west of Queen Elizabeth II Highway, 24 km (15 mi) north of Calgary and 12 12 km (7 mi) south of Airdrie.
Balzac is presently two miles north of the city of Calgary's northern limits (north of the Calgary International Airport). As of summer 2006, the City of Calgary was in the process of negotiating with the municipality for possible annexation of lands immediately south of Balzac - specifically south of Provincial Highway 566 and west of Highway 2. Annexation discussions are ongoing. Balzac itself is not expected to be annexed, but will be immediately adjacent to city lands once plans are finalized. Balzac is also directly west of the Crossiron Mills shopping mall development, construction of which was underway as of early 2007.
A Canadian Pacific Railway station began operating at Balzac in 1910. It was named by William Cornelius Van Horne, then president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, after one of his favourite authors, Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) a noted French novelist. The post office here was opened in April 1, 1912 under the name “Beddington” and was changed on July 1, 1925.
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Creston, Wyoming
Creston is in Sweetwater County, in the Rock Springs metro area. So named because it is on the crest of the Continental Divide. The latitude of Creston is 41.703N. The longitude is -107.756W. It is in the Mountain Standard time zone. Elevation is 7,106 feet.
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Nolan, TX
Nolan, was formed in 1928 when two previously formed communities (Old Nolan and Dora) moved five miles (West and East, respectively) to form the new town. Dora and Old Nolan had each had their own functioning post office. Dora closed its post office in 1938 when its population fell to 25. The schools of the two towns were merged. After WWII Dora became a ghost town, while Nolan held on. The Nolan post office continues to function. Population was estimated at 126 in 1990.
Old Nolan and Dora each have a cemetery under their respective names. The current town of Nolan has a cemetery shown on TxDoT maps as Slater's Chapel.
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Naborachic, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NaborachicMX.jpg)
Welcome to Road Trip, jstephens9 8)
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Cambria, Wyoming
Cambria is now a ghost town.
Cambria, Wyoming, northwest of Newcastle, was established in 1887 as a company owned coal mine by the Cambria Fuel Company, a subsidiary of Kilpatrick Brothers and Collins, contractors to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Construction of the railroad had come to a halt near Alliance, Nebraska, due to the high cost of providing eastern coal for the locomotives. With the discovery of a reliable source of coal in Little Oil Creek Canyon renamed Cambria Canyon, railroad construction was able to resume with a spur line reaching the canyon in 1889. In June of 1889, patents for initial properties were issued to Joseph M Kilpatrick and Robert J. Kilpatrick.
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Ackerly, TX
The town had been part of the Slaughter Ranch before it was broken up and sold for small farms in 1923. Ackerly was named for it's founder, a Georgian named Paul Ackerly.
A post office opened in 1924 and a school district was formed. Because of the vastness of the area and the scattered children, the district included parts of Dawson, Borden, Martin, and Howard counties, but the school was built at Ackerly.
In 1948 the population was 500 with as many as four cotton gins opperating at one time. The population had fallen to 317 by 1980 and the town declined further - reaching just 243 by 1990. There are encouraging signs of an upswing in Ackerly's population. The population has increased by 2 over the last 15 years.
(XYY rule)
Leslie
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Vulcan, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/VulcanAB.jpg)
The town of Vulcan is located midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge, in southern Alberta, Canada.
An air force training base, RCAF Station Vulcan, was located near the town during World War II. Many of the old hangars still exist and the runways can still be seen.
The town was named by a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1915 after the Roman God of Fire - Vulcan. Originally all the streets of the new town of Vulcan were named after gods and goddesses of the classical world.
In 1926 a major tornado destroyed many homes and the new curling rink of the town. At one time in the 1970s the town could also boast of having more grain elevators than any location west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Sadly due to the changing economics of the agricultural industry one by one the original elevators were taken down. Today Vulcan has only one of the original "prairie skyscrapers" left that once could be seen miles away.
Its name has brought the town a notoriety that has helped it become a tourist attraction. In Star Trek, it is the name of the fictional homeworld of the alien Vulcans.
Capitalizing on this coincidence, the town has built a Star Trek-themed tourist station, a replica of the original starship Enterprise, and hosts the annual Star Trek convention Galaxyfest/Spock Days (formerly VulCon), which attracts hundreds of Star Trek fans from around the world, not to mention the space murals and alien signage that grace the walls and street corners of this little town on the Canadian prairies. The town has tried for many years, without success, to arrange a visit from Leonard Nimoy — the man who made Mr. Spock and Vulcans famous.
In the spring of 2007 Vulcan, Alberta added another "Star Trek" inspired attraction: The Vulcan Space Adventure virtual reality game. The “Vulcan Space Adventure” uses GestureTek’s patented “multi-camera” technology which, combined with holographic images, light and sound effects and even a transporter, creates a virtual reality experience that puts visitors squarely into the black boots of a starship officer. In the game, up to 3 Trekkers at a time can step through a set of swishing doors and onto the bridge of a Starship. Using the “point & click” gesture-based computer interface, players face a large holographic screen on which they receive instructions from command, and fight off alien invaders by moving their hand through thin air to point and shoot their weapons.
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New Caney, TX
New Caney is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Texas. In 1980 population reached estimated 8000. It grew rapidly in the 1980s because of its proximity to the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. More detailed information can be found at the Handbook of Texas Online.
New Caney was originally named Presswood since its establishment in 1862. The community was founded by Austin and Sarah Waters Presswood. In 1877 the town received a railroad from the East and West Texas Railway. In 1882, Presswood received its first post office and was renamed New Caney.
(XYZ rule)
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Jolly, TX
The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway established Jolly as a shipping point in 1890 and a post office was opened the following year. Rancher/ farner William H. Jolly is the town's namesake. By 1895 Jolly had a population of 75 served by six businesses. The population remained constant (63) from the mid-20s through the mid 60s. By the late 1970s the town swelled to a population of 75 - perhaps because of nearby Lake Arrowhead State Recreation Area. It has since grown to the present population of 188.
(XYZ, again!)
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Jackson, WY
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Jackson is located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 8,647. It is the county seat of Teton County. The elevation is 6,234 feet.
Jackson is home to the world's largest ball of barbed wire, and large arches of shed elk antlers at the entrances to the town square. It is a major gateway for millions of tourists visiting nearby Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the National Elk Refuge. Another benefit to being in Jackson is the close proximity of ski resorts. Directly in the center of town there is a small but challenging resort known as Snow King Resort. Snow King Resort has one of the steepest verts and is one of the few night-lit resorts in the nation. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, one of the biggest resorts in the country, is just 12 miles northwest. Also, Grand Targhee Resort which is just about an hour away from Jackson is world-renowned for its "Heavenly powder".
The town is sometimes mistakenly called Jackson Hole. That name refers only to the valley in which the town is located, not the town itself.
The town also plays host to the annual Jackson Hole Writers Conference founded by author Warren Adler. Jackson and the surrounding area has long been a favorite destination for celebrities, many of whom, like Harrison Ford, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Sandra Bullock, maintain part-time residences in and around the town of Jackson.
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Newport, TX
Newport is on Farm to Market Road 1288 and SH 59 24 miles southeast of Henrietta in far southeastern Clay County, Texas. Farm to Market Road 2127 also passes just south of town. It's population is estimated at 70.
The town was initially established by L. Hancock in 1872 as Bear Hill. It received a post office in 1878, and in 1879, the name of the town and post office was changed to Newport. By 1900 Newport's population reached 176. It increased to 280 by the mid-1920s and stayed at that level through the 1940s. By the 1950s the population had dropped to 85. From the 1960s through today, the population of Newport was 70. Townspeople of Newport have long associated more closely with Jacksboro and Jack County than either Henrietta or Clay County, though the town is actually closer to Bowie in Montague County. Its post office remained open until the early 1990s.
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Tennessee Colony, TX
A large group of settlers from Tennessee and Alabama settled here in the late 1840s and judging by the name, there were more Tennesseans than Alabamans. The land was soon turned into cotton production and the Jackson Plantation became one of the largest in all of East Texas.
In 1851 a log school opened, and the following year a post office was granted. Tennessee Colony gained an infamous footnote in Texas history when in 1860 two white instigators from Mississippi were accused of plotting a slave uprising. The alleged plan was for slaves to poison the town's drinking water. Both men were captured, tried and hanged. When Palestine was connected by rail in 1872 Tennessee Colony was self-sufficient with a population around 200.
Palestine, with it's rail connection drew off Tennessee Colony's population and by 1914 the population was reduced by half. By the late 1920s the population rose to 300 - but declined with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time WWII was underway, the town was again reduced by half.
In 1965 the town experienced a growth spurt to 400 people when the Texas Department of Corrections built a medium-security prison just southwest of town. The Coffield Unit which was built to hold 2,000 prisoners was joined by a second facility (the Beto Unit) in 1984. The town's population remained around 120 from the 1970s through the early 1990s. Two historical markers are currently present in Tennessee Colony - one for the town itself and one for the cemetery.
(XYZ for a road trip)
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Vauxhall, Alberta
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Vauxhall is known as "The Potato Capital of the West", and Sammy and Samantha Spud are the town mascots.
The Town of Vauxhall has approximately 1100 residents, and services a market area of roughly 8,500 people. Our local economy is diversified with a variety of service and retail businesses, and the oil and agricultural industries.
Vauxhall is conveniently located on Highway #36 (between Highway #1 and Highway #3) in beautiful southern Alberta.
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Leyland, AB
Leyland is located in southwestern Alberta.
The community was named for Leyland, Lancashire, England.
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Drop, TX
The Denton Creek Settlement - established in 1854 – included what would become Drop.
The original name on the application was Dewdrop, but this was rejected by postal authorities. There was a Dew, Texas in Fairfield County, although research shows that there never has been a Dewdrop, Texas. The settlers simply dropped the Dew from their name rather than incur the wrath of bureaucrats.
In 1886 the Drop post office opened, but was closed by 1910.
In the late 1880s, the railroad built near Justin and this drew people and businesses from Drop.
In 1936 Drop only had thirty-eight people and it declined further to fewer than thirty in 1963.
L
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Pavillion, WY
Pavillion is a town in Fremont County, in the Riverton metro area. Elevation is 5,463 feet. The estimated population, in 2003, was 166.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/BordercolliesPavillionWY.jpg)
From the website here: http://www.bordercollies.com/default.htm (http://www.bordercollies.com/default.htm)
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Neerlandia, AB
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/NeerlandiaAB.jpg)
The Wierenga family Buffalo, in Neerlandia, Alberta
(Gotta jumpstart this thread!) :P
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Ashmont, AB
Ashmont, Alberta (population ~168) is a hamlet (unincorporated settlemet) in northern Alberta, Canada.
It is located in St. Paul County, 33 kilometers (21 mi) north of St. Paul, along Highway 28.
Its elevation is 2,073 feet (632 m). It is surrounded by numerous lakes, such as Upper Mann Lake, Batty Lake, Lottie Lake, Floatingstone Lake and Garner Lake. Many provincial recreation areas are established on the shores of these lakes.
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Tuff, TX
A post office was opened in Tuff in 1901 but was discontinued in 1926. The town was once called Crockett after Andy Crockett – the man who donated land for the first school (1883). In 1914 the town had a population of 50 and a store. By 1925 the population was down a mere ten Tuffites. The school consolidated with Medina in 1930. The community all but disappeared.
Recently some original buildings have been restored by local people who can't bear to see the town disappear without a trace.
The post office and general store in Tuff:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/TuffTexasPostOfficeGenStoreJPenney.jpg)
L
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Fossil, WY
Fossil was founded in 1889 by my great grandfather Richard H. Lewis. He was a cattle rancher. Other families followed.
The first town consisted of the Depot, the section house, a saloon, a store, and houses of settlers. My great grandma Cook opened a restaurant to feed the workers of the railroad. Because Fossil was built on a hilly area(and trains had trouble stopping), it was moved to it's next location in front of the Butte. New Fossil was founded in 1939 by E.J. Waters and John W. Twiggs.
The prospect of oil brought many new settlers to Fossil, the town peaked at a population of 150. But when engines started to go diesel, the town dwindled.
All that is left today is the depot, the section house, the saloon, and an old barn. The saloon is owned by the Ulrich's. And everything else is owned by my family, the Lewis Ranch. They use the land to graze cattle on. The last Fossil resident, my grandmother Gertrude Lewis, died last year March 4.
Fossil Butte National Monument brings many visitors by the old town. The Ulrich's have a fossil gallery, and hopefully soon I plan to rebuild the old depot hole into a gift shop and a museum Fossil town.
The weather is perfect Wyoming weather. Snowy, when it should be. And sunny and warm in the summers.
---Bridget Larson, 29 March 1998
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/FossilWY2.jpg)
Earnest Family, 1899, Fossil, Wyoming
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/FossilWY.gif)
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Lousana, AB
Lousana is located in south-central Alberta.
The community was named for Louisiana.
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Avinger, TX
A settlement called Hickory Hill was nearby in the early 1840s. A post office opened there in 1848 and the East Line and Red River Railroad arrived in 1876. A station was built where Avinger would later appear.
The businesses from Hickory Hill stared relocating to be near the rails and by 1877 even the post office moved. Dr. H. J. Avinger, who also operated a store, had the town renamed in his honor. The population was 100 by 1892 and by 1914 it was estimated to be 500.
Prior to the Great Depression, the town was up to 700 which declined to 450 through the 1930s. The Lone Star Steel Plant was built just west of town during World War II. In 1949 the town renewed itself by rebuilding its infrastructure and paving its streets. A new high school was built as well as a water and sewer system.
The population peaked at 750 people in 1960. The 1990 Census reported 478 people which has remained at about that level in 2000.
L
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Royalty, TX
Royalty is at the intersection of Farm Road 1219 and State Highway 18, two miles north of Grandfalls in southern Ward County. It was named for royalties paid to landowners after the discovery of oil at Grandfalls in 1927.
Royalty was established to serve the neighboring oilfield and its workers. Before a post office was opened in 1929, it was known as Allentown, after an early landowner. In 1933 Royalty had an estimated population of twenty, and a hotel, drugstore, cafe, pool hall, barbershop, and laundry. Its population peaked at 750 in 1940, when it reported thirty-five businesses. With declining oilfield activity, the population had fallen to about 190 by 1968. The population dropped to twenty-nine in 2000.
(XYZ rule applies)
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Fort MacKay, AB
Fort MacKay is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Wood Buffalo Municipal District, at the northern end of Highway 63, 64 km (40 mi) north of Fort McMurray. The Athabasca River flows east of the settlement.
It is served by the Fort MacKay/Horizon Airport (IATA: N/A, ICAO: CYNR).
Fort MacKay has a permanent population of 536, mostly first nation.
It was named in 1912 after Dr. Williams Morrison McKay, the first President of the Northern Alberta Medical Association.
The economy is centered around the development of the Athabasca oil sands.
(XYZ rule)
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Pancake, TX
Mail delivery seemed to be a problem in Pancake - in fact most of what is written about the town in the Handbook of Texas involves postal infrastructure.
The name comes not from a flat-topped mountain or the terrain, but the first postmaster who had the unusual name of John R. Pancake. It opened in 1884 and closed in 1886.
Main was routed through Jonesboro until the community tried again (1894) to have their own post office. The new post office was designated Bush, Texas.
The town had a population of 200 Pancakers or Bushes in the mid-1890s. The name reverted to Pancake in 1901 and by 1908 the post office had closed again - mail going back to Jonesboro.
The population of Pancake dwindled and the town had only twenty-five residents from the 1930s through the 1960s when statistics stopped.
Pancake is shown on detailed county maps, but the town never had a cemetery of its own. Nearby Jonesboro or Turnersville provided ground for Pancake burials.
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It has been 11 days since anyone played a town! I know lots of our road-trippers are in Alberta but in an attempt to get the game going again, I am going to play a double play and also pick a letter at random (because I am sick of E towns.) Don't you think this might be considered...
Fair Play, TX
John Allison was an ambitious man who is credited with being Fair Play's first citizen. Allison was a storekeeper / blacksmith who also operated a boardinghouse. When Panola County was organized in 1846, John Allison became the first Panola County Judge.
A post office opened in 1851 and a traveler is said to have been the source of the town's name. He expressed his feelings about the fair dealings he had received and evidently John Allison submitted this praise on the post office application. By 1885, Fair Play had a population of 100 with two schools, two churches, and basic businesses. By 1890 it had declined by half and the post office closed in 1904. Mail was thereafter sent through Beckville.
The population was reported at 90 during the Great Depression and the school merged with those in Carthage. Although many residents left after WWII, it still reported a population of 80 for the 2000 census.
(for the next player, XYZ rule applies)
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Gayford, AB
Gayford is a village in southern Alberta, approximately 70 kilometers east of Calgary, and about 15 kilometers west of Rockyford. The village was established in 1911 and named Swastika, but the name was changed to Gayford during World War II.
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Dapp, AB
The community was named for David A. Pennicuick, railway accountant.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/DappAB.jpg)
Hoary Redpoll
Photographed by Brenda Hudec, Dapp, Alberta
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Point Blank, TX
The village of Point Blank has a name that sounds like something out of an Old West novel. Actually, Point Blank was was originally named Blanc Point by a Frenchwoman who moved here from Alabama. The town was also known as Point White and White Point. There is a small cemetery on the banks of Lake Livingston, where Texas' second governor, George T. Wood, is buried.
Leslie
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Kane, WY
Kane is in Big Horn County.
The community was named after Riley Kane, cowboy
The latitude of Kane is 44.843N. The longitude is -108.202W.
It is in the Mountain Standard time zone. Elevation is 3,691 feet.
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Exum, TX
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McQueeney, TX
The town dates from 1870 and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway arrived in 1876. Although the stop was named Hilda (there was also a Hilda in Gillespie County) it was renamed McQueeney, "in honor" of the superintendent of the Southern Pacific line. Actually it was a transparent ploy by storekeeper C. F. Blumberg to persuade the railroad to move the stop from Hilda to his store a mile away. The railroad didn't move - but when the post office opened (1900) it retained the name. By 1914 McQueeney had forty citizens.
Lake McQueeney, AKA Lake Abbott, was formed by damming the Guadalupe River in 1925. It soon became a popular recreation area.
Throughout the 1940s McQueeney had a population of 300 residents which has since increased to the present 2,500.
(XYZ rule applies!)
Leslie
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Bosler, WY
(http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~gtusa/photos/wy/bosler01.jpg)
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Rosemary, AB
Rosemary is a village in southern Alberta. It is located 30 km northwest of the city of Brooks and 14 km north of the Trans-Canada Highway. It is home to one school and several businesses.
In 2006, Rosemary had a population of 388.
The community was named for Rosemary Millicent, wife of the Earl of Dudley.
(XYZ rule)
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Juliff, TX
Prior to the Civil War the area had been part of the Arcola Plantation and was a shipping point for area cotton. It throve until the arrival of the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad in 1858. The town was named for early settler John J. Juliff ("Triple J" to his friends).
The town was granted a post office in 1891. It closed in 1908, reopened in 1914, and then closed permanently in 1958.
During the Great Depression several saloons and a dance hall were opened alongside the railroad tracks. The landlord was one Thurman "Doc" Duke.With these unsavory businesses serving as the community's nucleus, things went from bad to worse. Juliff did have a church, but the congregation was outnumbered by drunks, gamblers and prostitutes - with some residents performing combinations of these roles. Needless to say, they weren't often called for jury duty.
According to the Handbook of Texas, around 1934 a local musician was sober enough (or drunk enough) to write a song (supposedly) about Juliff. The lyrics "Diddy Wa Diddy - "ain't no town - ain't no city" don't mention Juliff by name and folklorists say that Diddy Wa Diddy is a reference to a mythical place (like the Big Rock Candy Mountain was to Hobos) where there's abundant food and no work. Other sources attribute the song to Arthur "Blind" Blake, a guitarist from Jacksonville (Florida, not Texas) who recorded at least two versions of the song before disappearing around 1931. Since Blind Blake's recordings are still around, we have to assume that the unnamed musician in Juliff was just one in a long string of people who used the lyric.
In one version of the song, the singer declares "I just found out what Diddy Wa Diddy means" while in another the singer pleads: "Won't somebody tell me what Diddy Wa Diddy means?" The words were also used as a title (Diddy Waw Diddy) by Texas Author/ Journalist Billy Porterfield (who was no stranger to places like old Juliff).
Despite the tenuous link to that well-known song, the town was down to 40 residents by 1940. It reached its high-water mark in the late 40s with about 150 people. By the early 60s, the saloons had all moved to Richmond's notorious Mud Alley or the Wards of Houston. Today only bloodweed and a few scattered houses occupy the area.
Perhaps the old saying about the mythical town is true: "Everybody would live in Diddy Wa Diddy - if only it wasn't so hard to find." And if only Juliff could've collected royalties...it might still be there as a tourist attraction.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/JuliffTexasSign72207KRudine.jpg)
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Freedom, WY
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/0145355ASmall.jpg)
This border town got its name from the freedom it gave early Mormon polygamists from having to outrun Idaho law. All they had to do was walk across the street and be in another jurisdiction. Established in 1879, this is the oldest settlement in Star Valley.
-- UltimateWyoming.com
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Morrisey, WY
(XYZ rule applies)
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Big Lump, TX
Big Lump was a lignite coal mining town on the International-Great Northern Railroad.
Big Lump had a post office from 1912 until 1924.
The town's high water mark came around 1914 when nearly 400 Big Lumpites called the place home.
With the demise of the lignite market in the 1920s, Big Lump dissolved.
L
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Parkman, WY
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/WY_23287.gif)
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New Blox, Texas
New Blox was built north of an older Jasper County settlement called Ebenezer, as an extension of a Kirby Lumber Company camp at Blox and had a commissary by 1927. As the timber at the older community was cut out, a spur line was built to New Blox, enabling the company to move its buildings to the newer logging camp.
At its peak New Blox had a population of 800. Local residents got their mail from nearby Ferguson from 1928 to 1933. As loggers cut out the area's stands of virgin timber, most residents moved on. By 1941 only twenty people remained at New Blox, and by the late 1940s population estimates were no longer available. A 1984 county highway map refers to the older Blox as New Blox, and second-growth forests have now reclaimed the original site of New Blox.
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(taking advantage of the XYZ rule)
Vealmoor, TX
It is thought that Mrs. Minnie Slaughter Veal is the town's namesake. It is believed that the town started in 1880 when Christopher Columbus Slaughter established a ranch just east of present-day Vealmoor. Life at Vealmoor appears to have been quiet.
The town had a post office by 1926 but no population figures were available. The1947 population figure was a mere 20 people which peaked at 190 in the mid 1960s. The post office had closed by 1980 and the population remained at 179 - a figure that's been used ever since.
L
(I just have to comment: Christoper Columbus Slaughter? Minnie Slaughter Veal? LOL)
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Raymond, AB
Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is best known for its annual rodeo and its large Latter-day Saint population.
Raymond was founded in 1901 by mining magnate and industrialist Jesse Knight. Knight named the town after his son Raymond. On 1 July 1903, Raymond was incorporated as a Town in the Northwest Territories of Canada. On 1 September 1905, Raymond became part of the newly-created Province of Alberta.
In 1902, one year after it was founded, Raymond held an outdoor rodeo and called it a stampede; this was Canada's first organized rodeo event.[2] Since the inaugural event, the Raymond Stampede has been held on 1 July or June 30 every summer.
Raymond is also home to the Raymond Judo Club, the first Judo club in Alberta. The club was formed by Yoshio Katsuta in 1943. It was closed for a brief period until being reopened in 1985 by Glenn Iwaasa.
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D'Hanis, TX
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/IMG_0256_dhanis.jpg)
Downtown D'Hanis
From The Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/hld1.html):
D'HANIS, TEXAS. D'Hanis is on Parkers Creek at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90, Farm roads 1796 and 2200, and the Southern Pacific Railroad, eight miles west of Hondo in western Medina County. The community is sometimes called New D'Hanis to distinguish it from the site of old D'Hanis one mile to the east. The original settlement was the third made by Henri Castro through his agent, Theodore Gentilz. When established in the spring of 1847 by twenty-nine Alsatian families, D'Hanis was the frontier settlement on the Old San Antonio Road. Castro named the village for William D'Hanis, Antwerp manager of his colonization company. Jean Batot and his son Christian were the first settlers to arrive. Town lots and twenty-acre farms were surveyed and deeded to the first colonists.
With building materials in short supply, the early settlers built rough shelters of mesquite pickets and thatch, to be replaced eventually by the distinctive European-style rock homes of the settlement. Catholic services, conducted by priests from Castroville, were held in a small structure built in the middle of the village. The building of nearby Fort Lincoln in 1849 afforded the settlers employment and much-needed protection from Indian raids. By 1850 the settlement comprised twenty dwellings and had a schoolteacher. A post office was established in 1854, and the town became a stage stop on the San Antonio-Rio Grande road. St. Dominic's Church was built in 1869, and for a time in the early 1870s two nuns of the Sisters of Divine Providence taught school in D'Hanis.
In 1881, when the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built across Medina County, it bypassed old D'Hanis, then the site of two stores, a dance hall, and sulfur-well baths. The new town grew up around the railroad loading depot 1½ miles west. Over the next few years the post office, the businesses, and the citizens moved to the railroad site, which was called New D'Hanis for a time and eventually became D'Hanis. The D'Hanis Brick and Tile Company was founded in 1883 and was still in operation in the 1980s. By 1890 the community contained four general stores, one saloon, and a flour and grist mill, and by 1896 two hotels served the community.
In 1900 the population numbered 266. St. Anthony's School was built in 1908, and Holy Cross Church was completed in 1914. The weekly D'Hanis News began publication in 1908, became the Star some years later, and was discontinued in 1923. A second brick factory, Seco Pressed Brick, opened in 1910, the year the D'Hanis Independent School District was formed. The town's first bank opened in 1916. A Catholic church, Our Lady Queen of Peace, was built in 1924 for the Mexican-Americans of the town. The population was an estimated 270 in 1930, 550 in the mid-1940s, and 500 to 550 from that decade through 1990, when it was 548. The population remained the same in 2000. D'Hanis installed waterworks in 1955, street lights in 1957, and a sewer system in 1973. The town was flooded in 1894, 1919, and 1935, and Holy Cross Church was badly damaged by fire in 1963, though it was rebuilt the following year.
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Scurry, TX
The town was first settled in the 1840s and named after Scurry Dean - a local man killed in the Civil War. Scurry County, however, is named after Confederate General Wm. Scurry.
The Texas and Pacific Railway came through in the 1870s and guaranteed the permanence of the town. A post office was granted in 1883.
Fifty Scurrians were present for the census in the mid 1880s and by 1914, the town had grown to 400. The population dwindled to about 250 in the 1950s and growth has been slow since then.
L
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Bentley, AB
The town of Bentley, originally called Oxford, is located 28 km (17 mi) north-west of Red Deer, in the province of Alberta, Canada.
It was named in honor of George Bentley, an early homesteader.
The first settlers came from the U.S. and either walked or drove oxen from Lacombe, which was the closest railroad station between 1888-1890. The first church was built in 1890 by the Methodists, and a schoolhouse was built in 1903. Bentley was incorporated as a village in 1906.
1916 saw a disastrous fire that destroyed all buildings on the south side of the community. The centre roadway was made 36 metres (118.1 ft) wide and new buildings could not be constructed inside that area. In 1930, a centre boulevard was constructed for fire protection and street lights installed.
In 2006, Bentley had a population of 1,083.
(XYZ rule)
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Dry Valley, TX
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/US/48/a/D/r/ (http://www.fallingrain.com/world/US/48/a/D/r/)
(xyz rule)
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Swinney Switch, TX
Sidney J. Swinney is the town's namesake. In 1917 Mr. Swinney opened a store on his 300 acres of land and gave the community the railroad designation of "switch" thinking that it would be a cinch to attract a railroad and / or settlers. Mr. Swinney also organized a brush arbor church which later built a small chapel. The railroads took other routes, leaving the fledgling community under-developed and unattached to the rest of the world. In the 1930s only the church and two businesses formed the town but the people residing in the area retained an active volunteer fire department.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/SwinneySwitchTexasLogo707RSellman.gif)
Sidney Swinney and his wife, Julia:
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/SwinneySwitchTexasJuliaNSidneySwinn.jpg)
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High River, AB
High River is a town in southwestern Alberta, Canada with a population of 10,716. (2006). It is 37 kilometres (23 mi) south of the city of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. Although reasonably distant from Calgary, the town is nonetheless considered to be part of the Calgary Region. In 2006, High River had a population of 10,716.
The community gets its name from the Highwood River, which flows through the town, and often floods in the spring.
In Canada, the town is best known for being the birthplace of former Prime Minister Joe Clark. Other well-known former citizens include W.O. Mitchell, author of such books as Who Has Seen the Wind and Roses Don't Grow Here, and NHL and WHA hockey player John "Pie" McKenzie.
Bruce Masterman, freelance outdoors writer, author (Heading Out),and photographer, is a current resident of High River.
High River was used as a set for Smallville in Superman III, as well as High River, Montana in Nickelodeon's series Caitlin's Way.
As part of High River's tourism and heritage endeavours, a number of murals were painted around town during the 1980s, 1990s, and into the twenty-first century. High River hosted the North America chuckwagon racing championships in 2006.
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Radway, AB
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/RadwayUkrainian.jpg)
Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Radway, Alberta
(xyz rule)
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Blessing, TX
Blessing was established on property belonging to Jonathan Edwards Pierce. Pierce gave the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad a right-of-way but no one had yet named the town. Pierce was so relieved to get a town to ship his cattle that he had suggested the name "Thank God," but postal authorities considered that somewhat blasphemous. Blessing was suggested and the postal authorities gave theirs. The post office opened in 1903.
Between 1903 and 1905 a library building was attached to the train station. In 1905 the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway also built through Blessing. D. A. Wheeler's hotel soon followed.
On September 1, 1907, residents platted the townsite, and the townsite company made provisions for school and church sites. In 1909 P. Ansley established a local newspaper. By 1914 Blessing had 500 inhabitants, two churches, a bank, a hotel, a telephone connection, and a weekly newspaper, the Blessing News.
In 1925 Blessing's population was still recorded at 500. In 1931 the town had a population of 450 and twenty-two businesses.
During the 1937-38 school year, nine teachers instructed 251 white students in eleven grades, and two teachers instructed thirty-eight black students in seven grades. By 1949 the Blessing district had been consolidated with the Tidehaven Independent School District.
In 1945 Blessing's population had risen to 600, served by thirteen businesses. Though in 1966 the population was reported as 1,250; in 1968 it had dropped to 405.
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Gadsby, AB
Gadsby is a small village in central Alberta, Canada, located east of Red Deer.
In 2006, Gadsby had a population of 35.
Gadsby is officially the smallest village in Alberta. It was incorporated in 1909.
Barbara Kent-One of the few surviving silent film actors was born here.
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Ucross, WY
Ucross is in Sheridan County, in the Sheridan metro area. The community was named for the brand at a local ranch. Elevation is 4,081 feet.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/UcrossWY.jpg)
http://www.ranchweb.com/ucross/ (http://www.ranchweb.com/ucross/)
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Southmayd, TX
Named after D. S. Southmayd, a local landowner, the town got started with the arrival of the Texas & Pacific railroad in the early 1880s.
In 1881 a store and post office were in operation.
From 1904 to the mid 20s, the population weas just over 100 which doubled in the 1930s.
The town withstood the Depression with a healthy population and nine businesses.
During the mid-1970s the population fell to 235, but in recent years the town has been growing.
L
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Donnelly, AB
The Village of Donnelly is located approximately 5 km east of Falher, Alberta which is approximately 115 km northeast of Grande Prairie near the junction of Highway 2 and 49. Donnelly has a population of 377 people (2004 stats) and is a farming community.
Donnelly was named after an official in the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway, when the station was established in 1915. A few years later, in 1917 Donnelly had its first post office with A. Cote' the first postmaster. In 1956 Donnelly became a village.
Mud Bog Competition is held each year the Saturday and Sunday around Father's Day in Donnelly. The competition attracts quite a crowd, located next to the Sportex on the west side of the village. Ball diamonds and tennis courts are also located here. Every second year a the Smoky River Agricultural Fair is held in Donnelly in mid August, and the Annual Father's Day Demolition Derby is held each year in June.
(XYZ rule)
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Burns, WY
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/WY_279220.gif)
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Steele Creek Community, TX
Settlement in this area along Steele Creek began in the 1850s. Known by several names over the years - including Steele Creek, Tidwell, Shady Grove and Pleasant Grove - the community centered around a Methodist church named for the Rev. David J. Tidwell (1802-1883) who settled here with his family in 1853. A post office was established in 1856 with David Tidwell as postmaster, and soon the settlement included two general stores, the church, homes and a school. Although burials in the community cemetery probably began earlier, the oldest documented grave here is that of Nancy Hogan, wife of J. M. Hogan, who died in February 1858. The cemetery includes about 175 marked graves, and an unknown number of unmarked ones. Inscriptions on the gravestones provide a testament to the sometimes harsh living conditions in frontier Texas and document a large number of infant and child deaths, as well as apparent epidemics that took the lives of several members of individual families. Located on land formerly owned by the Chisum family, the four-acre graveyard was deeded to the citizens living along Steele Creek by Mary Chisum, widow of J. R Chisum, in 1886. Initially known as Steele Creek Cemetery, it eventually took on the Tidwell name. Records indicate that burials ceased to occur here in the 1930s, and the site was largely abandoned until members of an association of Tidwell community descendants was formed in the 1980s to assume maintenance of the site.
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Crimson Dawn, WY
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/Yellowstone-Sunrise.jpg)
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North Loop, TX
Time for another jump start so we can hit the Road again! ;)
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Provost, AB
Provost is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located at the junction of Highway 13 and Highway 899. It is situated 19 km (12 mi) west of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. In 2006, Provost had a population of 2,072.
There are two schools in Provost: Provost public and St. Thomas Aquinas.
The economic bases of Provost are agricultural and oilfield.
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Troy, TX
Nothing is left of the town. Not even a cemetery is shown on the TxDoT county map for Freestone County.
Troy, was also known as Pine Bluff. There is currently another Troy, Texas off Interstate 35 between Temple and Waco. The Troy discussed here was on the Trinity River and near what is presently Fairfield Lake.
The town started around 1847 with a dozen families who thought the location on the river ideal for a town. A man named Bateman is said to be the town's founder. Troy was granted a post office in 1850 and it closed 16 years later.
Troy enjoyed a short period of prosperity when its location as a shipping point on the river made it the most important town in Freestone County. The rival port of Magnolia (Anderson County) stole the promise of greatness from Troy. Troy was soon dropped from many maps and by 1936 it was just a memory.
(XYZ rule)
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Quinif, TX
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Fort McMurray, AB
Fort McMurray, is a community in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, in the northeastern part of Alberta, Canada. Although it is commonly referred to and thought of as being a city, Fort McMurray is not incorporated. Thus, Fort McMurray has the status of being the largest unincorporated "city" in Alberta.
Fort McMurray is 435 kilometres (270 mi) northeast of Edmonton, Alberta on Highway 63, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of the Saskatchewan border, nestled in the boreal forest at the confluence of the Athabasca River and the Clearwater River.
Fort McMurray is a multicultural community, attracting people from all corners of Canada and the world. Albertans make up almost half the number of migrants to Fort McMurray, followed by 17% of people originating from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Were it a city, it would be the fifth largest in Alberta (after Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge).
Fort McMurray is considered the heart of one of Alberta's (and Canada's) major hubs of oil production, located near the Athabasca Oil Sands. Besides the oil sands, the economy also relies on natural gas and oil pipelines, forestry and tourism. The two largest oil sand mining companies are Syncrude and Suncor Energy.
Fort McMurray's growth is characteristic of a boomtown; one of the area's unofficial nicknames is "Fort McMoney." Housing prices and rents are far higher in Fort McMurray than one would expect in such a remote area. In 2006, Fort McMurray had the highest prices in Alberta.
(XYZ rule)
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Jamaica Beach, TX
The town (which is said to be a former Karankawa cemetery) was only developed in 1957. Intended as a resort/ marina, the plot was divided into 2,000 lots. It was incorporated in 1975 when there were 141 people residing there. The population was 624 in 1990 which increased to 1,075 for the 2000 Census.
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Huntley, WY
Huntley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 21 at the 2000 census.
Huntley-area historical tornado activity is significantly above Wyoming state average. It is 12% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 6/27/1955, a category 4 (max. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 23.8 miles away from the Huntley place center killed 2 people and injured 29 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
On 6/26/1955, a category 3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 12.2 miles away from the place center .
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Manyberries, AB
Manyberries is a hamlet of almost a hundred people located 71 km south of Medicine Hat.
The community was named for the local abundance of chokecherries and saskatoons.
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Stairtown, TX
Named after local landowner - Mr. Stair - the town came into being in the 1920s - just after the discovery of Edgar Davis' Luling oilfield. The proximity to Luling dictated that Stairtown would never thrive - and after the derricks were built there was little need of a work force. The workers left behind a few houses and fewer businesses to cater to some 20 people. The town did appear on maps in the 1940s but has since been removed. Thirty-five has been the estimate since the 1960s.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/album%202/StairtownTexasSign82606JT.jpg)
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Newt, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/newt.jpg)
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Torrington, AB
Torrington is a small hamlet in central Alberta, Canada about 160 km northeast of Calgary at the junction of Highway 27 and Highway 805.
The main industry is agriculture.
The community is home to the Gopher Hole Museum, dedicated to stuffed Richardson's ground squirrels (technically not gophers) in anthropomorphic settings.
For those who seek out large roadside attractions, there is a very large outdoor gopher sculpture (12 ft high) named "Clem T. GoFur".
All 11 of Torrington's fire hydrants were painted to look like gophers.
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Urbana, Texas
URBANA, TEXAS. Urbana is on the Trinity River and U.S. Highway 59, sixty miles north of Houston in southeastern San Jacinto County. It was formed in the wake of the construction of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway through San Jacinto County and was named by S. P. Coughlan for his home town, Urbana, Ohio. The rich black soil in the area proved fertile to cotton growers, and many local residents found employment in the gravel and sand business established east of town in 1908. A post office was opened in 1914. The number of residents of Urbana decreased from seventy-five to ten between 1925 and 1975. Gas and artesian wells were located just west of the community center, and by 1985 the gas wells of the Urbana fields had produced well over 600 million cubic feet of natural gas. In 1990 the population was still reported as ten. The population reached twenty-five in 2000.
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Acambay, Mexico
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/BrokeArseMountain/Scenic/AcambayMX.jpg)
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Peace River, AB
Peace River is a town in northwestern Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River and Heart River. It is located 486 kilometres (302 mi) northwest of Edmonton, Alberta, and 198 kilometres (123 mi) northeast of Grande Prairie, Alberta, along Highway 2. In 2006, Peace River had a population of 6,315.
The original part of the town lies on a flood plain at the confluence of Peace River and Smoky River, while it has also expanded to areas on higher ground, mostly to the west of the town. The valley itself is nearly 1,000 feet (305 m) below the relatively flat terrain surrounding it. The principal industries in the area are agriculture, forestry, and oil and gas, while a pulp mill is also nearby (the DMI mill).
The Greene Valley Provincial Park lies just east of the town.
Peace River was the site of the 2004 Alberta Winter Games.
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Red Lick, TX
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/redlick_sign2.jpg)
(Thanks for renewing the game, Bob, and with a holiday-themed city, too. This one is as close to Christmasy as I found.) ;D