THURBER, TEXAS....EAST OF ABILENE.

It was the largest town between Ft. Worth and El Paso--yet it was owned by a single company.

It was the most important mine site in Texas. A major manufacturer of paving bricks. And located near the oil field that helped make Texas a worldwide giant in petroleum production.

It was one of the first Texas cities to be totally electrified. And one of the first towns in the country to be totally unionized.
And by the 1930's....it was gone.

It is now home of the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas.

For 30 years Thurber was the state's major mine site for coal.
It produced 3,000 TONS of coal everyday.

In 1897 the company added a brick factory...it was a big success, and Thurber brick paved hundreds of miles of highways and streets in Texas.

Every home had running water and natural gas.
At it's peak of production, approximately 10,000 people lived in Thurber...today the population is 5....yeah, 5 people...not 5,000.

In 1917, William Knox Gordon, company manager at Thurber, brought in the McClesky discovery oil well in nearby Ranger, Texas. This event had an enormous impact on Thurber, the state of Texas and perhaps the outcome of World War I. Petroleum of this field helped to fuel the allied war effort in europe. In one year, the Ranger field yielded twice the wealth of the California and Klondike gold fields.

Soon, railroads were running on the plentiful oil, reducing the need for coal. The mines and the brick kilns were closed. The company changed it's name to the Texas Pacific Coal and oil Co. and moved it's base of operations to Ft. Worth. By the late 1930's, Thurber was a ghost town.

A city that was owned by one company....and home to 18 nationalities.

I stopped there for lunch last weekend...the food was great! It was the Smokestack Restaurant, opened in 1971 by the Bennett Family. I accidently brought home a fly!!!!!! While I was eating, a table of 13 arrived... all wearing camo shorts....kids, dads and Granpa...gee, maybe I should invest in a pair for Geno.
For me...this town was a place where I went in about 1970 to visit a religious commune...the Children of God had a place about 6 miles from Thurber.

I was in Eastland, Texas visiting my boyfriend. His family lived on Lake Leon....near Eastland. I took a quick turn thru Eastland and not much looked familiar...but I remembered that I caused quite a stir there every summer as the "hippie from San Antonio" in my halter tops...sans bra...and backless sundresses...the local cops followed us EVERYWHERE! My boyfriend graduated as valedictorian in a class of 47 people. For me....at that time...the place was a freaky HOOT!

I also saw signs last weekend for "Hillbilly Haven R.V. Park" and exits for Noodle Dome Rd. and Stink Creek Rd.....where I saw a crop duster trying to kill himself.

That's your history lesson for today...and interesting it is.

Love, Mary