Oct 14, 2015

Touring Texas: On The Road In Texas

Mr. Jimmie, Me and Mrs. Neta


This was a fun and windy day.  We traveled through several areas and this picture was taken at a car wash that some of Mrs. Neta's family work at or own not sure which.  They weren't working but we enjoyed it there anyway. I think this was in Breckenridge, Texas.  I looked at the property next door and saw this!



Looking at and watching them at work made me think of those little toy birds.  Do you remember those birds that you would fill with a colored liquid and they would act as if they were drinking going up and down?  I found a picture of one.  



My mother and father in law had one and would sit around the kitchen table just watching it.  They made me laugh they enjoyed it so much!  Anyway this is what the oil pumps reminded me of.


I decided that I needed a closer look!


I was amazed to learn that they could be found scattered about anywhere, in parking lots, in school yards. Speaking of school yards Mr. Wheeler drove a school activity bus and said that many of their trips were paid for from the proceeds from the pumps on the school grounds. He told me how many barrels they were allowed to pump each day with those pumps.  I believe he said 60 barrels but don't quote me on that one because I'm not sure. I guess he has a special fondness for the oil being in the business and working for Howard Hughes for many years.  



I decided to make a short video of them pumping.



Mr. Jimmie, Mrs. Neta, Chuck and the Howard Hughes Cadillac
That's a bunch of fun people there!




Retro Diner


This was a fun stop where Mrs. Neta found her relatives at a diner they own. I enjoyed this stop! The diner is complete with red and white checkered cafe curtains, black and white tiled floors, records, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and more.  We had a soda for the road while meeting and talking to the owners.

We then took a tour of several homes that they had lived in. One of which was on a lake in a very beautiful area. I love that they shared such sweet stories of their lives in the homes. I even got the top of a Chaparral aka road runner's head and didn't know it until editing pictures.  They are very hard to catch on camera.  If you look hard at photo below you can see it!




Time to leave there now on to Cisco.  I love the fact that in these wide open spaces the roads are not crowded at all!  It might take you a little while to get somewhere but the trip is enjoyable!


I love the sections of streets paved with bricks!








What is this I see out of the car window?


Here it is the very first Hilton Hotel
309 Conrad Hilton Blvd., Cisco, Tx.


A little history for you. Conrad Hilton aged 32 at the time a banker and ex-legislator from New Mexico, came to Cisco in 1919 to buy a bank. He was going to start a banking empire. He sent a telegram to the owner but the owner upped the price. This frustrated Mr. Hilton so that when he walked out of the telegraph office and looked across the street he saw the Mobley Hotel. He decided that it would be a better investment anyway! He rechristened it the Hilton Hotel and history started at that moment! He proceeded to become "The World's Foremost Innkeeper!"  Hilton later regarded his oil boom town purchase as his "first love; a great lady."

You can no longer stay in this hotel and it was recorded in 1970 as a Texas Landmark.  It was restored by the Hilton Foundation and turned into the Cisco, Texas, Chamber of Commerce office and community center.  Two of its rooms have been preserved as they were in 1919, and a third serves as a small museum ..read more here
Read more about it Oil Boom Brings First Hilton Hotel.
More about the Mobley Hotel here
Hilton Worldwide here

Conrad Hilton described his first hotel as 
"a cross between a flophouse and a gold mine"



I wanted to share this picture of a little flower on the side of the road where I stepped out of the car to get a better shot of the hotel. Isn't it pretty!



I leave you today after sharing some special moments with wonderful new friends!


Next stop will be Fort Griffin, now that was an adventure as well!

Until then,





More Posts of Our Texas Trip:
What are the Odds? The story of meeting my dad's WWII Army Buddy
Touring Texas:  Frontier Texas with Mr. Wheeler in his Howard Hughes Cadillac!
Touring Texas:  Meeting the Wheelers
Touring Texas:  Let's Go to Buffalo Gap
Touring Texas: Jimmie Ray's Appaloosas
Touring Texas:  Randall The Cowboy Poet








6 comments:

  1. Mr. Jimmie reminds me of Jock Ewing from Dallas.

    The old Hilton Hotel would make an awesome apartment/condo building.

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    1. Me too he does! It really would be an awesome apartment/condo building but they are using it as Cisco Chamber of Commerce and 2 of the rooms are restored to 1919 and another is a small museum. That part is good. When you mentioned this I went and researched to add that to post...thanks Kim!

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  2. Love this! I always thought the oil drills look liked those drinking birds! Oh and those little white flowers were a great find!

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    1. Hey Ginger Dawn I'm glad I'm not by myself...with the drinking birds and oil drills...The flowers were so cute right by themselves no others to be seen...Great to hear from you I went to see your cars and candy...made me want a bag full!

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  3. I love these stories about your visits to Texas, Dolly. I am so glad that you had such a good time and saw so many things and met so many wonderful people. How interesting about the Hilton Hotel. I think he was married to Elizabeth Taylor at one point? I am glad that the building is still standing.

    I do remember those crazy birds that dipped their heads -we had one when I was a kid, too... lol It was tun to see you in your photos and I did see the roadrunner's head. lol xo Diana

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    1. Hey girl! I know I am going on and on but guess in a way this is my online journal. I hope that they get to see these and enjoy them as much as we enjoyed being with them. You know these posts have a way of turning into researching and information but I learn so much doing them. Wow I didn't know about Elizabeth Taylor...For me and my bad hair blowing in the wind...ugh I have turned over a new leaf show it as it is and hope nobody faints or gets sick...lol...:0 It is so good to hear from you as always! xoxo

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