tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post1175685904664660442..comments2024-03-25T12:21:56.752-05:00Comments on Sweethearts Of The West: ANOTHER TEXAS GHOST TOWN -- THURBER, COAL MINE AND BRICK PLANTCaroline Clemmonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-28309360476112998482015-04-27T12:56:05.422-05:002015-04-27T12:56:05.422-05:00There are so many wonderful stories about towns th...There are so many wonderful stories about towns that once prospered and are now ghost towns. Those are the places I like to put in my westerns too. Great info, Caroline. Paty Jagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03257614436422105729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-13827917424755151112015-04-27T11:21:55.563-05:002015-04-27T11:21:55.563-05:00I thought that was the town you used, Celia, in WI...I thought that was the town you used, Celia, in WISH FOR THE MOON, but wasn't certain. I still intend to visit the museum there.Caroline Clemmonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14914658854159456335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-61090758633644604402015-04-27T08:55:45.069-05:002015-04-27T08:55:45.069-05:00Thurber is the town I used as a pattern for the fi...Thurber is the town I used as a pattern for the fictional coal mining town in Wish for the Moon. That was fun, researching this town, and it gave me places for my characters to work--company laundry for Annie and as a painter for Clifford.<br />In this real town, it shut down because oil had replaced coal in locomotives. As I understand it, Erath County in N. Texas had more than one coal mining town. Maybe you ran across that in your research.<br />I'm glad old photos were saved of the town. <br /><br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16272417114895975742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1822452633282744192.post-42758977800914613422015-04-27T08:07:09.119-05:002015-04-27T08:07:09.119-05:00Life is precarious, and nothing makes it more so t...Life is precarious, and nothing makes it more so than towns built on speculation of profits from any kind of mining, whether it's gold, coal, copper, or something else. The coal mines of Pennsylvania made towns just like Thurber thrive for a time. They were run by companies that weren't always that ethical, and when the mines played out, so did the towns. Unless the townspeople have a fall-back plan, their town will surely die. It's unfortunate that the devastating aftermath of mining can lead to horrible tragedies, like the collapse of earth, some as deep as 300 feet and toxic fumes or water. <br />But even industrial towns can die in changing economical times or the loss of basic supplies. The great Cannon Mills in Concord and Kannapolis, North Carolina went under when cotton crops decreased in the south and began to be imported from overseas. <br />I guess it just says nothing lasts forever. Have a backup plan.<br />Great article, Caroline. I loved the pictures. Sarah J. McNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17749991094677728042noreply@blogger.com