Box of Postcards » Souvenir Folders

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 12

Jen Dixon — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:00:47 +0000

This scan concludes a twelve part series showing life in Ranger, Texas during the big oil industry growth of the early 1900s. I hope you’ve enjoyed the images and captions as much as I have. I’ll be back to posting a variety of postcards, Hood’s Photos of the World, and more partial souvenir folders in a couple of days.

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 11

Jen Dixon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 07:00:26 +0000

“Showing another combination in Ranger, Texas. What shall it be? Take your choice. One will feed you. The next one above will take care of your teeth, and the one on the right will fit you in eyeglasses of sell you a piece of jewelry for your better half.”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 10

Jen Dixon — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:21 +0000

“This shows the famous ‘Meriman Cemetery,’ where it is believed that the vast oil gushers are located, and for which a well-known oil company offered $1,000,000 for a lease in this cemetery, and which the Meriman Church congregation promptly refused for the reason that ‘the bodies in the graves would first have to be consulted for permission’ to be removed before they would consent to lease the ground where their departed members rest in peace.”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 9

Jen Dixon — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:37 +0000

“Showing the Meriman Church and the respectful members of the Meriman congregation, who have promptly refused and rejected the $1,000,000 offer to lease out the grounds of the Meriman Cemetery for oil drillings.”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 8

Jen Dixon — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:00:05 +0000

“A scene in Ranger, Texas. See this combination. Photographed from the top of a building, looking westward. Note the pretty cottage within a stone’s throw from the oil wells, the chicken coop in the very front ‘X.’ You see some people do not entirely depend upon oil wells in Ranger. They raise chickens, too, to keep them from starving. . .”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 7

Jen Dixon — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:00:25 +0000

The deep mud in the streets of Ranger Texas proves to be too much for early Ford motor cars.

An explosion a few miles north of Ranger.

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 6

Jen Dixon — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:00:05 +0000

“Looking from Ranger’s Railroad Depot. Note the two kids fighting in the mud when the camera clicked and caught them still fighting, but it was sure sad when both of them tumbled in the mud afterward, and which scene the camera did not catch.”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 5

Jen Dixon — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:00:31 +0000

“A scene of a part of Ranger’s Main Street, where thousands of people fight their way through daily. Note the street looks a little muddy, but who should worry? Ranger’s people have no time to worry, for everybody is happy, with the liquid gold that is floating around.”

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 4

Jen Dixon — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:00:33 +0000

“Showing Ranger’s present ‘carnival corner,’ where everything imaginable is sold daily. On this empty lot in Ranger you can buy from a hamburger sandwich to an automobile. Or, if you wish, you can hire there a saddle-horse or buy a canvas tent; or just a post card that shows a muddy scene of Ranger.”

Wouldn’t you get the impression that the lot isn’t strictly “empty” then?

Ranger Texas – Vintage Oil Workers, part 3

Jen Dixon — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:00:34 +0000

Part 3 of a multi-part series of images scanned from a vintage souvenir postcard folder. The images are all of the Ranger Texas area during the big oil industry expansion of the early 1900s. I have many more images in this series, so please keep checking back every couple of days.

Below are photos of the McCleskey Hotel of Ranger Texas and the “hurry up kids” of the local Western Union office.