Hey, y’all. Time for another weekly wrap up. If you read last week’s post, you know I took a mini-vacation. Last Friday, my husband and I hit the road for a day trip. Call us crazy, but we traveled three hours to a “Ghost Town” for the sole purpose of eating lunch. Okay, we also did some sightseeing along the way.
Thurber, Texas
Located seventy-five miles west of Fort Worth, Thurber was once a thriving place in the early 1900s. It was a “Company Town” owned by the Texas and Pacific Coal Company. Mining began there in 1886. By 1920, the town had almost 10,000 residents. By then most locomotives had converted to diesel, and the demand for coal decreased. T&P moved on to nearby Ranger and cashed in on the oil boom.
The Smokestack Restaurant
All that’s left of Thurber is an old smokestack, a recently restored church building, a museum, and a couple of restaurants. According to the 2010 census, the community of Thurber has a population of 48. However, the Smokestack Restaurant (where we went for lunch) states the population is five. Hence the reason for Thurber being a ghost town, not because there are any sinister spirits lurking about. (Although it’s possible!)
But enough about the history lesson and our trip. Let’s get on with the weekly writing links.
On This Blog:
- Mystery Monday ~ Marfa Lights
- Book Review ~ Stillhouse Lake
- WIP Wednesday ~ Intro Post
- Cover Reveal: Eventide by Mae Clair
From Story Empire:
- A Scrivener Compiling Primer – P H Solomon
- Avoiding Cliches – Me
- Five For Friday: Book Releases – P H Solomon
From Other Writing Sites:
- Where, When, Why – Writers in The Storm
- First vs. Third Person – Fiction University
- When Writers Hit the Wall – Kill Zone
- Boost Your Creativity With Color Walks – Writers in The Storm
- Online Writing Jobs – Nicholas C. Rossis
- How to Be Edited as a New Author (Or Any Level) – A Writer’s Path
- 10 Free Alternatives to Microsoft Word – Just Publishing
- Interview With Larry Brooks – Kill Zone
- How to Write a Page Turner (Part 3) – Fiction University
- Threat: What it is and Why Your Story Needs It – A Writer’s Path
- When Telling (Not Showing) Emotion is the Right Choice – Writers Helping Writers
- Golden Tips from RWA 2019 – Writers in The Storm
- The Nose Knows – Kill Zone
- How to Attend a Writer’s Conference – A Writer’s Path
- Lazy Writing Mistakes – Just Publishing
- Writers: Give Your Creativity a Boost – Fiction University
- Why Writers Shouldn’t Query Self-Published Books – Writers Helping Writers
29 Responses
Thanks for the link, Joan. You didn’t say how lunch was! Was it worth the trip?
You are welcome, Nicholas. And yes, lunch was wonderful. Well worth the trip.
Ooh, that ghost town just beckons to my imagination, Joan. Hope you had a lovely lunch. Thanks for the links. Have a good weekend 🙂
It’s a lovely little place to visit. It’s right on an interstate highway, so the restaurant thrives. When my brother lived in Midland, Texas (farther west) we would sometimes meet there and my nieces would come home with us for a visit.
Hope your weekend is wonderful!
[…] Source: Road Trips, Ghost Towns, and The Week in Review […]
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Thanks for the reblog, Harmony!
Great list of links, Joan. And I loved learning about Thurber. A ghost story about that little ghost town would be awesome.
I hope lunch was yummy!
I plan to write a book (or series) set in that part of Texas. There are several “ghost” towns in the state with an interesting history. And yes, lunch was wonderful!
Maybe Thurber had five citizens and then a total of 42 travelers liked the food so much they decided to settle there, and then one of the couples was expecting a baby . . . so 48 total.
Thanks for the links.:-)
Now that’s a possibility! Thanks, for stopping by, Priscilla
I love ghost towns. We had a lot of them in Northern Nevada. Thanks for sharing one here.
There are several in Texas. Supposedly one in the same county where I live. But so many people have moved into the rural areas, it’s hard to envision a “Ghost Town.” The western part of the state is a different matter.
I’d love to revisit some of the Nevada ones. They’d make good blog fodder.
Or for a story!
What a great trip. I love ghost towns. Even if they do have a small population. This would make for a great story.
Someday I plan to write a short story (or a novel) set in that part of the state.
Sounds like a fun day! I’m a big fan of day trips.
We had a wonderful time. Yes, day trips can be loads of fun.
A population of FIVE?!?!? Even if it’s 48, that is utterly astounding, I would love to check out a place like that. Sounds like you had a great day, Joan. What fun!
The western part of Texas has lots of these ghost towns. We had a wonderful time and a delicious lunch!
Reblogged this on Loleta Abi Author & Book Blogger.
Thanks for the reblog, Traci!
You’re welcome, Joan!
A ghost town and this week’s writing links by Joan!
Thanks, Nicholas.
We live 30 miles south of Houston and thirty miles north of Galveston. If we ever get as far as Fort Worth, we shall look up the pictured restaurant.
No, we are not native Texans (We got here from Virginia as quick as we could.), and we have yet to explore our adopted state.
Rae, there is so much to see. I’ve lived here all my life and still haven’t seen it all. For instance, I’ve never been to College Station. I was in my 30s before I went to Houston.
You must have been affected by Hurricane Harvey a couple of years ago. My husband and I vacationed in Corpus Christi and Galveston about a month before it hit. So many places we drove through were underwater a month later.
I do recommend visiting the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Lots of things to do. But in my opinion, San Antonio is the place to visit! Thanks for stopping by.
I have been to San Antonio for a weekend with another couple as a young, green teacher back in the seventies. There was so much to see and do! We are long overdue to make a trip back to see what I am sure are many “improvements.” And, we definitely need to take a weekend trip to Dallas. I flew there for the day two different summers to meet my Virginia cousin who was there for a Mary Kay seminar for a weekend, and I felt like Pamela Ewing, flying to Dallas to go to Neiman Marcus and its tea room for lunch, dahling.