Thurber, TX - Population 5
N 32° 30.405 W 098° 24.999
14S E 554795 N 3596757
Thurber, TX, population 5 as of this posting. This sign is visible to travelers from both directions along I-20 as they pass through what remains of Thurber, a victim of the oil boom down the road in Ranger.
Waymark Code: WMZV3Q
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2019
Views: 1
There's not a whole lot left in Thurber, although some bits are preserved in a historical park on the south side of I-20, along with the W.K. Gordon Center for Industrial History of Texas and the New York Hill Restaurant. Here on the north side is the iconic smokestack, and the SmokeStack restaurant is located inside the old Texas & Pacific Mercantile building. There are a few remaining buildings, like the old fire station, and the Thurber Cemetery is just down the road. Those with keen eyes can spot plenty of remains on a walk through the area: Thurber was literally dismantled and sold off when the Ranger oil strike made coal far less important than it had been.
A 1969 Texas Historical Marker stands in front of the old smokestack, which gives the restaurant its name, and the marker reads:
Most important mine site in Texas for 30 years. Coal here, probably known to Indians, was "discovered" in 1886 by W.W. Johnson, who with his brother Harvey sold out to Texas and Pacific Coal Company in 1888. (T. & P. Coal Company provided fuel for the Texas & Pacific Railroad, but was independently owned.)
Town was named for H.K. Thurber, friend of T. & P. Coal Company founders. Most dynamic firm member was Robert D. Hunter (1833-1902), developer of 7 of 15 mines. Next president was E.L. Marston, Hunter's son-in-law, who left mining largely to William K. Gordon (1862-1949), an engineer who brought daily output to 3,000 tons.
Then in 1917, Gordon (backed by management of coal company) was primarily responsible for discovery of Ranger Oil Field, 20 miles west. Adoption of oil-burning railway locomotives cut demand for coal. Last mine here closed in 1921, and the 10,000 or more inhabitants of Thurber began to move away.
The coal firm changed its name to Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company and was sold in 1963 to Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc., for $277,000,000.00. Renamed Texas Pacific Oil Company, it is now one of the largest independent domestic energy suppliers. Much coal (by estimate 127,000,000 tons) remains underground.
Address: TX 108, near the Smokestack Restaurant, Thurber, TX
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