Stephenville, Erath County, Texas, home of Tarleton State University of the Texas A&M University System. The north end of the county was the site of 14 or more high grade Coal mines and immigrants brought in by Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company and Acme Brick , and immigrants , mostly short, were brought in on the TP Railroad - Fort Worth to California. Many were naturalized in Stephenville. John L. Lewis was busy helping run his first strike of his career there. There were 10,000 or more miners plus women and kids and Brick yard workers there in Company houses. They struck for a Dollar a Day raise and the town is a Ghost Town today with 2 busineses open and Historic Smokestack and markers. The town was once fenced with Barb Wire and Texas Rangers were sent to keep peace during one strike. Some claim that the town and con artists and fruit and vegetable peddoers outside the Company and chicken and egg peddlers and Liquor Store and Bar Workers in Adjoining Mingus, Palo Pinto County brought the total to nearer 30,000 total. Stephenville had an Italian Opera House.Many came from Eastern States for mining, then moved all directions. There was a Catholic Italian Church and Priest and an Irish Catholic Church and Priest,and some mainstream Protestant church buildings all company owned. When oil was struck in Hogtown (Desdemona), Texas and neighboring Ranger, Texas, Eastland County, the workers were told that their $1.00 per day raise would cause the Railroad to start pumping oil into California bound trains for fuel , so everyone was given a 30 day notice that rent was due or vacate the premisis . Newcastle, north of Thurber, had one shaft and their mines closed also. Up the tracks about 40 miles on the RR and on I-20- old U.S.80- the Bankhead Highway- was Eastland and Cisco, Eastland County, where a young Conrad Hilton, who came during the oil boom and bought the present Hilton Hotel - his first- now part museum, where he could charge abpove $20.00 for an 8 hour shift sleeping in beds in hallways- Rooms were rented to wealthy investors or a group of men. Next county west, wasCallahan County where a young Baird High School Student, Howard Johnson, skipped school an hour or two on many days and sold cheese and baloney sandwiches and fruit to the Passengers who streched their legswhile the train took on water. On top of the Ranger Hill at Clyde, Texas, near Abilene was deep sand and shallow water and the RR brought in Czech , Polish, and Slovak truck farmers and orchard workers to produce fruit and vegetables for the RR dining cars. Todayit is a good place to raise kids if you work in Abilene. Take care, Charles A. Wyly On Fri, 1 Jun 2001 08:43:58 EDT MAW334@aol.com writes: > Stephenville ? (which state) > Mary Avary Whittier > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the > #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB >