Miriam McFate Travel Journal - 1926

Fri, Nov 12, 1926

Did not get up very early. Started 8:00 Stopped several times, for carburetor trouble. This is all Prairie full of thistles. Most of these prairies near the town are laid out in names for the streets staked at the corners. This will all be a part of a city some day. Lots of cars going both ways along here. Oil stations and tourist camps every 4 or 5 miles. This is about all there is along our road this morning. Not very many trees just one vast prairie. Saw jackrabbits along the pavement where they had met their death by colliding with automobiles. We never see one alive. It is to tame for them to sit in sight along this highway. Saw two big old buzzards (birds) sitting on a telephone post. These are quite a bit like our crows only larger, and not such a slick looking bird. Lots of them thro this country. There is lots of lime stone hills thro here. They do a little farming in spots. This way from Fort Worth to Weatherford 22 miles. After we left here we came into the hills again. All small shrubs by oaks thro here. The roads are lined with bill boards on both sides. We drove on thro some level stretches, then into the hills till we were 6 miles from Mineral Wells. Here we struck real mountains for a ways again. This road wound round and up for more than a mile. Mineral Wells is a resort, noted for its splendid mineral water. Most all clay soil thro here. We stopped here for dinner 12:25. Drove out into the hills again. Crossed the Brazo river. This like the Red river has a funny color. Have lots of winding roads ahead of us. Most all up grade between rocky cliffs. All of these that have high grades on one side are fenced. I’ll tell the great world Texas isn’t all prairie. Stopped for gasoline at a little filling station. Gas is getting higher again 21 cents here. We can look ahead now and see our road stretching out into the west as far as we can see.

Looking out our back window we can see the mountains thro which we have just came. Little shruby trees on both sides of our road. This land thro here is good for nothing only pasture. Have passed only one ranch where there has been any cattle. Drove on and on. We can see coal mines of in the distance. Drove on for an hour thro this level stretch. Finally we came into the hills again. Up and up we go again. Bluffs on one side fenced on the other. We can look way down below us. Nothing but trees and rocks down here.

Engine got so hot stopped on this pass. Took some pictures of the children here. On again up and up. This is the longest grade yet. After getting to the top we drive out on the level again. No houses thro here just pasture, trees, cactus, and rocks. This is all well fenced on both sides of the road. Very few telephone lines run along this highway. We are 3 miles from Ranger. We can see oil wells off in the distance. I can count 21 derricks from our window. This city has a population of 16,200. Our route took us out past the oil refinery. It surely takes lots of building and tanks to refine oil. Drove on to the next town of Olden Texas. Lots of oil thro here. Its a good thing they can get something of value from the land. It is so rocky on top it is practically worthless for farming, Stopped here for gas. Drove on to Eastland Texas.