dallashistory

A fellow by the name of Joel Parks posted these links over at the Dallashistory.org forum. I didn't see them over here so I thought I would relay them over.

Very cool stuff!!

Note - these are PDF files!

Stumbled across these non-copyrighted images of old Dallas!
Dallas, Through a Camera, 1894
Souvenir of Dallas, 1888

The source is [http://www.archive.org] You can spend hours here looking at stuff - trust me!

A sample:


Enjoy!

Dallas, Through a Camera, 1894

I know M.C. Toyer drops in on occasion (I will also e-mail him if I don't hear from him); but page 67 has a picture of one of Dallas' steam pumping stations. I am guessing this is the original Turtle Creek Pump Station; it looks larger than what I thought Record Crossing would be. The original station was built in 1886, and flooded in the 1908 flood. It was replaced by a new pumping station on higher ground in 1909; today, that station is the Sammons Center for the Arts, 3630 Harry Hines Blvd. Some of the equipment from the original station (some boilers, IIRC, M.C. sent me the clipping; need to find it) went to the Oak Cliff Pumping Station; now part of Oak Farms Dairy.

I also see that Dallas, like the surrounding communities; had a Cotton Compress; apparently, it is gone without a trace? The steamboats on page 77 are neat; much smaller than their Mississippi River brethern.

Souvenir of Dallas, 1888

Is the Baptist church pictured on page 15 the one that later became the Hard Rock Cafe?

Page 17 depicts another steam pumping station. Since Record Crossing was built in 1895; this must be the original Turtle Creek Pumping Station, as originally built. A Holly "Gaskill" Pumping Engine was installed in Turtle Creek in 1893; so the picture on page 67 of the above document may be Turtle Creek after it was enlarged with the installation of the Holly "Gaskill" Pumping Engine.

I noticed the street scenes depict horse cars, horses and buggies, and pedestrians. Too early for electric streetcars and automobiles; but I was wondering if any of the Ordinary/Penny Farthing/highwheel bicycles made their way to Dallas. If they did, they weren't around when these pictures were taken.

Great, great stuff; thanks for sharing! I do enjoy Dallas History; but don't have time to dig up stuff like this.