dallashistory

A new book is in the works on the history of Oak Cliff. The author is seeking high-quality photographs of significant places, people and events. Please contact me if you have some you would be willing to share, and I will forward your information. This author is a native of Oak Cliff who has already published something like 18 books (last count I heard.) Your photos would be credited. Most digital images would not be high enough quality (we have jillions of those.....)

Somebody who has the list of old DHS message board members, please forward this message. Thanks for your help!

Vivian

I HAVE CONTACTED THESE PEOPLE 5 TIMES, AND THEY ARE QUITE RUDE TO NOT FOLLOW UP WITH A VISIT, BECUASE I HAD MY GRAND PARENTS IN THE OAK CLIFF PICTURE SINCE 1899, AND THEY LIVED THERE TILL 1968, SO AGAIN, THIS CITY IS FILLED WITH MANY KINDS OF ABSENT MINDED FOLKS WHO LATER MAKE THEIR OWN MISTAKES FOR NOT FOLLOWING UP WITH A GOOD SOLID SOUND AND SOBER BOOK...

When did you first attempt to contact them? The book went to press last fall.

The book went to press last fall.

what is the book's title and author's name?

I am trying to locate the link I have to the website right now. I believe the title is simply "Oak Cliff." The publisher is Arcadia; authors are Alan Elliott, Gayla Brooks Kokel, and Patsy Summey. Arcadia evidently has a series of books on various towns and locales.

Stand by.....will publish the link in a minute.

It's Arcadia's "Images of America" series.

http://tiny.cc/frz2f

or

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/mm5/me ... ange_high=

Hi, Alex and Vivian ... I have a copy of the little volume in this series which was written for Gainesville and Cooke County. Maybe because it is such a formatted, mass-produced and nationally encompassed series, the publisher (the authors?) is not as open as it should be to outside input and contributions. Too bad.

Woa. I rise to the defense of the authors. They are all local, having grown up in Oak Cliff. They all still live in the immediate area. They were very anxious to receive suggestions, contributions, pictures, stories, etc. and worked hard to collect same for this book, and received and used MANY.

I posted the request on this board last March. The book went to print in the fall. The individual who is complaining evidently joined this board in January. I don't know when or how he attempted to contact the authors, but he did not contact me, as I asked. They are all three long-time personal friends of mine. They are neither rude nor absent minded, and one of them has already published 18 books, including technical manuals and university history texts.

Vivian wrote:Woa. I rise to the defense of the authors. They are all local, having grown up in Oak Cliff. They all still live in the immediate area. They were very anxious to receive suggestions, contributions, pictures, stories, etc. and worked hard to collect same for this book, and received and used MANY.

Well okay, Vivian ~ no need to rise to anyone's defense .... on my account, anyway. I was just venturing a guess about why the response might have been so; authors and publishers do vary in their responsiveness to contributions. I'm glad that your friends had a good experience with this company.

Arcadia specifically seeks out local authors who can gain access to photographs/images for their books. I've seen a lot of their publications and they vary in the quality of the images and writing.

here in Virginia there are a number about the richmond area. when I look at them i see a lot of photos of people and very little photos of locations, structures etc

One other thing to consider the authors may have been inundated by thousands of images. They are limited to a set number of pages and can't publish everything.

From my experience it is very difficult task to select appropriate images for publication. Ideally you want images that are 8x10 and of professional quality. but I suspect a lot of images offered were of the 4x6 snapshot variety

also for these publications you must be the copyright owner/holder before they can get published

I see the book I wrote about has been "discovered." It is great; lots of pictures never published before. I think any Cliffie will enjoy it. (And I am another one, by the way. Guess too long since I have posted to be remembered.)

Vivian and all ... I'm not able to make it to Oak Cliff very often, so need a little help in understanding associated realities and trends. As I do envision the current status of this 'Dallas' quarter ~ certain sections -- such as the 'Bishop Arts District' -- are undergoing a ... well, what some would like to perceive of as a Revitalization of 'culture' there.

Still, I wonder whether those who are behind and are supportive of a 'new' and hip Oak Cliff are open to or even cognizant of its past -- beyond a nod and a thanks-for-allowing-us-to-make-use-of-you-in-our-banner-for-the-new. My dad has not been turned to for his memories of this part of Dallas beyond the interest of close family members. What about other Oak-Cliff natives here? At least Allison Wick conscientiously pursued my mother for her recollections of the north side of Town.

Yet, maybe I'm misunderstanding the current mind-set of those who have interest in the Cliff.

Thanks for any insights or clarification.

Holly, I'm obviously not Vivian.

However, as a person who grew up there and lived there for several years after the Navy, I ponder questions similar to what you've posed.

The "new" Oak Cliff is nothing like the area where your dad and I grew up decades ago. That would also include Clyde and Ronnie, and perhaps Ernie as well. Then there's MC and Jim Barnes to add to the group.

It's nice to read about the historical district and the shops and all, but I still despair over how Oak Cliff declined so far from the 1960s to reach the current level of demise. A bit of historical window dressing and a pocket or two of revitalization of the economy doesn't change the entire area into a viable and successful community.

Fred

Thanks, Viv-- ... I mean, er ... Fred Just kiddin'

This is kind of as I had thought ~ though just from reading about the current developments in Oak Cliff and ... well, the mind-sets of some of the people involved. What I'm wondering most is how some of the new folks who have moved in view the community's past ... or whether they consider it very much at all. Rather, the emphasis seems to be on the 'now' and the 'us' in this up-and-coming, hip place. But, what makes it so cool? A collection of buildings? The idea that the area was under-appreciated for many years but now some enlightened 'we's' possess the cultural discernment to recognize Oak Cliff's potential?

Is the ghost of Sivell's still on the map? My dad keeps a near-shrine to that once- happenin' place in his garage. But maybe real leather jackets and drag-racing and greasy french fries and milkshakes have fallen from favor.

Change that ignores the past is flimsy ~ mere veneer.

Holly,
As a life long resident of “the hood” I seriously doubt that these newly enlightened folks have any real knowledge of Oak Cliffs history or culture. Recent or ancient. What I mostly see from this gentrification attempt is a land grab. They are trying to turn the area around Bishop and Davis, and the area North and East of there, towards downtown, into a new Uptown. A Lemon and McKinney, if you will. The bulldozers are working overtime clearing lots as real estate agencies put together 30+ acre tracts in hopes that they can resell for a profit. The low-income apartments across from St.Cecilia have been bulldozed, to be replaced by condos. All the apartments at Colorado and Ft Worth are coming down, again these are affordable housing, for a multi-use project to include town houses.
I really do not believe that these Johnny-come-latelys care for much more than importing their life style.
I've listened for years to locals complain about how Oak Cliff never gets it's fair share. I've always said that Oak Cliff had better watch out what it asks for! They are trying their damnedest to turn Bishop and Davis into something that will attract people from all over Dallas. That doesn't sound bad on the face of it, except that the area wasn't designed for that much traffic. So they will have to level houses for parking.
We settled here because we liked the atmosphere. I've lived here 58 years, and no it's not the same Oak Cliff I grew up in. You can't go home again, even if you stay home. But in it's heart Oak Cliff is still the same. I look around and see friendly, honest, blue collar families trying to raise children and pay bills. That's pretty much the Oak Cliff I remember.
All this talk of the areas demise is a bit premature.
Paul
[size=12][/size]

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective, Paul. And I hadn't realized that so much was being torn down ... or at least, was on the razing agenda.

When I visited Oak Cliff a couple of years ago, we missed the up-and-coming trendy sections, I think. Mainly, we hit the places which my dad was well-acquainted with fifty years ago. His old neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. While most of the residents there now seem to be Hispanic, a lady who he knew as a teen still resided across the street from his old house. The homes were being cared for and I wouldn't have minded living on Emmett Street at all. As I may have mentioned previously, the stone retaining wall which my granddad built above the sidewalk was still there and holding strong ... which was very neat

Anyway, gentrification, pretension and self-conscious 'revitalization' are a fact of life in many older, 'discovered' communities, for better or for worse.