Thurber Junction and the T&P Railroad Presence
In 1887, before any settlement at this location, a spur track was laid from the Texas and Pacific RR main line to the coal mines two miles south. Originally, this juncture with the main line was called “Coal Mine Junction” and then “Thurber Junction”, when Thurber and its coal mines began to flourish. In 1895 the land around the “Junction” was platted and that north of the main T&P tracks was called Mingus (after an early settler). All homes and businesses in Mingus were owned by Americans; while south of the main tracks remained “Thurber Junction” with many businesses and homes owned by European and Middle Eastern immigrants. One track of this junction curved eastward to merge with the RR main line (see picture) and a second track curved westward to join the main line. Two hundred yards south of the main line these two tracks converged to form a “Y” which enabled trains to turn around. Thurber Junction / Mingus was the shipping point for 13,000,000 tons of Thurber coal, and this was the site of the most attractive and busiest depot west of Fort Worth. There was a coal chute / water tower east of the depot. In the Depression Years when freight trains stopped to refuel, hobos would quickly fan-out over town for “handouts.” And there was a “Hobo Jungle” on the creek north of the coal chute. There was a section gang and a scale for weighing coal cars. A quarter mile south of the main line there was a sand car, storage tracks for 240 RR cars, an engine and wrecker spur, and a RR car repair facility. When Thurber began shutting down mining operations in 1921, Thurber Junction RR activity also faded. During the Prohibition Years (1921-1933) Thurber Junction had another name: “Grappa Junction” for the potent Italian bootleg whisky which was made here.
Snake Saloon
Saloons were prominent in the life and history of Thurber and were often settings for union organization efforts. The first Snake Saloon, located between the drugstore and the livery stable in the center of town, was famous for its massive horseshoe-shaped mahogany bar. After liquor sales were outlawed in Erath county in 1904, the Snake Saloon relocated just inside Palo Pinto county, West of what became state Hwy 108. The 40′ X 120′ building featured a bar as long as two train cars. The saloon closed in 1920 after passage of the federal prohibition law. (1995)
Mingus Baptist Church
Area Baptists trace their history to 1891, when the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church congregation was organized with 14 charter members. Originally named for the rural schoolhouse where early worship services were held, the congregation was renamed Mingus Baptist Church in 1900. In 1905, Guy B. and Lucile Wilson deeded this property to the congregation for religious purposes, and services have been held at this site continually since 1906. Active in missionary programs, the congregation continues to play an important role in the religious life of Mingus. (1992)