Dudleys Diary

to Weatherford, Texas. We went and ate lunch at a hamburger joint and then went to Gibson's Discount Center Where You Buy The Best For Less. Dudley enjoyed walking around the old store, it brought back a lot of old memories from his childhood. Funny thing is Dudley left the store with out buying a single thing. At one time, Gibson's was like the Walmart of today with a Gibson's store in many a town in Texas. Now, there are only a few left still in operation. For those that don't know, Weatherford is a historic Texas town with it's roots being a part of the old west on the frontier of the West Texas plains. Oliver Loving and Boze Ikard are buried in an old pioneer cemetery in Weatherford. If those names don't ring a bell, remember Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. His Pulitzer Prize winning novel was based on these real life characters. You can look into the past when you gaze upon the Parker County Courthouse or one of the many Victorian era houses still standing. There are old railroad depots, a farmers market and Weatherford claims to be the peach growing capital of Texas and the cutting horse capital of the world. Mary Martin is from Weatherford, she is the mother of Larry Hagman of J.R. Ewing fame. They had a big Fourth of July Celebration in 1869 in Weatherford and little Annie Rider was upset her mother would not let her go. If Annie was looking for excitement that day, she certainly got her wish when she stayed home in the little log cabin on Mary's Creek in eastern Parker County. You can read about it here. This same creek runs into Tarrant County by Dudleys domicile and then continues on to it's terminus with the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. Weatherford was the location of a tragedy during the waning days of WWII. You can read about it here. There is a lot of history in and around Weatherford.