Scenes from Dallas
Part 2
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Pacific Avenue, near the West End Entertainment District, is now used by
the DART rail. The tracks mirror the old Texas & Pacific railroad, which
once lumbered right through the Pacific Avenue. This area used to be
called Frogtown, where gambling halls, brothels, cribs, and saloons were
quasi-legal until a 1913 crackdown.
The old pump house at White Rock Lake is not in use
anymore. White Rock Lake, located in East Dallas,
once supplied the city with water until Lake Dallas
(now Lake Lewisville) took over that job.
The Union Pacific "Big Boy," the largest steam locomotive
ever built, resides at the wonderful Museum of the
American Railroad (the old Age of Steam) in Fair Park. I
volunteer at the museum, which holds Pullman cars
(even a rare, racially segregated day car); several
cabooses of various vintages; steam locomotives; diesel
engines; and an electric engine that pulled Robert
Kennedy's funeral train. Most kids like the "Doodlebug," a
small diesel locomotive that made short from Dallas to
Fort Worth.

The Museum of the Rail Road is moving to Frisco,
Texas!!! This is good for it but bad for me... I LOVE Fair
Park and find it a big shame that the city of Dallas wasn't
pro-active enough to keep this gem of a museum there.
The wooden fence at the grassy knoll seems to have it all figured out.
One of Dallas' best  and oldest drive-in restaurants, the Prince of Hamburgers on
Lemon Avenue, has succumbed to progress. Now, a delightfully bland strip mall graces
the site where thousands of Dallasites once ate incredible burgers and drank frosted
mugs of root beer. Well, we certainly don't need THAT anymore - after all, a
Jack-in-the-Box sits just a few blocks away!  (Note: that was my attempt at sarcasm).
While I drive over to Dallas to catch some more great
scenes with my camera, how about enjoying some
browsing opportunities until I return?

Dallas Historical Society (excellent forums!)

Dallas History (from a college professor)

Dallas Heritage Village (aka Old City Park)

Dallas Zoo (I love the Lacerte Family Zoo!)

Dallas Library (excellent resource!)

Dallas Metropolis Forums (lots to learn!)

Dallas Architecture (great buildings)

Preservation Dallas  (what stays, what goes?)

Dallas Observer (a more vocal advocate for Dallas)