Anarene, Texas

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Anarene is a ghost town in Archer County, Texas, United States. Its name was used for the town portrayed in the film adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel, The Last Picture Show .

Ghost town city depopulated of inhabitants and that stays practically intact

A ghost town is an abandoned village, town, or city, usually one that contains substantial visible remains. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, prolonged droughts, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, pollution, or nuclear disasters. The term can sometimes refer to cities, towns, and neighbourhoods that are still populated, but significantly less so than in past years; for example, those affected by high levels of unemployment and dereliction.

Archer County, Texas County in the United States

Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,054. Its county seat is Archer City. The county was formed in 1858 and later organized in 1880. It is named for Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas.

Texas State of the United States of America

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

Contents

Geography

Anarene is located at 33°29′06″N98°39′57″W / 33.48500°N 98.66583°W / 33.48500; -98.66583 . [1]

History

Anarene was founded on the Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad in 1908, the same year the Belknap Coal Company opened a coal mine in nearby Newcastle. It was named for Anna Laurene Graham, the daughter of pioneer settler J. M. Keen. [2] Keen began ranching in the area after serving in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War.

The Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad Company was a railroad in operation in North Texas from 1921 to 1954. It was incorporated in 1920 by several investors, most prominently Frank Kell and his brother-in-law, Joseph A. Kemp, both of Wichita Falls, Texas.

Newcastle, Texas City in Texas, United States

Newcastle is a city in Young County, Texas, United States. Following the beginning of coal mining in 1908, the town was established and named for the English coal town, Newcastle upon Tyne. Coal mining had ended by 1942. The population was 585 at the 2010 census.

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Anarene's primary industry was the transportation of coal from the Newcastle mine. In 1929 Anarene had a population of 100, a store, a schoolhouse, a post office, a blacksmith shop, a filling station, and a two-story hotel. An oil field was discovered nearby in 1921. By 1933 the population had declined to 20. In 1942, coal production ended at the Newcastle mine. The Anarene railroad station closed in 1951, and the railway itself was abandoned in 1954. The same year marked the end of production at the Anarene oil field. The post office, established in 1909, was discontinued in 1955. [3]

Filling station Facility which sells gasoline

A filling station is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s are gasoline and diesel fuel. A filling station that sells only electric energy is also known as a charging station, while a typical filling station can also be known as a fuelling or gas station, gasbar (Canada), gasoline stand or SS (Japan), petrol pump or petrol bunk (India), petrol garage, petrol station, service station, a services, or servo (Australia), or fuel station (Israel).

The town portrayed in the 1971 film adaptation of The Last Picture Show is called "Anarene", although it is called "Thalia" in Larry McMurtry's novel. The film was actually made some 8 miles (13 km) to the north of Anarene, in McMurtry's hometown of Archer City, which is widely believed to have been the model for McMurtry's "Thalia". Director Peter Bogdanovich intended the film as an homage to Howard Hawks' Red River , set in Abilene, Kansas, and chose the name Anarene to evoke a correspondence. [4] Anarene also appears in Bogdanovich's 1990 adaptation of McMurtry's sequel, Texasville .

Thalia is an unincorporated community in Foard County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas. In 1990, the population was 104. Its name was given to the town portrayed in a number of Larry McMurtry's novels, including his first novel, Horseman, Pass By (1961). Mcmurtry's "Thalia" is widely considered to be modeled on his own North Texas hometown of Archer City, about 60 miles from Thalia.

Archer City, Texas City in Texas, United States

Archer City is a city in Archer County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Archer County.

Peter Bogdanovich American film director

Peter Bogdanovich is an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic and film historian. He is part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, and his most critically acclaimed and well-known film is the drama The Last Picture Show (1971).

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References

General
<i>Handbook of Texas</i> encyclopedia of Texas published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA).

Specific
  1. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ Tarpley, Fred 1001 Texas Place Names, (1980) Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, p. 10
  3. ↑ Schmidt, Walter G. An Encyclopaedia of Texas Post Offices (1993) Chicago, Illinois: The Collectors' Club of Chicago, p. 38
  4. ↑ "Filmsite Movie Review: The Last Picture Show (1971)". Filmsite.org. Retrieved November 28, 2018.


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