Thurber

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and friend, this one's got some layers worth peeling back. Now, if you're rolling through Erath County and you notice the land around you looking a little worked over, a little storied — well, you're not imagining things. You're passing through what was, for thirty years, the most important mine site in the entire state of Texas.

That's not Duane talking. That's the marker, plain as day. The coal itself was probably known to Indians long before any newcomer set eyes on it.

But in 1886, a man named W. W. Johnson is credited — and the marker puts that word "discovered" in quotation marks, which tells you something — with bringing it to wider attention.

He and his brother Harvey worked that coal ground for a spell, then in 1888, the two of them sold out to the Texas and Pacific Coal Company. Now, that outfit provided fuel for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, but here's the thing the marker is careful to point out: the coal company was independently owned. Two different entities.

Worth knowing. The town that grew up around all this activity was named for H. K.

Thurber, a friend of the coal company's founders. That's how a name gets attached to a place out here — you know somebody who knows somebody. But if you want to talk about the most dynamic member of that firm, you're talking about Robert D.

Hunter, born in 1833, died in 1902. The man developed seven of the fifteen mines. Seven.

That's nearly half the operation bearing the fingerprints of one person. Hunter was the engine behind this place in its early going. After Hunter came E.

L. Marston, his son-in-law, who stepped into the presidency. And Marston, to his credit or maybe just to his wisdom, left the mining work largely to an engineer named William K.

Gordon — born 1862, died 1949. Gordon was the kind of man who looked at a problem and got to work. He pushed daily output up to three thousand tons.

Three thousand tons of coal, rolling out of this patch of Erath County earth, every single day. And then — here's where the story takes a turn that nobody in 1886 could have seen coming — in 1917, Gordon, backed by the management of the coal company, was primarily responsible for the discovery of the Ranger oil field. Twenty miles west of where you're sitting right now.

Oil. Which, as it turned out, was not great news for a coal town. Railroads started burning oil instead of coal.

Demand dropped. The last mine here closed in 1921, and the ten thousand or more people who had built their lives in Thurber began to move away. Just like that, a boomtown starts to breathe its last.

But the company itself didn't disappear — it changed its name to Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company, pivoted hard into the energy future, and kept going. Then in 1963, it was sold to Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Incorporated, for two hundred and seventy-seven million dollars.

Renamed Texas Pacific Oil Company, by the time this marker was placed in 1969, it had become one of the largest independent domestic energy suppliers in the country. And underneath your feet, or near enough — the marker estimates there are still one hundred and twenty-seven million tons of coal sitting in the ground here, untouched. All that potential, just waiting.

The mines closed. The people left. But the coal?

The coal didn't go anywhere.

What the marker says

Most important mine site in Texas for 30 years. Coal here, probably known to Indians, was "discovered" in 1886 by W. W. Johnson, who with his brother Harvey sold out to Texas and Pacific Coal Company in 1888. (T. and P. Coal Company provided fuel for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, but was independently owned.) Town was named for H. K. Thurber, friend of T. and P. Coal Company founders. Most dynamic firm member was Robert D. Hunter (1833-1902), developer of 7 of 15 mines. Next president was E. L. Marston, Hunter's son-in-law, who left mining largely to William K. Gordon (1862-1949), an engineer who brought daily output to 3,000 tons. Then in 1917, Gordon (backed by management of coal company) was primarily responsible for discovery of Ranger oil field, 20 miles west. Adoption of oil- burning railway locomotives cut demand for coal. Last mine here closed in 1921, and the 10,000 or more inhabitants of Thurber began to move away. The coal firm changed its name to Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company and was sold in 1963 to Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc., for $277,000,000.00. Renamed Texas Pacific Oil Company, it is now one of largest independent domestic energy suppliers. Much coal (by estimate 127,000,000 tons) remains underground. (1969)