nm5k

The track location looks pretty close. I think picture #11 where all the soldiers are on horseback may well be at the entrance to what is now picnic lane. Not totally sure, but the way the ditch on the side of the road looks, it sure likes like the road in front of the ballball place, etc. I haven't been out there in quite a while, but the south side of the street has the large parking lot lining it, with the open area across the street where people often play football, etc.. I'm not sure if the ditch you see in the picture is the north or south side, but to this day, the north side has a definite "ditch" on the side of the road, and the east may too, but I always remember the north side as standing out more. So I'm kinda leaning to that being the north side of the road, looking east, but just speculation. yea, know what you mean about looking back in time. I like old pictures.. Have 100's and 100's and 100's of them on my hard drive. I just now looked in just one folder alone and had 2300 pictures in it.. What I like is many of the old pictures have quite high quality, even compared to todays B/W standards. IE: Some of Brady's civil war pix are amazing quality for the mid 1800's. The first picture ever taken was in 1839..Of course, I have it on my hard drive.. It's a self poitrait of the picture taker.. I also collect lots of the large city panaramic photo's. It's weird to look at an old picture and know that everyone in it is long gone.. But except for some old sound clips from the late 1800's, the old pictures are the next best thing to climbing into a time machine. MK

Isuredid, I got your mail about the junction, but when I replied it said your box was full. That is near the junction, but not totally sure exactly where. The pix is not cropped. Check this site.. Thats where I got that picture and map. http://www.jimgill.net/gill/wwipages/index.html You can check the map sections, and maybe get a clue.. Also lots more pix that I haven't posted yet.. Also has all his letter from the camp, which are a pretty interesting read. Note that there is a pix of a water tower. That is on the map, and also near the junction. There may be others taken near that area. MK

Over the past few years of internet collecting, I've scrounged up quite a few pictures of Camp Logan. I haven't seen much listed on it, so I thought I would throw a few on. Here are 15 of them.. I also have a detailed map of the camp that was drawn by a map maker soldier who was there. The writing you see on the pictures is backwards, but the image itself is the right way. It's only the writing that is backwards. Sorry if these dupe any others might have already posted.. I get these from various sites.. Many came from the library of congress, but some came from other sites. I've got more, but I don't want to bog you all down at one time.. I'm on cable now, so pretty zippy, but I realize it can take a while for a dial up to load the page.. So I better not get too carried away.. MKhttp://home.comcast.net/~disk100/pc_drill.jpg

There were some weird things that happened that day.. It's kinda wierd.. I just ran across two clips dealing with this recently.. One was a clip I ran across on you tube. It deals with the supposed yanking of the secret service bodyguards off that motorcade.. Kinda strange.. The agents seemed to think so too.. Another is the "KILT" audio which was recorded at the time the bulletins first hit the air that afternoon. http://vasthead.com/Radio/KILT/KILT_1963_11-22.mp3 Now, obviously there are problems in the info they are getting.. IE: they thought LBJ was shot at one point. The part I thought was sort of interesting is the first details of the shooting, the first details of the wound locations.. The first reports aired, claimed the shots seem to come from the grassy knoll.. :/ It was a bit later that they also started looking at the buildings behind them also.. Also, the first reports of the wound location claim he was shot in the temple, from the front.. :/ I have also seen reports that the first doctors that looked at him thought he was shot from the front, and reported as such, but this was changed later.. Myself, I dunno.. I'm kinda mixed on whether Oswald was the lone gunman.. My gut instinct tells me he was not alone, but I'm not quite sure I would want to label the goverment as being in on the scheme. It's possible some members of government might have been in on it though. IE: if they had mob connections, etc.. I'm still not totally convinced the mob didn't have something to do with it. And having a "mobster" IE: Ruby, kill the shooter is just like something the mob would cook up to keep him quiet. And Ruby did have some mob connections so they say. And the mob had a motive of sorts.. #1, JFK had that mob guy up in Chicago not too happy with him.. And #2, RFK was constantly on their butts about one thing or another. I won't even get into all the Cuban stuff.. He had people mad at him for that deal... It's enough to make you wonder sometimes.. I really don't see LBJ being in on it.. Why would anyone tell the VP they are going to kill the prez.. Doesn't really make sense. MK

>What used to be where the driveway is now located? All of the buildings have stairs that lead down to the driveway. It used to be a big parking lot, all the way from the bull @ anchor, to the parking lot that dominoes is on, all the way back to about halfway between chimney rock, and W. bellfort. There used to be a hill of dirt adjoining chimney rock, and many used to ride bikes there. At the south side of the parking lot, "at the back, if you came in on W.Bellfort, there used to be brick stairs that led to an elevated sidewalk. I think originally the sidewalk may have actually connected to the square near rumpleheimers, but in the later years, it was closed off. So they would leave their cars, and instead go up one of the stairways that you see. There were at least two sets.. One at bull @ anchor, and I think there was another one down by where the candle shop used to be. When the square was going, you could pull in the parking lot at the entrance at B @ A, and drive all the way around, across the back, and then you could come back out at the east entrance which was near dominoes.. All in the middle was parking spaces, the usual westbury square type of parking lot lights, etc.. You can probably see most of that still intact on the '95 picture recently posted. MK

Yea, I remember Marios now... I forgot all about that place.. It was still there when I moved here.. So I guess they left, and Al-Beto's came in sometime between 69 and say 72 or so.. I started working there about 73 I think. I think that location is now about where the lumber is in Home despot... MK

Those are pretty early pictures.. I never saw westbury square with grass around the piazza.. When I moved here in 69, all that was already covered up with cement, tiles, etc... Was wall to wall covered, with no grass anywhere. So I'd guestimate that card was from the early to mid 60's..Judging from the clothes worn, I'd say about 63-64-65?? The middle pix shows where I worked in the early 70's.. "Al -betos". "The shop with the red door" But... In that pix, the sign seems to not say Al-betos, but something else.. So maybe that was a different restaurant at that time..?? Hard to read the sign though... I remember I used to like to buy the short scented candles from the candle shop.. They would have wood bins full of those things, in all flavors and scents... You could buy them fairly cheap.. I used to like the Vanilla scented ones... Strawberry was pretty good too.. MK

What really kicked off the decline of Westbury Square was the Gallaria. When it first opened, it was quite a big deal with all the shops, and skating rink, etc. So it drew away quite a bit of people that would have gone to Westbury Square. Also, Westbury Squares shops were more into the sort of offbeat stuff, with some exceptions, where as the Gallaria had a lot of big names, and other smaller shops. Probably more variety in the overall scheme of things. BTW, the building formally known as Exxon is not the same as the Conaco. The Conaco was more on Chimney Rock. I've been trying to decide exactly where it was.. I was thinking pretty close to the corner, near the pizza place, but after thinking about it, it's quite possible it was in the building that now houses one of the car repair places.. It's fenced in now, and has junk cars laying around. I think that might have been the old Conaco, but I'm still not totally sure as it's been so long. In fact... It's possible the car repair joint was once a different station, and the Conoco was closer to the corner at W. Bellfort, but I may be way off on that... But I used to buy gas at that Conaco when I first started driving, so I know it was more on Chimney Rock, than Bellfort as far as it's likely address. For some reason I keep thinking the Conoco was near the corner, and you could get to it from either Bellfort by making the curved turn, or Chimney Rock, which would put it about where the Pizza place is. But if not, it was where the car repair place is.. The car repair place at Chimney Rock and Burdine was once a Gulf station, with a 7-11 next door. A red brick Texaco was across the street where the present newer store/gas station is. For some reason, I'm thinking the discount tire might have been a gas station also at some point, but time is killing my memory... I should know what it was before, but danged if I can remember... It's just not something I've thought about through the years to keep in my brain... :/ It may have been a different company auto repair, or tire shop. I don't think firestone though, as firestone was in the weingartens center. The auto repair place in that center was the old firestone. I remember I bought my first portable shortwave radio there. "Philco". That was about 1971.. Actually, that repair place doesn't look too bad. It's enclosed, and no junk cars laying around. It's the places that have the fenced areas, "both on Chimney Rock", that look the worst. They have lots of junk, cars, etc laying around... The one north of W. Bellfort being the worst usually. Wrecked cars, boats, junk, etc.. I've never really minded the place at the weingartens center.. It's never had that problem. Once they close their doors, there is not much to see really.. MK

Yea, CVS pulled out not too long ago. Is the shoe shop still there? I haven't actually looked lately. It was run by an old guy that was once in a nazi concentration camp. He had the numbers on his arm to prove it. His son took it over as far as I know. His name is Alex, and is usually over at the S. Post Oak location by Annies burger joint. MK

I knew a few people that lived on Cedarhurst. I think Cunningham was probably the one at W. Bellfort and Post Oak. I can't remember what name the one in the centerette had, but I remember it being open when I moved here in 69. Dugans was the one next to Weingartens. In it's prime, the Bellfort side of the centerette was pretty full. You had U-totem, a barber shop, a womens hair salon, a Baskin Robbins , a cleaners, and Toby's adult beverage store. *hic* The enco/exxon.. I wish I could buy gas for that price now.. Also...There was once a Conaco station about where the Pizza place is now.. I almost forgot about that place... But I used to go there when I first started driving. It sticks out, cuz they used to sell 5 grades of gas back then. Course, I used premium, as I drove a 65 impala with a 396... :/ At one time, I guy I knew had a A/C and heat office in one of those back in the 80's. They sold stuff like solar water heaters, etc.. Scarfed many a burger/taco/whatever at Jack in the Crack.. We used to hang out there late at night in the summer back in the 70's... Used to have the front sliding window you could order if on foot.. The "Weingartens" center has been there a while too. When I moved here, it was Weingartens, a Dugans drug, Brittains broiler burger, a shoe shop, the barber shop, a TG&Y. A firestone. Maybe more, but I ferget... Of course, back then the bank was Westbury Square National Bank. Of all those the barber shop still lives in basically the same location and even chair config... :/ Not sure about the shoe shop.. I knew the owners of that, and I know he also has one on S Post Oak, but not sure if he still owns the one on Bellfort or not. If so, it's pretty much the same too I'm sure. MK

Don't remember Yumbo ham-burger, but yea, Mels...Thats the name..Pretty sure. I also wonder what will ever become of the bowling alley. They have it fenced up, but it all pretty much looks intact. Been vacant for a long time.. At least I think it's vacant... I don't know when it was built, but I guess in the late 50's judging from the way it used to look inside.. It used to have a little restarant inside at the front. It seems to be there in the 1960 pix. MK

I flew into IAH in Nov 1969. That was when we moved here from K.C. Came in on a braniff 727.. That was when all the braniff planes had the funky day glo colors.. I think ours was kind of a baby doo-doo green.. :/ I didn't see much of it, just where we actually went in the terminal. But I remember it being nearly brand new. MK

That would make sense, as the info I read on the "silver dollar" Jim West, that liked to ride around with the police, died in about 1957 or thereabouts.. I didn't realize they had two of them. MK

Dunno, knowing past Houstonians, that story might not be so far fetched.. Sounds like something they might do, if money was flush, and they really wanted to impress the prez.. MK

I think he was the one that used to keep silver dollars in racks at his house. He used to have servants polish them up real shiny.. Then he would take a bunch of them and go ride around town in his limo throwing them at the poor lessers that would come across his path. While he was doing that, the servants at home would be refilling the racks with fresh polished dollars for his next trip around town. Course, I might be mistaking him for someone else, but I think it was him. This tale was told in the book, "blood and money", the story about John and Joan Hill in river oaks. MK

I also have some video of the 73 snow, taken in Westbury. I converted it to file, but have never got around to uploading it anywhere.. MK

Here in my house in Westbury, it seems the same as it's ever been. No one messes with me. I'll give them a free ventilation service if they bust through my door. The neighborhood I'm in is no more dangerous than it was in the 70's-80's.. Looks about the same too.. As another note on Westbury Square.. I was reading a book called "hairy legged men".. Naw, just kidding, it was called "sharp dressed men".. A storybook about ZZ top and their adventures or maybe misadventures at times... :/ I noticed that ZZ Top was "legally" born at 602 Westbury Square, on June 20, 1969. Being it's been so long since I wandered through there, I forgot where "602" was.. Fer some reason, I'm thinking in the offices above the old pizza place, but I'm not sure.. Course, in 1969, ZZ Top was Dan M Mitchell, Bill Gibbons, and Lanier H. Greig jr. MK

1965 was about the first time I burger kinged. But.. It was the one in Overland Park KS.. And I do remember 35 cent whoppers. When I moved here in 69, I transferred my burger eating duties to the one on Post Oak. I think Whoppers had gone up to about 55 cents by then. Course, that burger king is long gone. I just went to the burger king on Fondren/Bellfort tonight. But two whoppers ran me about 5 bucks plus... Whataburger has also been around quite a while. I think there is one on telephone rd or therabouts that has been there quite a long time. It was built before the orange paint scheme they use now if I remember right. I think it had the weird roof angles, but was mostly white. But.. I might be confused.. Wouldn't be the first time.. MK

Yep, and you can even make out the "star" that is in the yard of Domain Privee. You can also see all the old Meyer Property pretty well, if thats what I think it is, around where is now Meyer Park. Also a good shot of willow, gasmer back in the older days. Those two streets are some of the oldest in that area. Gasmer and willow were noted on the old 1942 planning map. On Willow, you can see houses that line along willow waterhole bayou. When I was going to Westbury in the early 70's, that one close the the bayou was already a deserted house, falling apart. Most of the area lining gasmer would later grow up to be pretty thickly wooded. In that pix, pretty bald looking. Course, no Westbury Hi yet, but they had the old watertower up already. Ditto for the one on W. Bellort near where the Meyer library would end up being. I moved here in 69, nine years after that pix was taken. By that time, most of the areas had been filled in as far as Meyerland, even north of the bayou. I don't know what year Chimney Rock was completed past Braeswood, but it must have been in the earlier 60's. It had all been there a while in 69. Two lane W. Bellfort wasn't completed past Fondren until after I had moved here. Maybe about 1970 it was done.. Westbury Centerette at W. Bellfort Chimney Rock was one of the first completed shopping centers in Westbury. The old original sign that has a clock on it is still there, as are most all the original buildings. There has been a laundrymat in that center ever since I've been here. I bet it was new and existed there in that pix.. On W. Bellfort at that center, there used to be a Exxon for a long time. But in that picture, it almost looks like a different building was there at that time. It seems to extend closer to Bellfort than all the rest of the buildings that held the U-totem, barber shop, etc.. But in later years, that exxon gas station building was nearly even with all the rest of the buildings. Or so I remember anyway.. There was a Baskin Robbins in that center too back then.. Course, in the late 60's, 70's a jack n the box was west of that center. Later to be scrapped and replaced with the autozone, pizza joint, cell tower, etc.. Too bad you can't see the S. Main golf course, etc.. You can see the bowling alley on Post Oak. Also seems to be the Post Oak Ranch BarBQ was there too at that time. In 1970, that Bar B Q was supposed to have already been there at least 30 years.. A friend of mine worked there then. So that would place it being there in the 40's. I still go there every once in a while when I get the chance. great bar bq... I'm gonna ask Moses, "the current owner" if he knows what year that place first opened. He probably knows I bet. He's been there quite a while now himself. But I still remember the old original owner too. MK

I forgot myself... Seems it was somewhere around that year. They also once ran a Nascar championship race there I think in the early 70's. If I remember right, one of the Allisons won that race. I went to Meyer a few times. Of course, living in Westbury, we could hear the races here at the house every Sat night. MK

He showed up at his high school reunion..There is a web site somewhere that has a few pix.. I've got them on one of my drives somewhere.. He was decked out in his african wig as usual.. I've oft speculated that the main reason he wears that thing is that he's probably going bald... :/ MK

Now that I think about it, I think Gupton was the principal when I was there. Pepper and Lodge were both assistants. I think Washington came along when I was a junior and was a third assistant/coach, or something along those lines. Hard to believe thats already been 30 years ago.. I just was recording and editing some old 8mm stuff from the late 60's, early 70s. Some is at surfside, and some was in Westbury. IE: I've got video of the 1973 snow, and it was shot on W. Bellfort near Mullins. I still remember that snow.. I was in 10th grade. It's never even come close to that snow here since then. I made a appx 4mb clip of that snow video for online use. I'll try to post it sometime later. Gotta see if I have that much room left. I may need to delete some old junk. MK

I think you mean the nursury and Bar-B-Q that was on Willowbend just east of the RR tracks. I remember that Bar B Q place from when we moved here. We went there a few times, but eventually it burned down. Post Oak Ranch Bar B Q is still on Post Oak. They have some pretty good stuff too. PO ranch has been there a long time. Next time I'm in there, I'll see if anyone knows when if first opened. I remember the old owner from the 60's-70's, and then he sold it to a guy named Moses. He was there probably through the 80's, 90's. I'm not sure, but think Moses might have recently sold it to someone else, but I'm not sure. I remember the Willowbend Bar -B Q having loads of cowboy artifacts hung up in the dining room.. Hummm.. Now that I think about it, I think the Bar B Q land itself became a nursury.. At the moment, I think it's unused, but I'd have to double check. I drive by there quite often. MK