Oak Cliff Cabs

Oak Cliff Cabs was a subdivision of City Transportation Company, which held the city franchise (ie monopoly) on cab service in Dallas beginning in 1937. In the early sixties questions arose about the financial status of and the poor service accorded by City Transportation. Eventually the company was sold to a new owner, and the name was changed to Yellow Cabs.

The Oak Cliff office was located at 938 W. Davis St., at or near the NW corner of Davis & Polk.

Harvest House Cafeteria

Harvest House was part of a small chain of cafeterias with locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Georgia and Missouri. Their first foray into Texas (and east of the Mississippi) was a cafeteria in 1959 at the newly constructed Bigtown mall in Mesquite. It must have been a success, because soon afterward it was announced a second cafeteria would open in late 1960 or early 1961 as part of Phase Two of the brand new South Oak Cliff Shopping Center at Kiest and Lancaster. The 35-acre mall-type shopping center was slated to be a "complete 1-stop regional center" and expected to draw 20,000 cars a day. Both of these Texas locations were still in business in 1966, but in 1967 all the fixtures and equipment of the Lancaster-Kiest business were auctioned off. It is unclear what happened to the rest of the Harvest House Cafeterias, including the one at Bigtown.

Kidd Springs Park

Kidd Springs Lake, ca 1908

Before Oak Cliff became a part of Dallas, the community debated about using Kidd Springs as a water supply. It was thought an infinite supply of water could be had if only an artesian well could access the source. Questions remained about the chemical content of the water, and I can find no mention of actual drilling of a well. In the early 1900s Kidd Springs was a popular place for picnics, and it is often mentioned as a destination of Dallas society. People began building homes in the verdant area, and in 1921 the city of Dallas annexed the community of Kidd Springs Heights.

Kidd Springs bridge & inlet, ca 1907

Kidd Springs Swimming Pool, ca 1959

Kidd Springs Swimming Pool opened in May 1959. The pool cost $74,000 and was built to replace a permanently-closed pool at Lake Cliff Park.

Cliff Chicken Shack

We don’t mean to CROW but We Know Our Chicken

I found mention of Cliff Chicken Shack as early as August 1936, which means it may have pre-dated the more well-known Leslie’s Chicken Shack by several years. It may have been the first drive-in fried chicken joint in Oak Cliff. In 1942 the proprietor was listed as J.B. Cohen (or J.R. Cohen). By 1951, the Shack was out of business, and the building at 519 W. Davis (at the northeast corner at Llewellyn) had become Laden’s Food Market. The location was by turns a wholesale sandwich company, hardware store, carpet company, and an auto paint & body shop. In 2009 the unlucky site was home to Honduras Tire Shop.

Charco Broiler

Way before Chick-fil-A’s fiberglass cows there was the giant brown cow atop Charco Broil (or Broiler). In the late 1950s the address at 413 W. Jefferson was home to R L Watson Co., “Dallas’ Home of Fabulous Bargains”, an appliance store where you could buy an automatic portable(!) dishwasher or a TV set. Advertisements in the spring of 1962 announced the closing of the Jefferson store (there was a 2nd store on Lovers Lane). Sometime between 1962 and 1968 the site became Charco Broil, the home of Famous Sizzling Steaks. In 1975 one advertised bargain was a Rib Eye Steak Special for $15.99, which included Texas Toast, Salad, and a Baked Potato. Take that, fiberglass cows!

I seem to remember that cow used to be on another taller building, and that it was moved to the present location in the 1980s, but my memory’s not so good. Can anyone confirm or dispute it?

 

At one time there were two additional locations:

6417 Hillcrest  across from SMU

1612 S. Buckner Blvd.  in Pleasant Grove

Joe Pool

Our newest local lake is named for the last elected Democrat Representative of the Third Congressional District. Joe Pool (1911-1968) graduated from Adamson (then Oak Cliff High School) and attended SMU before embarking on a political career that eventually resulted in his election to Congress in 1962. This sign is likely from 1967 when Pool was re-elected. He died mid-term in 1968.

Freez-Ette Drive-Inn

Photo by Tom Collins

Opening day at the Freez-Ette, 2302 W. Clarendon at Hampton, circa 1952. Freez-Ette was a soft serve ice milk product developed by dairy farmer Frank S. Nelson, from Hunt County. In 1932 he began selling his product under an umbrella, but business was so good he developed a small industry. Nelson Manufacturing Company on Industrial Blvd would supply all materials to get you started with your own drive in malt shop. In 1954 Nelson estimated there were a hundred locations across several states. This site is now a small strip mall.

typical Freez Ette circa 1954