His name was Jake Hamon. He was an oil man, politician and railroad tycoon from Ardmore, Oklahoma and apparently he had plenty of money. He decided to build a railroad from Breckenridge to Dublin in 1919. There had been big oil strikes near Ranger and in Desdemona, a community 24 miles northwest of Dublin. Transporting all that oil could make a lot of money. Also before and after World War I was the peak of railroad usage in the United States so it looked like the money would never stop. Why not build a new railroad?
The headlines in the newspaper read “Assurance is Given Railroad Will Build” in an article in the August 1, 1919 Dublin Progress. He kept his promise and the railroad made its way to Dublin. With a lot of work by the railroad committee in town and financial backing of the city, the rails passed through the Dublin Waterworks and continued on to join and share the freight station of the Frisco Railroad. As time continued, plans were being made for the Wichita Falls, Ranger and Fort Worth, to move their headquarters here. At the same time the shops of the Frisco were being closed down in other cities with plans to move them to Dublin. Extra track was to be laid in the Frisco switching yard to allow for a turntable, railroad roundhouse, and enlarged freight station. Plans were for the Frisco Railroad to share the facilities with the Wichita Falls, Ranger and Fort Worth. With all the railroad activity here, it looked like Dublin would be a large business center. (Dublin Progress, June 25, 1920)
New passenger service from Wichita Falls to Fort Worth was being routed through the WFR&FW to the Frisco Railroad. Connections were made here in Dublin. (Dublin Progress, July 23, 1920)
Steam engines required a lot of maintenance. All the scale from the boiling water water needed to be cleaned out of the locomotives along with repairing of the wheels and bearings. Because of all this maintenance, plans were made for the WFR&FW to repair their engines in Dublin along with locomotives from the Frisco Railroad. A roundhouse was planned along with a turntable that could direct the locomotives into any one of the 10 bays in the roundhouse. It was also used to turn around the WFR&FW locomotives when they needed to make a return trip to Wichita Falls.
Eventually, the new massive turntable had been completed and work was beginning on the new 10 bay roundhouse. At that time they expected the shops to be completed in 60 days. “All divisional repairs of every sort now being made at Brownwood, Ranger, Breckenridge and Fort Worth will come to the Dublin divisional shops and an influx of two to three hundred families of the working men of the line will have to be arranged for in Dublin.”
(Dublin Progress, October 8, 1920)
The shops must have been built, but not operational, when nine year old Lewis Thompson, was playing on the railroad turntable with some friends. Thompson had his legs hanging off the turntable when friends started to push the turntable around. “In passing the point where the rails lead onto the table, his legs were caught between the two sections. The left leg was broken just above the ankle and both legs were badly lacerated.” It was hoped that the injuries would not be permanent. He was later reported to be recovering at home.(Dublin Progress, November 20, 1920)
It was on November 21, 1920 that Jake Hamon, the wheeler-dealer, oil man and owner of the Wichita Falls, Ranger and Fort Worth was wanting to be a part of President Warren Hardings Presidential Cabinet. The only problem was he had both a wife and a girlfriend. So he needed to make a decision. He was told that he needed to get rid of the girl friend if he was going to be appointed. That evening, his girlfriend was drunk and he was told by a friend not to go upstairs and talk to her. There must have been arguments between the girlfriend and him in the Randol Hotel in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He came downstairs reeling and collapsed in the dining room. A doctor having dinner there discovered that he had been shot. Hamon claimed that he was cleaning his gun when it went off. He died 5 days later. (Wikipedia, Jake Hamon)
(TO BE CONTINUED)