Flashback : Dallas

Magnolia Petroleum Co. ad (detail), 1955

by Paula Bosse

In the previous post, “White Rock Station,” I wrote about the opening of a new passenger depot that had been built to serve suburban travelers along the new stretch of Santa Fe track laid between Dallas and Denton in 1955, opening up direct through-travel to Chicago. This was big news, and as was the charming custom back then, when a new business endeavor opened or expanded, other businesses (often direct competitors) placed ads in the local papers to welcome them and wish them well.

Here are a few of the ads that appeared in December, 1955 to promote/congratulate the new line. I’ve chosen these details of ads because they feature illustrations of the city’s skyline — I always love to see the Dallas skyline in ads, but I particularly like the style of commercial art from this period.

At the top is a detail from an ad placed by the Magnolia Petroleum Company, with the tag-line “Main Line to Progress.”

Next, a cool detail from a Hutchings-Sealy National Bank of Galveston advertisement.

And, lastly, a detail from a large double-page Santa Fe Railroad ad.

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Sources & Notes

The previous Flashback Dallas post on this new Santa Fe line and its two new depots in Dallas and Denton can be found here.

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Copyright © 2015 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.