Flashback : Dallas

Cockerell Hill, we salute you!

by Paula Bosse

2022 will soon be history, and I can’t say I’ll be sad to see it go. These recent years have been trying times for many of us. I feel I’ve just been slogging through, hoping that “normal” times will return soon (I implore you, 2023!). 2022 saw the fewest number of new posts from me since I created this blog, a fact which kills me, because I would love nothing more than to do this every day, all day long. (As I mentioned in my previous post: if you know how I can earn a living doing just that, please let me know. Or if you are seeking a Dallas-history researcher (etc.), please contact me!) It’s hard to believe, but I am about to embark on my 10th year of writing about Dallas history here at Flashback Dallas. I’ve really loved it, and I truly appreciate all of you who stop by to read! 

This final post of 2022 showcases the year’s Most Popular Posts, determined by page-views, clicks, likes, shares, etc. These are the most-read Flashback Dallas posts of 2022, starting with the most popular. To see each full post, click on the title; to see larger images of the thumbnails, click on the picture.

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1.  “THE SUNNY SIDE GROCERY — 1915”  (May)

I’m kind of stumped by this one. It was hugely popular when I posted it back in May, and it just keeps getting hits. I have no idea why. I thought the photo was interesting when I saw it, but it’s not that interesting. Perhaps this is just the world’s way of telling me that I need to post more Cockrell Hill content. Represent!

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2.  “TRIPLE UNDERPASS — ca. 1936”  (December)

Wow. This was posted only about a week ago — and it has rocketed all the way up to the #2 spot … for the year. But it totally deserves it. It’s a great photograph. 

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3.  “THE UNIVERSITY PARK BROWN BOOKS — AN UNBELIEVABLE RESOURCE!”  (March)

See my previous post where I listed my personal favorites of 2022 to read my teardrop-dabbing bittersweet overview of this indispensable and amazing resource. …I enjoyed it while I could. 

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4.  “CEDAR CREST, L. O. DANIEL’S COUNTRY HOME”  (SEPTEMBER)

The high ranking of this one surprised me. Perhaps it’s because I am not as familiar with Oak Cliff history and its landmarks as I should be. When I started writing this, I had never heard of this beautiful, historic house (which is still standing). But now I’m a fan.  

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5.  “OLD LAKE HIGHLANDS”  (August)

Team Oak Cliff vs. Team East Dallas. I’m not sure which is more fervent in neighborhood pride, but it’s clear that those groups really love where they live. O.C. just nosed out East Dallas in this list (even though both trailed Cockrell Hill significantly!). The great bird’s-eye-view photo of Old Lake Highlands and White Rock Lake helped rack up strong numbers.

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6.  “WHEN SMU THEOLOGY STUDENTS WERE SPRAYED WITH INSECTICIDE AT A UNIVERSITY PARK LUNCH=COUNTER SIT-IN — 1961”  (January)

This post has shown up in all three “best of” lists this year. In a nutshell: angry man fills his drug store with clouds of bug spray in an attempt to chase off peaceful students protesting his refusal to serve non-white customers at his lunch counter. And there’s film of it. Despite the subject matter, I enjoyed writing this.

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7.  “BETTY AND BENNY FOX, SKY-DANCING IN DALLAS — ca. 1935”  (April)

This post about people doing crazy things in the name of entertainment is also represented in all three “best of” lists. This was a lot of fun to research. (I never did find out how many “Bettys” there were.)

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8.  “3635 BEVERLY DRIVE, THE RESIDENCE OF ARCHITECT ANTON F. KORN — 1926”  (July)

The popularity of this post also surprised me. I was determined to find out the location of this house, but all I had to go on was a grainy photo from an ad for metal window casements. I tracked it down and ended up with something very interesting. Thank you, eBay, for the useful ephemera.

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9.  “ELM & ERVAY — EARLY ’60s”  (June)

I love these photos, but I wish I had higher resolution copies. I almost didn’t post these because the image quality isn’t great. (I’m sure the Dallas Public Library originals — by the fantastic photographer Squire Haskins — are crisp and wonderful.) Lack of sharpness notwithstanding, I love these photos (especially the second one).

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10.  “THE FOUNTAIN: ‘A RESORT FOR GENTLEMEN’ — ca. 1911”  (August)

I’ve looked at SO MANY postcards of Dallas that it’s always a bit of a shock when I come across one I’ve never seen before. Like this one. I love the fact that people were mailing picture-postcards of bars to the fam back home. “Wish you were here!”

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SPECIAL MENTION: Two old posts had more hits than any of the posts above, one of which is a bit sobering: “‘DALLAS IS A MAJOR TARGET AREA! — KNOW WHERE YOUR NEAREST FALLOUT SHELTER IS.” Interest in this post on the threat of nuclear war exploded (as it were) in February, when Russia invaded Ukraine. That post received more hits this year than it has cumulatively in all the years since I originally wrote it in 2018.

The overall most popular post of the year is the perennial #1 Flashback Dallas post of every year since it was originally posted in 2016, “BONNIE PARKER: ‘BURIED IN AN ICE-BLUE NEGLIGEE’ — 1934,” a detailed description of the preparation of Bonnie Parker’s body for burial/viewing.

Top post of all-time remains “HOW TO ACCESS THE HISTORICAL DALLAS MORNING NEWS ARCHIVE,” which, after years of updating, has gotten a bit bloated and is probably quite confusing at this point — it needs to be pared down substantially. Raise a glass, because within the next month or so, this evergreen will finally be toppled from its reign as All-Time Most Popular by memories of Bonnie Parker’s mortician.

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And that wraps it up for 2022, Thank you so much for reading!

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Sources & Notes

See all three 2022 Year-End “best of” lists here.

See all Flashback Dallas Year-End lists — past and present — here. 

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