Big Spring, Texas is a place I would never have explored if my Dad hadn't moved to the Texas State Veterans Home there. It took some time before I began to see it for what it used to be. Dad's former roommate who has lived there all his life also helped by giving me background on some of what I saw.

These are some of the features of Big Spring that I have collected over the years.

The wind plant is south of town on the same outcropping as Signal Mountain (below). What makes these 60 something windmills special is that they were the first full-sized units installed in the US. Their total capacity is 34 MW capacity using Vestas 1.65 MW generators.

One of the neatest things about Big Spring is that it is the winter home for a large population of Sandhill Cranes. They live in marshes along Bealls Creek across the valley from the TSVH. Each evening the sky over the Home is filled with honking and calling as flights of these large birds, often 50 or more in each flock, return from a day of foraging in nearby fields.

This bridge is ancient. I was unable to find any kind of date on it, possibly because the concrete is so weathered any trace of its construction date has eroded away. It was on the Old Snyder Highway (TX305) but now  a nice new, boring one carries the highway a couple of blocks to the east.

The surface is the original brick except the crown which is  . . . something. Concrete or steel with asphalt overlay, I think. This had to have been built in the 20s.

It crosses the railroad tracks and Bealls Creek.

These are pictures of Howard College (Howard County is where Big Spring is.). This is a  local junior college whose biggest claim to fame is its nursing program. Many of the buildings were built by donors and there are several endowments which contribute to its success.

Frankly, I was disappointed in the campus; this is one of the most nondescript colleges I've ever seen. The buildings mostly look alike and the main entrance doesn't lead to the rest of the campus.

Nice landscaping though; the trees were nice relief on a hot Texas day!

Like all West Texas towns, water usually determined the locations. This is no exception; Bealls Creek and the Big Spring, a water hole for centuries for the Native Americans, define Big Spring as well as gives it its name. Bealls Creek runs through the town but has been channelized as part of the flood control project. Looks more like a drainage ditch than a live stream.

The creek is one of the sources of water for the town but much of it comes from wells. The tap water on the south side of town is distinctive: the iced tea at Pizza Hut has a unique sulfurous "bouquet"!

The spring is an even sadder story. It now barely flows due to the irrigation pumping to the west of town. The lake below the spring is supplemented with city water.

The rock amphitheater was a WPA project and is still used for plays.

This is the old high school (The newer sign on the front says junior high.). It takes up four city blocks and is unused, probably because of asbestos. It is a wonderful building in a superb location overlooking downtown. But, like many situations in the US, it is cheaper to build new than remodel the old.

The Settles Hotel is the tallest structure in Big Spring by far. It is 14 stories of brick construction built in the boom times of the 20s. Like the high school, it is vacant and unwanted. The last owner got it at a tax sale then went through and ripped out all the antique plumbing and light fixtures . Everyone expects it to go back to the county again for taxes.

The Veterans Administration Hospital is a major facility in West Texas. Veterans come from a hundred miles away for medical care and prescriptions. My Dad got his cataract surgery done here. This hospital was built in the 30s.

Signal Hill, just south of town, was used by Native Americans for sending "smoke signals". Obviously it is still used for the same purpose but the frequency of the signals has increased a lot! [Note: See the correction about this picture and remarks in the comments section.]

Signal Hill is an outcrop of the Edwards Plateau which begins here and stretches to the coastal plains of Texas.

The city auditorium is of a unique architectural style. I thought it was a Masonic Lodge when I first saw it!

The Viet Nam War Memorial is a moving memorial to the veterans of Big Spring. It is a large memorial for the size of the city, probably due to its long-time ties to the military. The monument itself is an amazingly detailed map of South Viet Nam (click on the picture to see more detail) in a circle of walls faced with granite blocks bearing the names of veterans from Big Spring. There is also a chapel with more information about deceased local veterans. There is also a medevac chopper (a UH-1D), an F-14, a tank, and a helicopter gunship (a Cobra).

The Memorial is on the west side on the grounds of the old Air Force base. The mountain behind the park is Scenic Mountain, another prominence of the Edwards Plateau.

These are some of the old buildings in the downtown area. Big Spring hasn't pushed "urban renewal" and torn them down. The town just spreads out more! This does preserve the historical structures of the city.

The Petroleum Building is the largest office building in the city. It is empty and no sign of it's returning to it's former glory. Note the elaborate lamps on each side of the entry.

The bank building, with the Petroleum Building behind it, was the State National Bank. It is also vacant but appears in better condition inside.

Maybe someday someone with the financial means will bring the many neat old buildings back to life. But probably not, judging from the histories of towns and cities all over our nation. The automobile has changed the form of communities, leaving center cities to decay.Or be demolished.