Some of my Dad's original type (right) CLICK ON PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW |
In 1943 Peg & Oliver Theophilus moved to Alpine with Peggy Anne, as Ollie was serving in the Army Air Corp at the Marfa Army Air Base.
View Martin Mom's letter about first day in Alpine (moving from Ohio) February 15, 1943 • Page 1 Page 2
When the war ended, they went back to Ohio. After a short time they decided that they missed the Alpine area and folks they'd come to know (Ohio winters helped the decision as well). When Ollie returned to Alpine a huge snow storm had come through and the train station had burned down. They moved anyway. Mr. & Mrs Crerar (Peg's parents) said they would move from Cleveland, Ohio as well IF Peg & Ollie had a red haired boy. On April 8, 1946 Buddy (Martin) was born and shortly thereafter the Crerars did move to Alpine.
Ollie first worked as a book keeper for LaBeff Motors. He also soon became a printer and he & Peg (with the help of all the family members) began turning out the Shoppers Guide Press ad publication (see below). Ollie later added the San Angelo, El Paso and Odessa newspaper delivery service. This included picking up the Odessa papers in Monahans during the week and delivering them to Imperial, Grandfalls, Balmorphea, Ft. Davis, Marfa, Alpine and Marathon. On Saturday night, the Sunday Odessa paper was picked up at the Odessa press office and again distributed around West Texas. Peggy and Buddy both drove the routes around the area and were accompanied by numerous friends (John King, Tom Karvonen, Kathy Karvonen, Sue Bradford, Carol Avant, George Cooley, Robert Graham and others).
Peg earned a couple of masters degrees at Sul Ross and taught school in Marathon, as well as art, wood working, pottery, jewelry, painting and leather work classes in Alpine. The family added magazine and book distribution services and eventually opened the office as a book and Hallmark card shop.
Previously I'd included one issue of my parents' Shopper's Guide. While going through boxes of old family documents, I found many of the early issues. So I've digitized them. They provide an interesting perspective of the businesses in Alpine from the late 1940's to the early '50's. My Mom created the artwork and you'll notice "art by Peg Theophilus" on some of the issues. I don't know all the details, however it seems they joined the Alpine Chamber of Commerce and the business ads were to promote Alpine businesses. These "Guides" were mailed out to some 1,500 folks at some point. When I was 3 in 1949, Dr. Lockhart sent me to El Paso for an exam of a large mass in the abdomen. It turned out to be a Welms tumor. It and my left kidney were removed November 5, 1949. Thus the gap in the Shopper's Guide issues for November, December 1949 and January 1950. I remember everyone including my grandparents, the Crerars, gathering around tables in our living room putting the issues together.
This group of issues (and I'll add more if I find them) begins with their initial mockup. Everything including the lettering was hand drawn with some typed date and issue numbers, then content later.
Their initial issues included many of Alpine long time businesses including: Adams' "M" System; Alpine Appliance; Alpine Butane; Alpine Cash Grocery; Alpine Drug Store; Alp Inn; Alpine Iron Works; Alpine Lumber Company; Alpine Package Store; Alpine Super Market; Big Bend Drug; Big Bend Feed; Big Bend Motors; Big Bend Nursery; Big Bend Photo and Curio Shop; Big Bend Plumbing; Brewster County Motors; C.G. Morrison; Chambers Appliance; City Drug; Coats Optometry; Conner's Laundry; Cross & Cross; Delux Cleaners; Elite Beauty Shop; Gard's Concrete; Granada Theater; Green Cafe; Henderson; Henry Bailey Motor Company; Hord Motors; J.C. Penney; Kandy Kitchen; King Beauty Shop; King Butane; LaBeff-Ritter Motors; Linn's; Mac's Drive-in; Model Cleaners; Nelon's Locker Plant; Norilla's Gift Shop; Oasis Flowers; Pop's Place; Shepperd Jewelers; Smith Furniture; Stambaugh Auto; Storey-Whiteside Lumber; Stucke's Mobilgas; Texas Cafe; The Fabric Shop; The Holland Hotel; The Model Shop; Newsom Electric; Texas Mattress; Toltec Cafe; Treadwell Lumber; Valerie; Western Auto;Williams and Vogt Grocery; White's Highland Village; Winter Cleaners; Wright's Hospital; and many more.
Some interesting items include:
Movies at the Granada (beginning January 16, 1947);
KVLF radio programming (beginning January 16, 1947);
Air conditioning at the Texas Cafe (April 23, 1947);
Alpine Cowboy baseball games (May 20, 1948)
J.C. Penney Co. held a grand opening on April 9, 1948. Remember the pulley delivery system from the front to upstairs?
Antelope Lodge opens (August 5, 1948)
Shoppers Guide now Alpine and Marfa (December 2, 1948)
Dairy Queen (April 7, 1949)
Drive In Theater - Marfa Highway west of second underpass (June 30, 1949)
New modernized City Drug Grand Opening (July 28, 1949)
Alpine Lumber Company celebrates newly remodeled home - since 1906 (May 31, 1950)
White's Highland Village (October 1, 1950)
Some interesting events:
Alpine Air Mail service to begin February 21, 1948;
Meeting to create tri-county Public Health Unit March 8 '48;
May 20, '48 T. J. Tidwell Carnival;
Second Annual Alpine Rodeo May 14, 15 and 16,1948;
Eventually they began picking up ads from Marfa, then Fort Davis. By April 8, 1948 circulation coverage included: Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon, Marfa, Presidio, Sanderson, the Big Bend Park and area ranches. The art and layouts improved over time.
Click on the Shopper's Guide cover, or the link below to view the full issue.
and January 1950
Not published
Complimentary theater pass from Granada Theater's Fred Jack for ads in Shopper's Guide Press
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