This is a photograph of a Crazy Water Hotel Pamphlet, stating what entertainments could be found in the hotel, and what millions of others have done. The manager at the time was A. H. Hoaldridge.

This photograph illustrates a fold-out brochure of the Crazy Hotel with various scenic views of things to see and do around the city, along with different modes of transportation to and from Mineral Wells.

This picture, showing Baker Hotel and the First Methodist Church, was taken approximately in 1938. The church, pictured here, shows a later second story to the building on the side of the church proper. It is known to be the second Methodist church on the site. Older photographs of its predecessor are at this time [2014] lacking.

This photograph shows two vehicles in the Crazy Crystals Parade in 1936. One of the vehicles (a van) is decorated with Crazy Crystals Shipping Boxes. It is covered with streamers on the hood, door handle, the running board, and all the tires--including its spare. The car following it is black with white panels in the doors. It also has streamers on the hood. Apart from the printed legend on the base of the photograph, there is no further information available about this photograph.

Fishermen stand below a cataract of the spillway of Lake Mineral Wells. The photograph was taken in 1938. On the reverse of the picture is the and-written legend: Picture taken by A. F. Weaver. This picture is featured in "Time Was in Mineral Wells...." on page 112.

Pictured here is the Lion's Club "Woman-less Wedding", a Community Entertainment Production sponsored by the local Lion's Club as a fund-raiser for local charity, and popular around the 1930's and 1940's. Participants are identified as: Seated; J. B. Courtney (Miss Fortune), Charles Williams and Noble Glenn (Miss Applied). Standing; Cary Lodal, Dr. Holder, Bob Joiner, Jess Purvine, Cecil Young, Charlie Johnson and Frank Burney (Mae West).

A copy of a newspaper clipping, the caption identifies members of the Mineral Wells Mounted Police "57 years ago." Identified are: "Uncle Billy Wood" on his white horse (not a member of the force); Bob Pate; Paul Craig; Jim Barrett, probably Chief of Police at the time; Paul Granbury. All are reported to be deceased at time of printing. The picture was furnished to the paper courtesy Mrs. Paul Granbury. The sign on the building at the far left of the picture has been tentatively identified as a Livery Stable. Though the sign is visible, the distance has made its contents extremely obscure. The first city hall was located at the corner of First Avenue and Third Street, with a fence to hold impounded livestock. The rounding up of stray livestock was the primary duty of the mounted police in 1910. Two more more individuals were also forbidden to fight in public; no-one was permitted to use obscene language; playing cards for liquor. The renting of houses for the playing of cards was also forbidden. Teams were not allowed to be unhitched while attached to wagons, and vagrants were fined $10- In short, the police team were kept busy. These …

Found on page 158 of "TIME WAS In Mineral Wells" by A. F. Weaver, the caption to this picture reads, "Entrance to the original Camp Wolters around the 1930's. This entrance was located near and behind the present National Guard Armory." The Texas National Guard 112th Cavalry Service Troop maintained an armory on West Mountain, from a time before 1923. The hill itself was dubbed "Cavalry Hill." The Service Troop was later re-named 124th Cavalry, Troop F--which attained to fame as part of the task force that cleared the Burma Road in World War II. Camp Wolters was built for summer training of the Texas National Guard in 1927. It was to be used for a minimum of three weeks each year. The famous CCC (The Civilian Conservation Corps) stayed in the camp in 1930, and built several of the rock structures in the camp--and also around Mineral Wells. The original site had sen many uses: It was a P.O.W. camp for German prisoners taken during World War II; it was Texas National Guard property; and it was later given over to commercial use. An embedded star that was once on the headquarters of the parade ground of the original …

Panoramic photograph of Lake Mineral Wells. An island, visible in the center of this picture, was initially accessible only by boat; but a wooden walkway eventually connected it to the concrete dam.

A picture of the Crystal Production Line is shown here. On the back of the photograph is typed: CRYSTALS WERE THEN PACKED INTO GREEN AND WHITE BOXES AND RUN DOWN THE CONVEYOR WHERE GIRLS PLACED THE LIDS. AT THE END OF THE BELT A MACHINE WRAPPED THE BOX IN CELLOPHANE. PHOTO 1930

This picture shows a post-card of the sign. It also represents the original version of the picture of the Crazy Sign. A colorized version, by A. F. Weaver, may be found under the title [Crazy Sign]. It was constructed in 1933 over East Hubbard Street, (later to become part of the Bankhead Highway--later still, US Highway 180) in the center of Mineral Wells. It was quite a landmark as it was one of only two signs allowed by by the Texas Department of Transportation to span a highway maintained by the state agency. The sign was torn down on December 24, 1958. The choice of Christmas Eve was made, it was declared, because there would be a minimum of traffic on that day. The sign was later salvaged for scrap. . Information about the sign was taken, for the most part, from A.F. Weaver's "Time Was..." on page 30.

Men and women are shown here packaging Crazy Water Crystals. Mineral water was evaporated, and the resulting crystal deposits were gathered and packaged in various sizes for shipment throughout the United States. Written on back of this photograph is: "Pkg Crazy Crystals 1930's" and the name "Buster."

Products were developed to satisfy the public's search for health during the heyday of the Mineral Wells Health Industry. One of these was Crazy Fiz. Carbon dioxide was infused into mineral water under pressure to create a "Sparkling water" drink labeled "Crazy Fiz." The women in this photograph of the Crazy Water Crystal plant are packaging the Crazy Fiz for distribution. On the back of the photograph is printed "Crazy Fiz 1930's."

Men are shown here loading boxes of Crazy Crystals onto railroad boxcars. Crazy Water Crystals were shipped nationwide in response to demand created by radio advertising. This scene is typical of the activity required to load boxcars to meet the demand for "instant Mineral Water." Printed on back of the photograph is: "Loading Crazy Crystals 1930."

This photograph appears to be taken from a picture post-card, which includes the old Methodist Church, the Baker Hotel Garden, the Baker Water Storage Building, and the Welcome Sign on East Mountain. It is a rare view. The home of Druggist Dr. C. F. Yeager on NE 2nd Street in the picture was still standing at the time of this picture. During construction of his Hotel, Mr. Baker visited Hot Springs, Arkansas; and he was so impressed with the Arlington Hotel that he stopped building construction, and moved the hotel a block further west. He converted the basement, already built, into a swimming pool (only the second hotel known to have a pool at the time), and an underground laundry. The Methodist church has since been rebuilt, the water storage building has been removed, and the "Welcome" sign has been relocated further east to greet visitors from its new location overlooking Elmwood Cemetery.

Identifying information on this photograph is lacking, but it appears to portray a supervisor in the Crazy Bottling/Crystals Plant catching up on the paperwork produced by a day's business.

A note on back of this photograph states, "Crazy Fiz, 1930's." It apparently shows a section of the Crazy Water Bottling Company, where carbonation of the mineral water converted it to a "Crazy Fiz", a product similar to the popular carbonated soft drinks of the day. It was also bottled and packaged for shipment here.

Handwriting on the back of this photograph identifies it as "Crazy Fiz 1930s" It is a section of the Crazy Water Bottling Plant, where carbon dioxide appears to have been added to the mineral water in order to compete with the popular soft drinks of the era. Note the bottling machine in the right foreground of the picture. Women are packing the carbonated "fizz water" for shipment.

A view of Mineral Wells from East Mountain, looking West-Northwest is shown here. The Crazy Hotel is visible in the near-left part of the picture, and the Nazareth Hospital in the middle-left, a block Northwest of the Crazy The Norwood Clinic (with its stately white columns), a block northeast of the Nazareth, is located near the center of the picture.

The Gibson Well Company purchased the Sangura-Sprudel property in 1908 for the sum of $30,000. It was to be operated as the Gibson Well property thereafter. An unnamed company shipped twenty-five carloads of water to an equally anonymous firm in Chicago in March of that year. The Gibson Well, Pavilion, and Park property covered the entire block, bordered by NW 2nd and 3rd Avenues and NW 6th and 7th Streets. The Gibson Well buildings were on the north side of the block, and the Crazy Water Well Company Bottling Plant was across NW 2nd Avenue--to the east. The Crazy Well Company maintained ambitions to build a large plant to the north of the Gibson Block, at 300 NW 7th Street, in 1921. Two buildings remained of the Gibson Well property in the 1920's, but the land was still used as a park. 1927 saw the operation of the Crazy Hotel (It was reputed to be the "Center of Everything in Mineral Wells") with its park at 300 NW 6th Street. Hence, the name of the park in the title. The property now [2008] belongs to, and is occupied by, the First Christian Church.

A group of businessmen and ranchers are shown at Inspiration Point in the 1920's. From left, they are (unknown); Mr. Henry Penix; Mr. Bowman; Mssrs. Henry and Charlie Fowler. Note the spurs on the boots of the Fowlers, and the cigars in the hands of Mssrs. Penix and Bowman. Inspiration Point, overlooking the Brazos in Southeast Palo Pinto County about ten miles south of Mineral Wells, commands a vast panoramic view of the rugged river valley stretching for miles below the viewer. It was a noted scenic attraction during the heyday of one of America's most popular health resorts. Inspiration Point is not available to the general public at this time, as it is located on private property.

This is apparently the picture of a picture of a fund-raiser performed by the Lion's Club. It consisted of a play in which men all played the roles of women. Identified (in print) are the three "ladies" in front: J. B Courtney (Miss Fortune), Charles Williams, and Noble Glenn (Miss Applied). Also identified (in holograph) is Cecil Young, third from the right, presumably among the standing "ladies."

According to A. F. Weaver, in his book "Time was in Mineral Wells", the Crazy Radio Theatre broadcast from the lobby of the Crazy Hotel in Mineral Wells over the Texas Quality Network. The show's origin is said to be the selling of "Crazy Water Crystals." Identified are Hal Collins (Manager of the Crazy Hotel), Paul, Ludy, Dick, Jake, Slim. [No last names are given.] Please note the early 12-string steel guitar held by Paul.

The back of the photograph exhibits a note that this picture was copied from the "Burro", which is the Mineral Wells High School yearbook. The "Sewing Room" was a classroom in the Lillian Peek Home Economics building on the grounds of the high school. The Lillian Peek cottage was built by the WPA in 1937, and was the first free- standing house built specifically for Home Economics education in the State of Texas. It was "Current state of the art" when it was completed. The building now [2008] houses the Creative Arts Center, and is used by the local Art Club as an art workshop and museum.