Saturday, December 20, 2014

River Oaks: “A veritable wildlife sanctuary”

      On January 23, 1925, an advertisement in the Houston Chronicle promised that River Oaks, Houston’s newest residential development, would be a fine place for wildlife, “one that will not be polluted with gasoline fumes and the furry and feathered creatures will not be frightened by the roar of motor cars.”
       Hmmm.
       This was a reasonable hope in 1924, when live oaks and loblolly pines were the only residents of River Oaks. Jungles of underbrush furnished homes for snakes. Wild violets shared the land with oceans of mud. When the first lots were offered for sale, the developers ordered two truckloads of rubber boots so that prospective buyers could tramp around in the muck.
       Individual lots at 64 by 100 feet went for $2,000. For that, in the 1920s, you could live in River Oaks.
       Hmmm. 

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