Texas: Not Tall Worried

The west Texas town of Wink (pop. 1,863) enjoyed temporary oil booms and momentary prosperity in 1928 and again in 1936. But since the last riggers and roustabouts moved out. Wink has experienced nothing except silent decay and slow death. Wink's housewives watch warily for rattlesnakes slithering through the mesquite and catclaw bushes in their yards. Because the town lies 23 miles from the Fort Worth El Paso highway, only an occasional tourist passes through. There is no train service beyond an occasional Texas-New Mexico freight clattering over a weed-sprinkled spur line.

Chickens wander at high noon along the seven-block...

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