See What Texarkana Looked Like In The ’50s

I found this video of Texarkana from the early '50s and it shows a completely different Texarkana than I remember.

Texarkana was formed in 1873 with the joining of railroads from Texas and Arkansas.

This video that was put together by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce shows a way different Texarkana. One with two airlines that fly out of the airport. A bustling downtown with Union Station being one of the largest mail terminals of the southwest and cost a million dollars to construct.

Back then we were a major producer of brick and clay pipe for the United States with an almost unlimited supply of clay necessary for the production of these items. It also goes into detail about our limestone and natural gas supply in the Texarkana area. At the time we were responsible for over fifty percent of all oil in the United States.

The video also shows a bustling downtown and talks about the 50,000 people that call Texarkana home. From the great outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, and golf to the great watersports.

I have lived here since the '70s and some of this footage has me wondering if some of these old buildings still exist. Texarkana has certainly changed a lot since this video. Let's hope we can build it back to the brilliance it had in this video.