Historic Midland

Jaycees Paved the Way
By James W. Mims
The end of World War II ushered in a period
of amazing growth for Midland. The population
grew from an estimated 12,000 in 1945 to over
20,000 in the 1950 census, a growth that would
continue for the next 50 years.
Civic problems were not only unmet needs
caused by wartime rationing, but also those of
major growth. Everything Midland had was inadequate,
from water and telephones to houses and
office space. And street paving!
One of the direct beneficiaries of Midland’s
growth was the Midland Jaycees. A tiny handful
of men who did not qualify for military service
had kept the organization alive during the war.
They were now joined by the returning servicemen.
These young men had just won the greatest
war in history, and generally would not accept
the words “Can’t be done!” They took up the
challenge of paving.
Texas law at that time required cities to initiate
a paving program to create valid liens against
homesteads. This permitted financing the substantial
cost. But it was also expensive for the city.
Even though street paving was needed, it was
properly ranked below water, sewer, and other
needs, and there wasn’t enough money for everything.
Was there another answer?
There was! The Jaycees formed a committee
and went to work. They first contacted the W.L.
Johnson Company, a paving company. Would
they help with some sort of volunteer program?
Yes, they would!
Would the community support such a project?
An open meeting was held in the Crystal Ball
Room of the Scharbauer Hotel to see. The Jaycee
proposal was to pave to city specifications any
block where all the property owners would sign
up, anywhere in town. The cost would be $4.50
per front foot, the city would engineer and supervise
the project, and pay for the intersections and
alleys. The banks would provide unsecured loans
to the property owners if needed. After a thorough
discussion, it was overwhelmingly
approved.
Then the Jaycees put shoe leather to their idea.
Every night for several months, club members
called on property owners, explained the project,
got contracts signed, and in many cases, got
checks for the full amount of the cost. Over 100
blocks of paving was added to the city by this
unique program. What a contrast to the more
modern idea of running to the City Council with
outstretched hand, demanding the paving the
city “owes.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Articles:
“Communities and Locales of Midland County, Texas,” Julia Cauble Smith, 1991.
“Early Midland and Midland County,” Colleen Michael, April 13, 1978.
“History of Midland County,” C.C. Watson.
“Midland County Place Names,” W. Vernon Fields, 1967.
“Sarah Brown Dorsey, Early Settler of Midland,” April 17, 1964.
“The Staked Plain,” J.C. Rathburn, May 13, 1886.
“The Story of Midland,” Jo Dean Downing, 1952.
“Up from Section Houses: The Development of Texas and Pacific Towns West of Big Spring,” Geraldine T. Kline, March 10, 1973.
Books:
Hudspeth’s Midland City Directory, 1941, 1942
Land of the High Sky, John Howard Griffin, 1959, Midland.
Legacy, The Story of the Permian Basin Region of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, Gus Clemens, 1983, San Angelo.
Midland Police Department 1941-1991, 1991, Midland.
Oil Booms: Social Change in Five Texas Towns, Roger M. Olien and Diana Davids Olien, 1982.
Rough Times-Tough Fiber, J. Evetts Haley, 1976, Canyon.
The Permian Basin, Era of Advancement, Samuel D. Myres, 1977, El Paso.
The Permian Basin, Era of Discovery Samuel D. Myres, 1973, El Paso.
The Pioneer History of Midland County, Texas 1880-1926, Nancy R. McKinley, editor, 1985.
Wildcatters: Texas Independent Oil Men, Roger M. Olien and Diana Davids Olien, 1984.
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