Anarene is a
ghost town in
Archer County
Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,560. Its county seat is Archer City. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area.
History
In 1858, the Texas Legislat ...
,
Texas,
United States. Its name was used for the town portrayed in the film adaptation of
Larry McMurtry's novel, ''
The Last Picture Show''.
Geography
Anarene is located at .
History
Anarene was founded on the
Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad in 1908, the same year the
Belknap Coal Company Belknap may refer to:
Places United States
* Belknap, Illinois, a village
*Belknap, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Belknap, Louisville, Kentucky, a neighborhood
*Belknap, Montana, a census-designated place
*Belknap, Rhode Island, a village
...
opened a coal mine in nearby
Newcastle. It was named for Anna Laurene Graham, the daughter of pioneer settler J. M. Keen. Keen began ranching in the area after serving in the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
in the
American Civil War.
Anarene's primary industry was the transportation of coal from the Newcastle mine. An
oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
was discovered nearby in 1921. In 1929, Anarene had a population of 100, a store, a schoolhouse, a post office, a blacksmith shop, a
filling station, and a two-story hotel. By 1933 the population had declined to 20. In 1942, coal production ended at the Newcastle mine. The Anarene railroad station closed in 1951, and the railway itself was abandoned in 1954. The same year marked the end of production at the Anarene oil field. The post office, established in 1909, was discontinued in 1955.
Popular culture
The town portrayed in the 1971 film adaptation of ''The Last Picture Show'' is called "Anarene", although it is called "
Thalia" in Larry McMurtry's novel. The film was actually made some 8 miles (13 km) to the north of Anarene, in McMurtry's hometown of
Archer City
Archer City is a city in and the county seat of Archer County, Texas, United States. The city lies at the junction of State Highway 79 and State Highway 25. It is located 25 miles (40 km) south of Wichita Falls, and is part of the Wichi ...
, which is widely believed to have been the model for McMurtry's "Thalia". Director
Peter Bogdanovich intended the film as an
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name."
A v ...
' ''
Red River'', set in
Abilene, Kansas
Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum and the G ...
, and chose the name Anarene to evoke a correspondence.
Anarene also appears in Bogdanovich's 1990 adaptation of McMurtry's sequel, ''
Texasville''.
References
; General
*
Anarene at Historic Markers*
*
Anarene Oil Field at the U.S. Geological Survey; Specific
External links
*
Populated places in Archer County, Texas
Ghost towns in North Texas
Populated places established in 1908
1908 establishments in Texas
{{US-ghost-town-stub