Thirst
It is nearly impossible to imagine rural Texas towns without a Dairy Queen. They’ve been the place where the old guys meet for coffee to discuss whatever it is old guys discuss. And where teenagers hang out on the weekends. And where local kids can get a job. It was the title of novelist Larry McMurty’s memoir. They were convenient bathroom stops on my long drive between home and college. They’ve been profiled in big-city newspapers.
And now, they’re leaving us. This one closed as part of a bankruptcy, the parent company citing low oil prices and Hurricane Harvey has having dealt blows that were unrecoverable.
It’s easy to think that rural Texas will never be the same…
out-of-business Dairy Queen
Crosbyton, Texas
photographed 12.20.2017
Posted on January 10, 2018, in Photography. Bookmark the permalink. 6 Comments.
One Day | One Image 
The emptiness goes well beyond physical plant for sure. Deep emptiness in the soul of the nation . Thanks MGH.
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Thank you, Richard. I’m fond of your phrase “deep emptiness”.
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Growing up in south Texas it’s hard to imagine not having a Dairy Queen or Whataburger to hang out at. They were as close to a club house as we had.
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I know – they were important parts of those rural communities. I don’t think I knew you grew up in south Texas – my husband lived in Kingsville.
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I graduated high school in Corpus Christi, class of ‘65.
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My husband graduated from Kingsville hs in 1973. His family moved from Nebraska to south Texas in 1969, when his dad took a teaching position at Texas A&I University.
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