April 30, 1950: The Knox Lee Power Plant of Southwestern Gas and Electric Co. was officially placed into service with dedication ceremonies witnessed by 1,000 people at Lake Cherokee. As the first unit was cut into Southwestern’s power grid, construction was already...
April 29, 1957: Gregg County was one of eight counties designated disaster areas by the Small Business Administration as the worst Sabine River flood in history bore down on Longview and area cities. By next week, the crest was expected to cut roads south and west out...
April 28, 1976: An estimated 15,000 East Texans turned out at Gregg County Airport to see President Gerald R. Ford. He’d arrived on Air Force One late the night before and took a motorcade to Tyler for a morning event before returning for a Longview rally and...
April 27, 1995: The East Texas Chicken Ranch, a Texas 31 steakhouse featuring nude dancers, offered to shut down if the county would not seek court costs and fees in a lawsuit it filed against the county. The Chicken Ranch opened in 1994 to attract travelers to...
April 26, 1972: After 24 years of service as principal of Longview High School, T.G. Field submitted his resignation, to be effective July 1. His contract had recently been extended through 1974. The board accepted his resignation and his request to be transferred to...
April 25, 1947: A huge midnight screen and stage show to raise funds for relief of Texas City after a deadly industrial blast was held at the Arlyne Theater. 20th Century Fox provided a pre-release print of “Carnival in Costa Rica” and local talent took the...
