Sowers, Texas
Encyclopedia
Sowers, Texas is a ghost town
located approximately 11 miles northwest of Dallas, Texas
in Dallas County
. Today, the once rural community is located entirely within the boundaries of Irving
, Texas.
Of the original townsite, only the cemetery remains.
E. D. Sowers.
Site of Botch Public Enemy Ambush
On November 21, 1933, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
met family members at dusk for a picnic off Texas Highway 10 approximately one and a quarter miles northwest of Sowers, Texas. Clyde Barrow was planning to celebrate his mother's fifty-ninth birthday. Bonnie and Clyde planned to return the following evening for an extended family get together as Clyde didn't have a birthday gift for his mother Cumie Barrow.
On November 22, 1933, as Parker and Barrow approached the previous evening's family meeting spot, Smoot Schmidt, Ted Hinton, Ed Caster, and Bob Alcorn armed with Thompson submachine guns
, .351 "Bullhead" repeating rifle
, and a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) opened a fusillade
of gunfire from a ditch about seventy-five feet away. Upon their accelerated escape, several .30 caliber
rounds from Bob Alcorn's BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) pierced the driver side door of the black 1933 Ford V-8 sedan
wounding the knees of the Depression-era outlaws.
On Wednesday, May 23, 1934, Ted Hinton and Bob Alcorn would participate in the fatal ambush eight miles southwest of Gibsland, Louisiana
on Highway 154 south toward Sailes, Louisiana.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located approximately 11 miles northwest of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in Dallas County
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
. Today, the once rural community is located entirely within the boundaries of Irving
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
, Texas.
Of the original townsite, only the cemetery remains.
- Sowers Cemetery 32.82856°N 96.98790°W
History
Sowers, Texas was settled approximately 1848 by E. D. Sowers. By 1884, the town had a population of seventy-five which consisted of a blacksmith, a church, a doctor, a druggist, a school, and two steam gristmill-cotton gins. The post office established in 1881 and town were named after early pioneerSettler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
E. D. Sowers.
Site of Botch Public Enemy Ambush
On November 21, 1933, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
met family members at dusk for a picnic off Texas Highway 10 approximately one and a quarter miles northwest of Sowers, Texas. Clyde Barrow was planning to celebrate his mother's fifty-ninth birthday. Bonnie and Clyde planned to return the following evening for an extended family get together as Clyde didn't have a birthday gift for his mother Cumie Barrow.
On November 22, 1933, as Parker and Barrow approached the previous evening's family meeting spot, Smoot Schmidt, Ted Hinton, Ed Caster, and Bob Alcorn armed with Thompson submachine guns
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
, .351 "Bullhead" repeating rifle
.351 Winchester Self-Loading
The .351 Winchester Self-Loading is an American rifle cartridge.Winchester introduced the .351SL in the Winchester Model 1907 self-loading rifle as a replacement for the Winchester Model 1905 and the .35SL...
, and a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) opened a fusillade
Fusillade
A fusillade is the simultaneous and continuous firing of a group of firearms on command. It stems from the French word fusil, meaning firearm, and fusiller meaning to shoot....
of gunfire from a ditch about seventy-five feet away. Upon their accelerated escape, several .30 caliber
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
rounds from Bob Alcorn's BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) pierced the driver side door of the black 1933 Ford V-8 sedan
Ford Model B (1932)
The Model B was a Ford automobile with production starting with model year 1932 and ending with 1934. It was a much updated version of the Model A and was replaced by the 1935 Ford Model 48...
wounding the knees of the Depression-era outlaws.
- 1933 Sowers Community Ambush Site 32.837111°N 97.009556°W
On Wednesday, May 23, 1934, Ted Hinton and Bob Alcorn would participate in the fatal ambush eight miles southwest of Gibsland, Louisiana
Gibsland, Louisiana
Gibsland is a town in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. Conveniently near Interstate 20 and less than an hour from both Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana, Gibsland offers small town living with access to urban amenities...
on Highway 154 south toward Sailes, Louisiana.