Lonesome Dove tx? (Austin, Grapevine, Del Rio: homes, restaurant, store)

[Az_born_Tx_raised]

I have heard rumors... and havent had any luck on the internet finding any info... does Lonesome Dove Tx really exist?

[stillkit]

No.

[Cowboybootnut]

From Wikipedia:

"Several years ago, Larry McMurtry mentioned in a newspaper interview that he first thought of the name for his epic while at a restaurant in Oklahoma. On that day, he saw a van which was owned by Lonesome Dove Baptist Church in Southlake, Texas. Lonesome Dove has existed as a Baptist church and cemetery in Southlake since 1846."

[doctorjef]

I wonder where the name for the Baptist church came from? It strikes me as very odd unless it's a place name for a now-extinct settlement.

[CoastieTX]

I don't think there's a Texas town named Lonesome Dove, but the movie was filmed on the Moody Ranch near Del Rio.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by CoastieTX

I don't think there's a Texas town named Lonesome Dove, but the movie was filmed on the Moody Ranch near Del Rio.

According to the Internet Movie Database it was filmed in various spots in New Mexico; also Brackettville, Del Rio and Austin, TX.

"Lonesome Dove" (1989) - Filming locations

Here is Alamo Village outside of Brackettville http://thealamovillage.homestead.com/alamovillage.html

[catman]

There are 'Lonesome Doves' all over the southwest part of Texas. Langtry and Sanderson remind me of the fictional place.

[Az_born_Tx_raised]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I wonder where the name for the Baptist church came from? It strikes me as very odd unless it's a place name for a now-extinct settlement.

I like to believe that Lonsome Dove USED to exist, and as you say, has been wiped away. the settlement was probably very small, like many other settlements on the frontier. Who knows. but I think it would be awesome to unearth proof that it has existed.

[Quentin M. Thomas]

In her book Under the Texas Sun, 1986 Ms Anna Manns Dana documents first hand accounts of her Grandfather Malcolm Graham Vernon and members of her family who moved to North Texas in 1862. She states in her book, "(Her) Grampa decided that Mama would sell the store and her farm and move with the Family to a community near Grapevine called Lonesome Dove."
Note: Many small communities in Texas changed their names or lost thier identity completely as they were incorporated into larger towns and as the larger towns grew. Frequently the church drew its name from the town and the cemetery drew its name from the church.
Hope this helps.

[joqua]

Reminds me of Luchenbach! Not sure anyone would ever have heard of it had it not been given a presence in C&W music and later with concerts held there by Willie Nelson and others.