"Swiss Bend"

My grandfather and father lived in a boarding house across the street from what is now called "Swiss Circle". Dad called it "Swiss Bend". How did it get that name--why was/is there such a dramatic bend in the street? Bonnie (later with Clyde) worked in a little cafe called "Hargroves" I think about the same time, 1925-30. It is just past the intersection with Hall St.

Good question!

Hey, hope this reply gets some readership this late lol. What is now Floyd Circle was a result of Mill Creek, which still flows underground in a huge culvert parallelling Hall Street. Swiss was the original route out to the 'Swiss' farms in the valley now White Rock Lake. As it hit the creek, each street in that neighborhood had little bridges. A feeder came in from roughly Haskell@Ross across what's now Exall Park, you can still see the dips. At the Circle, and Floride Street, several jogs were made in the street plan. Many early East Dallas buildings still survive there.

Thanks Chevy.
Don't know why I didn't think of the checking out the Sanborn maps.

I had a neighbor that recently died and he was a Street Car Operator then after the termination of street car service became a bus driver. He told me that odd formation of Swiss Avenue and Swiss Circle was constructed to turn the street car around without having to stop and change the seats and the device that contacted the power line.

He said there was another such formation at the end of the line on Lindsley Avenue at Tenison Memorial Drive and at North Bishop Avenue at West Davis Street. I know that intersection at Lindsley Avenue and Tenison Memorial is wide enough to turn an eighteen wheeler around and there is still an old metal pole remaining that supported the power line.

They recently rebuilt the Bishop Avenue and West Davis Street intersection and I think they did away with the turn-around.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2014 05:28AM by DallasCop2566.

Wow, I could totally see that as well. Certainly the East Dallas lines didn't run farther up Swiss. I live off Peak, and it's (irrelevant here but interesting) key feature, besides a remaining sandstone curb, is that it's wide so the delivery mules could be turned around.

My friend told me that the turnaround at Swiss Avenue became unused as shortly afterwards they extended the line to serve St. Paul Hospital at Bryan Avenue and North Washington Avenue and on to the Episcopal College at Bryan Avenue and Henderson Avenue.

I always wondered if the line extension resulted in the construction of the old Sears Roebuck Store at Ross Avenue and North Henderson Avenue and the small shopping center to the east along Greenville Avenue.

I know the Denison-Sherman Interurban went down Bryan Street to Matilda Street then north. You can still see the old right of way traveling north across East Mockingbird Lane onto Greenville Avenue from Matilda Street.

Here is a map illustrating the routes in 1913.

For those that have yet to discover this, the University of Texas has a fantastic map collection.

Just noticed that the little bent building that once housed Hargraves' Cafe is in the process of getting gutted and there is a sign out front that says “restaurant space available”.

One can tell one is getting old when you forget that you even submitted a question! Anyway thanks to all who suggested a solution to the "Swiss Bend/Circle mystery"! I love to just go around the "old Swiss Bend" when I am in Dallas. My dad, sister, and I went to Dallas HS/N. R. Crozier Tech HS, so the area is real to me. I was born in "St. Paul Sanitarium" (hospital to some) just on the other side of Exall Park, and we lived out on Munger. Moved "on out" to Moser St. just after I was born in 1942. Thanks to all for the info. Kirk