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Fred’s Barbecue (Wynnewood Village)
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Kip’s Big Boy (Zang Blvd.)
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La Reunion
A utopian community founded in 1852 by Victor Considerant, La Reunion is historically significant as the first major settlement in what is now North Oak Cliff.
About 350 French and Belgian followers of socialist Charles Fourier, led by Considerant, attempted to farm the land mostly located north of present day I-30. The commune failed within two years, as the settlers were mostly artists who couldn’t farm, and many of the socialists refused to do menial work. The poor quality of the land cased crops to fail, and eventually, most of the settlers returned to France.
Those settlers who stayed behind abandoned their socialist ideals and became capitalists, finding success in the growing city of Dallas They included botanist Dr. Julien Reverchon, who became a professor at Baylor University and now has a park and street named for him. Benjamin Long eventually served as a deputy sheriff, and then mayor of Dallas. John Louckx would go on to establish Dallas’ public school system.
Station 15
Located at the corner of Bishop Ave. and Davis St., Station 15 served north Oak Cliff for decades. It moved to a more modern building decades ago, and the building today is now a Gloria’s restaurant.
Stevens Park Golf Course
Originally designed by Jack Burke Sr. in 1924, Stevens Park Golf Course was built on land reportedly used in the original La Reunion Colony. It was the Julien Reverchon botanical garden before the course was built, and it was later expanded when it merged with the nearby El Tivioli course. A 2011 renovation has made Stevens Park among the best public courses in the state. In its earlier days, it was known as the Dal-Cliff Golf Course, and later the Cliffdale Golf Course. (Source: Oak Cliff Advocate)