Diana Petterson July 10, 2018 North American Continent, Texas Treasures, U.S. Travels

Backyard Traveler: Tour Guide and Tourist With My Family through Dallas’ JFK History

Inside the Sixth Floor Museum souvenir store in Dallas. The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicles the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. July 8, 2018

Dallas is my home. But I got to be both tourist and guide of my hometown to my family. Dallas is known for so many things…sports, barbecue, oil industry, Texas State Fair, museums, Tex-Mex cuisine and of course the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Elm Street while his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. Come see a slice of Dallas and its JFK history with me and my family.

Inside the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Dallas, Texas, with my family, Gerri, David, Jacque, Justine, me, Justin, Stephanie, Hermes and Jacob. The concrete monument is a memorial to U.S. President Kennedy who was assassinated in 1963 slightly east of the memorial. The square roofless room is an empty tomb that’s said to symbolize the freedom of Kennedy’s spirit. (July 8, 2018)

Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, is named for George Bannerman Dealey (1859–1946), a civic leader and early publisher of The Dallas Morning News. (July 8, 2018)

Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

Elm Street in Dallas, Texas, with the former Texas School Book Depository building (left), from which, Lee Harvey Oswald fired a rifle that killed President John F. Kennedy. Today, the Sixth Floor Museum has occupied the top two floors of the former Book Depository since 1989. (July 8, 2018)

My family ready to embark on the JFK Trolley Tours for a very informative one-hour tour of the events that occurred regarding the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. ( July 8, 2018)

My family waiting inside the JFK Trolley Tour to get started on our one hour tour of the events involving President Kennedy’s assasination in Dallas. (July 8, 2018)

A sign by Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, describing the possible first shot: “Taken from near this vantage point, the photo shows the presidential limousine approaching what would later be called the grassy knoll. Investigators believe the picture was taken about the time of the first shot. The alleged assassin’s window is at the far right corner of the sixth floor of the building behind you, known in 1963 as the Texas School Book Depository. In this photo, the distance from the window to the president is about 165 feet.” (July 8, 2018)

Elm Street and what is known as the Grassy Knoll area in Dallas where President Kennedy was killed while his limousine was coming down the street on November 22, 1963. (July 8, 2018)

Another view of Elm Street and the Grassy Knoll area in Dallas where an X on the street marks where the first shot from Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle hit President Kennedy while he was riding in his limousine. (July 8, 2018)

Part of the JFK Trolley Tour is driving by the rooming house on Beckley Avenue in Dallas where Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy, rented a room for $8 a week from October 1963 until he was accused of killing President Kennedy and Dallas police Officer J.D. Tippit. (July 8, 2018)

After shooting President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald was confronted by Dallas Police officer J.D. Tippit near the intersection of 10th and Patton in Dallas. After exchanging a few words, Oswald fatally shot Officer Tippit. This is a memorial dedicated to Officer Tippit who was an 11-year veteran with the Dallas Police Department. (July 8, 2018)

The Texas Theater on Jefferson Street in Dallas is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after also killing Dallas Police officer J.D. Tippit. The theater, which opened in 1931, has managed to stay afloat through closures, renovations and a fire. (July 8, 2018)

The Municipal Building in Dallas where Jack Ruby, who operated strip joints and dance halls, gunned down Lee Harvey Oswald as he was being transferred by police from the city jail to the county jail. (July 8, 2018)

Behind this garage door of the Municipal Building is the basement where Dallas police were transferring Lee Harvey Oswald, who had shot and killed President John F. Kennedy and Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippett from the city jail to the county jail when Jack Ruby, a Dallas night club operator stepped out of a crowd of onlookers and gunned Oswald down. Like millions of others, I remember seeing this happening live on television. Ruby, a Chicago native with a shadowy past with supposed mob connections, was convicted of murder in 1964. He claimed he acted out of grief and denied any involvement in a conspiracy. (July 8, 2018)

In 1963, this building was the Texas School Book Depository and where on Nov. 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor corner window to the right. Oswald, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine was arrested but while in police custody, he was murdered by Dallas night club operator Jack Ruby before he could stand trial. (July 8, 2018)

Inside the Sixth Floor Museum souvenir store in Dallas, Texas, with my brother David checking out the place. The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicles the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. (July 8, 2018)

Inside the Sixth Floor Museum souvenir store in Dallas. The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicles the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. (July 8, 2018)

The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial in downtown Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

My family, cousins Justin, Jacob, Jacque and their Mom, Gerri at the Pioneer Plaza cattle sculptures in Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

The Pioneer Plaza cattle sculptures in Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

Views of downtown Dallas, Texas, from the Dealey Plaza park area. (July 8, 2018)

Views of downtown Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

Downtown Dallas, Texas, and the eyeball sculpture. (July 8, 2018)

City Hall in downtown Dallas, Texas. (July 8, 2018)

Downtown Dallas, Texas, with a view of the Dallas Morning News and the Omni Hotel in the background. (July 8, 2018)

Enjoying a late lunch with family at my favorite Mexican food restaurant, Mia’s Tex-Mex on Lemmon Avenue in Dallas, Texas. Justin, Jacob, Jacque, Stephanie, me, David, Justine, Gerri and Hermes. I’ve been coming to this restaurant for close to 30 years and the food is always delicious. (July 8, 2018)

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