Texas Finn
a death sentence
It all began over a century ago when a druggist from Waco, Texas Ed Dismuke at the age of 40 was given a death sentence from his doctors. Mr. Dismuke was advised that there was no remedy for his ailing stomach and was told to prepare himself for his journey beyond his life. Being the state-of-the-art apothecary, he refused to believe this and began a search for a cure.
Ed Dismuke did not have to go far. He headed northwest about 100 miles to an acclaimed health resort town tucked away in the beautiful Palo Pinto Mountains. In the town of Mineral Wells, the pharmacist went on a drinking binge of mineral water and his ailments disappeared. He quickly sold his 25 year old pharmacy in Waco and moved lock, stock and ambition to Mineral Wells.
It was in 1904 that Ed Dismuke founded the Famous Mineral Water Company establishing himself as one of the town’s premier purveyors of the health-giving elixir. The Famous Pavilion was built in 1914, complete with a game parlor and a fortune telling booth. Drawing from his background, the successful pharmacist and author of “Dismuke’s Handy Formulas”, his book which sold nation wide, developed products from the curative waters. The nationally sought after products Pronto-lax, Residuum, Dismuke’s Famous Crystals and Dismuke’s Eyebath were an outstanding success.
Dismuke’s timing was perfect. Mineral Wells already had a worldwide reputation for its “Crazy Water” after curing a woman suffering from a nervous condition drank from a mineral well in the late 1800’s. Health seekers from all over the globe flooded to this tiny mountain community by the thousands every year. Mineral Wells, from the 1900’s to the 1950’s, was known to be the premier Spa Resort Town in Southern United States. People came to drink and bathe in the healing mineral waters.
Nearly 6 decades later, shortly before his death, Dismuke noted that his Waco doctors had been dead for a long time. “The only thing wrong with me is old age”, he told reporters after his 97th birthday. Claiming he was never again treated by doctors after beginning his daily regimen of Famous mineral water and Proto-Lax, Dismuke devotedly promoted the mineral waters’ health giving properties. Mr. Dismuke was born March 6, 1860 in Louisiana, MO and died November 6, 1957 at age 97 after falling and breaking his hip. He is buried in Elmwood cemetery in Mineral Wells.
a death sentence
It all began over a century ago when a druggist from Waco, Texas Ed Dismuke at the age of 40 was given a death sentence from his doctors. Mr. Dismuke was advised that there was no remedy for his ailing stomach and was told to prepare himself for his journey beyond his life. Being the state-of-the-art apothecary, he refused to believe this and began a search for a cure.
Ed Dismuke did not have to go far. He headed northwest about 100 miles to an acclaimed health resort town tucked away in the beautiful Palo Pinto Mountains. In the town of Mineral Wells, the pharmacist went on a drinking binge of mineral water and his ailments disappeared. He quickly sold his 25 year old pharmacy in Waco and moved lock, stock and ambition to Mineral Wells.
It was in 1904 that Ed Dismuke founded the Famous Mineral Water Company establishing himself as one of the town’s premier purveyors of the health-giving elixir. The Famous Pavilion was built in 1914, complete with a game parlor and a fortune telling booth. Drawing from his background, the successful pharmacist and author of “Dismuke’s Handy Formulas”, his book which sold nation wide, developed products from the curative waters. The nationally sought after products Pronto-lax, Residuum, Dismuke’s Famous Crystals and Dismuke’s Eyebath were an outstanding success.
Dismuke’s timing was perfect. Mineral Wells already had a worldwide reputation for its “Crazy Water” after curing a woman suffering from a nervous condition drank from a mineral well in the late 1800’s. Health seekers from all over the globe flooded to this tiny mountain community by the thousands every year. Mineral Wells, from the 1900’s to the 1950’s, was known to be the premier Spa Resort Town in Southern United States. People came to drink and bathe in the healing mineral waters.
Nearly 6 decades later, shortly before his death, Dismuke noted that his Waco doctors had been dead for a long time. “The only thing wrong with me is old age”, he told reporters after his 97th birthday. Claiming he was never again treated by doctors after beginning his daily regimen of Famous mineral water and Proto-Lax, Dismuke devotedly promoted the mineral waters’ health giving properties. Mr. Dismuke was born March 6, 1860 in Louisiana, MO and died November 6, 1957 at age 97 after falling and breaking his hip. He is buried in Elmwood cemetery in Mineral Wells.