08/02/2026
It’s been a minute since we shared a historic photograph and this remains one of our favorites.
Pictured here are Charles Glen Morrison and his lovely wife, Gladys, with their horses at their home in the College Hills neighborhood of Alpine, circa 1930.
Yes, that C. G. Morrison, the founder of the C.G. Morrison Co. family of stores. Charles Glen Morrison moved to Alpine in 1928 in search of what he considered the perfect climate. He opened the Ben Franklin Variety store in downtown Alpine and, by the mid-1930s, began establishing C.G. Morrison dime stores throughout West Texas. His legacy continues through the Morrison family of stores, which has served Alpine and the greater Big Bend region for nearly a century.
Gladys Morrison was an accomplished organist and an important part of Alpine’s musical and social life. During the silent-film era, she accompanied pictures shown in the building on Holland Avenue next door to the Holland Hotel, a building many later remembered as the former NAPA store.
She also played the organ for Alpine’s local radio station and was quite a hostess as well! According to the Alpine Avalanche archives she hosted weddings, parties and Christmas gatherings. Many of those celebrations took place at the Morrisons’ distinctive pink house.
This wonderful photograph captures more than two familiar Alpine figures. It offers a glimpse into everyday life in Alpine nearly a century ago and into the remarkable woman whose music helped provide the soundtrack.
Thank you Cam for sharing the photo with us!
📍College Hills, Alpine, Texas
📅 Circa 1930
