Post Cereals has been one of the giants in the breakfast game for quite awhile now. From Grape Nuts to Fruity Pebbles, everybody has a favorite. But cereal dynasties aren't born, they're made. And this one was made by a guy named C.W. Post. If you look into his life you'll find out that he wasn't always such a great guy but but that milk of negativity wasn't enough make his legacy soggy enough to deny him a statue...and I just happened to visit it recently.
And there he sits, perched high upon his throne, welcoming visitors to the Garza County Courthouse in Post, TX. Yes, he has a town named after him. And, yes, he named it after himself after he founded it. Of course, it was originally called "Post City" and it was meant to be a paradise based on his utopian vision which involved prohibiting alcohol and recreational fornication. But currently, it's not that different from any other small Texas town.
Right behind the statue is a Texas Historical marker. It reads:
"Internationally known creator of Post Cereals, advertising genius,
inventor and innovator, founder of Post City in 1906. Through the
purchase of the Curry Comb Ranch and adjacent land approximating 225,000
acres he began his dream of building self-contained model community of
towns and farms. Mr. Post financed, supervised and built town without
profit to himself. Settlers were offered ownership of business or farm
sites far below cost. Mr. Post planned community of debt-free private
ownership in every field of endeavor, and sought to make his vision true
to its purpose."
I'm sure this isn't the only monument to a cereal magnate but my travels have yet to take me to Battle Creek, MI to investigate further. If you want to visit Post's town (and his statue) you can find it in the in the vicinity of the middle of nowhere in the southern end of the Texas panhandle. Don't forget the milk!
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