One descendant of La Reunion settlers, Victor Clifford Bilbo, was born in 1894.
In 1915, Bilbo began operating a jitney line from Downtown to Cement City and other locations west.
Back then streetcars circulated in Oak Cliff, Downtown and Lakewood. But there was no public transportation for West Dallas.
Jitneys were the shared rides that picked up the slack.
The Bilbo Jitney cost 5 cents and consisted of Model T Ford touring cars. Passengers squeezed in and sometimes rode on the running boards.
The line closed in 1927, replaced by city buses. But a Texas State Historical marker was placed near the site of Bilbo’s home in 1989. The marker later was stolen, but it was replaced a few years ago.
