The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas Page: 73
652 p.: ill., map, ports. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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He remembers when a shooting occurred
there some years ago and the Highway
Patrolman from Vega called the Deaf Smith
County sheriff, who said he didn't believe that
community was in his county. Virtually a
ghost town now, like many other little towns
along old Highway 66, it once thrived and
dreamed of becoming a city.
Changing the route of Highway 66 when it
became Interstate 40 brought the end of
Glenrio, Texas, although there is still a post
office in Glenrio, New Mexico, operated by
Mr. and Mrs. Kile Warton. Their trailer
house and the Charley Jones residence are
about all that is left.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones moved their filling
station and barbecue cafe over to 1-40, which
is in Oldham County, and the Ehresmans,
who once owned a grocery store-filling station-tourist
court now have a business at New
Endee, New Mexico, five miles west on 1-40.
Old Endee was south of Glenrio, headquarters
of the ND ranch named for owners
Norris and Day.
Glenrio post office was always in New
Mexico, but the Rock Island railway station
was in Texas so the mail had to be brought to
Texas and sent out. The depot was closed in
1955.
In days of the big ranches with large cattle
herds, there were shipping pens at Glenrio
and many cattle were shipped by rail. The
pens were used a lot by Landergin Ranch,
which owned all the land south of the railroad,
now part of the Bridwell Ranch, Moser
Ranch and Rails Ranch.Gas Station, Glenrio
One of the very early arrivals in the area
was Fred Brownlee, who came to work on a
ranch about 1900, and later recalled that
there were no fences between Glenrio and
Roswell, New Mexico
at that time New
Mexico was still a territory.
The area opened to settlement by small
farmers in 1905, and many homesteaders
settled on 160-acre plots. Wellington Johnson,
who came in a covered wagon in 1914 and
later operated a general store, was quoted in
a 1967 newspaper article as saying that the
region was bustling with farmers and ranchers
when he arrived, and Glenrio people
helped celebrate the designation of the eastwest
road as Highway 66, in ceremonies at
Amarillo. That highway was paved in 1950,
when Glenrio was still thriving.
The depot was built in 1906 and was busy
with cattle and freight shipments. J.W. Ferguson
went there as station master in 1924
and was there until the depot closed 31 years
later. Mrs. Ferguson, now 91 and living in
California, recalled in a recent letter to Donna
Gudgell that they had to travel 60 miles in
order to vote.
Mrs. Ferguson played jazz piano in the
movie theater. A newspaper, the Glenrio
Tribune, was operated from 1910 to 1934.Old motel, Glenrio
Glenrio had a hotel, hardware store, grocery
stores and cafes, land office and service stations
in the 1920's. There were no bars on the
Texas side because Deaf Smith County was
"dry" and no gas stations on the New Mexico
side because of the higher state gasoline tax
there.
The port of entry on the Texas side was
called a Welcome Station, Mrs. Ehresman
says, and when the film, Grapes of Wrath,
was made some scenes were staged at this
station and elsewhere on Highway 66, which
was then called the Will Rogers Highway.
"People gathered up all the old cars and
trucks and brought them here to make some
of the scenes," she said. FLORA HOMFELD
PALO DUROWILDORADO
The Palo Duro and Wildorado area is
located in the northeast corner of Deaf Smith
County. The Palo Duro Creek and the North
Fork of the Palo Duro Creek pass through this
area. Wildorado is a small town in Oldham
County, one mile from the Deaf Smith County
line, therefore the creeks and town played
a major role in the development of this part of
the county.
Early settlers moving to this area before
Deaf Smith County was organized, were the
Isaack Brothers, George and John Day,
Albert Combs, and Worley. George Day had
a ranch 12 miles south of Wildorado and 21/2
miles west. They had the only windmill
between the Tierra Blanco creek and the L.S.
Ranch in 1888.
Settlers arriving in the early 1890's and
1900's were: J.C. Womble, J.G. Hamilton,
Sam Miller and the Sanders. Also the George
Combs, Harrells, Flickingers, C.A. Hitchcock,
C.W. Mills, Joe Venables, Murf Morgan,
Mrs. P.A. Worley, W.R. McClain,
Johnsons, M.O. Meeks, Jake Weller, A.B.
Fuqua, W.G. Renison, J.L. Allred, W. B.
Phillips, Ira Allred, W.G. Ridgeway, J.C.
Allred, L.A. Pierce, Author Norman, Bill
and Ben Floyd, Ralph Allred, Joe Daniels,
D.R. Burns, Jim Burns, Marion Hammer,
John Thomas, W.T. Price, C.M. Grisham,
Kye Higgins, J.R. Dean, George Muse, H.S.
Burnham, E.H. Fullwood, Tom McBroom
and others.
Most of the settlers coming to this flat
prairie country had to live in tents until a
house or dugout could be erected. A source of
water had to be considered in selecting a
building site. At first, the Playa Lakes and
creeks were the only water source for stock
and household use.
Prairie fires constituted the greatest danger
people had to face during the early days.
Men would sit up all night many times watching
fires. The exact locations of a fire couldnot be determined, since the flames would
reflect in the sky.
The settlers usually had a few cows and
chickens which supplied them with meat and
eggs. Everyone had a garden, raising beans,
peas, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and
watermelons. All these vegetables could be
stored for winter. They sold a few calves in the
fall and bought supplies such as, syrup by the
barrel, flour, sugar, coffee and meal in large
quantities.
Fuel was cheap, as cow chips (prairie coal)
were used extensively. Many families used
wood from the brakes north of Wildorado.
Breaking up sod was a slow process with the
walking plow or so-called foot burners. After
two or three years of breaking and rebreaking
the land, wheat, millet, rye and oats did well.
The farmers and ranchers planted sorghum
for stock feed.
Union, the first school in this area was
erected in the spring of 1893 in the northeast
corner of section 12, where the Palo Duro and
Wildorado Cemetery is now. In the summer
of that year, Miss Katherine Mills taught
twenty two children in the 24 x 30 foot one
room school. She was the daughter of C.W.
Mills, one of the pioneers who helped build
the school. Her salary was $30.00 a month.
The school term was from April through July.
This schoolhouse was also used for Sunday
School, parties, and spelling bees. Palo Duro
Baptist Church was organized here. (See
church history.)
In 1905 or 1906 Union Schoolhouse was
moved three miles north. School continued
here until 1928, then Union School District
consolidated with the Wildorado School District.
Some 31 teachers taught at the Union
School.
Day School was built in 1903 on the Day
Ranch. School was held there through 1914
then moved to the J.R. Daniel place. The
schoolhouse was remodeled in 1915 and
named Daniel School. Bertha Dameron was
the first teacher.
Fairview School was organized in 1908.
The first building, a one room 24 by 24 feet in
size was built by the patrons. The first teacher
was Miss Parrish. Later, the building was
remodeled and another room added. In all, 35
teachers served the school, their salaries
started at $50.00 a month and the top salary
was $137.50. The school closed in 1940.
In 1913 L.E. McDade drilled a water well
for Fairview School for the sum of $78.00 and
also drilled a well for Union School the same
year at a cost of $97.00.
The first telephone service for the pioneers
was a party line system, with each party
having a different ring, such as a long and two
shorts or a short and a long. The telephone
line was the top barbed wire on fences. Cattle
gave the most problems in keeping the telephones
working. Even with all the problems it
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Deaf Smith County Historical Society. The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas, book, 1982; Deaf Smith County, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth16010/m1/77/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Deaf Smith County Library.