[Hustlin' Heritage 75] Page: 107

                                
R. H, (RUBE) NORTON, 1898
R. H. Norton home, June 15, 1908. This home was located on the site now
occupied by Holly Sugar Mill.
Members of the R. H. Norton family had been to Deaf  of town. The Norton herds were prominent throughout
Smith County before there was a Hereford. They were  the development of the cattle industry here and conliving
in Amarillo at the time and had bought land two  tinue to be among the best in the county.
miles west of the townsite. They moved to a little adobe
house under the hill on what is now the site of the sugar
refinery in the fall of 1898 and built their house on the  Bor on January 17, 1888, in Stephens County, Ezra
BNorton was married to Avis Palmer, also a member of
hill that winter. Ezra Norton was a 10-year-old lad at  Norton was married to Avis Palmer, also a member of
the time of the move and his brother, Dick, was born at  a pioneer Hereford family, here on October 28, 1908.
the new home in July of 1899.                     She had been born in Montague County, Texas, on
May 21, 1888, and died here on December 30, 1959.
The Nortons had started their westward trek from Stephens
County, Texas, in 1891, stopping in Quanah until  Norton operated the Norton Motor Company here from
1896 and then moving on to Amarillo.              1925-1941. Although he has sold his ranching interests
to their son, Palmer, the pioneer stockman still mainThe
Norton Ranch here was started with four sections  tains his home here and goes to the ranch almost
and at one time included eight sections owned and  every day. Palmer Norton operates extensive farming
leased. They also took advantage of the open range  interests as well. He is a past president of the Deaf
to run some of their cattle. Young Ezra, an older brother,  Smith County Chamber of Commerce, and he and his
Claude, and the youngest, Dick, grew up here working  wife are active in club, school, and church circles.
as ranch hands and stock farmers on the Norton    Palmer Norton was married to Opal Caraway of Tulia
spread.                                           in 1940, they have one daughter, Nelda, who is a student
at Texas Tech University.
R. H. (Rube) Norton was born in Johnson County, Texas,
on February 7, 1860, and died in Amarillo in 1944. Alice  Ezra Norton still considers Hereford the best place in
Lou Corbett was born January 22, 1867, in Stephens  the world to live. His respect for and confidence in the
County, Texas, and was married to R. H. Norton there  people here is stronger than ever. Mr. Norton knows
She died in Hereford on April 6. 1915.           the struggles and hardships required to develop this
community and the dedication and work necessary to
Ezra Norton is the only one of the children of that family  grow purposefully. His trust in those of us living here
to make Hereford his life-long home. He continued in  now should encourage us to work toward new goals
the ranching business on his ranch 35 miles northwest  with renewed diligence.