Dallam County, the Last of the XIT

Until this trip all I knew about the XIT Ranch was that at one time it had

XIT Ranch Museum

been the largest spread in Texas. I didn’t know that two men got all of the land by supplying the stone for and building of the state capitol, nor did I know that there were so many little towns that originated as business centers for the ranch. There’s lots more to learn, and not just about ranching in Texas.









Dallam County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County – does this sound familiar? This county was named for James Wilmer Dallam, the lawyer who compiled A Digest of the Laws of Texas; Containing a Full and Complete Compilation of the Land Laws; Together with the Opinions of the Supreme Court. Although it was first printed in 1845 (and reprinted several times since), it is still important because present-day Texas

Sand dunes near a rail line

jurisdiction is based on the early laws of the Republic…but I digress. The first settlement in the area that would be Dallam County was founded in 1870, and of course that really displeased the folks already living there, the Comanche and Kiowa tribes. The resulting battles of the Red River War in 1874 – 1875 resulted in the tribes being driven out of the area and confined on reservations. About 16 years later the area began to prosper when the Fort Worth and Denver Railway lines met in a spot that was to be named Texline, because it was on the rail line; it was the only actual town in the county. Ten years later, when the Rock Island Railroad built a line through the county, the new town of Dalhart was established where the Rock Island and Fort Worth and Denver City rail lines crossed. The town name was taken from the first letters of Dallam County and Hartley County – the town sat on the line between the two. Dalhart was listed as the county seat in 1903. And the area rocked along just fine until the 1930s brought the Great Depression. Dallam County was one of the hardest hit areas with Dalhart the center of the Dust Bowl; this locale was adversely affected by three waves of drought and dust storms covering 1934, 1936 and 1939 – 1940. The people were also preyed upon by such charlatans as Tex Thornton, who enticed them to spend $1 million (inflation-adjusted for current equivalent) to make rain by firing rocket-powered explosives into the clouds.

Dalhart has had three county courthouses. The first was built in Texline in

Dallam County Courthouse, front and side views

1891 and doesn’t appear to still exist. The second was actually constructed in Dalhart in 1903, but rather quickly became obsolete. The present Dallam County Courthouse, completed in 1923, was designed by the architectural firm of Smith & Townes in the Classical Revival style with Ionic columns using brick and cast stone. It was named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1991. On the courthouse grounds is a monument to James R. Fox, Jr. (March 16, 1919—March 11, 1943). He flew supplies to China during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression for Pan American Airways (at the time a joint Chinese and American company) using the dangerous Hump Route. Fox and his two Chinese copilots were killed when their Douglas C-52 cargo plane crashed during their support efforts.

James R. Fox, Jr.

©2019 NearNormal Design and Production Studio - All rights including copyright of photographs and designs, as well as intellectual rights are reserved.