|
|
History in
a Pecan Shell
The
town dates from 1899 and was first named Ward, after a cowboy
of the XIT Ranch who made
good. J.F. Ward was in the right place at the right time and purchased
four entire sections of land for a paltry $50 for each section.
Mr. Ward and his family relocated to Dumas,
but left their name in good hands. The only problem was there were
too few hands. Although a school was built in the 1920s, the school
merged with the Hereford
ISD in 1939 and without it, the community declined and remained in
an economic limbo for years. Finally in the late 1950s, Pioneer Fertilizer
came into the former community and gave the farmers a place to congregate.
A few years later it was renamed Milo Center when a grain elevator
was built and the company erecting it had a barbeque for the locals.
Free barbeque for renaming the town? It seemed like a good idea at
the time and even though Milo Center doesn’t appear on the official
state map, it was as they say in Texas:
“A done deal.” |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
|
|