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History in
a Pecan Shell
Sudan was once
a part of the 77 Ranch. The town itself dates to 1917 and was
located on a branch line of the Santa Fe Railroad.
The town's name is credited to the first postmaster, P. E. Boesen,
but his reason for naming it remains a mystery. The post office was
granted in 1918 when the town had fewer than 1920 inhabitants.
The population ballooned to 600 in 1925 - the year the town incorporated
and the first newspaper (The Sudan News) was published. The population
high-water mark was 1,336 in 1950. |
Sudan name
origin
"I have made
an almost life-long study of Texas
post offices, and I absolutely love your prose (sometimes delightfully
humorous) and photos of Texas' many
small towns. Thank you!!! I did want to take a moment to share
that although the article on Sudan states that the town's name origin
is a mystery, its namesake is apparently sudan grass which has been
grown as a commercial feed crop in the area." - Cheers. John
J. Germann, April 15, 2014 |
Sudan, Texas
Landmarks
Photographer's
Note: A special little town with lots of personality but yet still
definitely West Texas. - Barclay
Gibson, August 2009 |
Old Watering
Trough
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, August 2009 |
Historical Marker:
US 84, south side between Main and Hornet streets
Old Watering
Trough
One of Sudan's
oldest structures. Built 1916, when Santa Fe Railway terminus here
shipped out cattle of early ranches.
Here ranchers watered
herds and horses, traded, told yarns, hired hands.
Trough also served mule
teams, after the farming era began in the 1920's.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966 |
Old Watering
Trough Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, August 2009 |
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. |
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