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History in
a Pecan Shell
Julian Bassett,
a land promoter and town builder tried to pull the rug out from under
the fledgling town of Ralls
in 1911.
Bassett had already founded Crosbyton
three years previously and hoped to secure the county seat by building
the Crosbyton-South Plains Railroad - connecting Lubbock
to Crosbyton.
The railroad crossed John R. Ralls' ranch, and when Ralls revealed
his plans to develop a town on the line, Bassett thwarted his plan
by refusing to grant Ralls
with a depot. Instead he developed the town of Cedric - a cluster
of brick buildings (that never held a tenant) and a depot.
Ralls citizens
freighted supplies from Cedric to their homes in Ralls,
but in 1915 the Santa Fe Railroad bought the Crosbyton-South Plains
Railroad and made the depot at Ralls
a regular stop. Bassett threw in the towell and sold the Cedric depot
(along with a few wooden sidewalks) to John Ralls who moved them all
to his town.
All that's left of Cedric today is part of the concrete foundation
of the former depot. |
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1920s Crosby
County map showing Ralls
Cedric has long since disappeared from the map
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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