Everything Dimmitt is known for
Dimmitt, Texas, might seem like just another quiet spot on the map, a place where the wind whispers through cotton fields and pronghorn antelope graze on the shortgrass prairie. But look a little closer, and you'll find that even a town this size has its stories, its brush with fame.
Dimmitt sits high on the plains, nearly 4,000 feet up, where the shortgrass prairie stretches out in every direction. The railroad came through here, same as it did for so many towns in the late 1800s, and that’s what really set things in motion. It wasn’t just about getting places faster; it was about moving the cotton and cattle that this land was so good for. Folks came for the work, and they stayed for something else, something a little harder to pin down. But the real reason Dimmitt is Dimmitt is the land itself, and the way it forces you to slow down. The folks here are tied to the rhythm of the seasons, to the success of the cotton crop and the health of the cattle herds. There's a different kind of sky out here – crisper, clearer – and a sense of space that just isn’t found in the bigger cities. And of course, there’s the football team. Friday night lights mean something different in a town like this, where everybody knows everybody, and the whole community rallies behind their kids. That's the real treasure here, that sense of belonging.
Dimmitt wasn't always here, but the land was. The shortgrass prairie, the pronghorn grazing under these impossibly blue West Texas skies – that was here long before. Then came the railroad, pushing west, and suddenly this spot, named for Texas Revolution hero Philip Dimmitt, became more than just open range. It became a place, a community scratching a living from cotton fields and cattle ranches. You can feel that history in the very air, a quiet determination that still echoes in the Friday night lights at the Dimmitt High School football field. The town has always been tied to the land, its fortunes rising and falling with the harvests. While the details might fade with time, the stories endure – like the one about the buried treasure near the courthouse square, a persistent whisper of boom and bust, of hopes and dreams planted deep in this Texas soil. And though the world outside changes, Dimmitt holds onto its character. It's that kind of place, where roots run deep and the sense of community is as wide open as the prairie itself.
Ira Aten, Texas Ranger and Panhandle lawman, the second of four sons of Austin C. and Kate (Dunlap) Aten, was born on September 3, 1862, in Cairo, Illinois. In 1876 the family moved to Texas, where Ira's father, a Methodist minister, rode circuit for his church. They settled on a farm near Round Rock. On July 20, 1878, Ira witnessed the death of Sam Bass and was inspired to become a lawman. He enlisted in the Texas Rangers and was assigned to Company D under Capt. Lamar P. Sieker, headquartered at Camp King, near Uvalde. Aten served in McCulloch, Brown, and Navarro counties before 1888. In the summer of 1887 he and John R. Hughes trailed and killed Judd Roberts. Aten served more than six years with the frontier battalion, during which time he attained the rank of sergeant. In August 1889 Governor Lawrence S. Ross sent him in charge of a ranger squad to quell the Jaybird-Woodpecker War in Fort Bend County. Aten and Imogen Boyce, a cousin of Albert G. Boyce , were married at the Central Christian Church in Austin on February 3, 1892, and afterward set up housekeeping at Aten's dugout ranchhouse near Dimmitt. They had three sons and two daughters. Citizens of Castro County, led by County Judge Lysius Gough , drafted Ira as sheriff in 1893. Imogen became the county jailer. By 1895 Aten had organized a ranch police force of some twenty cowboys armed with Winchester rifles. He stayed on for a time as division foreman and helped organize the first bank at Hereford, the new Deaf Smith county seat. In 1904, when the XIT Ranch began to break up, Aten moved his family to California, where they developed an irrigated farm and ranch. In 1923 Aten was elected to the Imperial Valley District board, which was concerned mainly with bringing water and electricity to the area by such means as Hoover Dam and the All-American Canal. During his later years Aten compiled the memoirs of his Wild West days, which were published in J. Marvin Hunter 's Frontier Times magazine in 1945. At age ninety Aten still could ride and shoot straight. He was called the "last of the old Texas Rangers" when he died of pneumonia, on August 5, 1953, and was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery at El Centro.
The story of bluegrass in Texas is at once a mirror of the development of this genre at the national level plus minor influences from Texas music, particularly western swing and contest fiddling. It is generally agreed that the bluegrass sound came into being when the three-finger banjo of Earl Scruggs was added to Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys band in Nashville in 1946. Monroe was already a major star of the Grand Ole Opry and Scruggs’s hard driving banjo gave uniqueness to his sound which complemented Monroe’s high tenor vocals and percussive mandolin playing. Listeners in Texas and over much of the nation heard this new sound live over clear channel WSM in Nashville and on Monroe’s records. Monroe’s style and songs were a part of country music at the time, thus country bands everywhere began including Monroe songs in their repertoire, though most lacked the instrumentation, especially the banjo to duplicate his sound. In Texas in the late 1940s a young Tom Uhr (pronounced Ore) typified many groups across the state by singing a few Monroe songs in shows around San Antonio. Unlike most, however, though guitar was his main instrument, Uhr was inspired, after seeing Scruggs in person, to learn some three-finger banjo in order to play one or two numbers with it on his shows. At the same time in the West Texas town of Dimmitt, the three Mayfield brothers formed a band devoted to reproducing the style of Bill Monroe exactly—the mandolin, fiddle, open-stringed guitar rhythm and harmony singing—except that they had no banjo. It is truly ironic that they are acknowledged as being the first Texas bluegrass group while lacking the one thing which most fans and scholars alike identify as an absolute requirement for any bluegrass band, i.e. the five-string banjo. The Mayfields were invited to open for Bill Monroe on a West Texas tour in 1950, and for the first time they got to hear and jam with a real live banjo player. Some 200 miles away in Tioga, a young Joe Hood was trying to learn the five-string banjo, but the Mayfields had no knowledge of him or of Tom Uhr. The early bluegrass groups in Texas were regional in character with no awareness of bands or individuals in other regions. The most graphic evidence of this came in the early 1960s when there were separate groups in Dallas, Houston, and Tyler named the Bluegrass Ramblers, each unaware of the others. Abilene’s Black Mountain Boys, who campaigned for George Herbert Walker Bush in his unsuccessful 1964 senate bid, believed they were the only bluegrass band in the state. The label “bluegrass” was not used for the music until the late 1950s. Since Bill Monroe and groups that played similar music were a part of the national country music scene, those semi-professional groups in Texas who played this style saw themselves as country musicians. The means that they employed to promote their music were identical to those employed by other aspiring country groups and artists. The Mayfield Brothers, along with former Bill Monroe sideman Bill Myrick, became regulars on the live Saturday night KSEL Jamboree show broadcast out of Lubbock in 1949. In 1950 they appeared on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport and were offered repeat performances there as well as a recording contract. The group’s prospects were cut short when Bill Monroe invited guitarist Edd Mayfield to join his Bluegrass Boys in Nashville. Mayfield did three different stints with Monroe and returned to revive the Mayfield Brothers in between until his death on the road from leukemia in 1958. Also in the mid-1950s the Dixie Drifters were appearing on Houston Jamboree over KNUZ in that city and were written up in Country Song Roundup . In Dallas in the late 1950s a bluegrass group known as the Country Cut-Ups was appearing on Big D Jamboree . Both of these groups released 45 rpm records to sell at performances and sought airplay from country deejays. The Cut-Ups also had a weekly television show in Tyler and released an LP in 1964.
This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the year Castro County was formally organized. Temporary court facilities were set up in J. N. Morrison's office while the first courthouse was built. An ornate two-story structure, it burned in 1906 after being hit by lighting. A brick courthouse with a central dome, built in 1908, was dedicated at a community picnic. It served until the 1930s, but was razed to make room for the present stone building. Built with Works Progress Administration labor, Castro County's third courthouse opened in 1939. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
James W. Carter, the first permanent White resident of Castro County, was born on February 13, 1845, and spent much of his youth in Stephenville, where he grew up in the cattle business. In 1874 he became one of the first settlers to locate on Jim Ned Creek near Buffalo Gap in Taylor County. Two years later A. J. Breeding, a native of West Virginia, took his family from Minnesota to Cedar Gap, four miles from Buffalo Gap; in 1878 Carter married Breeding's daughter Ellen. In 1879 he and his half-brothers John and Lish took some 300 cattle to the vicinity of present Pecos, Texas. The following year they gathered the remainder of the herd, about 3,000 head, and established a headquarters about eight miles below the future townsite. To this ranch the Carters freighted supplies and brought their wives; Lish Carter married Ellen's sister Jennie in 1881. They resided in half-dugout huts of native materials ( see DUGOUT ). After the Texas and Pacific Railway came through in 1882 the Carters sold their Pecos ranch to Colonel Gottard of St. Louis and returned briefly to Taylor County. In 1883 J. W. Carter purchased seventy-two sections in Castro County at seventy-nine cents an acre. He, his wife, and three small children made their way in wagons from Taylor County to their new homestead, bringing with them carpenters, lumber, all necessary supplies and tools to build and equip a four-room house, and a year's supply of groceries. Carter established headquarters on the north side of Running Water Draw about fourteen miles southwest of the site of present Dimmitt. He fenced in eighteen sections for a horse pasture and erected a two-story, four-room dugout on top of the slope overlooking the draw. On his 53,000-acre range, he grazed 3,000 head of cattle that bore his Seven-Up brand. Elizabeth Carter, born in 1886, was the first White child born in the county; the Carters eventually had two sons and three daughters. The family obtained supplies at Colorado City and after 1887 at Amarillo. In 1887 Carter added to his herd 15,000 two-year-old steers from Taylor County. From 1884 to 1890 the Carters were the only settlers in Castro County. Their nearest neighbors were at the Springlake and Escarbada divisions of the XIT Ranch and C. C. Slaughter 's Circle Cross, then managed by Ellen's brother, Bill Breeding. Lish and Jennie Breeding Carter settled on Tierra Blanca Creek, in Deaf Smith County, in 1886. As the family grew, J. W. and Ellen Carter added to their house and later began hosting Saturday night dances. Mrs. Carter also won a reputation among area cowboys and nesters as a nurse and midwife. In 1888 the Carters hired Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bayne of Amarillo as a governess and tutor for their children since there was no school for them to attend. After Dimmitt was founded and Castro County was organized in 1891, Miss Bayne became the county's first schoolteacher. To help make up the list of 150 residents required for county organization, Carter is said to have given fictitious surnames to his horses. In 1891 he went into a business partnership with two store owners in Amarillo. Unfortunately that move proved unwise, for by 1895 the Seven-Up Ranch was encumbered with a $52,000 debt. Hoping to save at least part of this land and cattle, Carter bought into the store, only to learn that there was a $100,000 note against it. Thus he was compelled to sell the land at public auction in May 1895 to pay his numerous creditors. The highest bidder was the Scottish American Mortgage Company. The Carters moved to Dimmitt, where they established the thirty-room Castro Hotel, one of the first Panhandle lodgings to have piped hot and cold water. They managed this business until Carter's death on June 25, 1916. The following year Ellen sold it with the provision that it would be her home for as long as she lived. She died on May 16, 1942, and the hotel was subsequently sold to J. E. Hyatt and moved to Plainview. J. W. and Ellen Carter are buried in the Castro
In 1876, English native John Summerfield (1885-1918) began his work locating and surveying millions of acres of land in present-day Randall, Deaf Smith, Castro and Swisher counties. One of the earth monuments he erected that year was located near this site and became a starting point for surveys in many Panhandle counties. In 1925, a group of Castro County citizens placed a concrete monument at the site, which had become known as Dameron's Corner after a local landowner. The monument was buried in 1958 when a road was cut through the area. (1985)
The first permanent settlers in Castro County, the James W. Carter family moved to this area in 1884. A tent and dugout served as home until a house was constructed (100 yards W.). Their cattle, which they brought with them, were marked with the 7-Up brand. Their daughter Lizzie (b. 1886) was the first white child born to a permanent settler in the area. James Carter (1845-1916) was instrumental in the organization of the Castro County government in 1891 and served on the first commissioners court. Carter and his wife Ellen (1855-1942) later opened a hotel in Dimmitt. (1981) SUPPLEMENTAL PLAQUE: J. W. Carter owned land at this site. His home was located 1/2 mile southwest of here.
39 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Dimmitt, Texas, might seem like just another quiet spot on the map, a place where the wind whispers through cotton fields and pronghorn antelope graze on the shortgrass prairie. But look a little closer, and you'll find…
This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the year Castro County was formally organized. Temporary court facilities were set up in J. N. Morrison's office while the first courthouse was built. An…
Ira Aten, Texas Ranger and Panhandle lawman, the second of four sons of Austin C. and Kate (Dunlap) Aten, was born on September 3, 1862, in Cairo, Illinois. In 1876 the family moved to Texas, where Ira's father, a…
The story of bluegrass in Texas is at once a mirror of the development of this genre at the national level plus minor influences from Texas music, particularly western swing and contest fiddling. It is generally agreed…
James W. Carter, the first permanent White resident of Castro County, was born on February 13, 1845, and spent much of his youth in Stephenville, where he grew up in the cattle business. In 1874 he became one of the…
You're driving through Castro County, a place that owes its existence to a land development company and a close friendship. Back in 1890, the Bedford Town and Land Development Company, led by H. G. Bedford, bought land…
You're driving through Dimmitt, the county seat of Castro County. This town owes its existence to a land sale back in March of 1890. The Bedford Town and Land Company bought up land and laid out a townsite, naming it…
You're driving through Castro County, near Sunnyside. This quiet community faced a terrifying moment on April 12, 1960. A powerful tornado ripped through, demolishing buildings and tragically claiming three lives, while…
You're driving through northwestern Castro County, heading towards a community that owes its existence to a generous donation. Right here, in what's now Easter, William Frank Easter settled in the early 1900s. In 1901,…
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You're driving through Castro County, heading toward a community named Frio. It all started back in 1899, not with a town, but with a schoolhouse, built right into a dugout on the banks of Frio Draw. A new schoolhouse…
In 1876, English native John Summerfield (1885-1918) began his work locating and surveying millions of acres of land in present-day Randall, Deaf Smith, Castro and Swisher counties. One of the earth monuments he erected…
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You're driving past the site of Holy Family Catholic Church in Nazareth. Irish families, including the McCormick brothers, settled here in the early 1890s. Father Joseph Reisdorff arrived in 1902, recruiting German…
The first permanent settlers in Castro County, the James W. Carter family moved to this area in 1884. A tent and dugout served as home until a house was constructed (100 yards W.). Their cattle, which they brought with…
You're driving through Castro County, and right near here, during World War II, was the Hereford Military Reservation. This was a prisoner of war camp holding about 7,000 Italian soldiers. They worked on local farms and…
You're driving past the site of the old Arney School in Nazareth. Opened in 1901, this one-room schoolhouse served the children of early settlers and ranch hands. The school operated until 1953, when it was consolidated…
Hart, Texas. It's a place where the horizon stretches forever, a testament to the cotton and grain fields that feed this town. The high altitude here means the summers aren’t quite as brutal as you might expect, a…
You're driving through Hart, Texas, a town that owes its existence to a rancher named T.W. Hart. Back in 1899, Hart moved his ranch headquarters here, even dragging his frame house across the prairie on mule-drawn…
You're driving through Castro County, Texas, and right here is the land that John S. Summerfield helped shape. Born in England, Summerfield came to Texas in 1876, working for Jot Gunter and William B. Munson, Sr. His…
You're driving through Summerfield, Texas, a town with a name change story worth remembering. It was founded in the late 1890s and first known as Boom. But postal authorities weren't having it, finding there was already…
You're driving past the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp, right here in Deaf Smith County. Known as the Hereford Military Reservation, it held about 7,000 Italian soldiers captured in North Africa starting in…
Hereford, Texas – you might hear it called the "Beef Capital of the World," and that’s no exaggeration. Look around, and you’ll see why: sprawling feedlots, processing plants humming with activity, and a legacy built on…
You're driving through Deaf Smith County, and right here is the site of the Pioneer Windmill. This wind-driven machine was a game-changer for the arid High Plains, making gardening easier and paving the way for…
You're driving past the E.B. Black Residence, a grand home built in 1909 for a prominent Hereford merchant and rancher. E. B. Black moved his family here from Cleburne in 1901, opening a furniture store and becoming a…
You're driving through Hereford, a town once famous for its 'miracle water'! Back in 1941, a state dental officer told the American Dental Association that tooth decay was almost unknown here. Local dentists had…
You're driving through Deaf Smith County, named for a legendary scout of the Texas Revolution. Erastus 'Deaf' Smith came to Texas in 1821 and was known for his bravery at the Battle of San Jacinto. The county itself was…
You're driving past the Deaf Smith Courthouse in Hereford, built in 1910. This impressive brick building with marble veneer was the second marble courthouse ever constructed in the United States, costing a hefty…
You're driving past Hereford's first attempt at modern firefighting equipment. This hand-propelled two-wheel fire hose reel cost just $133 back in mid-1913. But after just two months, it was retired for a motor truck…
You're driving past the former site of St. Anthony's Catholic School in Hereford. Established in 1914, initial classes met in a converted county courthouse. A new building went up in 1927 to accommodate more students,…
You're driving through Hereford, Texas, a town with a name that might make you think of cattle, and you'd be right! But this town wasn't always called Hereford. It started out as Blue Water, named for the nearby Tierra…
You're driving through Deaf Smith County, heading towards Hereford. Right here is where the Atonement nuns ran St. Anthony's School for over twenty years, from 1917 to 1938. They were part of a Franciscan order that…
You're driving past the site of Hereford High School. The first school here was a simple frame building in 1898, but attendance grew, leading to new buildings. By 1925, a major bond issue funded this impressive…
You're driving through Deaf Smith County, and right near here, the Tierra Blanca Creek played a key role in the founding of a town. In 1898, a community originally known as Bluewater sprung up near this very creek. It…
You're driving through Hereford, where the Mothers' Club founded this park. They started in 1909, and the land was a gift in 1910. The club, which later became the Pioneer Study Club, still helps maintain the park today.
Hereford (Hereford, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Kalub Ramirez (4 HR); Kayden Alonzo (2 HR).
You're driving past the Thompson House in Hereford, built in 1906 by land developer S. S. Evants. Alex Thompson bought it the next year, and by 1908, his mother Jennie and her sister Jessie were living here too. These…
You're driving past the site of the Springlake-Earth School, which opened in 1908 as a one-room schoolhouse. The district expanded, and a new brick building opened in 1925. The school's name was officially changed to…