Name: Wolfforth, Texas
Address: Wolfforth, TX

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Wolfforth's story is intertwined with the land itself, and the grit of the people who worked it. You can still feel that connection walking around – the dry air, a consequence of our altitude on the high plains, whispers tales of resilience.

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Wolfforth came to life thanks to the Santa Fe Railway, a vital stop on its westward push across the plains. Back in 1908, when the tracks arrived, this place was just wide-open cotton country, but the railroad needed a shipping point, and so Wolfforth, named for some railroad official, sprung up. The dry air, a good 3,340 feet above sea level, made it ideal for growing cotton, and that crop became the lifeblood of the town. Of course, it wasn't always easy. Like the rest of the region, Wolfforth felt the sting of the Dust Bowl something fierce. The land choked, farms failed, and the hardscrabble existence became even harder. But Wolfforth held on, and cotton eventually came back, stronger than before. These days, you still see the fields stretching out, a reminder of the town's roots.

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Wolfforth owes its existence to the railroad, plain and simple. When the Santa Fe pushed west in the early 1900s, they needed places to load and unload goods, and Wolfforth became one of those vital shipping points. Named for a railroad man, J.E. Wolffarth, the town quickly became a hub for the surrounding cotton farms. You can still see that agricultural heritage today; the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture is a cornerstone of the community. Of course, the Dust Bowl hit this area hard, but the resilience of the people and the land saw it through. What keeps Wolfforth going now? Well, it's close enough to Lubbock to enjoy the bigger city's amenities, especially those Red Raider games, but far enough out to maintain its own identity. Some folks come for the drier air, a welcome change for those escaping the humidity further east. And while the legend of the time capsule near the water tower might draw a few curious visitors, the real reason people settle here is the sense of community.

Holley, Charles Hardin [Buddy Holly]

1957

Buddy Holly, rock-and-roll pioneer, was born Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. He was the youngest of four children of Lawrence and Ella (Drake) Holley. His father worked as a tailor and salesman in a Lubbock clothing store, and though Lawrence Holley did not play an instrument himself, he and his wife encouraged the musical talents of their children. Buddy made his debut at the age of five, when he appeared with his brothers in a talent show in nearby County Line and won five dollars for his rendition of "Down the River of Memories." At eleven he took piano lessons and proved to be an apt pupil, but quit after only nine months. After briefly studying the steel guitar, he picked up the acoustic guitar and taught himself to play. At Hutchinson Junior High School he befriended Bob Montgomery; the two formed a duo that performed country and what eventually was called rock-and-roll music. In fall 1953 Holly, Montgomery, and bass player Larry Welborn earned a regular spot on Lubbock radio station KDAV's Sunday Party program. While attending Lubbock High School, Holly studied printing and drafting and worked part-time at Panhandle Steel Products. He apparently never doubted, however, that he would become a professional musician. In 1954 and 1955 he, Montgomery, and Welborn made a few demonstration recordings in Wichita Falls and hoped to land a recording contract, but in 1956 Decca offered Holly a solo contract. Decca was well-known as a country-and-western label and tried unsuccessfully to fit Holly into the country mold. After releasing two unsuccessful singles the company terminated Holly's contract. Buddy returned to Lubbock and was still determined to make it big in the music business. In February 1957 he, Welborn (who was soon replaced by Joe B. Mauldin), drummer Jerry Allison, and guitarist Niki Sullivan went to independent producer Norman Petty 's studio in Clovis, New Mexico, and adopted the name the Crickets . From this point Holly's career took off. Brunswick Records signed the Crickets, while Holly signed a solo contract with Brunswick's Coral subsidiary. The records put out under the Crickets' name had backing vocals, while those put out under Holly's name, with the exception of "Rave On," did not. The arrangement made no difference in their recording technique. All of the records included Holly's unmistakable vocal style, which incorporated hiccups, nonsense syllables, a wide range, and abrupt changes of pitch, and was described by one critic as playfully ironic and childlike. The first Crickets single, "That'll Be the Day," backed with "I'm Looking for Someone to Love," was released on Brunswick Records on May 27, 1957. The record eventually reached Number 3 on the pop charts and Number 2 on the rhythm-and-blues charts. At first many listeners assumed that Holly and his band were black. In July 1957, when the Crickets flew east, they discovered that they had been booked on various package tours with black artists at such theaters as the Apollo in New York and the Howard in Washington, D.C. Their reception at the Apollo was chilly, until they launched the third day's show with a wild version of "Bo Diddley." The next few months were busy ones for Holly and his band. They appeared on television on American Bandstand , The Arthur Murray Dance Party , and The Ed Sullivan Show and on a number of package tours and concert bills with some of the most famous rock-and-rollers of the day. In late December, Holly's second solo single, "Peggy Sue," backed with "Everyday," reached Number 3 on the pop and R&B charts. The Crickets' second single, "Oh Boy!," backed with "Not Fade Away," was released in October 1957 and sold close to a million copies. Niki Sullivan quit the band, and over the next few months the Crickets toured Australia, Florida, and Great Britain as a trio before Holly asked Tommy Allsup to join as lead guitarist of the group. Their third single, "Maybe Baby," backed with "Tell Me How,"

Tsha Handbook → · 7.9 mi away

Cotton Club

1938

The Cotton Club was a ballroom, concert arena, and dance hall in Lubbock, Texas. It was a venue for big bands, country and western performers, rock-and-roll artists, and all musicians who fell in between. Beyond being the venue for the popular artists of the time, the club interacted with the local community in various ways—from hosting the Junior Welfare League’s Charity Ball in 1946 to being Lubbock’s first, and for many years only, integrated dance hall. With such a diverse level of community involvement, the Cotton Club engaged and influenced both the Lubbock community and the larger South Plains region. The Lubbock Cotton Club, which had no connection to a more famous Harlem version in New York City, took its name from the region’s chief agricultural output. The original club, located on 50th Street and Railroad Avenue (present-day Southeast Drive) in a renovated Army Quonset hut, opened on November, 11, 1938. The first performers were Adelle Kastle and Frank “Deacon” Murino and his Men about Town. The club, established to appeal to Lubbock’s “high society” by hosting well-known orchestras and big bands, flourished. By the mid-1940s the club owners began booking country and western acts. According to former Cotton Club owner, Tommy Hancock, the change in musicians was due to the lack of enough “classy” people in Lubbock to support a 1,400-capacity club. Thus the owners began booking other artists. Owners knew they could bring in more cowboys to see Hank Williams rather than Jack Teagarden or Al Donahue. Ray Terry and his Pioneer Playboys, Tex Ritter , and the Maddox Brothers with Rose were some of the other headlining performers. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were Friday night regulars at the club from 1953 through 1955. In the mid-1950s the Cotton Club became a hub for rock-and-roll music . Elvis Presley performed at the Cotton Club on numerous occasions in 1955. In attendance at Presley’s performances was a local Lubbock musician, Buddy Holly , who met with Presley and was influenced by his style of music. Other rock-and-roll musicians played through the 1950s, including Little Richard, Fats Domino and Roy Orbison . In 1962 the club burned. Owner Ralph Lowe chose not to rebuild. Tommy Hancock and wife, Charlene Condray Hancock, both well-known musicians in the Lubbock area, asked Ralph Lowe for the club’s sign and for permission to start a new Cotton Club. The Hancocks built a new Cotton Club along the Slaton Highway (U.S. Highway 84), about fourteen miles from downtown Lubbock. The Hancocks reopened the Cotton Club in 1965, but like its predecessor, it became victim in 1966 to fire. In 1967, after the new building was complete, the Hancocks reopened the famous dance hall. The new Cotton Club was located on the site of the second incarnation. The late 1960s started a new trend at the Cotton Club. The “hippie generation” emerged in Lubbock and frequented the club. The cowboys, however, also continued to go to the club because Hancock and his band continued to play classic country and western dance music. Surprisingly the cowboys and the alternative crowd got along well, and few fights broke out between the two groups which was very unusual for the usually rough club. Johnny Hughes, along with many others, credits the peaceful union to Tommy Hancock and the atmosphere he created at the club. “The hippies and bikers and the Unitarians and the college students could coexist and there was no fighting. It was all because of Tommy Hancock. He was doing the thing Willie got known for in Austin—peaceful coexistence.” The 1970s saw a continual trend away from country and western music to a more alternative sound. Artists such as Waylon Jennings and the Maines Brothers replaced Bob Wills and Hank Thompson . By 1978 the Hancocks had grown tired of the club business and chose to sell the club to Joe Ely and C.B. Stubblefield . Ely and Stubblefield did not own the club for long, but they were able to book rising artists of the era

Tsha Handbook → · 7.9 mi away

Lubbock Christian - 2025 Texas TAPPS Division III state football champion

2025

Lubbock Christian defeated Dallas Christian School 36-30 for the 2025 Texas TAPPS Division III state football championship.

Sports News → · 6.1 mi away

Bledsoe Santa Fe Depot

1925

A relic from one of America's last frontiers. Built in 1925 on range land of newly organized Cochran County, at Bledsoe, this structure not only served its purpose as a railroad station, but was a meeting hall for churches and social groups. Sheepherders and cowboys would bed down on its floor when detained at the station in shipping season. Phased out of service by 1966, structure was moved 70 miles to be preserved by Gene Hemmle. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973.

Historical Marker → · 6.1 mi away

Dagley Field

1939

Aircraft vastly changed the face of war and Dagley Field played a part in that transformation. As tensions mounted in the late 1930s, the United States created the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), administered by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. This program offered college students classroom instruction and flight time. The classes eliminated those who lacked potential and ensured that only qualified candidates trained to be army or navy pilots. Texas Technological College in Lubbock trained about 6,500 CPTP and Pre-Flight students in the 309th College Training Detachment (Aircrew) from September 1939 to June 1944. Half of these students flew at Dagley Field. The airport was located on 34th Street and extended one-half mile west from Quaker Avenue to Utica Avenue and then south to 42nd Street. It consisted of four dirt runways and one 140-foot long hangar, which served as an office, workshop and doping room. Maenard F. "Dag" Dagley moved his flying service onto this quarter-section of land after the U.S. Army Air Forces moved into the Lubbock Municipal Airport in June 1942. In March 1943, Dagley himself was called into wartime service, and Clent Breedlove of Breedlove Aerial Service assumed responsibility for the students. Training ended on June 30, 1944, and the airfield name changed to Lubbock Aero Field, offering private lessons and charter flights. Due to a welding accident, the hangar burned on April 29, 1945. After the war ended and the demand for trained pilots decreased, the field closed. In late 1946, long-time property owner Samuel D. Baggett subdivided the land into commercial and residential lots, naming the new addition College Heights. Later, Stubbs Elementary School opened and served the children of Lubbock until 2001. (2017)

Historical Marker → · 6.9 mi away

Wolfforth, Texas

Music in Wolfforth

Songs About Wolfforth

Artists From Wolfforth

History of Wolfforth

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Wolfforth, TX RoadyGoat

Holley, Charles Hardin [Buddy Holly]

Cotton Club

Lubbock Christian - 2025 Texas TAPPS Division III state football champion

Bledsoe Santa Fe Depot

Dagley Field

Things to Do in Wolfforth

Everything Near Wolfforth