Page 60 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2021- Online Magazine

Local
History

HISTORY of

LITTLEFIELD,

TEXAS by Jim Harris

he first Santa Fe railroad of 312,000 acres Texas, and this land looked
rolled into Littlefield on its went to George like the perfect place for
Tfirst day, July 4, 1913. Just W. Littlefield, an Littlefield, Texas.
a handful of people were there to Austin banker and
meet them, but that number was cattleman, in 1901, In 1912, George W.
actually most of the population of and he formed Littlefield hired Arthur
Littlefield at the time. the Yellow House P. Duggan, Littlefield’s
Ranch. After nephew-in-law, to divide
In 1876, the state of Texas sold off several failed the land up into farms, sell
three million acres of West Texas attempts to sell the parcels, and get the
land to fund the new state capitol off the entire land town of Littlefield started.
building in Austin. The resulting as one package, Duggan’s home in Littlefield
ranch, the XIT, was the largest it occurred to still stands, and it is in use as
ranch in the world. The huge Littlefield that he the Littlefield Lands Duggan
ranch covered all or part of ten could do what had been done in House Museum.
counties: Ten In Texas, hence Olton – to start a town and sell land
the name X.I.T. After sixteen in parcels to individual purchasers. The Littlefield Lands were
unprofitable years, parts of the XIT Also, Littlefield wanted to have a promoted for sale to individuals
were sold off, and the first tract town with his name somewhere in and families to interest them in

60 Lubbock Senior Link