Miscellaneous History of Moore County

When J. B. Waide Jr. came to Moore County in 1937 as county agent, he found a county that had very limited assistance for any kind of agriculture programs, including 4-H programs.
The Panhandle area of Texas in the late 1870's was mostly populated with cattle grazed by some big ranches on land leased from the State of Texas. The land today is marked by trails worn in the land and by graves marking where people passed or lived. 
James W. Abert and a party of 33 explorers crossed Moore County in 1845 to survey Texas as part of the United States annexation of the state. They were part of the third expedition of John Charles Fremont whose assignment was to explore from Fort Bent along the Canadian River through Kiowa and Commanche territory.
The oil and gas boom in the 1920's prompted the rise of numerous towns. One of those towns was Borger and a little town on the eastern edge of Moore County - Belle Plain. A scattering of foundations where businesses and houses stood is all that is left of the little town.
One of the worst Panhandle blizzards came in February of 1948.
One of the "little" Treasures at Window on the Plains is a part of the Barber Shop display, donated to the museum by Jackie Funk and Mike Funk. It's a little yellow book called "The Verse By the Side of the Road" written by the grandson of the man who started making Burma Shave.
A 1933 Panhandle dust storm causes Charles Lindbergh to land his plane south of Dumas. He and his wife spent the night near the plane on the Coon Ranch and continued their journey the following morning.
A little newsletter called Knight Letter was found in the museum's archive files. The article was written by Frank Clark of Ada, Oklahoma and gives a detail account of a trip overland through Southwestern Kansas, Southeastern Colorado, Northeastern New Mexico, and the Panhandle of Texas.
After the Civil War, there was a big demand for beef and a market developed on the eastern coast for beef and beef-related products like leather and rawhide for drive belts in factories and leather for clothing.
Why is Moore County named after a man who was born in Virginia, joined the U.S. Navy, became commander of the First Texas Navy, was eventually brought to trial for court martial and was called "an outlaw and pirate" by Sam Houston?
Songwriter Phil Baxter visited Dumas in the 1920's and wrote a song about Dumas -- I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas. It became a popular song across the country and the theme song of our local radio station.
Early day doctors in Moore County built the bases for our good health care. The first doctor came in 1885, followed in 1908 by Dr. Samuel Anthony. Others have followed and left their mark on Dumas and Moore County.
Old Timer's Celebration in the 1900's led to the modern day Dogie Days. A barbecue has always been an important part of the celebrations.
An exhibit was featured at Window on the Plains Museum in 2019 and recognized the Dumas Youth Wrestling Club, and its founder, Dean Collins.
The number of chores necessary to keep a family going seemed never ending in the early days of Moore County. W. J. Morton remembered all the chores in a story in "Windswept Land."
As Moore County was being settled in the early 1900's, transportation was by wagon, buggy, horse or mule. Some families began looking at a modern form of transportation -- an automobile.
The first census of the Texas Panhandle was taken in 1880, four years after the Indians were defeated and confined on reservations. No inhabitants were reported in Moore County. The 1890 census reported 1611 persons living in the 26 counties of the Texas Panhanle, 1188 males and 423 females. Most of the census is lost, only some end figures survived, which lists 15 persons in Moore County.
Sending greeting cards dates back to the ancient Chinese and to the Egyptians who use papyrus to send messages. Cards appeared in the United States in the 1940's.
Moore County is filled with history any direction you go and that history is marked with historical markers along the roads. The markers tell of the cattle trails, explorers who crossed the county, industries, geological findings, and other facts of history.
Letter to Editor tells of moving to Moore County in 1902 and returns as pastor of church.
Space rocks or meteorites have been found in several places in Moore County. Some have been large and other small.
Moon Shot is a word that fits only in baseball. One Dumas resident is more familiar with the word than most. He was part of the original "Moon shot." 
Each county in the Texas Panhandle were named after someone in the county or someone who was important to the history of Texas.
One of the mules on the farm was Old Henry. Henry was not an ordinary mule, but was one with a distinct personality.
The legend of Sandy the Palomino horse is well known -- especially to students who attended school at Sunset school.
Moore County history is told in a timeline beginning in the late 1800's. The first 75 years are outlined in this story.
Everyone is talking about the weather! Not enough rain, temperatures too hot or too cold. It's a good topic.