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HALE CENTER, TEXAS
HISTORY MURALS

Hale Center, Texas

Photos by Barclay Gibson

Hale Center Tx - Early Newspaper Mural
"Early Newspaper
The Live Wire 1894-1896"

by Ray Freeman, 2002

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Physician Ray Freeman and wife Marjorie were instrumental in starting the Hale Center Mural Project.

Hale Center Tx Mural - DownTown
"Downtown"
1999

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - Automobile - Downtown mural detail
Early automobile - "Downtown" mural detail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - "Whistle Stop"
"Whistle Stop"
2001
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009
More Texas Depots | Texas Railroads

Hale Center Tx Mural - Santa Fe Depot - "Whistle Stop" detail
"Whistle Stop" mural detail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009
The 1910 Santa Fe Depot

Hale Center Tx Mural - Locomitive - "Whistle Stop" detail
Locomitive - "Whistle Stop" mural detail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - Santa Fe Depot - "Whistle Stop" signatures
"Whistle Stop" mural signatures
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - "Hi-Plains Oasis"
"Hi-Plains Oasis"
1999
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009
See Texas Windmills

Hale Center Tx Mural - "Harvest Time"
"Harvest Time"
2003

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - "The Sodbuster"
"The Sodbuster"
1998

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Historical Marker: ( I-27 about 1/2 mile South of Hale Center)

Ranching and Farming in Hale County

Pioneer ranchers began to settle Hale County in the early 1880s. Land was plentiful and cheap, but life was hard. Many settlers lived in dugouts. Supplies were freighted from Colorado City until the railroad reached Amarillo. Cattle roamed the free grazing land until round-up time, when they were separated according to brands. Ranchers earned extra income by selling buffalo bones for fertilizer, working on the railroad, or hiring out to larger ranches. Many worked at the Circle Ranch of Col. C. C. Slaughter, which covered land in four counties. Other significant ranches included the Callahan, Barton, and Norfleet ranches. When the public land was gone and free grazing ended, the larger ranches were divided into smaller tracts.

The transition from ranching to farming was difficult. By the early 20th century, wheat farming and dairy production began to replace ranching operations. The Dust Bowl and Depression of the 1930s brought new hardships. Soon after World War II, however, a high percentage of the cultivated acreage in Hale County was under irrigation. This allowed for crop diversification with high yields of grain sorghum, corn, soybeans, wheat, vegetables, and livestock production. Cotton has become the leading cash crop.
(1985)

Hale Center Tx Mural - "Western Cuisine"
"Western Cuisine"
2001

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - Wagon - "Western Cuisine" detail
Wagon - "Western Cuisine" mural detail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - "Western Cuisine" detail
"Western Cuisine" mural detail
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009
See Texas Food

Hale Center Tx Mural - "The Homesteaders"
"The Homesteaders"
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - Coronado On The High Plains
"Coronado On The High Plains"
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009

Hale Center Tx Mural - Antelopes
"Antelopes"
2009
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2009
See Texas Animals

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