GEM, TEXAS

Hemphill County, Texas Panhandle

35° 47' 7" N, 100° 7' 24" W (35.785278, -100.123333)
Near State Highway 33
between the Washita and Canadian Rivers.
About 16 miles SE of Canadian the county seat
One mile from the Intersection of FM 2654 and Highway 33
Population: 0

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Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2008

History in a Pecan Shell

Rancher Thomas F. Moody named the town for his wife Gem Hibbard Moody. The town was surveyed and platted in 1909 and was granted a post office that same year. The town held great promise but was in competition from a number of other communities. Gem reported a population of seventy-five in the mid 1920s – a number that they continued to use through 1960. The post office closed in 1954 and over time the residents left until there was no one left. There are a number of scattered buildings radiating a mile out from Gem.

Photographer's Note:
Gem is about 16 miles SE of Canadian on SH33 at FM 2654... a little SW of the highway intersections where these photos are taken. Google confirms structures at the location of the real Gem. Looks like I missed it by 1 mile. - Barclay Gibson, January 25, 2009

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2008

Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2008

Hemphill County 1920s Map Showing Gem, Canadian, Glazier and Canadian River
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Take a road trip

Texas Panhandle

Gem, Texas Nearby Towns:
Canadian the county seat
See Hemphill County

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