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Plains
welcome sign
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Originally settled by a family named Miller, it wasn't until 1905
when W. J. Luna moved his family to what is now Plains.
Mr. Luna was the founder of the town and took responsibility for naming
it. He donated land for both the Yoakum County Cemetery and the Plains
city Cemetery. Mary Luna, W.J.'s wife was the first interment. In
1906 Luna established a store and applied for a post office which
was soon granted.
With the organization of Yoakum County in 1907, Plains was the overwhelming
choice for county seat. |
A newspaper with
the no-nonsense name of Yoakum County News appeared in 1910
and twenty one years later a second newspaper arrived. Mrs. Dovie
Moreland was the editor publisher of the Yoakum County Review.
The paper later merged with the Plains Record in the early
1960s.
Mrs. Marion McGinty and other bibliophiles collected a mobile "bookshelf"
for the citizens - moving the location to various homes to insure
circulation. The was the germ that evolved into a county library system.
Although the Sulphur Springs are now pumped dry, the creek which they
fed has been turned into a public park. |
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Pumpjack
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
Without a railroad,
Plains was operating at a disadvantage, but when oil was discovered
in the mid 930s, it insured the town's survival.
From a meager population of 150 in the late 1930s, Plains tripled
its population in less than ten years. By 1980 it was around 1,500
- a figure that the town seems comfortable with. |
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Plains
High School
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
A historical
oddity in town is a 1903 "bonus shack" now operating as a museum.
Early settlers used similar buildings to establish their claim to
the land.
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Lubbock
Hotels
More
Hotels |
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Watermelon
Round-Up - Labor Day celebration, all the free melon you can eat.
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
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WWII
marker in Plains
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
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Plains'
old water tower
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, August 2005 |
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