History in a
Pecan Shell
The
community began in 1916 along with the development of the Panhandle and Santa
Fe Railroad. The Wolffarth Brothers (George and Eastin) were honored by becoming
the town’s namesakes. George had been a rancher / banker and held public office
while brother “Easty” had been a sheriff / rancher. The post office (frequently
the culprit in misspellings of unusual surnames) used the spelling that’s on the
map today, while the railroad (and the Wolffarth Brothers) spelled it correctly. The
community’s nearness to the huge Spade Ranch benefited the town when the ranch
was sold off in small parcels in the 20s and 30s. Still, growth was slow and as
late as 1940 there were only 100 residents. The number increased after WWII
to 150.
Improved infrastructure lured new residents in the 1950s and by
1960 the town was up to nearly 600 residents. It went over 1,000 for the 1970
census and twenty years later it had nearly doubled to 1,941. The 2000 census
showed 2,554 people calling Wolfforth home. | 
