Crosbyton

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how Duane tells it too. Way out on the South Plains, there's a town that didn't just happen by accident. Crosbyton was founded in 1908, and the ground it sits on had a name before the town did.

They called it the cutting grounds of the C.B. Livestock Company. Cattle country, in other words.

The kind of place where the wind knows your business before you do. Now, the C.B. Livestock Company didn't just pack up and leave when settlers started showing interest.

They leaned into it. They built a school, a supply store, a railroad, and an inn, all to encourage folks to come on out and put down roots. That's not a company stepping aside.

That's a company rolling out the welcome mat with both hands. And it worked. By 1911, just three years after founding, Crosbyton had a thousand citizens and had claimed the county seat.

A thousand people, a county seat, built up from cutting grounds in three years. The South Plains has a way of surprising you if you let it. Today Crosbyton sits at the center of rich irrigated farmland, a long way in spirit from those old livestock days, though maybe not so far in stubbornness and grit.

It's home to the Pioneer Museum, and it serves as the gateway to White River Dam. A town that started as a place to cut cattle, and ended up cutting its own place in history.

What the marker says

Founded 1908 on "cutting grounds" of C.B. Livestock Company which built a school, supply store, railroad and inn to encourage settlers. By 1911, had 1,000 citizens; was county seat. Today is center of rich irrigated farm land. Home of Pioneer Museum. Gateway to White River Dam. (1966)