Oklahoma Lane

Duane's take

Here's my take on what the official marker has to say about Oklahoma Lane, out in Parmer County. Now, every community's got a story about how it came to be, and Oklahoma Lane is no different. The name itself tells you something right away: a whole lot of the folks who put down roots here came rolling in from Oklahoma, and the community took their name and ran with it.

Before any of that, though, this stretch of land was part of something much bigger. It was originally part of the XIT Ranch, one of those operations so vast it almost defies the imagination. Then the Capitol Reservation Lands Company started selling off that XIT ranch land around 1915, and that's when families began to arrive.

They came looking for ground they could work, and work it they did. Most residents made their living in agricultural and ranching activities, which out here in Parmer County was about as natural as the west Texas wind. Now, when you get young families, you get children, and when you get children, you get a problem real fast.

You need schools. Two of them came first: the Sunnyside school and the Knox school. Those two eventually found their way to each other and consolidated into the Oklahoma School, which served the community well.

By the 1920s, the residents were building something more than just farms and fences. They were building a spiritual life, with Methodist and Baptist churches taking root in the community. Then in 1925, the Capitol Lane Syndicate established a cemetery, which is one of those quiet, solemn acts that says more than anything else: we're not just passing through.

We intend to stay. And stay they did. Oklahoma Lane today continues to be a tightly-knit, rural community.

All that land, all those families, all those schools and churches and that cemetery out under the big sky. Turns out, when you give people good ground and a reason to stay, they tend to.

What the marker says

The Oklahoma Lane Community, named for the many area settlers who came from that state, was originally part of the XIT Tanch. Families began to settle here around 1915 when the Capitol Reservation Lands Company began to sell XIT ranch land. Most residents in the area were employed in agricultural and ranching activities. As many young families moved here, schools became necessary. The Sunnyside and Knox schools, which later consolidated into the Oklahoma School, served the early residents. By the 1920s, residents began Methodist and Baptist churches, and in 1925, the Capitol Lane Syndicate established a cemetery. Today, Oklahoma Lanes continues to be a tightly-knit, rural community.