Dimmitt

Dimmitt, Texas.

Dimmitt, Texas.

The Castro County Courthouse is located in the City of Dimmitt, Texas. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.
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Promotion: Nearby Map of Castro County

Dimmitt, the county seat of Castro County, is on U.S. Highway 385 fifty-five miles southwest of Amarillo in the central part of the county. In March 1890 the Bedford Town and Land Company, headquartered at Sherman, in Grayson County, bought a section of land near the center of the county and laid out a townsite. H. G. Bedford handled the sale of lots at the new site, which the promoters named for their colleague and Bedford's brother-in-law, Rev. W. C. Dimmitt. During 1890 other promoters, including Ira Aten and Lysius Gough sought to develop rival townsites as candidates to be county seat. But on December 18, 1891, Dimmitt was elected.

By that time Dimmitt had two stores, a post office, and a resident doctor. J. W. Carter, the county's first resident, established a hotel, and Miss Lou Belsher taught the first school. A Baptist church was established, and several different communions met in the schoolhouse. William Andrew (Uncle Buck) Tate established a lumber and wagon yard and later opened a second hotel. Aten waged unceasing war against cattle rustlers during his tenure as county sheriff. In 1892 a wooden frame courthouse was completed; it was used until 1906, when fire caused by lightning destroyed it. An elaborate brick structure replaced it in 1908. By then "Old Man" Callahan had started the Plainsman, the county's first newspaper, and C. E. McLean had opened the First State Bank of Dimmitt. A brick school building was completed in 1910. Although the town was for several years without a railroad and growth was relatively slow, it remained the county seat. In July 1928 the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway was extended to Dimmitt. As a result the town of between 800 and 1,000 residents was incorporated, and the Castro County News succeeded the defunct Plainsman. During the 1930s a hospital and a county library were established. The present county courthouse replaced the earlier red-brick building in 1938. By 1940 Dimmitt was booming as the county's main trading point with a population of 943. The population increased to 1,441 by 1950. Dimmitt High School developed a well-earned reputation for its basketball teams, amassing a total of seven state championships between 1952 and 1992.

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H. Allen Anderson | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Dimmitt is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Dimmitt is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 34.54788010
Longitude: -102.31811000

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

4,167