Life in Castro County Tx 1850 -1950

Castro County, Texas in 1936 as pictured in archived government photographs, vintage postcards, old school yearbooks and newspapers Dimmitt, Hart and Nazareth.

"I bought my Caterpillar Diesel Fifty Tractor in July, 1933, for wheat-farming in Castro and Swisher counties, "writes Clyde Merryman, Hart Texas. "by May, 1937, this Diesel had operated over 14,000 hours. Its fuel cost per 12-hour day was only $1.80 . . . read more

Harvesting Wheat on Hutcherson Farm

Amazing photo of a man working on a combine to harvest wheat on the Hutcherson farm in Castro County Texas In 1923

Cowboys Working Cattle in Hart TX 1917

In 1917 three members of the Hutcherson family were working cattle near Hart Texas when this huge amazingly-detailed photo was captured

Four cowboys are branding calves with Carl Hutcherson supervising the operation on his ranch in Castro County Texas in 1920

In 1920 brothers, Turner and Carl Hutcherson, were working cattle on a ranch in Castro County Texas. Turner is wearing chaps and Carl is to his right. Both men became ranchers, Carl in Castro County and Turner went to Arizona.

In 1920 Carl and Pearl Hutcherson stood on the porch of the new home they built southwest of  Hart Texas.

Sometime around 1929 four combines were harvesting wheat on the Hutcherson farm near Hart in Castro County Texas when the event was captured on film in this huge image. S.C Hutcherson and Claude Hutcherson and three other men who were helping with the harvest appear in the photo.

In 1946 Warren Lemons dove into a shallow creek near Hart Texas and broke his neck. He was put in the body cast and the heat was 'killing' him! The only relief he could get was reversing the Electrolux vacuum and used it for months to keep himself cool. When the vacuum company learned of his clever use of their machine, they featured him in their magazine . . . read more and see full size
 

A skyscraper of the plains, the Dimmitt Wheat Growers elevator in Dimmitt Texas in the 1950s

Cars lined the street in downtown Dimmitt Texas near Manning's Department Store in 1954

From 1884 to 1890 James W Carter and his family were the only settlers in Castro County. Their nearest neighbors were at the Springlake and Escarbada divisions of the XIT Ranch. This photo is from the bunkhouse at Escarbada

Group of 37 schoolchildren of various ages and two adults in Dimmitt that made up the first public school in Castro County Texas in 1891.
Some of those pictured are named and a handwritten number identifies them...

Thrashing Crew Near Nazareth Texas in 1890s

This 1890s threshing team in Castro County Texas used 15 men, 3 horse-drawn wagons and a steam powered tractor to get the job done

Sand drifts from the dust bowl almost completely swallowed this hog pen in Castro County in 1936.