Visit Historic Littlefield Texas

Littlefield, Texas is located about 36 miles northwest of Lubbock and about 65 miles southeast of Clovis, New Mexico.

Tallest Windmill, Littlefield, Texas

n the year 1830 the land where Littlefield, Texas now resides was explored by a Major Long of the U.S. Army and his troops. Major Long didn't have many good things to say in his report and essentially called the land bad for cultivation. At that time this area of west Texas was inhabited by Indians, mostly Comanche, along with the bison.

 The Texas frontier at that time was far east of this area, about in a line from present day Dallas to San Antonio. That line would have been the extreme western end of the Texas frontier and Indian raids on settlers along that line was not unusual.

The XIT Ranch Days

Where Littlefield Texas is located was during the latter part of the 1800's and very early 1900's was part of the historic XIT ranch. The XIT Ranch was historic for a few reasons. The ranch comprised a bit over 3 million acres that spanned from the northern reaches of the Texas Panhandle all the way southward for about 200 miles. This was at that time the largest cattle ranch in Texas and the world. The land was purchased for .50 cents per acre by a syndicate from the State of Texas and the money raised was used to build the Texas State Capital Building, the same capital building that is in Austin, Texas today.

Enter George W.  Littlefield

After 1900 the XIT Ranch syndicate began selling off it's land holdings to pay back debt to their bond holders. By that time barbed wire had fenced in what was once the open prairie and the days and massive ranches were selling off land. In 1901 George W. Littlefield, an Austin, Texas banker, cattleman and regent of the University of Texas purchased 312,000 acres for a price of $2.00 per acre. This acreage became Littlefield's Yellow House Ranch. Cattle was also purchased from the XIT syndicate.

When it became apparent that the railroad would build through his land he put tracts up for sale which eventually became a town. For a depot to be built the railroad stipulated that all main streets in the the proposed town would lead to the depot. As a result of this, the main streets in Littlefield run northeast to southwest where you would normally see such streets flowing east and west.

Attractions in Littlefield Texas 

 Waylon Jennings, the country music star who popularized the "outlaw county music" genre, was born in Littlefield, Texas in 1937. Among other notable groups Jennings performed with during his long career, he played for a time with Buddy Holly's Crickets band. Holly was from Lubbock Texas, just down the road from Littlefield.

A Waylon Jennings Museum was opened by his younger brother a few years after the singers death. What you'll look for his a business named Waymore's, a drive-thru liquor store converted from an old gas station. Here you'll find Waylon Jennings memorabilia and artifacts, Waylon's first guitar, plenty of photos and posters, plus more. Waymore's is located near the center of Littlefield at the corner of Waylon Jennings and Hall Ave.

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The Tallest Windmill Replica

Littlefield Texas had a 132 foot tall windmill built in 1887 on XIT ranchland. Unfortunately this very tall windmill, the world's largest, was made from wood and blew down in 1926. The replica windmill on it's site is 114 feet tall and is made out of steel. You can easily see this historic attraction at U.S. 84 and XIT Ave.

Littlefield Land/ Duggan House Museum

The Littlefield Lands/ Duggan House Museum

The Duggan House, built in 1913 and known as the Littlefield Lands/ Duggan House Museum located at 520 E. Waylon Jennings Blvd, was at one time a one room lean-to residence for the Arthur P. Duggan family. The house had several additions built and sits among large trees and a multitude of plants.

Arthur Duggan as a nephew of Major George Littlefield and was the major's land agent when Littlefield began settling the area. The museum coordinates with schools and other educational facilities to provide quality local historical information to all educational levels. New items of significant historical interest are constantly being added to our collection. The museum serves as a center of activity for the community, encouraging all residents, business owners, club members, and others to utilize the museum for community activities.

Littlefield, Texas

The museum contains a "radio room" which has memorabilia from the city's radio station. This is the station where a young Waylon Jennings worked as a disc jockey. The museum plays Waylon Jennings' hits all day and dedicated one room to their beloved hometown hero.Also exhibited are artifacts and memorabilia of early Littlefield.

If your Texas travels take you to the west part of the state up toward the Texas Panhandle you'll want to make a stop at Littlefield and view some of the historic sites and make a visit to the Littlefield Lands/ Duggan House Museum. 

The town of Littlefield is an excellent example of how a settlement was established in the early 1900's from west  Texas ranch land.

(Article and photos copyright 2014 Western Trips)