2 !!! Community Guide & Membership Directory Table of Contents Program of Work 4-5 Cactus History 22 Historical Moore County 6-8 Moore County Climate Info 26 Dumas Map 9 Moore County Facts & Figures 27-29 Dumas History 10 Market Access 30 Dumas Points of Interest 11-16 More Chamber Activities 31 Ding Dong Daddy Legend 17-18 Nearby Attractions 32-33 Sunray Map/Points of Interest 19 Chamber Membership Info 34 Sunray History/Points of Interest 20 Chamber Member Listings 35-46 Cactus Map/Points of Interest 21 !"#$"%&'()%&*$"%+),-%.'/+%0*'$%(*&&'-1+0%-"2/3,3"$444 5 6-7*$&,+18" 9,:,;1-"/%,-< 5 ?1/1+*$%,-< =*&&"&*$,+18" =*&&'-1+0 ><1+1*-/ @'1<"/ ABCDE%FGHIJKKK%5%2224&**$"-"2/4(*&%5%L,("M**NOP21++"$Q%9=R"2/S$"// 3 Program of Work Networking Breakfast Two or more breakfasts this year will be scheduled for Chamber members and guests. Programs of local and regional interest are planned. Breakfasts are at no cost to Chamber members and guests. Dumas/Moore County Chamber’s Clarissa McPherson, receptionist; Carl Business After Watson, executive director; and Doreen Hours Rogers, office manager. Receptions after normal working days are planned for Chamber members and guests. These networking events are hosted by existing Chamber members. Membership Development An emphasis on securing new members/investors for the Chamber is the goal for this ongoing effort. Electronic Sign Study Staff to reach the feasibility of placing an electronic sign on 287 to help promote city wide events, chamber events, weather condition alerts and other important hap- penings to local residents and visitors. 4 Program of Work Continued from previous page Membership & Visitor Guide Staff to create new membership directory and visitor guide to promote chamber members and Dumas/Moore County as travel destination. Operation Thank You Implement a plan to visit chamber business partners to say thank you for their membership and support of the Chamber. Women’s Division This segment of the Chamber provides another avenue of service to the organiza- tion. Assistance with various projects is provided by this group of outstanding volun- teers. Interested women are encouraged to become a part of this dynamic group. The “Backyards In Bloom Tour” is a popular project of the Women’s Division. To learn more about any of the items in the Chamber of Commerce’ Program of Work, contact the Chamber at 935-2123 or stop by the Dumas/Moore County Cham- ber of Commerce and Visitor Center on S. Dumas Ave. 5 Historical Moore County Moore County is home to lights several historical many interesting historical markers in Moore County... markers. Some are located One of the markers is lo- along what are major high- cated at the courthouse ways today (US 87/287) square in Dumas. The mu- while others are located in seum notes that the marker more isolated areas on nar- was placed in 1966 and row, winding back roads. tells the story of the origi- Regardless of their location, nal courthouse. Traveling these markers help tell the on US 87/287 south, two story of Moore County's historical markers are locat- past. ed near the south city lim- For anyone wanting to its at the Chamher of Com- learn ahout the history of merce Visitor Center. Moore County, the most The first tells of the geo- logical place to start is Win- logical riches of the county dow on the Plains Museum. and the second makes ref- A museum handout spot- erence to the site of a his- 6 toric drift fence. The proved beneficial from drift fence marker earliest times when reads: ''Until the mid- prehistoric man devel- 1880's, no range fences oped first industry in existed in the Texas Texas by mining flint Panhandle. Thus when deposits along the winter blizzards came, Canadian River. Items cattle drifted from Ok- made from these quar- lahoma, Colorado, and ries have been found Kansas onto the Texas ranches of T over a large portion of the western United ("Box T"--Dominion Cattle Co. Ltd.), 7K States. Slabs of dolomite from area were ("Seven K....York, Parker & Draper), CC used to build sturdy, warm homes; interi- ("Bar C's" -Creswell Land & Cattle Co.), ors were coated with mixture of sand, clay ("lUrkey Track..··Hansford Land & Cattle and caliche... an advance uncommon in Co.), LX (Bates & Beal), LIT (Littlefield prehistoric North America. Modern man ), and LE (Lee & Reynolds). The influx has established 31 industries based on oil, caused these ranches in the Canadian gas, to take advantage of geological riches River breaks to be overgrazed, for by untapped by ancient man." spring roundup there were as many Continuing south on US 87/287 sever- northern as local cattle in the herds. To al miles outside of town rests another prevent the costly and time-eonsuming marker. This one tells the story of Moore job of separating the cattle, each Texas County. It reads, "Created 1876 from rancher agreed to construct a fence along Bexar Land District. Named in honor of his north boundary line. The resulting Edwin W. Moore (1810-1865), Com- fence was 200 miles long and ran from modore of the Navy, Republic of Texas. the northeast corner of the Panhandle County was organized July 5, 1892, with southwest to near the site where Dumas Dumas (named for promoter of the town- was later founded, then west about 35 site) as county seat. Stagecoach and miles into New Mexico. It was a 4- freighters furnished transportaiton in early strand, 4-barb fence with posts 30 feet days. The county was thinly settled: apart and a gate every 3 miles. The mate- ranching was the main industry, prior to rials amounted to about 65 carloads of discoveries of oil and gas in 1926. A zinc wire and posts hauled from Dodge City. smelter was built in 1936. Economy is In 1890, however, to comply with an 1889 now based on petro-chemicals, helium, state law prohibiting any fence from oil, gas, cattle feeding, ranching, grains, crossing or enclosing public property, soybeans, sugar beets and castor beans." most of the fence was removed." Asecond marker at this site notes how In reference to the geological riches of the Tascosa-Dodge City Trail crossed Moore County, that marker reads: "Have Moore County. In fact, there are two 7 plaques dedicated to this rests another historical trail. The other is located marker. This one, which is on State Highway 152 about on Farm to Market 1913 at 12 miles east of Dumas. the intersection of Plum The marker south of town Creek Road, marks the on US 87/287 reads, campsite of Lt. James W. Al- "Founded 1877, for travel bert, an explorer from the from Tascosa, on the Cana- early 1800s. It reads, "The dian (25 ml.SW) to Dodge United States Government City, Kansas. Tascosa was had the Canadian River ex- supply center for hunters and plored in 1845, just before settlers, Panhandle and Texas joined the Union. South Plains; and for LE, Topographical engineer LIT, LS and LX Ranches, James W. Abert (1820- running large herds of cattle on area's free 1897), a West Point graduate, had charge grass. Tascosa stagecoach, freighters, cat- of a 33-man party, and spent two or more tle herds going to market used this road -- days in the vicinity of this marker. Near also traveled by gamblers, desperadoes, here he was visited by Kiowa Indians, U.S. Marshals and noted frontiersmen. who said that they were at war with Tex- Tascosa had post office, 1878; was county ans. Abert was made welcome after he seat, Oldham County, 1880. Town and proved to be an American. His map of the trail declined after Fort Worth & Denver river and notes on geography and the In- City Railway built into area, 1887." dians proved valuable to Texas and the Alongside State Highway 152 the nation." marker reads, "As ranchers and merchants Another marker located at the court- settled in this part of Texas during the house square alongside the courthouse 1870's, the need for a direct supply line marker. The marker is for the City of Du- became evident. This trail was estab- mas and it reads, "In 1891, Louis Dumas lished in 1877 for cattle drives and freight and J.R. Wheat formed the Panhandle hauls from Tascosa (38 mi.SW) to mar- Townsite Company to develop and pro- kets in Dodge City, Kansas. It also mote a community they named Dumas. served as a stagecoach and mail route. A post office was established the same The town of Tascosa received a post of- year, and in 1892 Dumas was elected the fice in 1878 and was the Oldham County seat of Moore County government. A seat from 1880 until 1915. The coming mercantile store opened in 1894, and the of the railroad in 1887 led to the decline First State Bank was organized in 1908. of the town and to the abandonment of the The dry, arid land surrounding Dumas at- Tascosa-Dodge City Trail." tracted few newcomers, and the popula- About 25 miles southeast of Dumas tion remained sparse until oil was dis- covered in 1927. The town's history is a good reflection of life in the Texas Pan- handle." The final historical marker rests on the side of the road on Farm to Market 1060, near Morton Elevator Road northeast of Dumas. This marker also tells us the story of the historic drift fence and reads the same as the one on US 87/287. To find out more about historical markers you may visit Window on the Plains, 1820 S.