Dallam County, Texas

Dallam County, Texas was Formed in 1876 and named for James Wilmer Dallam 1818 – 1847, a lawyer and newspaper publisher. Matter of fact, he is the lawyer that created the first digest of Texas laws, Digest of Decisions of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas, 1845.

Towns located in Dallam County, Texas

Dalhart (County Seat)
Texline

Unincorporated Settlements:

Chamberlin
Conlen
Perico
Kerrick

State and National Parks within Dallam County, Texas

Rita Blanca National Grassland

Dallam County Courthouse and Grounds

Dallam County has had a total of two county seats and 3 structural courthouses. The first county seat when the county was organized was the town of Texline, the only town in the county at the time located on a Fort Worth and Denver City Rail line. Texline was a railroad repair station and yard complete with a small roundhouse, a portion of which still stands in 2015. Rock Island Railroad brought a line through the county that crossed the existing Fort Worth and Denver Line southeast of Texline. The town that sprouted up at this crossing was named Dalhart. The town of Dalhart actually Straddles two counties … Dallam and Hartley. The first few letters of each of the 2 county names make up the name of the town. In 1903 the County seat of Dallam was moved to the much larger Dalhart. The first courthouse, a two story wood structure, was built in 1891 in Texline. I have never personally seen any photographs nor renderings of the 1891 structure. The second was built in Dalhart along with a small Jail Building in 1903 and replaced in 1923 in Dalhart. The only remaining structure is the 1923 Courthouse and there are photos around of the 1903 building. Last Time I was personally in Dalhart was in early 2012. We are going back, this year and we will be looking to see some of the things we know exist and for a few things we aren’t sure about. For now, please enjoy what we have, now.

Surprising Memorial to a Dallam County Texas Son – James R. Fox Jr.

To say surprising, at least to me, is beyond an understatement. To date through over 100 Texas counties, I have seen nothing else that compares. It seems the Chinese Government, in 2002, felt so Grateful to an American Pilot during WWII that they sent a Memorial to his home in far northeast Texas, which is displayed on the grounds of the county courthouse. Coincidentally, the memorial was produced to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of his arrival in China. If there is a significance to the 60 year mark, I am not sure what it might be. The front of the sculpture is memorialized in the Chinese Language above and English Translation below, signed by the President of The People’s Republic of China. On the back is the description of the reason the sculpture was made and by who it was made. I photographed both the front and the back and the photos are attached, below.

Return to Dallam County in 2015

This trip we spent the night. We specifically wanted to see the “Empty Saddle”, but, the locals told us it was removed and had no idea if it would ever be back. We saw and found a lot of other stuff around the county that we had never seen, before. Planned to see a few more things, however, we ran out of time. We spent the night in our travel trailer at a lovely RV park called “Corral RV Park”. Highly recommend this park. Staff was nice, it was easy to get situated and checked in/out. Nice and quiet.

This trip we toured the inside of the Dallam County Courthouse. We found the Veteran’s Memorial, we photographed the railroad bridge (awesome rail crossroad), We went out to the far reaches of the county and attempted to take a shortcut on a dirt road that abruptly ended at a huge pond in the middle of the Rita Blanca National Grassland. Subsequently we ran out of time to see Buffalo Springs (Part of the XIT Ranch). We made it to Kerrick, Bunker Hill, Texline, and a few other places. Dallam and Hartley counties share in a few things as Dalhart actually does cross the county line. They share at least a common county Jail and a Veteran’s memorial. Additional Photos are now added to this page …. enjoy!!