Dimmitt, Texas, Castro county seat. (original) (raw)

Dimmitt Skyline
"I think I got the whole town in this image. While this doesn't show much of Dimmitt, it represents how I see my hometown."
Bryan Mayfield, January 02, 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

The County was named after Henri Castro; the same man who had Medina County's Castroville named after him. W. C. Dimmitt was a partner in the original land development of the county and had nothing to do with Dimmit County down in South Texas, which is a misspelling of Phillip Dimmitt's name. Phillip Dimmitt had served in the Texas Revolution at Goliad. Now that that is clear, lets move on to the gunfight.

The Gunfight
Shoot-Out on Jones Street

While county-seat disputes were common in Texas, rarely did they result in fatal gunplay. This was the case however, in the dispute between rivals Dimmitt and Castro Cityback in 1891. Developer Ira Aten and Andy McClelland got into it on the courthouse lawn and a plaque commemorates the event today.

The Handbook of Texas didn't mention the Victor (probably because it was just Andy and Ira in the gunfight), so we called the chamber and was about to ask if they'd go out and read the plaque for us. We spoke with Bill Sava, who seems to know his town and county well. He was able to tell us that there were no fatalities from the gunfight, and he didn't even have to leave his office.

The Celebrated Jackrabbit Roundup of Castro County (1925)

On a lighter note, Mr. Sava told us of the Dimmitt Jackrabbit Roundup that occurred in 1925. He got the story straight from one of the participants, who has since passed away. The idea was to round up the pesky varmints, (of which there was then a plague) and ship them to California, which was jackrabbit deficient. It drew quite a crowd and while people scoffed at the idea, visitors from neighboring counties were taking notes, just in case it was a success. Kind of like chambers of commerce today.

Well, a corral of sorts was set up and when the rabbits were herded in, people noticed that jackrabbits aren't like the plump ones that the French serve. But, they were there and so were the rabbits, so the event proceeded. Mr. Sava told us that they soon found out that jackrabbits were extremely territorial and didn't like being crowded. They jumped out of the corral like grasshoppers (see the Great Grasshopper Roundup of 1934) from a hot skillet. The narrator said (probably between tears) that the entire end result was one dead rabbit that had been hit by a club-wielding boy who might've mistaken him for a small pi�ata.

Now, for our sophisticated and urban audience, we'll pass along a country proverb: "Never shoot a slow rabbit." Of course, there is no need to shoot rabbits anyway, since we now have grocery stores, but the reasoning behind the proverb is that a slow rabbit is not a healthy rabbit, and that unhealthy rabbits when eaten can make you sick. Like most proverbs, they don't explain a thing, they just preach to you and if you don't listen and die a slow and painful death, then the proverb goblin will appear to say: "We told you so."

Back at the corral It was doubtful that the railroad would send a refrigerated car for one rabbit, and certainly not for a pi�ata. But while the townsfolk were pondering their next move, a dust storm blew in and the people scattered like the jackrabbits had done a few minutes before, running home to close their windows like people elsewhere do for rainstorms. No one mentioned the event for some time, and when they did it was in hushed tones. We're thankful the story reached Mr. Sava and he was able to share it with us.

Our humble suggestion is that Dimmitt should erect a small, yet dignified monument to the Unknown Jackrabbit and turn it into a roadside attraction. Don't laugh. Look at what Eastland County did with a Horned Toad.

Dimmitt, Texas Landmarks / Attractions

• Castro County Courthouse
  The Castro County Courthouse is a rather plain one, replacing the 1906 courthouse, which had to be better looking. It's located on the square on Broadway and Texas Hwy 86, known locally as Bedford Street.
• The Castro County Historical Museum
  404 West Halsell St. in the old Carter House.
  Open Mon. through Fri. 1 to 5.
  J. W. Carter was the first resident physician in Dimmitt.

Carlile Theater in Dimmitt
Photo courtesy Billy Smith, July 1990

Dimmitt, Texas Nearby Destinations

21 miles North on US Hwy 385 to Hereford, 30 miles East on Hwy 60 to Canyon, another 16 miles North on I-27 to Amarillo. Dimmitt Local & Tourist Information Dimmitt Chamber of Commerce:
115 W. Bedford - Telephone: 806-647-2524

1940s Castro County map
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact us.