Kerrick, Texas, Dallam County. (original) (raw)

Grain elevators amid a field of wild flowers
Photo courtesy Pat Boren, May 2007

History in a Pecan Shell

Harrison S. Kerrick, a railroad official and area landowner is the town�s namesake. The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway was more or less responsible for putting the town on the map, but development had begun in 1906 when William Murdock and his family had settled in the area. The Murdocks established the first community school.

The town�s leading business was the Dan T. Wadley grain elevator and Kerrick�s post office was in operation from 1933 until 1961. During WWII Kerrick had the only official air field between Amarillo and Denver.

Kerrick schools consolidated with the Stratford District in 1950 and the Kerrick school was put to use as a community center. In 1949 the population was given as 100, but has since declined to the current 60.

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Wheat crop in Kerrick
Photo courtesy Pat Boren, June 2007

Bill Boren and his milo crop in Kerrick, 1991
Photo courtesy Pat Boren

Border Stop, formerly Kerrick Farm Supply owned by R. W. Scott
Photo courtesy Kenneth R. Scott, July 2005

William Allen Boren measures the depth of local flora
Photo courtesy Pat Boren, March 2007

L to R: Mabel Murdock Rogers, Lynn Wels, Pat Boren & Franny Taylor
1972 photo courtesy Pat Boren

Kerrick Community Barbeque and Calf Fry
"L to R: Fred Mc Daniel (deceased) Bill Boren, Alvin Harris, Bevan Avent and George Avent (chief cook) cleaning frys." - Pat Boren

Kerrick, Texas Forum

• Thanks for the information on Kerrick Texas. My bucket list includes visiting Kerrick Texas and Kerrick MN. As a retired military officer I have spent over 14 years overseas and my goal is to see the United States. I have both cities on our travel list. - Stephen W. Kerrick, Lansing, KS, January 10, 2012
• Subject: Kerrick Community Spirit
  Starting in 1983 the Kerrick Community began having a Barbeque and calf fry to raise money for the community building repairs. The second year we fed 525 people. As there was just about 25 of us doing all the work it was remarkable. The menu included besides the barbeque and calf frys, cole slaw, beans and onions, tomatoes, and pickles. Drinks were ice tea, pop and coffee. It took about 6 hours and all the men were able to clean the frys the night before. We fed all those people in about two hours. Then there was a live band and dancing on the tennis court after. We did this for 12 years until us younguns got old. - Pat Boren, June 11, 2007
• Subject: Kerrick Texas
  My name is Kenneth R. Scott and I grew up in Kerrick, Texas in the 50s and 60's. I graduated from Stratford High School in 1964. The grain elevator was owned by Cone Donelson (possibly others) the entire time my family lived there beginning in 1951 as far as I know. My father, Robert Wilson Scott owned Kerrick Farm Supply (formerly Kerrick Co-op until he purchased it sometime in the '50s, I believe) but he sold it when he retired about 1990 and he and my mother then moved to Kerrville. The post office building shown in the photo on the site was Pete Eden's grocery store and post office. The post office didn't close until the '70s or '80s as the Edens did build a building south of my dad's farm supply store in the early 60s and moved the store and post office into it. Daddy sold his store when he and my mother moved to Kerrville and it was first called The Younger James Brothers Mercantile. It has been owned by several people since then but is now vacant. I'm not sure what the current population is but it is far from a ghost town. Here are some pics taken in 2005, the last time I was there. - Kenneth R. Scott, June 09, 2007
• Subject: Kerrick Texas
  I live in Kerrick and have for over 50 yrs. My husband was born here 75 yr ago. We are farmers when the weather cooporates. Allen Boren my father-in-law came to Kerrick area in 1927 as a cowboy and worked for the Perkins Ranch first as a hand then got a camp down on the Beaver River called North Camp where he married Allene Lowery and a son William Allen was born. My husband. They then moved to East Camp, the closest to Kerrick and 2 more boys were born. After awhile Allen became ranch foreman and they moved to Headquarters and a daughter was born. Allene was cook and also did all the canning for the men, the little boys washed dishes or helped. Several years later Allen had the chance to buy a section of land four miles W of Kerrick. Allene took over the post office and store in town. They lived in the basement and another son was born. During the war the store was a thriving business. The weather was good that year and the milo crop paid off the land. That's not likely to happen nowadays. Besides farming other land was bought and some pasture and cows were run. The kids all went to college at WT in Canyon. Bill left school in 3 years to run the ranch in Colorado the family had bought and that is where I met and married him. We still farm the home place. Our daughter is a teacher in Abernathy and our son is Dean of Wayland Baptist University in Amarillo.
  We are now called the oldtimers here and unfortunately very few kids have come back to live here. Our population is down to about 21 now. I guess when all us oldtimers are gone it truly will be a ghost town. Our house is on the N side of the school building and next door is the oldest house in Kerrick, the Whatly house. There are five of us ladies that are the same age, so we celebrate a birthday together every year . As this will be the 74th one to celebrate, ghosthood is getting closer. One neighbor Virgie Matthews is the official town historian. At age 95 she is as sharp as ever and can answer all questions. She does not do the computer thing but her son is the local doctor in Boise City. Virgie was born here in a dugout along with 9 siblings (5 boys 5 girls). Her father then built the biggest house in Kerrick (I wonder why). Her father was a pony trader to the Indians in Oklahoma and could speak and sing the language. A character for sure. His boys ranged in height from 6' to 6'5". - Pat Boren, Kerrick, Texas, June 10, 2007

Dallam County 1940s map showing Kerrick
just below the Oklahoma State Line near Sherman county line
From Texas state map #4335
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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