Perico, Texas Panhandle, Dallam County ghost town. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Originally a shipping point for the XIT Ranch, the town�s name was first known as Farwell for the Ranch�s nearest camp.

A boxcar depot, a water tower and the residences of railroad workers comprised the town.

In 1905 the railroad changed their designation to Perico. Perico�s growth came about through the promotions of W. P. Soash � a town builder who had limited success attracting settlers � and even less success keeping �his� towns alive. (See Howard County�s Soash, Texas).

The Perico post office was granted in late1907.

Perico�s first school was a simple a two-room affair, replaced in 1924 by a larger school with an auditorium, teacherage, and gym.

Perico was thriving before the onset of The Great Depression with the T. W. Timmerman store and the Blotz-Henneman Grain Company elevator being two of the most notewothly. In 1947 the population had decreased to 30 persons.

The decline increased when the new highway bypassed the business district and the post office closed by 1970.

According to the Handbook of Texas, by the mid-1980s Perico was down to two residents and one business.