Soash, Texas, Howard County ghost town. (original) (raw)

Soash under Construction
Vintage Photo by Bascom Reagan, courtesy Doyle Phillips

History in a Pecan Shell

Soash was established and modestly named after "town builder" William Soash in 1909. Soash contracted to buy thousands of acres of the Slaughter Ranch for his land company. Soash moved to the Panhandle from Iowa where he praised the land as fertile and the rainfall as plentiful. In his first year he built a hotel to house prospective buyers and a bank to house their money. In late December of 1909, rancher Rufus Slaughter became the Soash postmaster.

Soash (the man) had a reputation to live up to - so in short order the town had water, electricity and telephone service. But although Soash planned for a cement block factory, a cannery and public parks, his schemes were a bit too ambitious. Much of the land was unsuitable for farming but the town might have survived this problem had it not been for a severe three-year drought (1909-1912). To drive the final nail in Soash's coffin, the Santa Fe Railroad chose to run six miles west of town - dooming Mr. Soash's dream town. Most people left but even the most hopeful of citizens were discouraged. Soash Land Company went bankrupt in 1912 and three years later the population was down to a mere 50. Another drought in 1917 spelled the end of Soash. The post office closed in mid-1916, reopened in April of 1917 but closed for good six months later. Remaining Soashers moved to Lamesa.

Today all that is left is the concrete bank - with a huge piece of concrete hanging by a length of rebar.

Soash, Texas Today

Photographer's Note:
"Soash is just about beyond renovation. The 1980 picture in Baker's Ghost Towns of Texas shows the shell of the building fairly intact. Now the front sill is gone with two huge slabs being held up with only one piece of rusted rebar. Best advice is to stand clear."
- Barclay Gibson, October 11, 2006

Soash, Texas ruins in 2006
32.522109688241834, -101.64326117021832
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 7, 2006

Soash, Texas Forum

Subject: Soash,Texas
There are still Soash people there my parents Howard and Pearl Armstrong. My dad, went to Soash elementary school there and to this day my parents still live in eastern Soash community. They are not the only ones that live there. Mammie Merrick lives across the street from the old bank building. She and her deceased husband Bob Merrick, I believe lived there almost their entire married life together. Bob passed away earlier this year, but Mammie still lives there with one of their 8 children. All the rest has died or have moved away like I have done in years past. But the Armstrongs and the Merricks will live there until they die. Believe me I have tried to get my parents to move closer to Big Spring, but they are not leaving Soash, Texas. Thanks. - Diann Owens, June 10, 2008

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