Milo Center, Texas, Deaf Smith County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

The town dates from 1899 and was first named Ward, after a cowboy of the XIT Ranch who made good. J.F. Ward was in the right place at the right time and purchased four entire sections of land for a paltry $50 for each section.

Mr. Ward and his family relocated to Dumas, but left their name in good hands. The only problem was there were too few hands. Although a school was built in the 1920s, the school merged with the Hereford ISD in 1939 and without it, the community declined and remained in an economic limbo for years. Finally in the late 1950s, Pioneer Fertilizer came into the former community and gave the farmers a place to congregate. A few years later it was renamed Milo Center when a grain elevator was built and the company erecting it had a barbeque for the locals. Free barbeque for renaming the town? It seemed like a good idea at the time and even though Milo Center doesn�t appear on the official state map, it was as they say in Texas: �A done deal.�

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