Lelia Lake is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in central
Donley County, Texas
Donley County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 3,258. Its county seat is Clarendon, Texas, Clarendon. The county was created in 1876 and ...
, United States. It lies along
U.S. Route 287
U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...
, southeast of the city of
Clarendon, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Donley County. Although Lelia Lake is unincorporated, it has a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, with the
ZIP code of 79240; the
ZCTA for ZIP code 79240 had a population of 101 at the
2000 census.
Founded along the
Fort Worth and Denver City Railway
The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road", was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development ...
in the late 1880s, the community was named for the founder's sister. When a post office was opened in the community in late 1906, the potential of confusion with the community of
Lela in
Wheeler County Wheeler County is the name of several counties in the United States:
* Wheeler County, Georgia
* Wheeler County, Nebraska
* Wheeler County, Oregon
* Wheeler County, Texas
Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of t ...
to the northeast led the post office to attach "Lake" to the community's name. A school was established in the community in 1894. Historically, Lelia Lake has been a center of grain traffic and of
watermelon
Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...
growing.
Notable person
*
Ace Reid
Asa Elmer "Ace" Reid, Jr., (March 10, 1925 – November 10, 1991) was the creator of the cartoon ''Cowpokes'' and a Western humorist. ''Cowpokes'', at one time, ran in over 400 weekly newspapers across the United States. He produced many popula ...
, artist and humorist
Asa Elmer (Ace) Reid, Jr. (1925-1991)
at ''Handbook of Texas'' OnLine]
References
External links
Community profile
from the '' Handbook of Texas, Handbook of Texas Online''
Unincorporated communities in Donley County, Texas
Unincorporated communities in Texas
{{DonleyCountyTX-geo-stub