Dalhart is a city in Dallam and

Hartley Hartley may refer to: Places Australia *Hartley, New South Wales * Hartley, South Australia ** Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district Canada *Hartley Bay, British Columbia United Kingdom * Hartley, Cumbria * Hartley, Pl ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and 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 ...

of Dallam County. The population was 7,930 at the 2010 census.

History

Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dallam and Hartley Counties; its name is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words The city was founded at the site of a railroad junction, which heavily contributed to its early growth. Dalhart was in the center of the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) a ...

, an area adversely affected by a long period of

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and dust storms during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s. Here, Tex Thornton, operating on the now debunked

concussion theory A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

, coaxed today's inflation-adjusted equivalent of $1 million from the locals on claims he could fire rocket-powered explosives into the clouds and cause rain.

Geography

Dalhart is located in northwestern Texas at (36.060856, −102.518656). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.21%, is covered by water. Dalhart sits in the Southern Great Plains and is heavily impacted by its agriculture industry. Dalhart is about 70 miles northwest of Amarillo, the nearest city that has a population over 100,000. Dalhart sits at the intersection of U.S. Highway 87,

385 Year 385 ( CCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Bauto (or, less frequently, year 1138 ''Ab urbe co ...

, and 54. Two miles south of Dalhart is the former Rita Blanca State Park, site of Rita Blanca Canyon, now maintained by the City of Dalhart. It is 1,680 acres, plus the 160 acres of Lake Rita Blanca, on

Rita Blanca Creek Rita Blanca Creek, also known as Mustang Creek, forms in two branches in Union County, New Mexico. It enters Texas near Texline, and its branches join southeast of that location. It then continues about sixty-two miles generally southeast to fl ...

. The park has playground equipment and hiking/biking/riding trails. The city has added a Lake Center at which guests can check-out various items such as bicycles, board games, fishing poles & tackle, golf discs, and more. Dalhart is located closer to six other state capitals than to Texas' capital of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. In surface mileage (over major highways), Dalhart is from Austin, but is from

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

, from

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, from

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, from

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistic ...

, from

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...

, and from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United ...

As the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...

, Dalhart is from Austin, but from Santa Fe, from Oklahoma City, from Denver, from Cheyenne, from Topeka, and from Lincoln.

Climate

Dalhart experiences a

semiarid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

( Köppen ''BSk'') with cool, dry winters and hot summers. The average annual rainfall of less than strongly influences both Dalhart's ecological climate and agricultural practices, especially center-pivot irrigation. Since records began in 1948, the hottest temperature in Dalhart has been on June 26, 2011, and the coldest on January 4, 1959. On average, 65 afternoons each year will reach or top , 133.8 mornings will fall to or below freezing, 10.1 afternoons will fail to top freezing, and two mornings will fall to or below . The hottest complete month has been July 2011 with a mean maximum of and the coldest January 1963 with a mean minimum of . The wettest calendar year has been 1985 with and the driest 2011 with only .

Demographics

In December 2015, the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was fo ...

'' voted Dalhart number eight of the 10 "most

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

" cities in the United States in regard to campaign contributions. Other West Texas communities in the most conservative lineup are

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

(number one), Monahans (number five), and Childress (number nine). In contrast, Vashon Island, Washington, was named the "most liberal" city in the nation regarding political donations.

2020 Census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 8,447 people, 2,956 households, and 2,041 families residing in the city.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 Census, Dalhart had a population of 7,930 living in 2,957 housing locations; 50.3% of the population was male, with 49.7% being female. The census revealed that 28.9% of the population was under the age of 18, while 12.4% of citizens were over the age of 65. With an area of 4.78 square miles, the City of Dalhart has a population density of 1659.0 persons/square mile. Census data showed that 84.0% of the population identified as White, while 1.2% identified as Black/African American, 0.7% identified as Asian, 0.9% identified as Native American, and 0.1% were Pacific Islander. About 10.5% of the remaining population identified themselves as some other race, while 2.5% considered themselves to be of two or more races, and 34.0% of the population identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010, 9.9% of the population identified as being foreign-born, with 25.4% of households in Dalhart speaking a primary language other than English at home. Data demonstrated that 79.6% of residents over 25 had earned at least a high-school diploma, while 16.4% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher. Over the 4-year period between 2007 and 2011, the median household income was $53,210, with a larger mean (average) household income of $69,190. The median per-capita income was $24,979. The census showed that 6.4% of the population lived below the federal poverty line, and 3.4% of the population was unemployed. Around 71.1% of Dalhart residents owned a home, with the median home value being $91,800. As of 2010, 829 businesses were registered in the city.

Economy

Dalhart's economy is centered around

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...

, including farming, ranching,

feedlot A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called c ...

operations, large-scale pig farms, and more recently, a cheese processing plant. Dalhart is also home to a state

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

. During the peak operating period of the

XIT Ranch The XIT Ranch was a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle which operated from 1885 to 1912. Comprising over 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km²) of land, it ran for 200 miles (300 km) along the border with New Mexico, varying in width from 20 to ...

, the land was in native grass. Some land was diverted into dry farmland, but the rain was insufficient to make it productive. A few irrigation wells were drilled in areas where the soil was not sandy and was level enough for row irrigation. Later,

center pivot irrigation Center-pivot irrigation (sometimes called central pivot irrigation), also called water-wheel and circle irrigation, is a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers. A circular area ...

, credited to Colorado farmer Frank Zybach in 1949, was introduced and was found to be ideal for the area's rolling sandy soils. About the same time, large feedlots were built due to the low-humidity climate. This created a good market for

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

, which is the major crop grown by farmers in the area. In the mid-2000s, a combination of tax incentives, Texas' relatively unrestricted environmental regulations, and Dalhart's existing agricultural infrastructure attracted industrial dairy farms to the area. In 2007,

Hilmar Cheese Company Hilmar Cheese Company is a cheese and whey products manufacturer headquartered in Hilmar, California, United States. The privately owned company has over 1000 employees and specializes in the mass production of Monterey jack, pepper jack, colby ...

of California capitalized on the resulting milk availability, opening a major production plant in Dalhart. Texas Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republic ...

visited Dalhart to speak at the company's official welcoming ceremony, reiterating the company's projection that 2000 new jobs would be created in the region by the emerging dairy product production industry. This factory and the surrounding dairies are a significant emerging subsector of Dalhart's established agribusiness culture. The international agribusiness company

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in te ...

owns a 21,500-acre hog-production site near Dalhart.

Arts and culture

Dalhart is known as the "XIT City" because of its relationship with the historic XIT Ranch. The ranch was a plot of land traded in exchange for the construction of the

Texas State Capitol The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 ...

. The ranch was dissolved in 1912, but its history is celebrated with the city's XIT Museum and the XIT Rodeo and Reunion. Held annually on the first full Thursday through Sunday weekend of August, the event includes the world's largest free

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...

, junior

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National ...

events, and three nights of live music. The Muscle Car Party Weekend is held each year in May, and includes a classic car show, bicycle drag races, and dinner and dance. The events are sponsored by the Dalhart Cruzers Car Club, and each year, the club raffles a classic car.

Education

The Dalhart Independent School District serves the city of Dalhart. The district has an elementary school, intermediate school, junior high school, and high school. Students attend Dalhart High School, which competes athletically and scholastically in District 1 Division 3A of Texas' University Interscholastic League. In 2012,

Frank Phillips College Frank Phillips College is a public community college in Borger, Texas. The college also manages the Allen Campus in Perryton in Ochiltree County, the Dalhart Center in Hartley County, and the Cosmetology Center in Hereford Hereford () ...

opened a branch in Dalhart, offering both credit and community-education classes.

Media

The '' Dalhart Texan'' was established in 1901, and is published in Dalhart. The newspaper is currently published twice a week and has been owned by the Hogue family for the past 60 years. Susan Hogue Clay is the present owner and publisher.

Infrastructure

Prison system

The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

's Dalhart Unit prison is located in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Hartley County, near Dalhart.Dalhart Unit
."

. Retrieved on June 4, 2010.

Gallery

File:Brick streets of Dalhart, TX IMG 0556.JPG, File:Mission Twins Theater in downtown Dalhart IMG 0564.JPG, The former Mission Twins Theater in downtown Dalhart is covered in stucco over the original brick to give it an adobe look.

Notes

References

External links

City of Dalhart official website

Dalhart Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Texas County seats in Texas Cities in Dallam County, Texas Cities in Hartley County, Texas Articles containing video clips

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

2020 Census

2010 Census

Economy

Arts and culture

Education

Media

Infrastructure

Prison system

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links