Whiteflat is a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in
Motley County,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The population was estimated to be 3 at the
2000 census.
History
Originally a line camp on the
Matador Ranch
A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activi ...
, this section of Motley County was called "Whiteflat" after the white
needlegrass which covered the flat
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
.
A
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
was established at Whiteflat in 1890 and a one-room school opened the same year. This small schoolhouse was replaced in 1908 by a four-room structure. In 1922, a two-story brick building (see photo) was erected for the Whiteflat School, which also served as the community-gathering place. Whiteflat declined during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and 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 natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...
of the 1930s. The school closed in 1946 and was consolidated with the
Motley County Independent School District in
Matador
A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...
, to the south. The churches disbanded in the 1960s and the post office closed in 1966 upon the death of the last postmistress, Ida Morriss. The remaining retail business, a combined grocery store and service station, closed in 1968.
[Whiteflat, Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Motley County, Texas] In 2000, the population was estimated to be three.
[
]
Geography
Whiteflat is located on an elevated flat spot between the Middle Pease River and Tom Ball Creek. It is located in the physiographic region known as the "Rolling Plains" about east of the Caprock Escarpment
The Caprock Escarpment is a term used in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico to describe the geographical transition point between the level High Plains (United States), High Plains of the Llano Estacado and the surrounding rolling terrain.
In ...
of the Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...
.
Education
Whiteflat is served by the Motley County Independent School District in Matador, Texas. The Motley County Independent School District has one school, Motley County School that serves students in grades pre-kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...
though twelve. The district serves all of Motley County with the exception of a small portion in the north, which is served by the Turkey-Quitaque Independent School District.
See also
* Pease River
*Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...
References
External links
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Cities in Texas
Motley County, Texas