The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas Page: 64
652 p.: ill., map, ports. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
invasion of more than twice their number in
military personnel and prisoners initially
caused some uneasiness. The hospitable people
soon overcame their apprehensions and
opened their homes and hearts to the servicemen
stationed at the camp. It is estimated
that 99 percent of the local families had
brothers, sons, fathers or some other relative
involved directly in World War II. Perhaps
kindness to the servicemen stationed in Hereford
represented their love for ones stationed
elsewhere. The POW camp has had a lasting
effect on the area as civilians, servicemen and
even prisoners made their homes here following
the war.
During World War II the local Red Cross
was under the direction of Mrs. Dyalthia
Bradly Benson who was assisted by Mrs.
Harold Close Sr. Paid workers were Mrs.
Webb and Mrs. Corinne Jennings. These
ladies were kept busy with the regular Red
Cross activities in addition to handling wires
for the 3,000 servicemen stationed in the area
at one time or another during the war.
The OPA office was responsible for the
rationing of gas and tires and consisted of two
volunteer boards, one for tires and one for
gasoline. Three to four paid clerks worked
under the directorship of the boards. The
gasoline shortage motivated the founding of a
new club for women living in the far western
part of the County. The Farm and Ranch
Club was organized in 1944 since women
living far from Hereford could not make a trip
into town for social activities.
Casualties from the European theater
were: Pfc. S.D. Foster, S/Sgt. Leo C. Rogers,
Pfc. Clyde A. Whitaker Jr., First Lt. Wendal
Kermit Wilson, Lt. Clifford Vaughn, S/Sgt.
George W. Griffith, First Lt. Richard H.
Parsons, First Lt. Robert L. Davis, and S/
Sgt. James Spradley Sr.
Casualties from the Pacific battlefronts
were Capt. James A. Gililland, Pr/2c Troy
W. Newman, T/Sgt. Donald Ray McCullough,
Pvt. Floyd Elwood Smith, Pfc. Pat Lee
Stagner, Pfc. Roy Arthur Wederbrook, Capt.
Louie E. Wedel, Pfc. Elmer L. Mathies Jr.,
First Lt. Frank William Montfort, B/lc
Leon A. Hartman and Pvt. Herman Macyl
Roberts, PhM/lc F.L. Lucas, Jr.
Military casualties in this country were:
Marine Capt. Garland Robert Wolfington in
Alaska, Lt. Charles J. Borden, Lt. Henry Roy
Hastings, Capt. Edward R. Holback, S2c
Clyde Hager, Flight Officer Horace B. Stanfield,
Cpl. Thomas J. Robbs, Major Ovid
Pinckert, Pvt. Carter Vaughn, and Cpl.
Claude Dean Goldston.
Place of death is not listed for two men
from Dawn, Walter Frye, whose death
occurred in a POW camp, and William Harris,
who died in Navy duty; also S/Sgt. Wade
Cleveland Goldston, who was in the Air
Corps.
Following World War II two Army surplus
barracks were acquired by the veterans and
used to build a Legion Home which was used
until 1967 when a new building was constructed
on property owned by the AmericanCoast Guard, Navy, WWII
Legion near the old building in Veterans Park
on the southeast edge of Hereford.
At the end of World War II arrangements
were made between the United States and
Russia to divide Korea at the 38th parallel for
convenience in receiving the Japanese surrender.
This was a temporary measure which was
prolonged into the zonal occupation which
would ultimately lead to the Korean conflict.
Once again men of the United States would
engage in battles on foreign soil and once
again families in Deaf Smith County lost
loved ones to war. The casualties are listed as
follows: Allen Lynnwood Hallum, son of Mrs.
F.S. Smith; Roger Hartman, reported missing
in action and then dead in a prison camp;
and John C. Airhart of Dawn, who died of
wounds in an Amarillo hospital.
In the early 1960's conflict between communist
and republican factions in the small
southeast Asian country of Vietnam gained
the attention of the world. By 1966 U.S.
ground forces in South Vietnam reached
almost 400,000 men and again the men of
Hereford and Deaf Smith County served the
country honorably. These latest of the men
whose lives have been sacrificed in military
service are: Lt. James Pavlicek, Cpl. Thomas
Galvez, David Solomon, Roy Coker, Arthur
C. Tijerina, Cyrus Andrews, Alva Simmons,
Sgt. Stephen E. Jesko and Frederick Bauman.DEBE
GRAVES.
WILDLIFE
Deaf Smith County has a rich wildlife
heritage, dating from beyond its formatory
years. Many of the wildlife species found in
the county added to the larder of early pioneers
while others added an element of color
to the prairie existence. Wildlife could prove
an asset or a liability, depending on whether
a young calf, a wheat or maize crop was in
jeopardy, or a cottontail or quail happened to
present itself just when things were looking
like cold beans and few of them for supper
again.
Most of the wildlife species are the native
prairie dwellers, born of a wild heritage on the
vast grasslands. There are migratory visitors
and some notable imports which have made
their mark on the local wildlife legacy.
Buffalo herds that roamed the Great Plains
were already gone by the time of serious
settlement efforts in Deaf Smith County.
Pioneers made frequent mention of sighting
antelope and mule deer. These species were
already in decline by the time of the establishment
of the county and the city of Hereford.
Pioneers told of antelope barbecues, and of
antelope grazing with cattle herds.
Steel plows and heavy livestock grazing
reduced the native grass, brush and forbs
upon which mule deer and antelope depended
for their food source. These animals were
relentlessly forced to the rugged western and
northwestern fringes of the county. There,
along the spiny breaks of theCaprock bordering
New Mexico, there remained native habitat
of buffalo grass, choya, juniper and cedar.
Holdout populations of these species continue
to exist in the "badlands" section of the
county, particularly in the area of the Guseman
and Bridwell ranches.Antelope have actually staged something
of a modest comeback on the rangelands of
western Deaf Smith County. They are occasionally
spotted today as far east as theBootleg Corner area.
Dryland wheat farms which once forced
antelope and mule deer into a few isolated
holdout pockets now draw them from their
badlands hideouts for winter morning grazing
forays.
The rugged western fringe of the county is
home to good populations of blue, or scaled
quail, and bobwhite and the blue quail are
also found on rangeland east and south of
Dawn and along the Palo Duro draw in the
northeast portion of the county. An occasional
mule deer can be found in these areas.
Quail remain in areas of habitat very similar
to those in which they were found at the time
of local settlement.
Deaf Smith County is today Texas' most
verdant hunting ground for the ringnecked
pheasant. The history of this exotic import
dates back to the 1940's when local landowners
and sportsmen launched the early efforts
that ultimately led to establishment of the
resource. Throughout its history here, the
fortunes of the ringneck have been closely
linked with those of irrigation agriculture.
Numerous farmers, landowners and
sportsmen had a role in getting ringnecks
started in the county. Prominent among these
were individuals such as Homer Fox, Emmett
Milburn, Jimmie Gillentine, Alton Fraser,
Doug and John Pitman, Mont Baker and
Harry Danforth.
These helped finance early stocking efforts
and also obtained landowner cooperation for
protection of the fledgling resource.
Primary pheasant stocking began here in
1941 with 240 privately purchased pheasants
released along Tierra Blanca Creek. Stocking
of pheasants in Deaf Smith County was one of
the earliest such efforts in the state.
The first open season on pheasants in Deaf
Smith County was held in 1960. Since that
time opening day of pheasant season in
December each year has become a major
state sporting event with its roots solidly in
Deaf Smith County. Pheasants have become
an important economic resource to the county
through increased retail sales of sporting
goods, leases and fund-raising projects of
numerous local civic clubs which revolve
around the opening weekend of pheasant
season.
Traditionally, some of the state's richest
waterfowl hunting has also been available in
Deaf Smith County. Ducks and geese have
been homing in on the county's playa lakes
and grain fields since the time of early settlement.
Years of abundant grain and playa water
tend to draw waterfowl in multitudes, such
numbers on some occasions that county grain
crops were jeopardized.
Mention of good sportsman harvest of
ducks and geese abounds, dating from the
1920's. At the time of early settlement here,
and well into the 1950's, the Tierra Blanca
Creek drew overwintering waterfowl to its
numerous pools and eddies, presenting unlimited
opportunities for jump shooting. Today,
a few isolated pools along the creek still offer
good duck shooting.
A burgeoning grain production industry
tended to draw increasing numbers of waterfowl
and the county's "golden era" of duck
hunting spanned the period from the late
1930's through the mid-1950's.The shooting of waterfowl, particularly
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas (Book)
Book describing Deaf Smith County including local history, photographs, illustrations, and biographies.
Relationship to this item: (Has Format)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Deaf Smith County Historical Society. The Land and Its People, 1876-1981: Deaf Smith County, Texas, book, 1982; Deaf Smith County, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth16010/m1/68/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Deaf Smith County Library.