Southland, Texas
Encyclopedia
Southland is an unincorporated community
in Garza County
, Texas
, United States
. It lies along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado
on U.S. Route 84
, twenty miles northwest of Post
.
through to Lubbock
in 1910, railroad authorities chose to build through Southland rather than establish a new railroad town (which had tended to be a common occurrence). As a result, the community entered a period of limited prosperity and by 1911 had been granted a post office. Southland also saw benefit from C.W. Post's colonization of the area, providing a shipping point for his utopian project community and namesake town 20 miles to the southwest, Post
.
As with many small towns, however, the Great Depression
had dire effect on Southland and by 1940 the town's only bank had closed, and its population stood at 280 residents. By 1960, however, this had dropped to under 200 and half of its eleven businesses had closed their doors, as the demand for agricultural work had slowed and shifted elsewhere forcing many Southlanders to follow. Today, Southland remains a rural farming community with an estimated 2000 population of just under 160 residents.
official in various agencies, was born in Southland to South Plains
pioneers Sam and Ruby Ellis. He graduated from Southland public schools and McMurry College in Abilene
. His career began with the Office of Economic Opportunity
under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
. He also was employed by the ACTION
program, the New Mexico
Department of Aging, the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas General Land Office, and as state director of the Farmers Home Administration
of the United States Department of Agriculture
. He maintained ranching interests in Garza, Blanco, and Hays counties. He was the former state president of the interest group, the American Association of Retired Persons. He resided in Johnson City
at the time of his death on his seventieth birthday. He was survived by his wife, Barbara, a son, and a daughter. Memorial services were held in Slaton
in Lubbock County.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Garza County
Garza County, Texas
Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas southeast of Lubbock. In 2000, its population was 4,872. Its county seat is Post. Garza is named for a pioneer Bexar County family, as it was once a part of that county....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
on U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 84 is an east–west United States highway. It started as a short Georgia-Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme, but now extends all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distance east of Midway, Georgia, at an intersection with I-95. The road continues...
, twenty miles northwest of Post
Post, Texas
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census.There are many ranchers and civic boosters in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who operates the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West...
.
History
Named for its location on the southern end of the V Ranch, Southland became a trade center between several area ranches with the organization of Garza County in 1907. When the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway was extended north from SweetwaterSweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
through to Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
in 1910, railroad authorities chose to build through Southland rather than establish a new railroad town (which had tended to be a common occurrence). As a result, the community entered a period of limited prosperity and by 1911 had been granted a post office. Southland also saw benefit from C.W. Post's colonization of the area, providing a shipping point for his utopian project community and namesake town 20 miles to the southwest, Post
Post, Texas
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census.There are many ranchers and civic boosters in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who operates the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West...
.
As with many small towns, however, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
had dire effect on Southland and by 1940 the town's only bank had closed, and its population stood at 280 residents. By 1960, however, this had dropped to under 200 and half of its eleven businesses had closed their doors, as the demand for agricultural work had slowed and shifted elsewhere forcing many Southlanders to follow. Today, Southland remains a rural farming community with an estimated 2000 population of just under 160 residents.
Notable residents
L. George Ellis (June 3, 1938 - June 3, 2008), a governmentGovernment
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
official in various agencies, was born in Southland to South Plains
South Plains
South Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
pioneers Sam and Ruby Ellis. He graduated from Southland public schools and McMurry College in Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. His career began with the Office of Economic Opportunity
Office of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. He also was employed by the ACTION
ACTION (U.S. government agency)
ACTION was a United States government agency described as, "the Federal Domestic Volunteer Agency". It was formed in 1970 from VISTA; the Peace Corps; and the Foster Grandparents, Retired and Senior Volunteer, and Senior Companion Programs...
program, the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
Department of Aging, the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas General Land Office, and as state director of the Farmers Home Administration
Farm Security Administration
Initially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty...
of the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
. He maintained ranching interests in Garza, Blanco, and Hays counties. He was the former state president of the interest group, the American Association of Retired Persons. He resided in Johnson City
Johnson City, Texas
Johnson City is a city in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Blanco County. It was the hometown of President Lyndon Johnson and was founded by James Polk Johnson, nephew of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr., cousin to President Johnson....
at the time of his death on his seventieth birthday. He was survived by his wife, Barbara, a son, and a daughter. Memorial services were held in Slaton
Slaton, Texas
Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,109 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.Slaton is named for Lubbock rancher and banker O.L. Slaton, Sr...
in Lubbock County.
See also
- Yellow House CanyonYellow House CanyonYellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
- Llano EstacadoLlano EstacadoLlano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
- Caprock EscarpmentCaprock EscarpmentThe Caprock Escarpment is a term used in Texas and Eastern New Mexico to describe the geographical transition point between the level elevated plains of the Llano Estacado and the surrounding rolling terrain. In Texas, the escarpment stretches around 320 km south-southwest from the northeast...
- West TexasWest TexasWest Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
- BNSF RailwayBNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...