Barnhart
Barnhart, Irion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for William F. Barnhart, an agent of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad, this community was founded in 1910. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a major freighting center and considered by many the largest inland livestock shipping point. The Ozona-Barnhart Trap Co. set up cattle holding pens (traps) along the trails into town to protect area ranches. Barnhart declined with decreased rail traffic. It was once the site of a school, post office, newspaper, drugstore, theatre, bank, four cafes, two hotels, three groceries, and a variety of other businesses. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1910 and named for a Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railroad agent, Barnhart boomed in the 1920s and 1930s as a major freighting center and what many called the largest inland livestock shipping point in the region. The Ozona-Barnhart Trap Co. built cattle-holding pens along the trails into town. At its peak Barnhart supported a school, newspaper, hotels, cafes, and a bank — but the town faded as rail traffic declined.
Why it matters
Barnhart's rise and fall traces the arc of the West Texas railhead towns, whose fortunes lived and died with the cattle trade and the tracks that served it.
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Related people
- · William F. Barnhart
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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