Booker
Booker, Lipscomb County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Platted 1917 by Thomas C. Spearman, Santa Fe Railway official. Named for railroad locating engineer, B. F. Booker. Town of La Kemp, Oklahoma (6 miles north) moved here 1919. First train arrived July 4, 1919, official birthdate of Booker. Economy based on farming, cattle and (since 1956) oil and gas production. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Booker owes its existence to the Santa Fe Railway's push across the Texas Panhandle in the years around World War I. Platted in 1917 and named for a railroad locating engineer, the town literally absorbed a neighbor: the community of La Kemp, Oklahoma, six miles north, picked up and moved to the rails in 1919. When the first train pulled in on July 4, 1919, residents marked it as the town's true birthday.
Why it matters
Booker is a vivid example of how the railroad, not geography, decided where Great Plains towns lived and died — whole communities relocated to stay on the line.
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Related people
- · Thomas C. Spearman
- · B. F. Booker
Related events
- · Arrival of the first Santa Fe train, 1919
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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