City of Dumas
Dumas, Moore County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1891, Louis Dumas and J. R. Wheat formed the Panhandle Townsite Company to develop and promote a community they named Dumas. A post office was established the same year, and in 1892 Dumas was elected the seat of Moore County government. A mercantile store opened in 1894, and the First State Bank was organized in 1908. The dry, arid land surrounding Dumas attracted few newcomers, and the population remained sparse until oil was discovered in 1927. The town's history is a good reflection of life in the Texas Panhandle. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1891 Louis Dumas and J.R. Wheat organized a townsite company on the high, dry plains of the Texas Panhandle and named the new community for Dumas himself. A post office arrived that year, county-seat status the next, and a bank by 1908—yet the arid land drew few settlers and the town stayed small. Everything changed when oil was discovered in 1927, transforming Dumas's fortunes almost overnight.
Why it matters
Dumas is a compact portrait of Panhandle history: speculative townsite promotion, hard years on marginal land, and the sudden reinvention that oil brought to West Texas.
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Related people
- · Louis Dumas
- · J.R. Wheat
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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