Duffy's Peak
Post, Garza County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Height so prominent it was Garza County's earliest bench mark, designated by peg-legged surveyor Jasper Hays, who in 1877-1878 was marking bounds of Llano Ranch, first property to be occupied by settlers in county. Hays began at a corner established for the Houston and Great Northern Railroad Company near the White River in Crosby County, and shot west toward this peak. Tradition has it that a member of Hays' crew died and was buried near this peak, which was afterward named for him. Local heights named for natural wonders include "The Ice Cream Cones," "Cow Head Mesa," "Indian Head Point," and "The Chimneys," Other interesting uplands are "Two Bush Hill," "The Devil's Breakfast Table," "Needlepoint Peak," and "Buffalo Point." Two balanced rocks known to early settlers have now disappeared because of wind and weather erosion. Duffy's Peak, like most of the scenic formations, is sandstone, clay and sand. It still figures in local land transactions, as Hays' original notes (unearthed from Mason jars he buried on the peak) formed basis for later surveys-- including those of A. L. Marhoff in 1906, establishing boundaries for the farm colony of "Cereal King" C. W. Post. 1969
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
So prominent it became Garza County's earliest benchmark, this sandstone height was fixed in 1877–78 by the peg-legged surveyor Jasper Hays as he mapped the bounds of the Llano Ranch, the first property settlers occupied in the county. Tradition holds that a crew member who died was buried near the peak, giving it his name. Hays's original notes, recovered from Mason jars he buried on the summit, later anchored the surveys that laid out C. W. Post's farm colony—one landmark among a landscape of colorfully named local formations.
Why it matters
Duffy's Peak captures the gritty, improvisational work of frontier surveyors whose buried notebooks and hand-shot lines became the legal skeleton of West Texas land ownership.
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Related people
- · Jasper Hays
- · C. W. Post
- · A. L. Marhoff
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Twin Chimneys
Post, TX
These twin peaks served as a surveyor's landmark in the nineteenth century, sighted from Duffy's Peak ten miles northeast. Jasper Hays, the earliest recorded surveyor here, used them in 1877–78 to chart the Llano Ranch — land later bought by cereal king C. W. Post — and to establish the base lines for section surveys. Using Hays's original field notes, engineer A. L. Marhoff resurveyed Post's purchase in 1906, including the section where the town of Post was founded in 1907.
J. M. Boren Home
Post, TX
Built in 1908 from lumber hauled 75 miles across the open plains, this home belonged to J. M. Boren — Garza County's first county judge, as well as a rancher, bank director, and civic leader. Its hospitality was well known to the pioneers and cowboys who passed through the young town of Post. The house reflects the determination it took to build a settled community on the West Texas frontier.
The Post-Hundley House
Post, TX
Cereal magnate Charles W. Post founded the town of Post as a model community, and this native-stone cottage — quarried by hand from the nearby Caprock and built by his Double U Company in 1907 — served as his residence during frequent visits. The design came from a staffer at his Battle Creek, Michigan headquarters. Later families preserved the structure through the twentieth century.
Verbena Community Church
Post, TX
Built in 1904, the Verbena Community Church replaced a simple brush arbor that had sheltered summertime services for settlers of every denomination. On the wind-scoured plains it doubled as a refuge during blizzards, with one rule for those who took shelter: chop enough wood to warm the next stranded traveler who might come after. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1964.