Omaha
Omaha, Morris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On Seidicum Line, the old Bowie-Red River counties boundary surveyed in 1840. Thompson Morris laid out "Morristown" in 1880, but post office was "Gravett." To arbitrate, a drawing from a hat suggested "Omaha," for old home of a settler from Alabama. Town is now a shipping center for plants and farm products. (1966)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Omaha grew up along the Seidicum Line, the old Bowie–Red River county boundary surveyed in 1840. When Thompson Morris laid out a townsite here in 1880, its post office bore the name "Gravett," and the dispute over what to call the place was famously settled by a drawing from a hat—yielding "Omaha," after a settler's old Alabama home. The town became a shipping point for plants and farm products.
Why it matters
The offhand, hat-drawn naming of Omaha captures the improvised, opportunistic way countless American towns took root along surveyed lines and rail routes.
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Related people
- · Thompson Morris
Themes & tags
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