Running Water Community
Plainview, Hale County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Attracted by abundant water from Running Water Draw, J. W. and T. W. Morrison established a ranch in 1881 with headquarters about ten miles west of here. Most of the early settlers in this region worked for the ranch. Later, several partners joined the operation, including wealthy cattleman C. C. Slaughter. In 1884 Dennis and Martha S. Rice purchased several sections of land along the draw south of this site. Rice hoped to start a town and lure the railroad across his land. He began Wadsworth Post Office in his dugout in 1890. It was renamed Running Water in 1891. Rice organized the Running Water Townsite and Investment Company and staged a picnic and barbecue, July 4, 1892, for the purpose of selling town lots. Soon the community had a blacksmith shop, grist mill, a two-story store building, several residences and churches. The early one-room schoolhouse was later replaced by a brick structure. Although the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad bypassed Running Water in 1928, it remained a thriving village for several years. In 1935 the post office moved to Edmondson Switch on the railroad and many residents relocated here. In 1937 the name of this settlement was changed to Edmondson. 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Drawn by the reliable water of Running Water Draw, the Morrison brothers founded a ranch here in 1881, and cattleman C.C. Slaughter later joined the operation that employed most of the area's early settlers. In 1890 Dennis Rice opened a post office in his dugout and set out to build a town, staging a Fourth of July barbecue in 1892 to sell lots; soon Running Water had a blacksmith, grist mill, store, churches, and school. But when the railroad bypassed it in 1928, the community faded — the post office moved to Edmondson in 1935, and by 1937 the settlement itself had taken that name.
Why it matters
Running Water's rise and disappearance is a classic tale of how the railroad's route decided which Plains towns lived and which became ghosts.
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Related people
- · Dennis Rice
- · Martha S. Rice
- · C. C. Slaughter
Themes & tags
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