Historical Photographs

Bledsoe, Texas 1925-1946

Bledsoe was established by Nelson W. Willard in 1925. Willard was an Illinois-based land speculator who had caught wind of plans by the South Plains & Santa Fe Railway to build a 63-mile-long rail line from Lubbock west through Hockley and Cochran counties. Willard purchased a couple sections of land that had been part of the Joab Alexander Ranch, including a site where Alexander had built a home and drilled a water well. Willard platted the site for a town and used the well as its first public water supply. The first train rolled into town on Decmber 1, 1925. The community was named for Samuel T. Bledsoe, an official of the railroad, who later became its president.

13 Photos

Cobleland, Texas 1925-1927

Cobleland was a small community located on the Coble Ranch in Hockley County, Texas owned by W.T. Coble. During the early 1920's, it was the jumping-off point for many families heading to Texas' Last Frontier in neighboring Cochran County. The community grew rapidly and a six-room brick school with auditorium was built around 1926. In 1935, the Cobleland School closed. After the closure, the school building was torn down and the community vanished. Today, there is nothing left of Cobleland. Only historical photographs, such as these, are all that's left to show that it ever existed.

13 Photos

Whiteface, Texas 1926-1949

Whiteface sits on the eastern edge of Cochran County, Texas and is a gateway city to Texas' Last Frontier. In it's early days, Whiteface was an important point on the South Plains & Santa Fe Railway line, as it was the only way station along the western portion that had an available water supply in proximity to the rail line. It, too, was established by land speculator Nelson W. Willard in 1925.

14 Photos

Whiteface, Texas 1950-1952

The beginning of the 1950's was the beginning of the decline in the population and businesses of Whiteface. As time moved on, so did many of the town's inhabitants. The consolidation of smaller farms into larger farming operations, the advancement in agricultural technology that required fewer farm hands, and the reduction in oilfield activity all played a large part in this decline.

15 Photos