A History of Legendary Lubbock
The Hub City of West Texas Located in the heart of West
Texas, Lubbock is a thriving city of more than 200,000 people. Serving
as the hub of the region’s economy, education, and health care, it is
the distribution and wholesale center of West Texas. Distributing goods
for a 200 mile radius in every direction, it houses major firms in every
field of commerce, thus earning the name the “Hub City”.
The history of Lubbock is as varied and fascinating as
that of any western community in the United States. Some 150 million
years ago, this area (now known as the Plains) was once a vast lake. The
passage of time combined with the forces of wind and other natural
occurrences created the level surface of the Plains as it appears today.
It was across these plains, in 1540, that the Spanish
explorer Captain Francisco Vasquez de Coronado came to explore the
Southwest. He is believed to have camped in the well known “Lubbock Lake
Site” and in the area known as Yellow House Canyon. Spanish explorers
named many of the geographical features of this area, and these names
are still being used today. La Punta de Agua, or the Place of
Water was the original name given to the Lubbock lake Site. The southern
high plains were called Llano Estacado, Yellow House Canyon was
Canon Casas Amarillos and Ransom Canyon was Canon de Restate,
or Canyon of Ransom. In this Canyon of Ransom, trading was done
between the Indians and Spanish traders for captives and goods. Today,
many relics of the Coronado Period are on display at the Museum of Texas
Tech on the Texas Tech University campus.
Until the late 1800’s, Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne
Indians roamed the Plains for the heavy populations of buffalo,
antelope, prairie dogs, wolves, and coyotes. In 1870, General N.S.
Mackenzie came into this area to clear the Plains by killing off the
great herds of buffalo. Following the slaughter of buffalo, the grassy
plains became sparsely inhabited. Mackenzie Park is named after this
general.
The first white settlers, Quakers, came to the northern
part of what is now Lubbock County. Their small settlement existed for
many years, and was the origin of farming on the Plains.
The 1887 Texas Land Act, and other land promotions,
encouraged more people to come to the Plains. Eventually, two towns
formed. “Old Lubbock” and “Monterey” were about the same size, with
about 250 residents each. In December 1890, the two towns joined and
accepted a new site. This new site became “Lubbock”, named after Tom S.
Lubbock, a Texas hero who had signed the Texas Declaration of
Independence. He had been a Texas Ranger, a Confederate officer, and was
the brother of Francis R. Lubbock, Governor of Texas during the Civil
War. On March 10, 1891, the county government was formed and Tom
Lubbock’s namesake city was declared the County Seat.
The cattle industry also began to expand on the Plains
during the 1880’s, leading to great cattle empires. The first such
empire was the “10A” ranch, later changed to “The Cross C”, which
included about 245,000 acres purchased at between 24 and 40 cents per
acre. Many other ranches followed, including the “XIT”, “Lazy S”,
“Matador”, “T Bar”, “Spade”, “Spur”, and “Pitchfork” ranches. One of the
biggest problems these ranches faced was undependable surface water.
Plentiful water shallow depths were soon discovered.
This water was accessed by windmill powered wells. Ranchers hired crews
that sometimes did nothing but travel from windmill to windmill,
repairing them in an effort to keep water flowing to the cattle herds.
Eventually, pumps fueled by gasoline began to replace some windmills due
to their ability to pump greater quantities of water. The American Wind
Power Museum of Lubbock has preserved many of these old windmills for
future generations.
This newly discovered water made land too valuable for
grazing cattle. Ranchers sold their land, originally costing less than a
dollar, for about $25 per acre (today, the same acreage sells many times
that). The land was cut open by plows for the farming of cotton, grain,
and other crops. In 1902, there were only four bales of cotton in the
entire county. In 1919, the number of bales had risen to 13,865, and by
1932, an incredible 100,000 bales had been grown. Currently, Lubbock
County has been able to produce between two and three million bales of
cotton annually!
The first train pulled into Lubbock from Plainview on
September 25, 1909, amid hissing steam, billowing smoke, and a good old
fashioned town celebration, complete with the “Old Brass Band”. The
arrival of “John Santa Fe” is credited to Monroe G. Abernathy, a Lubbock
realtor who served as the town’s representative with Santa Fe officials.
Abernathy worked for many years and suffered many false starts before
seeing Lubbock arrive as the Hub of the Plains – in terms of
transportation at least.
The railroad was just another way to aid in the growth
of this “oasis on the plains”. As the population increased, so did the
need for education. In 1922, the Texas legislature created a university
for West Texas. On August 28, 1923, Lubbock was officially declared to
be the home of the new Texas Technological College. A citywide
celebration for more than 30, 000 people included a barbecue offering
35,000 pounds of beef, along with 10,000 ears of roasted corn and 1,950
gallons of coffee.
The doors of the college opened in 1925 with 1,379
students and a physical plant for maintenance operations, valued at
$1,433,984. In 1969, the college was renamed Texas Tech University.
Since then, Texas Tech has emerged as a first class educational and
research institution. More than 25,000 students have passed through this
university, and the physical plant is now valued at $1,010,384,586.
Texas Tech also houses the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Built in 1976, this center is a world renowned medical school and
teaching hospital, making many advances in surgical, neonatal and burn
wound care.
Public education in Lubbock has also progressed. The
first Lubbock school was located in the county jail and had one teacher.
The first Lubbock High School graduation was held in 1909 at the Opera
House. When the school burned in 1909, Central Ward School was built of
brick. The second school building was built in 1917 and was located at
17th Street and Avenue M. Schools construction has continued as the city
has grown. Today, Lubbock Independent School District has an enrollment
of more than 31,000 students. Other school districts, such as Frenship
and Lubbock Cooper, accommodate many Lubbock students from the
southeast, southwest and west sides of the city.
In 1936, Lubbock’s own Buddy Holly was born. A rock n
roll legend, Buddy Holly has attracted followers and inspired musicians
around the world. Today his memory lives on in the Hub City and each
year fans flock to his gravesite over 40 years after his untimely death.
The recently opened Buddy Holly Center, located in the historic Depot
District, showcases unique memorabilia belonging to Buddy Holly. An
annual music festival pays tribute to Holly and his music, as well as
other West Texas musicians, including Lubbock’s own Mac Davis, Waylon
Jennings, Tanya Tucker, the Maines Brothers, and Bob Wills. In 1999, the
Texas State Legislature designated Lubbock as the “Music Crossroads of
Texas”
In 1970, a devastating tornado struck Lubbock,
destroying more than $136 million in property, and several lives were
lost. In the tough pioneer spirit for which West Texans are known, the
citizens united, a bond package was approved, and many municipal
improvements resulted. The Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, The Lubbock
International Airport, and the Canyon Lakes Park system were built. In
1972, the South Plains Mall was constructed, making the city a retail
and wholesale trade center of a 26 county area in Texas and New Mexico.
The Lubbock Lake Landmark was designated a state
historical site in 1989. Studies done at this important archeological
preserve has traced the history of this area further than most sites
across North America.
Also of note in 1989, Texas Tech University President
Lauro Cavazos was appointed U. S. Secretary of Education. Texas Tech
University celebrated the 75th anniversary of it’s founding in 1998. One
year later, the 15,000 seat United Spirit Arena was opened on the Texas
Tech Campus. This arena plays host to Texas Tech’s men and women’s
basketball teams and volleyball team, as well as world renowned national
and international entertainers, such as Elton John, Pearl Jam and the
Dixie Chicks with lead singer Natalie Maines, a Lubbock native.
Lubbock’s history is varied and fascinating. With an
agricultural base, the county and city have prospered greatly and
Lubbock’s economy continues to flourish in many different areas, from
ranching and farming to libraries and museums, from electronics and
engineering to relics from the past.
The city of Lubbock will continue to grow and attract
more and more people to its friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
A bigger, better Lubbock! Visit us today!
At the Lubbock Lake Site in north
Lubbock, archeological investigations have documented the following
sequence of prehistoric human use:
1. The PaleoIndians of 128000 years ago, who hunted
animals now extinct like mammoth, horse, camel, and giant buffalo;
2. The Archaic people of 65002000 years ago, who hunted
the modern buffalo; and
3. The nomadic protohistoric and historic Indians and
earliest Europeans, who continued to depend on the buffalo for a
livelihood.
1541 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado leads an
expedition onto the Llano Estacado, perhaps as far south as Yellow House
Canyon.
1600s Spanish trading parties pass through Yellow
House Canyon enroute to the Concho River from Santa Fe. The Spanish name
most of the major geographic features of the area, including Cañon Casas
Amarillas (Yellow House Canyon), Cañon de Rescate (Ransom Canyon), and
Llano Estacado (Staked Plains).
1872 General Ranald S. Mackenzie “rediscovers” the
route across the South Plains while searching for cattle rustlers.
1875 Buffalo hunters and Comanches periodically
skirmish on the South Plains, culminating in a day long battle in
Yellowhouse Canyon in early 1875. Buffalo hunters move onto the southern
range, working from supply centers in Taylor, Scurry and Stonewall
Counties. Causey Brothers “preempt” (lay claim to) Yellow House Canyon
and build a half dugout at Buffalo Springs.
1876 Texas Legislature establishes Lubbock County
and names it for Tom S. Lubbock, a former Texas Ranger killed in the
Civil War and brother of Francis R. Lubbock, the Civil War governor of
Texas.
1879 First Anglo settlement on the South Plains is
established in Lubbock County. Founder Paris Cox plans a Quaker farming
community at Estacado on the Crosby Lubbock County line.
1880 As it is believed that Estacado is in Crosby
County, only 25 persons are listed on the United States census for
Lubbock County in June. Bertha Cox, first recorded birth in Lubbock
County, is delivered by Dr. William Hunt at Estacado.
c. 1882 George W. Singer opens the first store in
Lubbock County on Yellow House Canyon.
1884 Western Land and Livestock Company of
Davenport, Iowa establishes the huge IOA Ranch in Lubbock County. The
company eventually controls some 100 sections of ranch land in the
county, with a fence that stretches from Hockley to Crosby County along
a line that corresponds with presentday 19th Street. 1886
Original Singer’s store burns. Singer rebuilds one half mile down the
Canyon, where his store serves as trading post and post office for the
few settlers in the county.
1888 Rollie Burns becomes manager of the IOA Ranch.
1889 Frank E. Wheelock comes to Lubbock with the IOA
Ranch. Other persons important in Lubbock history who are in the county
at this time include Rollie Burns, Will and Van Sanders, and George
Wolffarth.
1890 - 91 The first wave of settlers arrives in
Lubbock County to settle school land purchased from the state under the
Land Act of 1887. Two rival settlements spring up on opposite sides to
Yellowhouse Canyon. W.E. Rayner plats the first town, Monterey, on the
south. Old Lubbock, or North Town is laid out on the north side by Frank
E. Wheelock and Rollie Burns in August 1890. A lively competition arises
between the two settlements, as the town with the largest following will
become the Lubbock County seat. Since none of the town site promoters
desire a protracted county seat fight, they agree to consolidate the two
towns at a third location near the center of the county. In early 1891,
buildings from the rival town sites are moved to the new settlement:
Lubbock. Even the two story Nicolett Hotel is moved across the canyon to
the corner of what becomes Broadway and Avenue H. By July 1891, the
infant city had 250 inhabitants, making it the fastest growing town on
the South Plains.
1891 Lubbock County, with Lubbock as the county
seat, is organized after an election in March. The Lubbock Leader,
Lubbock’s first newspaper, begins publication. Miss Minnie Tubbs
conducts the first school term, with all classes meeting together in the
jail. 25 students were enrolled with an average attendance of 15 to 18
students.
1892 Baptist and Methodist congregations are
established in Lubbock.
1900 Lubbock County reports a population of 293 in
the 1900 census, an 887 percent increase over 1890. At the turn of the
century, Lubbock had: “The only newspaper in the county, one good public
school...two large general merchandise stores, one drug store, one
hotel, one barber shop, one blacksmith shop, one wagon and feed yard,
two doctors, two lawyers, one real estate and insurance firm, [and]
scores of honest, upright people who are anxious to see the town build
up.” The first issue of the Lubbock Avalanche is printed on May 4.
Liff Sanders, of the Church of Christ, becomes the first resident
preacher of any denomination in Lubbock.
1901 First cotton is harvested in Lubbock County,
with a total yield of thirty bales. Lubbock’s first bank is established.
1904 First gin in Lubbock County is built by
subscription from Lubbock townspeople.
1906 The Staked Plains Telephone Company is
established in Lubbock.
1907 The Overton Addition, Lubbock’s first
residential addition, is platted west of the Original Town square mile.
It is named for its developer Dr. M.C. Overton. The Overton neighborhood
is bordered by 4th St., Ave.Q., 19th St., and University Ave.
Lubbock Independent School District created by the 30th Texas
Legislature; operations begin in the fall.
1909 Though railroad schemes were numerous after
the turn of the century, the Santa Fe is the first railroad into
Lubbock, arriving in September. Six additional Santa Fe lines eventually
radiate from Lubbock, the “Hub of the Plains.” With the advent of the
railroad and the growth of agriculture, Lubbock emerges as the regional
marketing and service center of the South Plains. In April, the
town of Lubbock incorporates as a city and begins providing a modest
number of city services. Frank Wheelock is elected the city’s first
mayor. Lubbock I.S.D. graduates its first senior class, with ten
members. Texas A&M Agriculture Experiment Station opens north of
Lubbock. The Twentieth Century Club is the first women’s club
organized in the city.
1910 Lubbock’s population is 1.938 in the 1910
census, the first year figures are reported for the “urban area.”
Regularly scheduled railroad passenger service begins on January 11. The
first irrigation wells in Lubbock County are drilled, although large
scale irrigated farming did not occur on the South Plains until the
1940’s. First Lubbock High School built in the 1600 block of 13th
St.
1911 The City Commission hires the city’s first two
policemen.
1913 Lubbock Chamber of Commerce is founded, and
sponsors the first Lubbock County fair.
1917 In March, voters approve the present city
charter. George M. Hunt School opened at 17th St. and Ave. N.;
named for an original townsman and landowner in Estacado and Lubbock. He
also served as a school trustee. Mt.Gilead Baptist Church is
established, the first church organized in the city’s African American
community. It is quickly followed by other congregations, including five
established in the 1920’s: Carter Chapel AME, Bethel AME. Messiah
Presbyterian, Mt. Vernon United Methodist, and the Church of God in
Christ.
1920 Lubbock’s population in the 1920 census is
4,051, a 109 percent increase in ten years. The city’s first
paving contract is awarded to Panhandle Construction Company. Twenty
blocks in downtown Lubbock are paved in brick, beginning a project that
ends with the advent of asphalt pavement in 1930. Panhandle South
Plains Fair Association is established to sponsor the annual event.
Schools opened for Hispanic and African American students.
1921 The present system of naming streets is adopted
by the City
Commission on the recommendation of a joint City Chamber
of Commerce committee. Rotary is established as Lubbock’s first
men’s service club.
1921 - 22 Four rural or “ward schools” were opened
for rural county students. These schools were called Northwest Ward
School, Northeast Ward School, Southeast Ward School and Southwest Ward
School.
1922 The new “Mexican School” is opened. Later
named Guadalupe when a new building was built in 1930. 1923
In February, Governor Pat Neff signs Senate Bill 103, authored by State
Senator William H. Bledsoe, establishing Texas Technological College.
The locating Board, meeting in August, announces that Lubbock will be
the home of the new school. Lubbock celebrates the announcement
with a barbecue attended by more than 30,000 people. Home delivery
of mail begins. New Lubbock High School built south of Broadway
between 13th and 14th Streets. Old high school becomes the Central Ward
Elementary School. K. Carter Elementary School is built at 6th St.
and Ave. Q.
1924 The cornerstone for the Texas Technological
College Administration building is laid in a ceremony on November 11.
The growth of Lubbock’s Hispanic population leads to the establishment
of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
1925 Texas Technological College opens in
September, with an initial enrollment of about 1,000 students. Local bus
service is established. First six stories of the Hotel Lubbock,
now Pioneer Retirement Hotel, are completed. Six more stories will be
added in 1929.
1926 First Board of City Development is appointed by
the City Commission.
1927 Burrus Elevators, the first large grain storage
facility in Lubbock, is constructed on 4th Street. Dupre
Elementary opens at 2008 Ave. T. It is named after former Superintendent
of Schools M.M. Dupre. Sanders Elementary opens at 610 Auburn. It
is named after Liff Sanders, the first resident minister in Lubbock.
1928 The Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway begins
service to Lubbock, adding another spoke to the “Hub of the Plains.” The
Fort Worth and Denver depot on Avenue G will be designated as the city’s
first historic landmark in 1979.
1929 Plains Museum Society, now West Texas Museum
Association, founded to promote and support a museum at Texas Tech.
Meadowbrook Golf Course opens. First successful oil well is
drilled in Lubbock County.
1930 Lubbock’s population increases to 20,520,
indicative of the rapid growth of the local economy in the 1920’s.
Lubbock Municipal Airport opens north of town. The original airport
hangar is now occupied by WesTex Aviation. New Guadalupe School
building is built.
1931 The present Lubbock High School is completed on
19th Street. The building is now listed on the National Register
of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The old
Lubbock High School becomes Carroll Thompson Junior High, now
demolished. A new Lubbock County jail is built on Main Street.
1932 Lubbock’s first commercial radio station, KFYO,
begins broadcasting in April. The new Federal Building and Post
Office is constructed on the north side of Broadway near the County
Courthouse.
1933 Lubbock’s all time record low temperature,
minus 17 degrees, is set on February 8.
1934 George H. Mahon is elected the first United
States Representative from the new Nineteenth Congressional District,
which includes Lubbock County.
1935 Mackenzie State Park is established, combining
existing city and county parks with additional acreage under state
ownership.
1936 Buddy Holly, who will rise to rock and roll
fame in the 1950’s, is born in Lubbock.
1939 On January 1, Texas Technological College is
defeated by St. Mary’s in Tech’s first Cotton Bowl appearance.
Lubbock High School wins the city’s first state football championship,
defeating Waco High School 2014. Lubbock High will win state two
more times; in 1950 and 1951. Roscoe Wilson Elementary opens at
2801 25th St. Mr. Wilson was an early settler and attorney in the City
of Lubbock. He was a member of the City Charter Commission and the
Lubbock School Board. Summer temperatures reach as high as 109
degrees, a record that stands until 1994.
1940 Lubbock’s population increases only 55 percent,
to 31,853, in the 1940 census. This increase, the smallest rate since
the town’s establishment, indicates the effects of the Great Depression
on the South Plains. The new Lindsey Theater opens on Main Street,
with “The Mark of Zorro” as its feature presentation. Bean
Elementary opens at 3001 Ave. N. It is named after George R. Bean,
L.I.S.D. Trustee and first Trustee President. Bean was one of the
first inhabitants of Lubbock County in 1880 and was a prominent lawyer,
judge and landowner
1941 First city zoning ordinance enacted.
Lubbock Army Airfield, an advanced flying school, is established west of
town. Record precipitation, 40.55 inches, falls in Lubbock during
this year.
1942 South Plains Flying School is located at the
Lubbock Municipal Airport, operating until 1945.
1944 McWhorter Elementary opens at 2711 1st St. It
is named after pioneer and civic leader B.O. McWhorter.
1945 The city’s first commercial air flight occurs
when Braniff’s “Super B Liner” flies into Lubbock Municipal Airport.
Chatman’s Hospital, the first black hospital in West Texas, is
established in Lubbock.
1946 Lubbock Symphony Orchestra established.
Harwell Elementary opens at 4101 Ave. D. It is named after civic leader
Chris Harwell who was active in the local Masonic Lodge.
1947 The present day Jackson Elementary School opens
as the “Cottage School” at 2101 2nd St. The present school building
opened in 1949. It is named after A..C. Jackson, the first business
manager of L.I.S.D. Hutchinson Junior High opens at 32nd and
Canton Ave. It is named after Dr. J.T. Hutchinson, founder of the
Lubbock Sanatorium which is now Methodist Hospital. Slaton Junior
High opens at 32nd and Ave. Q. It is named for O.L. Slaton, early
Lubbock banker and businessman. Mr. Slaton was a cofounder of what is
today the First National Bank of West Texas.
1949 Lubbock Army Airfield is renamed Reese Air
Force Base in honor of World War II hero Augustus Reese, Jr. of
Shallowater. Brown Elementary School opens at 2301 36th St. It is
named after teacher, principal, landowner and Judge P.F. Brown.
Overton Elementary opens at 29th and Louisville. It is named after Dr.
M. C. Overton, doctor of general medicine and real estate developer. Dr.
Overton was a member of the First L.I.S.D. Board of Trustees.
Posey Elementary opens at 1301 Redbud Ave. It is named after early
banker and businessman Walter S. Posey. Posey and O.L. Slaton were
founders of First National Bank.
1950 Lubbock’s population, as measured by the
1950 census, increases to 71,747. Present Lubbock County
Courthouse is built at Broadway and Texas. Iles Elementary opens
as a part of the Dunbar school complex. It is named after Ella R.
Iles, one of the first African American educators in Lubbock.
Wolffarth Elementary opens at 3202 Erskine. It is named after pioneer
rancher and civic leader George C. Wolffarth.
1951 High Plains Underground Water Conservation
District Number 1 is established in Lubbock.
1952 Lubbock’s first television station, KDUB,
begins broadcasting in November. Matthews Junior High opens at 417
Akron Ave. It is named after former Superintendent of Schools, R.W.
Matthews. Hodges Elementary opens at 5001 Ave. P. It is named
after early merchant and landowner C.N. Hodges who owned the land the
school was built on. Stubbs Elementary opens at 3501 Toledo Ave.
It is named after Mrs. Lou Stubbs. She was an early settler and the
first woman to serve on the Lubbock School Board. Wheelock
Elementary opens in the 3000 block of 42nd St. It is named for early
settler, founder, businessman, Mayor and County Commissioner F.E.
Wheelock.
1954 The first Lubbock Public Library opens on
19th Street across from Lubbock High School. Arnett Elementary
School opens at 701 E. Queens in far northern Lubbock. It is named after
a longtime local rancher and banker Sam C. Arnett.
1955 Integration allows students to enroll in the
attendance area of their residence. Monterey High School opens.
The school is named for Monterey, one of the rival townsites
consolidated to form Lubbock. Maedgen Elementary opens at 3815
44th St. It is named after Lubbock banker C. E. Maedgen, founder of the
Lubbock National Bank. Mr. Maedgen was active in financial and civic
affairs and a member of the L.I.S.D. Board of Trustees. Wheatley
Elementary opens at 2800 Redbud St. After first being named the Seiber
School, its name was changed to honor Ms. Phyllis Wheatley at the
suggestion of the African American community in Lubbock. Ms. Wheatley
was the first prominent African female poet in the United States.
1956 Plains Cotton Growers organizes to promote and
protect the interests of Plains cotton growers and allied industries and
businesses. Texas Technological College becomes a member of the
Southwest Conference. City of Lubbock Auditorium and Coliseum
complex opens. Bayless Elementary opens at 2511 55th St. The
school is named after R.F. Bayless, the local passenger agent for the
Santa Fe Railroad. Bayless served as a member and secretary of the
L.I.S.D. School Board. 1957 Lubbock Christian College opens
with 16 faculty members and 110 students. Atkins Junior High opens
at 5501 Ave. U. It is named after W.B. Atkins, longtime manager of the
Higginbotham Bartlett Lumber Co. and member of the LISD Board of
Trustees. Rush Elementary opens at 4800 15th St. It is named for
George A. Rush, civic leader and City Council member. The land the
school sits on as well as the neighborhood surrounding it was once part
of the Rush ranch.
1958 Smylie Wilson Junior High opens at 4401 31st
St. Mr. Wilson was an early settler, businessman, and civic leader. He
was also an LISD Trustee and purchasing agent Bozeman Elementary opens
at 3101 E. 2nd St. after having been in temporary buildings since 1951.
The school is named after local businessman and developer Kenneth
Bozeman who donated the land for the school.
1959 The first Hispanic newspaper in the city, El
Seminario, begins publication Plane crash on February 3rd kills Lubbock
native Buddy Holly and rock and roll singers Richie Valens and the Big
Bopper. This is known as “The day the music died.” Dunbar High
School, named for the African American poet Paul Dunbar, opens at 2010
E. 26th Street. Parsons Elementary opens at 2811 58th St. It is
named for civic leader and School Board Trustee E.J. Parsons. Mr.
Parsons was manager of J.C. Penney and Co. in Lubbock for many years.
Stewart Elementary opens at 47th St. and Utica Ave. It is named for Dr.
Allen T. Stewart, pediatrician, civic leader and member of the L.I.S.D
Board of Trustees.
1960 Lubbock’s population in the 1960 census
reaches 128,691, including 10,287 African Americans, 11,642 Hispanics,
and 106,762 Anglos and others.
1961 Texas Technological College basketball team
defeats the University of Texas, 6360, for its first Southwest
Conference title. The Manhattan Heights Times, first African
American newspaper in the city, begins publication. Alderson
Junior High opens on Walnut St. between 4th St. and Parkway. It is named
after businessman and car dealer Walter E. Alderson. Mr. Alderson was on
the L.I.S.D. Board of Trustees, President of the Automobile Dealers
Association and President of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. Alderson
Junior High was the first airconditioned school building built in
Lubbock. Evans Junior High opens at 4211 58th St. It is named for
William H. Evans, attorney and former head of the TTU Department of
Education. The new Guadalupe School building opens. Martin
Elementary School opens at 3315 E. Broadway. It is named after Ruel E.
Martin, an executive with Dunlap’s department stores, civic leader and
L.I.S.D. School Board member. Wright Elementary opens north of
Loop 289 at 1302 Adrian. It is named for Neil H. Wright. Mr. Wright was
the first insurance agent in Lubbock and was a member of the L.I.S.D.
Board of Trustees. He also founded the Lubbock Crippled Children’s
Council. Lowrey Field opens at 66th St. and Ave. L. It is named
after educator and athletic business manager E.J. “Pinky” Lowrey. It
serves as baseball field for Monterey High School and football
facilities for all of LISD. 1962 Parkway Elementary opens
at 406 North Zenith in northeast Lubbock. It is named for the
neighborhood where it is located.
1963 Mackenzie Junior High opens at 12th and
Bangor Ave. It is named for Ranald S. Mackenzie, early cavalry officer
and rediscoverer of the Yellowhouse Canyon Route across the Llano
Estacado.
1964 Bowie Elementary School opens at 2902 Chicago
Avenue after having been in temporary buildings since 1962. It is named
after Alamo hero James Bowie. Haynes Elementary School opens at
3802 60th St. It is named after E.R. Haynes, first Superintendent of
L.I.S.D. Wester Elementary School opens at 4602 Chicago Ave. It is
named for Lubbock attorney and school board trustee J.K. Wester.
1965 Coronado High School, named for the Spanish
explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, opens at 34th Street and
Vicksburg Avenue. Hardwick Elementary School opens at 1420 Chicago
Ave. It is named after Paul Hardwick, local banker and Board of School
Trustees member.
1966 The new Hunt Elementary School is built at 415
Ivory. Tubbs Elementary opens at 3311 Bates St. It is named for
longtime resident and pioneer Isham Tubbs. The Tubbs home can still be
seen south of 4th St. and west of Frankford Ave. 1967
Opening ceremonies held at Texas Tech School of Law. Estacado High
School, named for the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado,
opens in east Lubbock.
1968 Murfee Elementary opens at 6901 Nashville. It
is named after city and county pioneer educator Miss Mae Murfee who
taught in the first Lubbock County rural school.
1969 Lubbock State School for the Mentally Retarded
opens.
1970 A massive tornado strikes Lubbock on May 11. 28
people lose their lives to the twister, which leaves a path of
destruction through the northern and central parts of the city.
Lubbock registers a moderate increase in population in the 1960 - 1970
decade, numbering 149,101 citizens in the 1970 census. Of these 10,912
were African American, 23,883 Hispanic, and 114,306 Anglo and others.
K. Carter Elementary School is closed after the tornado destroys part of
the neighborhood it served. The building is sold and becomes the
Scottish Rite facility. Guadalupe Elementary is heavily damaged by
the tornado, but is repaired and reopened.
1972 Texas Tech University School of Medicine is
dedicated. South Plains Mall opens for business.
1973 Mahon Elementary School opens at 2110 Cornell.
It is named after longtime US Representative George Mahon who served for
many years as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
1975 Williams Elementary opens at 4812 58th St. It
is named for former LISD Superintendent Nat Williams.
1976 The Lubbock Regional Airport is dedicated in
April. Texas Tech Red Raiders are Southwest Conference football
co-champions (with Houston). During the U.S. Bicentennial, The
Ranching Heritage Center opened in conjunction with a Trail Drive, July
4, 1976.
1977 The Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, named in
memory of the people who lost their lives in the 1970 tornado, opens.
The Yellowhouse Canyon Lakes, a water recreation and land reclamation
project under development since the late 1960’s, is dedicated.
1978 Sanders Elementary closes as an elementary
school.
1980 By the time of the 1980 census, Lubbock’s
population increased to 173,979: 16,136 African American, 38,276
Hispanic and 133217 Anglo and others.
1981 The Texas Tech Schools of Nursing and Allied
Health are funded by the state legislature for the first time.
1982 Marsha Sharp becomes head coach of the Lady
Raiders Basketball Team.
1983 Honey Elementary School opens at 3615 86th St.
Named after local brother and sister educators, Floyd and Glenys Honey,
this school is significant because it was the first school built in ten
years because of controversy over desegregation and busing. It was the
first of three L.I.S.D. schools, along with Waters and Whiteside, built
south of Loop 289. Waters Elementary School opens at 3006 78th St.
It is named after Lubbock attorney and School Trustee J.K. Waters.
Whiteside Elementary opens at 7508 Albany Ave. It is named after James
H. Whiteside who owned and operated the Plains Laundry. Mr. Whiteside
was a member of the School Board and President of the Trustees as well
as serving on the State Board of Education.
1984 Expansion of the Lubbock International Airport
is completed. Lubbock celebrates Jubilee 75, the seventy fifth
anniversary of the city’s incorporation.
1985 The Texas Tech Men’s Basketball Team wins the
Southwest Conference basketball title and receives a bid to the NCAA
Tournament. South Plains Mall expands with the addition of the
Mervyn’s wing.
1986 Ramirez Elementary opens at 702 Ave. T. It is
named for Jose S. Ramirez, owner of Jose’s Restaurant, civic leader and
the first Hispanic member of the Lubbock School Board. The Tech
Men’s Basketball Team wins a second consecutive SWC title. The
Mall again expands with the addition of the Beall’s wing. Spike
Dykes becomes head coach of the Red Raider Football Team after the
resignation of David McWilliams at the end of the 1986 season.
1987 Smith Elementary opens at 8707 Dover Ave. It is
named for former Texas governor Preston Smith. Governor Smith is from
the Lubbock area and served the region as a state legislator before
being elected Governor. O’Bannion Baseball Field opens at 5518
Brownfield Rd. It is named after the late Coronado High School principal
Max O’Bannion. Dorothy Lomax Center opens at 1601 24th St.
adjacent to O.L. Slaton Junior High. It serves as an athletic facility
and outreach center.
1989 Texas Tech President Lauro F. Cavazos is named
Secretary of Education under the Bush Administration. Irons Junior
High opens at 5214 79th St. It is named for Ed Irons, former
Superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District.
1990 According to the 1990 US census, Lubbock has a
population of 186,206: 570 Native American, 2,617 Asian, 15,939 African
American, 41,916 Hispanic, and 125,164 Anglo. Cinemark Movies 12
opens. It is the first multi-screened, high-tech theater in Lubbock with
the new digital surround sound technology.
1991 Methodist hospital expansion begins.
Dedication of Lake Alan Henry in Garza County, creating a new water
source for Lubbock. Creation of Broadway Festivals Inc. to support
4th on Broadway, which would become the largest annual event in the city
and be recognized as one of the best downtown festivals in Texas.
1992 Interstate 27 is completed through central
Lubbock inside Loop 289. South Loop 289 is widened to six lanes
between I27 and Spur 327 at South Plains Mall. Cavazos Junior High
opens at 210 N. University. It is named for Dr. Lauro F. Cavazos, former
President of Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center and U.S. Secretary of Education during the Bush
administration.
1993 The Texas Tech University Lady Raider
Basketball Team wins the NCAA National Championship. University
Medical Center expansion begins. The OmniMax Theater at the new Science
Spectrum opens. The name “Depot District” is adopted for an area
of entertainment and retail businesses around the old Fort Worth and
Denver South Plains Railway Depot.
1994 Lubbock’s all-time record high temperature of
114 degrees is reached on June 27, 1994. This temperature broke a record
of 111 set the day before. The summer of 1994 was the hottest summer in
Lubbock’s recorded history with the temperature exceeding 100 degrees
more than 25 days. The old Chatman Hospital is reopened as a
University Medical Center neighborhood clinic. Dunbar High School
becomes Dunbar Junior High. Pioneer Retirement Hotel closes for
renovation. Cinemark Movies 12 expands to Movies 16. Texas
Tech mascot “Double T” is killed in a freak accident during the third
quarter of the first football game of the 1994 season. Ironically, the
accident occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Masked Rider tradition.
Tech rallied from a 17 point deficit to defeat New Mexico 3731.
Texas Tech leaves the Southwest Conference. With the addition of Texas
Tech, Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M, the “Big 8” becomes the “Big 12,”
with conference play beginning in the fall of 1996. Texas Tech, as
Southwest Conference co-champion, makes its first Cotton Bowl appearance
since 1939.
1994 - 95
Texas Tech teams win a record number of Southwest
Conference titles, including football co-championship, men’s and women’s
basketball championships, and baseball championships.
1995 The Lubbock Crickets play their first games
as members of the Texas-Louisiana Baseball League. The Base Closure and
Realignment Committee (BRAC) recommends the closing of Reese Air Force
Base.
1996 Lubbock City Council rejects Southwestern
Public Service offer to buy the municipally owned Lubbock Power and
Light. Lubbock remains the largest city in the U.S. served by two
electric power companies. First annual Buddy Holly Music Festival
is held on the weekend closest to the internationally known singer’s
birthday.
1997 Lubbock elects Windy Sitton as the city’s first
woman mayor. Reese Air Force Base closes.
