Summary
Close City is an unincorporated community in western Garza County, approximately 6.5 mi (10.5 km) west-northwest of Post. The small rural community lies on the High Plains of the Llano Estacado in West Texas.
Close City, Texas | |
|---|---|
 Close City school built 1919, abandoned 1965 | |
  Close City  Close City | |
| Coordinates: 33°12′39″N 101°29′14″W / 33.21083°N 101.48722°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Garza |
| Region | Llano Estacado |
| Established | 1906 |
| Founded by | C. W. Post |
| Elevation | 2,933 ft (894 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| ZIP code | 79343 |
| Area code | 806 |
| Website | Handbook of Texas |
The town site was chosen as the original location of Post City, a model community and social experiment conceived by C. W. Post, an American breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer.[2] In the early 1890s, Post developed a popular caffeine-free coffee substitute called Postum, and later made a fortune on breakfast cereals such as Grape Nuts and Post Toasties.[3] As Post's wealth grew, his interests began to expand into other areas. One project that had always intrigued him was the creation of a planned community of model homes and industry.[3] His success in the prepared-foods industry provided the financial resources to begin this project.
C. W. Post initially chose a site on the Llano Estacado for his projected settlement.[4] Construction of Post City began at the original site until surveyors discovered that the town was 11 mi (18 km) from the geographical center of Garza County.[2] State law required a county seat to be located no more than 5 mi (8.0 km) from the center of a county, thus the chosen site could not serve as county seat.[3] Post ordered work to stop and he shifted resources to a site located nearer the center of the county. The new site, located below the Caprock, is the present-day location of Post.
The original town site, called Ragtown, was renamed Close City, named after Edward Bennett "E.B." Close, who married Post's daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post, in 1905.[5] Although some residents stayed, the town developed slowly and consequently remained a small rural community. Today, Close City is primarily a farming community. The primary crop is cotton, but lesser amounts of grain sorghum and winter wheat are also grown in the area. Crops are grown on a mixture of irrigated and dryland farms. Water for irrigation is pumped from the underlying Ogallala Aquifer, and is usually applied using center-pivot irrigation systems.
In 1909, Close City students attended school in a one-room wooden schoolhouse. In 1919, George Samson and Jimmie Napier built a new brick schoolhouse, which served the community well until 1965, when Close City School was consolidated with Post schools.[6]
The only paved road that passes through Close City is Farm to Market Road 399. Close City is 2 mi (3.2 km) north of U.S. Highway 380 and 3 mi (4.8 km) west of U.S. Highway 84. The BNSF Railway, which extends from Post to Lubbock, passes 5 mi (8.0 km) to the east.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Close City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b Julius A. Amin, "Close City, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrc72, accessed December 31, 2011, Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ a b c Charles D. Eaves and C. A. Hutchinson. 1952. Post City, Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 171 pp.
- ^ Donald R. Abbe and Paul H. Carlson. 2008. Historic Garza County: an Illustrated History. San Antonio: Historical Pub. Network, p. 23.
- ^ Recorded Texas Historic Landmark: Old Close City School, erected in 1968 by the Texas Historical Commission, marker number 3710.
- ^ Linda Puckett. 2010. Images of America: Garza County. Arcadia Publishing, p. 39.
External links edit
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Close City
- Close City, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas