Near Ozona in Crockett County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Ozona-Barnhart Trap Company

Photographed by Brian Anderson, November 25, 2017

1. Ozona-Barnhart Trap Company Marker

Inscription. By the 1920s many ranchers in Crockett County had fenced their land, preventing their neighbors from driving sheep and cattle to the railroad shipping point in Barnhart (23 miles north of here). A solution to the problem was offered by the Ozona-Barnhart Trap Co., which was organized in Ozona in 1924. By buying or leasing land for trails, traps (small pastures), pens, and water wells, the company established a corridor through which ranchers could drive their livestock to the railroad without crossing their neighbor's fences or destroying his grass supply. The main trail extended about 34 miles, from south of Ozona to Barnhart, with branch lines throughout the county. The McNutt traps (2 miles northwest), with 1340 acres of pasture, were the hub of the trail. Sale of stock to area ranchmen financed the enterprise, and operating expenses were handled by a charge per head of livestock for services used. The O. - B. Trap Co. saved the ranching industry at a time when it was the only important business in Crockett County. The need for the trail dwindled with the rise of truck transportation in the 1930s, but drives were

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still held until the 1950s. The O. - B. Trap Co. now leases its land for grazing or gas production.

Erected 1974 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3899.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 30° 50.107′ N, 101° 10.159′ W. Marker is near Ozona, Texas, in Crockett County. It is on State Highway 163, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in a Roadside Park on SH 163, about 9 miles north of Ozona. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ozona TX 76943, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Texas.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: High Lonesome Stage Stand (here, next to this marker); Ozona Junior

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High School (approx. 8.6 miles away); Ozona's Water System (approx. 8.7 miles away); Old Ozona Hotel (approx. 8.7 miles away); Crockett County Jail (approx. 8.7 miles away); Ozona's First Water Well (approx. 8.8 miles away); Ozona National Bank (approx. 8.8 miles away); Crockett County Courthouse (approx. 8.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ozona.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2018. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2018, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio. This page has been viewed 563 times since then and 31 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on April 14, 2018, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.