Odessa in Ector County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Ector County Land Rush
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 10, 2015
1. Ector County Land Rush Marker
Here in 1904 a fight involved almost every man in Ector County, over filing a claim for 4 sections of public land. Elias Dawson and Charlie Lewis each brought friends to help him file. Before courthouse doors opened, several men had clothes or boots torn off, in foes' efforts to find filing papers. When the doors opened, a man was boosted over the heads of the crowd, and Lewis won the 4 sections of land.
Texas as a republic owned over 200,000,000 acres of public land. She used land to attract settlers, pay her soldiers, set up school funds. At annexation, she retained her public lands - the only state to do so. In a boundary dispute she ceded 63,552,144 acres; used land to pay for railroads, harbors and canals; compensated Civil War soldiers or widows with land; traded 3,000,000 acres for a state capitol.
By 1883 her lands were over-committed. Free grazing had to be stopped. Terminations of leases and the corrections of surveys later made available some land for filing. This led to the 1904 rush.
In one courthouse a man hid overnight to be first in line. Cattle chutes to a clerk's window would be lined for months with men hoping to file. Cowboys and farmers battled. Filing was a challenge.
Erected 1966 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 1382.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.
Location. 31° 50.825′ N, 102° 22.103′ W. Marker is in Odessa, Texas, in Ector County. Marker is on North Grant Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 North Grant Avenue, Odessa TX 79761, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. General Matthew D. Ector (here, next to this marker); Ector County Courthouse (here, next to this marker); Site of The Odessa Sanitarium (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Livery Stable and Wagon Yard (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Odessa Land & Townsite Company (about 300 feet away); The Odessa Telephone Exchange (about 400 feet away); The Waddell Pecan Tree (about 500 feet away); Ector County Newspapers (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Odessa.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 10, 2015
2. Ector County Land Rush Marker (on left)
General Matthew D. Ector Marker (in center) and Ector County Courthouse Marker (on right)
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, July 10, 2015
3. rear of Ector County Land Rush Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2015, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 452 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2022, by Joe Lotz of Denton, Texas. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2015, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
