Dodson, Texas
Encyclopedia
Dodson is a town in Collingsworth County, Texas
, United States
. The population was 115 at the 2000 census.
(the Texas-Oklahoma border) one mile (1.6 km) north of the Childress County line, 13 miles (20.9 km) southeast of Wellington, Texas
and 13 miles (20.9 km) northeast of Hollis, Oklahoma
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 115 people, 53 households, and 34 families residing in the town. The population density
was 189.8 people per square mile (72.8/km²). There were 65 housing units at an average density of 107.3 per square mile (41.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.35% White, 2.61% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 9.57% from other races
, and 2.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.04% of the population.
There were 53 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 38.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 121.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,625, and the median income for a family was $21,250. Males had a median income of $19,063 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $11,213. There were 31.0% of families and 32.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 18.2% of under eighteens and 48.3% of those over 64.
The city's name was officially changed from Dodsonville to Dodson on July 1, 1937.
Dodson's first permanent school building was completed in 1912. This school was used until 1947 when a new school was constructed. Dodson High School continued to educated students until 1969 when the school board voted to consolidate the Dodson School District with that of Wellington. The elementary and junior high schools continued to operate until 1972. The Dodson School was destroyed in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Dodsonville The First State Bank (11-10-1925) Closed 5-12-1969;
.
Cotton
, wheat
, sorghum
, and peanuts
are the primary crops of the region. There are also a large number of small ranching operations in the surrounding area.
Tri-County Co-Op operates a cotton gin
located in Dodson that serves the surrounding tri-county area. It is one of the town's few businesses.
.
players Lindy McDaniel
and his brother Von McDaniel were raised one mile (1.6 km) east of Dodson, across the Oklahoma state line.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 115 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Dodson is located at 34°45′54"N 100°1′17"W (34.765054, -100.021259). Dodson is 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) east of the 100th meridian west100th meridian west
The meridian 100° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
(the Texas-Oklahoma border) one mile (1.6 km) north of the Childress County line, 13 miles (20.9 km) southeast of Wellington, Texas
Wellington, Texas
Wellington is a city in Collingsworth County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,275 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Collingsworth County.-Geography:Wellington is located at ....
and 13 miles (20.9 km) northeast of Hollis, Oklahoma
Hollis, Oklahoma
-Additional information:Hollis is a close-knit community which only has one stoplight at the corner of Highway 62 and Highway 30, the only two main highways that pass through the town. It features the Hollis Municipal Airport located north of the town on Highway 30 and the Hollis Livestock...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 115 people, 53 households, and 34 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 189.8 people per square mile (72.8/km²). There were 65 housing units at an average density of 107.3 per square mile (41.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.35% White, 2.61% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 9.57% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.04% of the population.
There were 53 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 38.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 121.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,625, and the median income for a family was $21,250. Males had a median income of $19,063 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $11,213. There were 31.0% of families and 32.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 18.2% of under eighteens and 48.3% of those over 64.
History
The city of Dodsonville, Texas was founded on July 1, 1910, by Frank Kell. Kell was an important figure in promotion of the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway and the city was established as a stop on the Wellington Branch of the railroad. Elmore Dodson, a local pioneer and rancher, donated the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) town site to ensure the railroad's passing through southeastern part of the county. Other town sites had been proposed, including the community of Arlie located 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Dodson, but the grant given by Mr. Dodson sealed the railroad's passage through southeastern Collingsworth County and in return the new city was named for Dodson. A celebration was held on August 29, 1910 to commemorate the town's establishment. The gala celebration, complete with a picnic, marked the town's formal opening, and was attended by a trainload of people from Oklahoma. N. L. Jones built the first residence and opened a cotton gin. The first store was operated by William T. McDowell, who was also the first postmaster. R. H. Miller established a hotel, and the town added a bank, a telephone exchange, and two churches. Three newspapers, all called the Dodsonville News, were published intermittently by three different men between January 1911 and December 1915. A fourth paper, the Dodsonville Messenger, was printed from 1928 until 1930. School was sometimes held in the churches until a permanent schoolhouse was completed in the fall of 1912; the previous school was located three miles (5 km) northwest of town. Dodson was incorporated in the 1920s and by 1930 had twenty-five businesses and a population of 426. Public Works Administration appropriations enabled the town to install a $52,000 water system during the 1930s, and a volunteer fire department was organized. In 1947 a new consolidated high school served neighboring communities in Oklahoma as well as Dodson. The population dropped to 357 in 1940; this decline, attributed to decreased agricultural activity and a renewed interest in cattle raising, continued into the 1990s. In 1984 Dodson remained the county's second largest town, with a population of 185, one business, and four churches. In 1990 the population was 113, and in 2000 it was 115.The city's name was officially changed from Dodsonville to Dodson on July 1, 1937.
Dodson's first permanent school building was completed in 1912. This school was used until 1947 when a new school was constructed. Dodson High School continued to educated students until 1969 when the school board voted to consolidate the Dodson School District with that of Wellington. The elementary and junior high schools continued to operate until 1972. The Dodson School was destroyed in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Dodsonville The First State Bank (11-10-1925) Closed 5-12-1969;
Economy
Dodson serves as an agricultural center for southeastern Collingsworth County, northeastern Childress County and western Harmon County, OklahomaHarmon County, Oklahoma
Harmon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 2,992. In population, it is the second smallest county in Oklahoma, only Cimarron County, according to the 2010 census, having fewer inhabitants. The county seat is Hollis.-Geography:According to the...
.
Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, and peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
are the primary crops of the region. There are also a large number of small ranching operations in the surrounding area.
Tri-County Co-Op operates a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
located in Dodson that serves the surrounding tri-county area. It is one of the town's few businesses.
Education
Public education in Dodson is provided by the Wellington Independent School DistrictWellington Independent School District
Wellington Independent School District is a public school district based in Wellington, Texas .Located in Collingsworth County, the district extends into a portion of Childress County....
.
Notable residents
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players Lindy McDaniel
Lindy McDaniel
Lyndall Dale McDaniel, known as Lindy is a right-handed former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 21-year career from 1955 to 1975. During McDaniel's career he witnessed approximately 3,500 major league games , had more than 300 teammates, and played under eight different managers...
and his brother Von McDaniel were raised one mile (1.6 km) east of Dodson, across the Oklahoma state line.