History of White Deer
The name White Deer came from a nearby creek, called that by the
Indian legend of white deer feeding there. White Deer was established in
1908. The first water well was drilled at the N Bar N Ranch in 1887. The
headquarters for the White Deer Land was sold as acreage for small farms
and ranches. White Deer became a supply town for settlers. The oil boom
came to White Deer in the 1920's. The Polish immigrants landed near Galveston
in 1854, and were lured to the Texas Panhandle by the promise of farmland.
Many of these people settled in White Deer, the result White Deer became
known as "The Polish Capital of the Texas Panhandle."
The first White Deer school was created in 1891. In 1898-99, there were
12 students on the register. The Skellytown School was included in the
District in 1928. There are currently 538 students enrolled in the White
Deer and Skellytown School District. A severe tornado on April 9, 1947
damaged a lot of the small town. Another tornado on June 6, 1951 damaged
the school in White Deer and more of the small town. The building that
was constructed following the tornado is currently the building that is
standing. On May 29, 2001, White Deer made the National News
as another tornado touched down west of town just vanishing in time to
avoid the city. It was half-mile wide, and tore across Highway
60 between Panhandle and White Deer in Carson County destroying a grain
elevator office building and home along with numerous power poles, while
the citizens of White Deer took cover.
The Santa Fe Railroad is a major part of White Deer. It was the main way
of shipping for this area. They shipped grains and cattle on the train.
The major industries currently in White Deer are Scarab Inc., K&K Inc.,
Texas Wind Power, and the Attebury Grain Co. White Deer currently
has five churches.
White Deer has a cement white deer that is located in the center of Main
Street facing toward the west. White Deer is located along U.S. Highway
60, 42 miles northeast of Amarillo and 14 miles southwest of Pampa.
The population in the early 1960's was nearly 1,200. As of 1990, the population
of White Deer was 1,125.
There are many annual events that are celebrated in White Deer that began
decades ago. The White Deer Annual Rodeo began in 1958. The Sacred Heart
Polish Sausage Dinner began in 1938, which draws thousands of people from
all over the United States. The White Deer High School Alumni Reunion is
every leap year. It began in 1949.
Some other sites that you might want to visit about White Deer are:
Thank you for visiting this page. I hope that you enjoyed
learning about the history of White Deer and find it useful.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at
webmaster_wdisd@yahoo.com
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