C. M. Armstrong Building

Seagraves was a railroad promotion before it was an oil town. The Spearman Land Company of the Santa Fe promoted it in 1916-18, though the J. C. Sartin family had arrived in 1905 with nearly 800 cattle. Its post office, opened on the Blythe Ranch in 1911, first bore the name Blythe; because the Santa Fe already had a Blythe station in California, the town was renamed for railroad official C. L. Seagraves in 1918. Oil came in 1936, and the population jumped from 505 to 3,225 between 1930 and 1940.

What the plaque says

C. M. Armstrong Building Clifton Martin Armstrong (1888-1951) was instrumental in the early growth of northern Gaines County. He was involved in several significant area land deals, including the sale of town lots when Seagraves was founded in 1917. He served as mayor for twelve years and, with his wife Carobel, daughter of pioneer Texas rancher Col. D. H. Snyder, was active in community activities. In 1926 Armstrong built this structure to house his Seagraves Motor Co. After a fire destroyed other buildings on the block in 1928, a bank and the post office were temporarily located here. (1981)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Oil Industry in Gaines County — 8.8 mi
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• Gaines County — 16 mi