J. Frank Norfleet

Norfleet came to the plains young, joining a buffalo hunt on the Llano Estacado in 1879. In 1886 the Snyder brothers left him alone with a herd of 5,000 cattle near present Muleshoe, and in 1889 Isaac Ellwood made him foreman of the new Spade, where he built the main headquarters and oversaw the fencing, and for two years neither visited a post office nor saw a woman. He and Mattie were the first couple to live on the Spade. Between 1919 and 1935 he brought in more than 100 confidence men, without ever killing one.

What the plaque says

J. Frank Norfleet (1865 - 1967) Son of a rancher and Texas Ranger, J. Frank Norfleet was born in Lampasas County. With little schooling, he grew up working on ranches. He served as foreman for 20 years on the Spade Ranch. Norfleet married Mattie Eliza Hudgins (1871-1972) in 1894 and they had four children. In 1905 after years of frugality, the Norfleets moved to their own land located on the east boundary of Spade Ranch. In time their holdings grew to 20,000 acres. In 1905 the Panhandle Short Line Railroad from Vega to Lubbock was begun through the new town named for Norfleet. The site lay 10 miles west of Hale Center. Soon a school called Norfleet was moved in and houses and stores appeared. Due to competition and lack of funds, the railroad was abandoned and the town died soon after. In 1919, while in Dallas, Norfleet was swindled out of $45,000 by a bunco gang. Enraged at losing his savings, he spent almost five years searching the United States, Mexico, Canada and Havana, Cuba, for the five thieves. His determination won him the nickname of "Little Tiger". After the capture which reportedly netted about 75 other confidence ring members, he wrote "Norfleet", a book about his adventures. (1978)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Site of Epworth — steps away
• Nils Akeson — steps away
• First Baptist Church of Hale Center — 0.2 mi
• Ranching and Farming in Hale County — 1.2 mi