Site of Mail Relay Station

Stops like the Frenches' mattered because Terry County had no railroad. Until one reached Lubbock in 1909, all freight came from Plainview, Colorado City or Big Spring over a winding road in Sulphur Draw, and a round trip to Big Spring for supplies took seven or eight days. In 1909 rancher Marion V. Brownfield dragged out the county's first auto road, from Brownfield across his ranch to Lamesa, and a road to Lubbock soon followed. Travel became easier only when a railroad finally reached the county in 1917.

What the plaque says

Site of Mail Relay Station (500 yards west) By 1903, W.J. (1858-1930) and Mary E. (1863-1958) French had built a two-story home near this site, and it was a stop for freighters from the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Freighter rigs usually consisted of two wagons drawn by several horses, and the Frenches offered a campground, water, hot meals and a horse pen. Cattle drovers also rested here on their way through the area. In 1905, the French home became a stop along a mail route from Lamesa, known then as Chicago, through Brownfield to Gomez, a 40-mile trip. The mail hacks also carried passengers. The mail service was discontinued in 1910 when the mail was rerouted. (1973, 2006)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• New Moore — 7.9 mi
• Forrester Cemetery — 11 mi
• Terry County — 14 mi
• Terry County's First Jail — 14 mi