Springlake-Earth School

The land sale that filled the school was the decision of William E. Halsell. Born near Decatur, Alabama, in 1850 and raised in Wise County, he learned cattle as a trail hand for his kinsman Daniel Waggoner and built a herd from wages paid in cattle. Through his wife, who was part Cherokee, he became an adopted citizen of the Cherokee Nation and ranched near Vinita. He bought 185,000 XIT acres in 1901 and 100,000 more by 1903, then in 1923 had the ranch surveyed into tracts of a section and a quarter for sale.

What the plaque says

Springlake-Earth School (in 202-square-mile district) Opened 1908 as one-room school, Springlake became an independent district in 1924 when Halsell ranch land was sold to settlers and local population increased. Enlarged school opened 1925 in new $30,000 brick structure on site bought from J. F. Kelley. E. C. Martin was superintendent; Otis Brown, M. E. Cleavinger, Earl Hewitt, Arthur Edwards, George Linville, H. M. Packard, W. C. White, trustees. Band and football squad were organized and school paper begun in 1928. Enrolment, curriculum and school plant continue to expand. "Earth" was added to the school name in March 1964. (1972)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge — 32 mi
  The oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, a ring of salt lakes in the sandhills south of Muleshoe where tens of thousands of sandhill cranes winter in a wet year.

More markers nearby

• Springlake Cemetery — 1.7 mi
• Earth — 3.4 mi
• First Irrigation Well in Lamb County — 7.9 mi
• Spring Lake — 8.3 mi