Kirkland, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirkland, Texas
|
|
|---|---|
 Kirkland, Texas
Location in Texas
Kirkland, Texas
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Childress |
| Elevation | 1,696 ft (517 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 940 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1360698 |
Kirkland is a small, unincorporated community in Childress County, Texas, United States. An unincorporated community is a settlement that does not have its own local government. In 2000, about 102 people lived there.
Contents
History of Kirkland
Kirkland was probably named after an early settler named J. C. Kirkland. The original settlement was on a stagecoach route. This route went from Wichita Falls to Mobeetie. It was located about seven miles northeast of where Kirkland is today.
In the early 1880s, a stagecoach station was built there. Soon, the town had two saloons, a general store, and an inn for travelers. When the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway arrived in 1887, the town moved. Residents wanted to be on the new railroad line. John Quincy Adams, a local farmer, helped plan the new town.
Kirkland grew as more farmers moved to the area. By 1890, it had a post office and a store. It also had pens for shipping cattle. A financial crisis in 1893 slowed the town's growth for a short time. But by 1900, Kirkland was doing well again.
In 1905, Crone W. Furr opened his first store in Kirkland. This store later became the well-known Furr's Grocery and Cafeteria companies. By the 1920s, Kirkland was called the "Biggest Little City in Texas." It had a bank, three hardware stores, two lumber yards, two grocery stores, two barbershops, and five gas stations.
In 1940, about 500 people lived in Kirkland. After that, the population slowly dropped. This was due to better transportation and new farming methods. By 1980, Kirkland was still important for shipping wheat. It had three large grain elevators. In 1984, the population was 100. It grew slightly to 102 by 2000. However, the population later decreased to 44 in 2010 and then to 25 in 2019.
On April 27, 1912, a very strong tornado hit Kirkland. It was an F4 tornado, which is very powerful. The tornado sadly killed five people and injured 23 others. It caused about $65,000 in damages. Four of the five people who died were from the same family. The tornado hit 43 farms. It destroyed or damaged 30 homes, and some were even swept away.
Where is Kirkland?
Kirkland is located where U.S. Route 287 and Farm to Market Road 1033 meet. It is about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Childress. It is also about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Quanah. Both of these towns are in Childress County. In the past, Kirkland was on Texas State Highway 5 in 1930. Also, Loop 6 used to go through the community from 1939 to 1972.
Kirkland's Climate
Kirkland has a semi-arid climate. This means it gets very little rain, but not as little as a desert. On climate maps, this type of climate is called "BSk."
Education in Kirkland
In the 1920s, Kirkland had a school with three rooms. In 1958, this school joined the Childress Independent School District.
Kirkland Cemetery
The Kirkland Cemetery is about half a mile from the current town. It has many marble headstones along a dirt road. People have been buried there since 1908. The land for the cemetery was given by James William Sharp before March 1908. James W. Sharp, his first wife Alberta, and two of their children are buried there.
There are 725 marked graves at the cemetery. Among them are 45 military veterans. These include:
- 7 veterans from the American Civil War
- 10 veterans from World War I
- 22 veterans from World War II
- 3 veterans from the Korean War
- 3 veterans from the Vietnam War
