Tee Pee City, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tee Pee City, Texas
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 Tee Pee City, Texas
Location in Texas
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Motley |
| Settled | 1875 |
| Founded by | Buffalo hide traders |
| Elevation | 2,165 ft (660 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
Tee Pee City is a ghost town located in eastern Motley County. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and very few or no one lives there anymore. This old town is near the Middle Pease River and Tee Pee Creek. Its name comes from the many teepee poles found by early settlers. This shows that the area was once a Comanche campground.
Contents
Life in Early Tee Pee City
Tee Pee City started in 1875 as a trading post. It served buffalo hunters and people exploring the land. Two men, Charles Rath and Lee Reynolds, brought supplies from Dodge City to start the post. They later moved on, leaving Armstrong and Sharp in charge.
The Trading Post and Saloon
Isaac Armstrong ran the trading post until he died in 1884. The building had two rooms. One room was a hotel, and the other was a saloon with dance-hall girls. Armstrong was buried on a nearby sandhill. By 1878, most of the buffalo were gone from the area. This meant the buffalo hunters also left.
New Families Arrive
In 1879, the families of R. V. Fields and A. B. Cooper moved to Tee Pee City. Cooper brought supplies from Dallas and ran the general store. He first used a dugout, which is a shelter dug into the ground. Later, he moved the store to a rock house.
Post Office and School
A post office opened in Tee Pee City in 1879, with Cooper as the postmaster. It closed in 1900. The Tee Pee City school was one of the first schools in the area. It taught students from 1895 until 1902. By then, most families, except the Coopers, had moved away.
Law and Order in the Old West
Tee Pee City was known for being a wild place. It often had problems and needed the attention of the Texas Rangers. A group of Rangers, led by George W. Arrington, was based nearby.
Why Tee Pee City Became a Ghost Town
The problems in Tee Pee City eventually led to its end. The Matador Land and Cattle Company owned land nearby. They thought Tee Pee City was a bad influence on their cowboys. So, in 1904, the ranch bought the land where Tee Pee City stood. They then closed the town down.
What Remains Today
By the 1980s, not much was left of Tee Pee City. There was a historical marker placed in 1936. You could also find the gravestones of Isaac Armstrong and two children, James Motley Cooper and Nellie Elizabeth Cooper. Their aunt, Mrs. A. S. Johnson, was also buried there.
Historical Marker
Tee Pee City received a special historical marker in 1936. This marker helps people remember the town's history.
