Region: Panhandle Plains
Founded in 1901 at the junction of two railroads, Dalhart was known as the
headquarters of the famous XIT Ranch—more than 3 million acres that were deeded
by the state to the Capitol Syndicate of Chicago in exchange for building the
Texas State Capitol in Austin. The city was first called Twist, the designation
of a railroad section. It was then called Denrock, combining the railroad names,
before finally being named Dalhart, a syllabic combination of two counties
(Dallam and Hartley) in which the town lies. Current seat of Dallam County and a
shipping point for cattle, grains and other agricultural
products.