worked for the Matador Ranch (est. 1879) or the nearby Four Sixes (est. 1870), the Espuela Cattle Company (est. 1883), the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company (est. 1883) or the Tongue River Ranch (est. 1898).
It was pretty isolated country, with the first radio station in area not starting up in Lubbock until 1932. Maybe you had a Model T to get around in, but more likely, most settlers had horses and buggies—or maybe just a horse.
But there were newspapers, including The Texas Spur, which started in 1909, and the Motley County Tribune, which began in 1933, and each reported on the Old Settlers celebration through the years. This year, The Texas Spur and The Caprock Courier (which assimilated the Motley County Tribune a decade ago as part of a regional newspaper) continue that tradition by celebrating the achievement of the Motley-Dickens Old Settlers 100th Anniversary with a keepsake edition that will be distributed to every household in Dickens and Motley counties August 24, 2023.
The first meeting of the Old Settlers Association and Reunion took place in August 1923 under a tree in Roaring Springs with a picnic. Since that first informal gathering, attendance blossomed throughout the years. Amusements grew and varied through the years as well, as carnivals, dances and rodeos gradually replaced the early programs of talks and music and eating. “But,” (says the Tribune issue of Aug. 25, 1938) “the spreading out has not changed the essential nature of the organization. The nucleus of the get-together is still the old timers, who enjoy their memories, while their children and grandchildren make merry.”
The 100th Annual Motley- Dickens Reunion & Rodeo will take place in Roaring Springs, Texas, from August 24 to 26, 2023. This time-honored weekend includes live music and dancing, prizes, a WRCA Sanctioned Rodeo, a RHAA competition, shopping vendors, goat roping, a parade, and so much more. We hope that every business in Motley and Dickens counties will commemorate not only the heritage of their hometowns, but also record for history their own business’s legacy throughout the century.
PUBLICATION DATE Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 ADVERTISINGDEADLINE Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 at 9 a.m.
AD SIZES Modular format; eighth page $59 / quarter page $79 / half page $159 / full page $299 COLOR positions available in all sizes, $50 additional
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