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CACTUS, TEXAS
Moore County, Texas
Panhandle
Highway 287
13 miles north of Dumas
Population
1,529 (1990)
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"Bull Wash Out 1/4 Mile" -
One of the signs that you only see in Texas
Photo courtesy James Feagin, 2001 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Cactus began in 1942 as an Ordnance plant run by the Chemical Construction
Company for the government. The facility was huge – with 16 sections
of land being purchased to house the workers. It was one of the largest
in the country. Completed in 1943 – the main product was ammonium
nitrate.
The population during the war got as high as 6,000.
Other facilities opened to take care of ammonium nitrate production
and Shell Union Oil Company began an aviation fuel facility in early
1944.
Other changes were made after the war – the largest being the plants
absorption by Phillips Chemical in 1948.
The post office was opened that year for the 2,000 people who remained
in the area, but over the years the population declined to where there
were only 898 people in the early 80s. |
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