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IDALOU, TEXAS
Lubbock
County,
Panhandle / West
Texas
33°39'43"N 101°41'3"W (33.661938, -101.684234)
FM 400 and US 62 / US 82 / Hwy 114
7 miles NE of Lubbock
ZIP code 79329
Area code 806
Population: 2,308 Est. (2019)
2,265 (2010) 2,157 (2000) 2,074 (1990)
Idalou, Texas Area Hotels ›
Lubbock
Hotels |
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Library
Patrons of the Idalou Branch of the Lubbock Library system c. 1936
Photo courtesy Texas State Archives |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Another town with a disputed name, Idalou was either named after early
settlers Lou Bacon and his wife, Ida or after the daughters of Julian
M. Bassett who was the vice president of the Crosby-Bassett Livestock
Company. The daughters were Ida and Lou.
In 1911 when the South Plains and Santa Fe Railway connected Lubbock
and Crosbyton,
Idalou was given it's own depot on the line. It became a shipping
point for cotton and maize. The town was well established by 1916
and it received its post office the next year. A brick school replaced
the previous one-room schoolhouse in 1919.
In 1925 Idalou incorporated. By 1930 there were over 500 Idalouans
and nearly 30 businesses. By 1940 the population remained over 500,
but barely. The number of businesses actually increased during the
Depression - by five. From 1960 to 1980 the population doubled from
1,274 to 2,348. In 1990 the population in Idalou was 2,074 and growth
continues at manageable pace. |
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Historical
Marker:
IDALOU CEMETERY
John William Turner,
Jr. and his wife, Mary Alice, deeded two acres of their farm as a
burial ground in January 1921. The first burial was for their infant
nephew, Weldon Fred Turner, whose grave is indicated by a homemade
marker. In May of that year, C.J. and Mary Hallmark buried their infant
son C.J., and 13-year-old Mable Gladis Andrews was interred in July.
By 1928, when the Turners and Selma Graves donated more land to the
burial ground, area residents had formed the Idalou Cemetery Association,
with E.T. Daniell, W.M. Weaver and H.W. Lasater serving as the original
board members. Over the next decades, the association accepted additional
land donations, which increased the cemetery to its present size.
Volunteers and families have attended workdays to help maintain the
site.
Today, the cemetery's features include curbed plots and numerous upright
shoulder stones typical of 20th-century grave marker designs, and
the open prairie landscape highlights native plantings. The cemetery
is a link to the many generations who have contributed to the history
of Idalou.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002 |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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