Matador, Texas

Coordinates: 34°0′50″N 100°49′18″W / 34.01389°N 100.82167°W / 34.01389; -100.82167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Matador, Texas
FIPS code
48-47004[3]
GNIS feature ID1362272[4]

Matador is a town in and the

2010 census. In 1891, it was established by and named for the Matador Ranch. It is located 95 miles (153 km) east of Lubbock
, Texas.

History

The Matador Ranch was consolidated in 1882 by a Scottish syndicate, and a post office opened at Matador in 1886.

At the end of the 19th century, townspeople freed the community from domination by the Matador Ranch, which was liquidated in 1951, by relocating nonranch families there and electing their own slate of officials.

The community was incorporated in 1912 and made the county seat. The state required that a town have at least 20 businesses. Local ranch hands hence established fraudulent, temporary businesses using ranch supplies. The only real business in Matador at the time was a saloon.[6]

Its highest population, 1,376, was reached in 1940.

2023 tornado

On June 21, 2023, the town was severely damaged by a powerful, high-end EF3 tornado, causing four deaths and ten injuries.[7][8] At least 20 homes and business were destroyed on the western side of town.[9]

Geography

Matador is located at 34°0′50″N 100°49′18″W / 34.01389°N 100.82167°W / 34.01389; -100.82167 (34.013996, –100.821646).[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all of it land.

Matador is at the junction on conjoined

US Route 62
, U.S. Route 70, and State Highway 70.

Climate

According to the

semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.[11]

Climate data for Matador, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31) 		93
(34) 		100
(38) 		106
(41) 		110
(43) 		116
(47) 		113
(45) 		111
(44) 		106
(41) 		105
(41) 		94
(34) 		85
(29) 		116
(47)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 53.7
(12.1) 		57.5
(14.2) 		66.3
(19.1) 		74.4
(23.6) 		82.3
(27.9) 		90.1
(32.3) 		93.4
(34.1) 		92.3
(33.5) 		84.5
(29.2) 		74.9
(23.8) 		63.3
(17.4) 		54.4
(12.4) 		73.9
(23.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 41.1
(5.1) 		43.9
(6.6) 		52.1
(11.2) 		60.0
(15.6) 		69.1
(20.6) 		77.5
(25.3) 		81.2
(27.3) 		80.0
(26.7) 		72.2
(22.3) 		61.8
(16.6) 		50.4
(10.2) 		42.2
(5.7) 		61.0
(16.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 28.4
(−2.0) 		30.3
(−0.9) 		37.9
(3.3) 		45.6
(7.6) 		56.0
(13.3) 		64.9
(18.3) 		69.0
(20.6) 		67.8
(19.9) 		59.9
(15.5) 		48.7
(9.3) 		37.5
(3.1) 		30.0
(−1.1) 		48.0
(8.9)
Record low °F (°C) −4
(−20) 		−6
(−21) 		3
(−16) 		22
(−6) 		32
(0) 		46
(8) 		54
(12) 		52
(11) 		37
(3) 		18
(−8) 		10
(−12) 		−5
(−21) 		−6
(−21)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.81
(21) 		0.89
(23) 		1.45
(37) 		1.96
(50) 		2.77
(70) 		3.44
(87) 		2.03
(52) 		2.68
(68) 		2.99
(76) 		1.89
(48) 		1.08
(27) 		0.99
(25) 		22.98
(584)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.4
(3.6) 		1.7
(4.3) 		0.3
(0.76) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.9
(2.3) 		2.0
(5.1) 		6.5
(17)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 3.2 3.7 4.7 4.6 6.7 6.8 5.1 6.4 5.9 4.9 3.5 3.3 58.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.9 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5 1.0 3.9
Source: NOAA[12][13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1920692—
19301,30288.2%
19401,3765.7%
19501,335−3.0%
19601,217−8.8%
19701,091−10.4%
19801,052−3.6%
1990790−24.9%
2000740−6.3%
2010607−18.0%
2020569−6.3%
2019 (est.)611[2]0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

2020 census

Matador racial composition[15]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Number Percentage
White
(NH) 		436 76.63%
Hispanic or Latino 100 17.57%
Black or African American
(NH) 		7 1.23%
Some Other Race (NH) 1 0.18%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 25 4.39%
Total 569

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 569 people, 273 households, and 190 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

racial makeup
of the town was 83.92% White, 5.68% African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% Pacific Islander, 6.76% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 13.24% of the population.

Of the 308 households, 30.8% had children under 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were not families; 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town, the population was distributed as 26.2% under 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,778, and for a family was $32,054. Males had a median income of $26,042 versus $12,639 for females. The

poverty line
, including 35.4% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Area attractions

The restored Hotel Matador was founded in 1914 as the Carter Hotel.
Matador City Hall
First State Bank in Matador, Texas

Hotel Matador

Originally the Carter Hotel, the Hotel Matador was built in 1914 by Roy Carter and his wife, the former Jessie Simpson. For a rural area, the hotel had luxurious rooms with a bell hop, a full-time gardener, and laundry service. It had 15 rooms, a dining room, and a large 9-foot, oak-rimmed tub as the only bathroom in the facility. An ice cream parlor, which ran the length of the lobby, operated until the 1920s.[18]

The name "Hotel Matador" was coined in the 1920s. The hotel changed owners several times. Under the direction of Judge C.B. Whitten, it was a community gathering place for meetings, parties, and dances for young people. In 1941, hotelier and barber Warren Clements purchased the property. He turned the ice cream parlor into a barber shop. He also established living quarters for his wife, Faye, and himself, with an apartment behind the hotel. Mrs. Clements maintained an English garden cultivating prize irises, and under her tutelage, the hotel was known for its entertainment.[18]

In 1980, Johnny (Sonny) and Evelyn Jackson purchased the hotel and restyled it into apartments. It later became a single residence, but had been abandoned for five years when three sisters took possession and began reclaiming and restoring the historic facility. The sisters, Marilyn Hicks, Linda Roy, and Caron Perkins, operate the Matador as an eight-unit bed and breakfast. The barber shop was converted to the Circle Cross Heritage suite, with the original tin ceiling and elaborate bathroom fixtures.[18]

Traweek House

Albert Carroll Traweek, Sr., (1875–1959) was a

Classical Revival architecture.[19]

Among the visitors to the Traweek House was Baldwin Parker, a son of

county attorney
for five decades, and his wife, the former Eleanor Mitchell (1922–1998).

Bob's Oil Well

Luther Bedford "Bob" Robertson (1894–1947), a native of Greenville, Texas, came to Matador in the 1920s. Originally a service-station attendant, he opened his own Conoco gasoline business, which he topped with a decorative wooden oil derrick. He patented his design, and in 1939, he replaced the wooden derrick with one of steel. It stood 84 ft in height and was lighted.[20]

Robertson advertised his business in unusual ways, having maintained a cage of live

Denver than to El Paso. Robertson soon expanded his operation to include a grocery store, café, and garage. He was also a Matador civic leader who sought to recognize returning veterans from World War II.[20]

Robertson died in 1947, two weeks before a high wind toppled the steel derrick that had been his trademark. His widow, the former Olga Cunningham (1904–1993), restored it in 1949 with even more prominent lights. Ultimately, the business failed, and attempts by others to revive it were short-lived. At the intersection of

State Highway 70, the site serves as a reminder of a time when bold roadside architecture was only beginning, and of a man who promoted his adopted hometown in extraordinary ways.[20]

Education

The Town of Matador is served by the Motley County Independent School District and home to the Motley County High School Matadors.

Notable people

  • Karen Elliott House, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former executive at Dow Jones International
  • Roy Ratcliff, Christian minister, was born in Matador
  • Stanley Rose, famous Hollywood bookseller of the 1930s, was born in Matador

See also

References

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ^ David Jouris, All Over The Map,
  7. ^ "Matador takes direct hit from tornado as potent storms move through West Texas". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Multiple tornadoes in north Texas kill four, injure 10 as heat wave scorches state". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Four dead and 10 injured after tornado strikes Texas town, destroying homes and businesses". NBC News. June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "Matador, Texas Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  12. ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  16. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
  17. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c "Hotel Matador", West Texas Historical Association, March 31, 2011
  19. ^ "Traweek House", Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Matador, Texas
  20. ^ a b c "Bob's Oil Well", Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Motley County, Texas
  1. ^ Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[16][17]

External links

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