Park Cities Stamps - Texas Philatelic Association

and his namesake son is based on the son’s
obituary, clipped from the September 30 issue
of The Dallas Dispatch and included with the
correspondence. The son was born in Dallas
County in 1865. In his teens, he became
interested in cattle ranching and later had a
large ranch near Roaring Springs. In 1884,
he married Mary E. Collett, and here is where
our story begins.
The most interesting letter in the correspondence
is one written by the son on
the letterhead of Frank E. Wheelock, at the
exact time the city of Lubbock was being
founded.
Wheelock belonged to one of two groups
of promoters who had established embryonic
towns dubbed Lubbock and Monterey.
According to historian Paul H. Carlson,
professor at Texas Tech University, “Because
the villages were less than three miles apart
—although divided by a shallow canyon of
10 The Texas PhilaTelisT July-August 2007
The Chalk letter was sent in an embossed, stamped
envelope from Lubbock to Roby in Fisher County. A
nice bullseye killer cancels the embossed two-cent
Washington, probably Scott U313.
There are the two backstamps on the envelope.
The letter traveled from Lubbock to Sweetwater,
then to Roby. The journey may have been only five
days! Not bad for 1891.
the Brazos—a compromise was needed, for
everyone understood that both communities
could not survive,” he said.
“In December 1890, having reached an
accommodation, the promoters, led by W.E.
Rayner, Frank Wheelock and Rollie Burns,
agreed to a third site, and a new town, also
called Lubbock, appeared south of the canyon
where they thought a railroad might pass
through the area.” 2
The competing towns—including Singer’s
store and the two-story Nicolett Hotel—were
moved to what is now the downtown area of
Broadway and Buddy Holly Avenue.
The Nicolett was moved almost whole. Its
front porch was taken off, the rest of the building
placed on skids, and then it was pulled
slowly and painstakingly to the new site by
2 Westbrook, Ray. Home page. History of Lubbock.
18 March 2007. .