Historic Midland

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Above, left: A group of Midland
College graduates in 1920 enjoy a
party on the campus.
Above, right: Prairie Lee School, located
east of Midland in the early 1900’s. Later,
it consolidated with the Stokes, McClintic
schools to form Greenwood Independent
School District. Many students attended
this type of school throughout Midland
County. Descendants of Prairie Lee still
hold an annual reunion at the former site.
Below: Aerial view of downtown
Midland showing T & P Depot and
early Haley Hotel in 1927.
al ‘cattle barons’ were then in the making, and
individual effort in the improvement of cattle
became a concerted movement in livestock circles
all about.”
Passage a few years later of the “Four Section
Act” enabled stockmen to purchase up to four
sections of land from the state which they could
“live out,”which encouraged more settlement of
the vast West Texas region.
The community of Midland quickly developed
into the headquarters for a widespread
ranching area stretching even into southeastern
New Mexico and Far West Texas. Noted Watson:
“It would be difficult to define its trade territory,
even in this early day. ‘Remudas,’ with accompanying
‘chuck wagons,’ from distance of more
than 150 miles in many directions and from
many sections, were in no wise uncommon, and
the early day newspaper, or papers, pridefully
noted that so and so were ‘visitors to the city’ at
such and such time.”
Many settlers came to the Midland region
specifically due to the intense advertising by the
Texas & Pacific Railroad. One account noted,
“The advertisements were distributed extensively
throughout the states describing the merits of
the area. They told of abundant green grass and
sufficient water, of a wonderful climate that was
sure to do wonders for a person’s health. The
settlers came by oxen-pulled covered wagons
and by the railroad.”
Then descended the ravages of nature, and,
in 1886 and 1887, cattlemen in the region suffered
severe losses as massive blizzards in 1886
drove cattle on the open range to the Pecos
River and froze many of them to death. In 1888
a private bank was established by Wilson and
Giles Connell and John Scharbauer to lessen the
impact of such catastrophes. Two years later, the
First National Bank of Midland received its
charter. The first officers were A.W. Hilliard,
president; Herman Nelson Garrett and W.H.
Cowden, vice presidents; and Wilson Connell,
cashier and general manager.
Soon another bank was operating in
Midland. Organized as the Odessa National
Bank on Aug. 22, 1902, less than a year later the
name was changed to The Midland National
Bank, and it was reorganized at Midland on June
18, 1903. Its first officers included D.W.
Brunson, president; Burl Holloway and E.F.
Elkin, vice presidents; W.B. Elkin, cashier; and
C.B. McGonagill, bookkeeper.
The first county schools opened in 1886,
with children coming from as far away as New
Mexico. Midland soon evolved into an educational
center with many ranchers in the outlying
28 ✦ HISTORIC MIDLAND