History of Littlefield
Littlefield, the county seat of Lamb County, is on U.S. Highway 84, Farm Road 54, and the Santa Fe line in the south-central part of the county. It was named for George W. Littlefield, who divided his Yellow House Ranch and formed a land company when surveys showed that the new Santa Fe line from Coleman, TX to Texico, NM would pass through his land. Arthur P. Duggan, husband of Littlefield's niece, helped to lay out land tracts and became the sales manager. In 1913, the site became a station on the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway. A school, supported for several years by the Littlefield Land Company, was established.
The developing community's population reached 250 in 1915, when the town also had a bank, library, and several other businesses. Two years later the Lamb County News began publication. Littlefield was incorporated in 1924, and by 1930 it had a population of 3,500, grain elevators, gins, a compress, and cottonseed oil mills. A hospital and clinic were built in 1935. Littlefield was elected the county seat in 1946. Its population was 3,817 in 1940 and 6,558 in 1950. Littlefield was surrounded by irrigated farms that produced cotton, grain sorghums, and vegetables. The town became the retail and commercial center for Lamb County and parts of Hockley and Bailey Counties.
Fertilizer producers and irrigation equipment manufacturing contributed to the town's economy. The population of Littlefield was 7,236 in 1960, 6,738 in 1970, and 7,409 in 1980. The number of businesses reported declined from 240 in 1969 to 170 in 1973 to 147 in 1983. In the 1980's a textile mill became an important industry in the community. In 1991, Littlefield reported a population of 6,578 and 201 businesses.
In 1974, the citizens organized and began construction on a new 30,000 head capacity feedyard. On February 22, 1975, the intended construction of a $30 million denim textile mill to be built in Littlefield was announced by American Cotton Growers. Construction began in 1975. The ACG Textile Mill is one of the most modern denim operations in the world. It now employs about 600 people with an annual payroll of about $3.3 million. It consumes about 65,000 bales of raw cotton, producing 20 million yards of demin. This is enough to make about 19 million pairs of blue jeans. The ACG Mill has made Littlefield the demin capital of the West.
Other major industries, ranging from manufacturers of irrigation systems to producers of chemical fertilizers, employ approximately 900 people and call Littlefield home. During July of 1975, the Lamb County Agricultural and Civic Center was opened for use. 1980 marked the year that the newly-built Littlefield Medical Center opened. The 75-bed hospital houses one of the most modern medical care units on the South Plains. Littlefield's growth is solid, with a diversified economy based upon strong agriculture with a strong compliment of industry.
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