White Deer

History

The community was first settled around 1882, when the British-owned Francklyn Land and Cattle Company, later reorganized as the White Deer Company, occupied the area and began stocking it with cattle. George Tyng, general manager of the property, built the headquarters for White Deer or Diamond F Ranch at the site in 1887. Around the same time, the Purcell Company purchased land in the vicinity as a right-of-way for the Southern Kansas Railway of Texas. A depot was built in 1888. The site was initially known as "Paton" (after John Paton), then "Whig", before being renamed White Deer in January 1899 – after nearby White Deer Creek. During the 1890s, British shareholders began selling land for small farms and ranches to settlers. The community moved to its present location near the railroad line in 1908. By 1980, the population was 1,210. That figure decreased to 1,125 in 1990 and 1,060 in 2000. A statue of a white deer stands on a concrete pedestal in the middle of the town's main intersection. At its base is a historical marker, erected in 1965, that commemorates the town's rich history.

Geography

White Deer is located along U.S. Highway 60 in east central Carson County, northeast of Panhandle, the Carson County seat, and northeast of Amarillo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen climate classification, White Deer has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• WHITE DEER EL
  Elementary · WHITE DEER · 183 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• WHITE DEER H S
  High · WHITE DEER · 151 students · 10.1:1 ratio