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An 18-year-old cowboy rode into Littlefield on Jan. 30, 1913, coming here from Crosbyton to seek work after hearing of the new, booming town being built. His first experience with Littlefield was not too impressive and, after five months he returned to Crosbytown to work for the CB Livestock Co. However he came back for good in 1923. The man is Clint O. Griffin, and over the span of years he has had a big hand in the development of Littlefield. He went into the real estate business in 1924, developing the Griffin Addition, Peyton Industries Addition, and the Cannon Terrace Addition. Griffin can recall at least two "firsts" for him in Littlefield. He helped dig the first grave in Littlefield Cemetery, and he started the first mail route here. Griffin said the first grade was on Feb. 14, 1914, and that the deceased man's name was Wallburn. "I don't suppose there were more than 50 residents when it first came in 1913," says Griffin. The town was composed of the wagon yard, land office, Yellowhouse Hotel, and a little grocery store. |
"The wagon yard, located to the right of the present train depot, was the hub of the business section," recalls Griffin. "You could get ham and eggs and a cot to sleep on. The hotel was for the prosperous - mainly the people coming in from the north to look over the land. Griffin broke sod until the dry weather left little demand for that type of labor, the he started freighting from here to Lubbock. "It took three days for a round trip, and I had to sleep on the ground two of the three nights," Griffin said. He unloaded the first load of lumber to be used in the construction of the street Hardware. He got tired of sleeping on the ground, and the railroad had laid steel as far as Shallowater when Griffin decided to quit and return to Crosbytown. He later moved to Lubbock then, in 1923, bought a farm where Littlefield Country Club is now located. He made improvements and moved to the farm early in 1924. In December of 1924, Griffin established the first mail route out of Littlefield. the Post Office Department had |
granted the route, and Griffin was the only man around with any experience - he had worked a route briefly in Lubbock. He recalls that the postmaster and Pat Boone Sr. approached him about starting the route. He ran the route for six months before a permanent appointment was named. After locating here in 1924, Griffin also got started in the real estate business - a career which became his main interest and in which he plated a major role in the development of the town. |