Tulia, Texas is known by others for many different things, but for me and the rest of my small community, Tulia is just known as home. In 1887, a post office was established. The name Tulia, after the nearby Tule creek, had been selected for this post office, but at some point a clerk’s error changed the name to Tulia. Tulia is now the home to just under 5,000 people.
Living out in the country you see many different types of agriculture but with living 2 miles from a cotton gin, cotton becomes part of your life. Cotton is a major crop in our community, as it also for most of this area. Tulia is home to a great number of cotton farmers who rely on their cotton crops profit to take care of their families.
We have many historical markers in Tulia one of these markers is the Ozark Trail Monument. The central Ozark route passed across Wellington, Texas, and a second southern route was built through the communities of Childress, Estelline, Tampico, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Tulia, Nazareth, and Dimmitt. Another historical marker is the Roll-a-Cone sign. Roll-a-Cone Manufacturing was started by a man from Tulia, Tx and continues to be a major business here to this day. The roll-a-cone technology that he invented is still used by many farmers to this day. Our newest markers are the Quanah Parker arrows placed in the parks around town. These arrows span over 52 counties and show the path Quanah Parker took through the Plains.
As for art and culture we have the Kenneth Wyatt’s house, and art gallery. Kenneth is a famous artist, who does great work, and my family and I have posed for some of Kenneth’s paintings and sculptures. While Tulia may be small, I never knew how much I would miss this town until I left for college. Tulia isn’t a tourist attraction by any means, but it is a community with a lot of history, that helps employ a great number of people.
“One of the pleasant things about small town life is that everyone, whether rich or poor, liked or disliked, has some kind of a role and place in the community.” –Edward Abbey
