Texas Golf Courses

Dalhart is a city in Dallam and Hartley Counties in Texas, and the county seat of Dallam County.[The population was 7,237 at the 2000 census. Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dallam and Hartley counties. The city of Dalhart is known by many Texans as a gateway to the Colorado Rockies. The city's position in the northwestern corner of the Texas Panhandle makes it a pivotal resting place for weary travelers coming from or going to the mountains. Two miles south of Dalhart is Rita Blanca Canyon, site of Rita Blanca Lake State Park. Dalhart is also known as the XIT City because of its relationship with the historic XIT Ranch. The ranch was a 3,000,000-acre plot of land traded in exchange for the construction of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The ranch was dissolved in 1912, but its history is celebrated with the city's XIT Museum and the XIT Rodeo and Reunion. Held annually on the first full Thursday through Sunday weekend of August, the event includes the world's largest free barbecue, junior and PRCA rodeo events, three nights of live music, and a variety of other events to celebrate the occasion. Dalhart was in the center of the Dust Bowl, a region adversely affected by a long period of drought and dust storms in the 1930s. Dalhart's economy is centered around agribusiness, including farming, ranching, feedlot operations, large scale pig farms, and, more recently, relocated California dairies. The construction of a cheese processing plant near the city by California based Hilmar Cheese Company will add an estimated three hundred jobs to the local economy and require additional dairies to meet the daily needs of the plant. The Hilmar plant itself is employing 120 people, of which about 30 were relocated from their original facility. Dalhart is also home to a state prison facility.