Dickens

Dickens, the county seat of Dickens County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 82 and State Highway 70, eight miles below the Caprock of the Llano Estacado and sixty miles east of Lubbock, in the center of the county. It is named after the county. The site of Dickens served as a supply point for dugout line camps used by cowboys from the Spur, Pitchfork, and Matador ranches. In 1886 J. H. Edwards set up a camp in the vicinity and was followed by Charles O'Neal and J. A. Askins, who settled in the area in 1889. As others began moving in, a settlement developed near the springs east of the present townsite, and after the United States Postal Department located a post office there in 1892, the settlement officially became known as Dickens. On February 17, 1892, town lots were sold a half mile west of the previous settlement, and during the year Dickens replaced Espuela as the county seat. By 1893 Dickens had a school building, a wagonyard, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, a barbershop, a hotel, and two stores.

The town continued to thrive during the early 1900s; the population increased from 176 in 1900 to its maximum of 500 by 1927. The number of businesses in Dickens remained relatively stable at twenty-five during the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1950s, however, the town lost thirteen of its businesses as well as its school, which was torn down after the district was parceled out to Patton Springs, Spur, and McAdoo. The population, which had been slowly decreasing since the 1940 census, dropped to a low of 259 in 1975 but increased again to 409 in 1980, despite a reduction in the number of businesses. Dickens had nine businesses in 1980. The town remained a marketing center for the surrounding ranches, which include the Pitchfork and Four Sixes. The Dickens County Museum is located in the county courthouse. The nearby Croton Breaks region offers travelers a scenic view of colorful canyons, buttes, and creeks. In 1990 and 2000 the population was 322.