Clint Shipman & Lessye Jones 1923; Courtesy Texas' Last Frontier Historical Museum
Schools
Cochran County, Texas
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A Brief History of Schools in Cochran County
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Cochran County, while sparsely populated, lacked enough families to establish the foundations of a permanent society, such as schools and churches.
Once pastures began to be enclosed and ranchers employed more cowboys, families began to appear at the ranch headquarters and line camps scattered around the county and schools became a necessity.
Privately supported schools located on some of the ranches were the first schools in Cochran County, with the student body consisting largely of the rancher's own children. The Bird, Surrat, Ellington, and Westheimer-Daube ranches were among the earliest schools in Cochran County.
The Bar-X-Bar Ranch, ten miles west of the current
townsite of Morton, owned at one time by Will Bird, was
home to the first school in county and students consisted
of the two Bird children taught by Miss Margaret Collins,
who was hired in 1905. Over at the Surrat Ranch,
Mrs. Sam Bell, the foreman's wife, taught school in 1918;
the student body consisted of her own two children. The
school on the Westheimer-Daube ranch was called
The Shipman School due to the fact that the ranch
foreman's, Lem Shipman, son Clint was the only student.
The Shipman School teacher was Lessye Jones (1923-1924).
If you know of a school in Cochran County that is not listed here, or if you have photos, maps, documents or stories you would like to share, please,
email me!
Source: Texas' Last Frontier: A New History of Cochran County by Elvis E. Fleming and David J. Murrah