Barnhart, Irion County
Named for William F. Barnhart, an agent of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad, this community was founded in 1910. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a major freighting center and considered by many the largest inland livestock shipping point. The Ozona-Barnhart Trap Co. set up cattle holding pens (traps) along the trails into town to protect area ranches. Barnhart declined with decreased rail traffic. It was once the site of a school, post office, newspaper, drugstore, theatre, bank, four cafes, two hotels, three groceries, and a variety of other businesses. (1981)