Bale of Cotton - Lubbock, TX
Posted by: WalksfarTX
N 33° 35.109 W 101° 50.714
14S E 235935 N 3719788
Located in front of the Lubbock County Courthouse.
Waymark Code: WM168R4
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/02/2022
Views: 1
There is one large bale of cotton made out of cement. Below it on the base is a plaque "Tribute to Cotton".
In the early 1900s, area pioneer farmers marketed bales of cotton on this site. Today, this cotton bale serves as a monument to those who made Lubbock County and the surrounding south plains the greatest producer of upland cotton in the world. In 1899, Lubbock County grew only 15 bales; by 1932 it was one of the state’s leading producers; by the 1950’s Lubbock and other south plains counties produced half the state’s production. In 1977 Lubbock County grew a record 346,000 bales.
Irrigation technology improved cotton breeds and area innovations made high production possible. Farmers and scientists produced stormproof and machine-harvestable varieties through the Texas A&M experiment station in north Lubbock County. Texas Tech’s textile research center adapted methods for textile mills to use south plains cotton. Instrument classing and electronic marketing techniques also were developed in the region.
The City of Lubbock became the center for the south plains cotton industry with warehouses, a cotton exchange, and 3 cottonseed oil mills.