In 1891, Louis P. Dumas heard about cheap land in the Texas Panhandle. He left his successful enterprises in Sherman and chose a section of grassland in Moore County to "build a town." He had not bargained for the harsh elements that came with the territory, though. Within five years he abandoned his town, as did most of the other residents. Dumas was a ghost town three times in its first 10 years, but gradually, a quiet village developed. Oil and gas discovered in the 1920s brought about growth and continues to support the economy. Phil Baxter, who wrote the song "Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas," spoke of the friendliness and spirit of the people he met there in 1927. Today those qualities endure in the people of Dumas.
Louise Carroll George is the author of two books, No City Limits: The Story of Masterson and Texas and Some of My Heroes Are Ladies: Women Ages 85 to 101 Tell about Life in the Texas Panhandle. She is keenly interested in local history and is currently on the board of the Moore County Historical Commission. She strongly supports the Window on the Plains Museum, and she relied heavily on its staff and archives for the photographs and stories in this book.