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Texas ghost towns: Soash, Texas
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Remains of the Soash Bank | Credit: L.E. Duncan
In northwestern Howard County lie the remains of what was known as Soash, Texas. Soash was established in 1909 by William Pulver Soash. He contracted with Christopher Slaughter to purchase approximately 200,000 acres of land to develop into a housing community. He built The Bank of Soash out of reinforced concrete, which is all that remains of the town. He also built a school, an electrical plant, and the Lorna Hotel, named after his daughter. He had telephone, electricity, water and a post office established by the end of 1909.
Soash held a town picnic on July 4, 1909, where more than 3000 people attended. Standing at the site, it is remarkable to imagine all of those people milling about in the area. Soash had invested a lot of his money to make the big picnic take place, and he made a impression. Most of the visitors arrived by train into Big Spring, Texas and since there were no costs too much, the guests were shuttled to the town of Soash in new Buick sedans.
Original 1909 Buick Sales Advertisement
Mr. Soash had apparently lived up to his reputation, seemingly creating a successful town. He had future plans for a cannery and a cement block factory. Unfortunately, although his advertising claimed the land fertile for growing, very little of the land was suitable for farming. This coupled with the drought that began in 1909 which scorched West Texas until 1912 sealed the town of Soash’s destiny.
Today, all that remains of Soash is the reinforced concrete bank. It is very dilapidated, with concrete hanging from rebar and foliage growing through it. What’s left of the building lies on private property about 300 feet from the road but can be easily seen and photographed from public property.
Soash Historical Plaque
Credit: L.E. Duncan
Often, short detours off the beaten path can show you unique places. Geocaching is a way for people to share some of these places. While in Howard County and the area of Soash, there are several geocaches to be found; one marking the town of Soash titled, Soash-A Historical Pipe Dream. When you get to the location of this cache (which is on public property) the remains of the bank building will be obvious. If you are coming from Highway 20, there are many caches in the area, all of which are worth searching for.
Texas is strewn with ghost towns and whatever your argument is for the definition of a ghost town, these places along with their geocaches, and lost treasure are still there or recorded for any of us to explore and enjoy. Remember, many of these areas often have populations in close proximity, or another town that has grown into the abandoned town. Always respect private property, state park and federal regulations.
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