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The Slaughter family, led by patriarch C.C. Slaughter, established vast cattle ranches across West Texas in the late 1800s.

As railroads arrived in the early 1900s, the family began selling large tracts of land to developers and farmers.

Several West Texas towns, including Post, Morton, Levelland, and Sundown, were founded on former Slaughter ranch land.

The discovery of oil on family property in 1937 created the major Slaughter Oil Field, shifting the family's focus from land sales.

Editor's Note: Caprock Chronicles is edited by Jack Becker, Librarian Emeritus of Texas Tech University librarian. He can be reached at jack.becker@ttu.edu. Today’s article about the Slaughter family of West Texas originally appeared in this section in July 2022 and is by contributor D

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