Olton, founded in 1906, it became the first town in Lamb County, Texas which also makes it the first county seat when the county was organized in 1908. It is situated on Highway 70 and FM 168, twenty miles northeast of Littlefield (county seat) in northeast Lamb County, and about 25 miles west of Plainview. With a total area of 1.4 square miles, it reached a population of 2,112 in 2017. The first settlement was around 1900 with the C. C. Slaughter ranch occupying most of the surrounding area and three miles from the present town, a store and post office was opened by A. B. Powell opened in 1903. Olton was said to be named from Mr. Powell's son or a preacher. Several changes occurred in 1904, 1905, and 1908 before the post office finally found a place at T. F. Brown's old Slaughter ranch windmill. The town's incorporation was in 1930 and a low-cost housing project was established in 1965. Littlefield was their primary competitor regarding the title of count seat during the elections in 1929, 1932, 1937, and 1946 when Littlefield finally won. Prominent personalities included Jimmy Dean, American country music singer, actor, television host, and businessman Dawn DeBerry Stump, businesswoman and government official, and Peggy Sue Gerron, the inspiration for the Buddy Holly song "Peggy Sue". Also, their local weekly newspaper is the Olton Enterprise.
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