La Plata
Ghost town · United States
- Abandoned
- unknown
- Founded
- —
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 34.970, -102.599
Why it was abandoned
❔ Cause unknown
Open sources don't name a cause. If you know it, add it to Wikidata or Wikipedia.
History
La Plata is a ghost town in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. It was originally named Grenada and was established in 1890 by the XIT Ranch as a means of consolidating political power after Deaf Smith County was established. The town engaged in a controversial battle with neighboring Ayr over the county seat election, which was mired in corruption. After Grenada won the election, county judge J. R. Dean changed the town's name to La Plata due to a request from postal officials. A courthouse was built and the town soon added a post office, a school, a county jail, and a Presbyterian church. Businesses included a general store, a pharmacy, a saloon, a hotel, an implement house, a blacksmith shop, a livery stable, and the offices which housed the county's first newspaper, La Plata Star.