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and dinners. Headquarters of the Posse were moved to
the American Legion building, but after operating there
for months and paying rent, it was decided to purchase
land and eventually construct their own headquarters.
The membership was again raised to 60, comprising 50
active and 10 honorary members.
About Those Sweethearts
The first women to represent the Posse as Sweethearts
were Dorothy Wheeler and Sammie Good Walker. The
first parade participated in by the Parker County Sheriff’s
Posse was the March 1947, Fort Worth Fat Stock Show
Opening Day Parade. The first barbecue attended as
a group was on the Crum-Farmer Ranch and their first
rodeo participated in as contestants was the Saunders
Ranch Rodeo. Other activities
that first year of organization
included was a matched Roping
between members of the Posse
and outsiders. Posse members
won. The Posse also partici-
pated in the Mineral Wells,
Weatherford Lions Club and
Ranger Rodeos.
The year 1947 ended with
the purchase of the present site
of 37 acres for permanent head-
quarters. When they closed on
the property, it was a mesquite-
infested abandoned peach
orchard at 2251 Mineral Wells
Highway, which was cleared
mostly by Posse members on
horseback with stout lariat
ropes.
The Posse still calls the place
home. The land purchase was
financed by one of the local
banks with the loan backed by
several of the members’ person-
al guarantee of repayment. “The
organization was young, but the
members had already decided
that it was going to be around
for a long time and needed to
put down deep roots,” wrote
Phil Livingston in his book enti-
tled, “Parker County Sheriff’s
Posse — The First Fifty Years.”
The original clubhouse was a
30’ x 100’ barracks building
purchased from Camp Wolters in Mineral Wells. The
Camp was being deactivated and the barracks were sold
for civilian use. The all-steel sign that welcomes visitors
was added in 1958. Hundreds of other improvements
have contributed to the success of their annual events like
the Frontier Days Celebration, Rodeo and Livestock Show
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