SPADE, TEXAS (Lamb County). Spade, on Farm roads 54 and 168, ten miles east of Littlefield in southeast Lamb County, was named for its location on the Spade Ranch.^qv J. Frank Norfleet,^qv ranch foreman, married and brought his wife to headquarters near the present townsite in 1894. The townsite was developed in 1924 when farmers began settling on former ranchland. A store, built in 1931 by Roy Hicks, became the nucleus of the community. A gin was also built in 1931, and a post office was secured in 1935. In 1940 Spade had two churches, six businesses, and 200 people. Businesses in 1968 included stores, gas stations, four gins, two garages, two cafes, a hardware store, and a grain elevator. Spade has its own water system. In 1980 and 1990 the town had a population of 174 and several businesses. The population dropped to 100 in 2000. The former ranch headquarters is a historic attraction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Evalyn Parrott Scott, A History of Lamb County (Sudan, Texas: Lamb County Historical Commission, 1968).