Caddo Mills, Texas, 75135, home of Texas’ first drag strip

There used to be a saying (and I am not making this up): I’d rather my sister work in a whore house than live in Caddo Mills.

I don’t know the origin of the comment, but then I’ve never been in Caddo Mills. Driven past it a few dozen times in journeys west and east along I-30, but never in the town.

Caddo Mills is in Hunt County. Estimated Zip Code population is 5,223, with 1,432 for the town. Racial makeup is 93 percent white. It’s in the county whose county seat – Greenville – used to have a banner across a downtown street reading: “Greenville, Texas. Home of the blackest land and the whitest people.” Hunt County is in the blackland prairie and is one of the meanest places in Texas. Not necessarily for cuttings, stabbings, shootings and overall murder rate, although there are quite a bit of those. Hunt County is mean because black people and white people just don’t like each other, and a lot of white people don't like other white people and black people don't like other black people. Greenville is 70 percent white and 20 percent black. Hunt County overall is 84 percent white and around 10 percent black.

Caddo Mills businesses include: Courteous Carpet Care; Triple H Trash Solutions; Alpaca Spirit Ranch; and Boutique Doodle-do’s.

During World War II, the Army Air Force built an air field at Caddo Mills. As with a lot of post-war long stretches of concrete, the strip was used for drag races and is considered the first in Texas.

http://www.dragzine.com/news/flashback-friday-texas-first-nhra-sanctioned-drag-strip/

The state of Texas and Hunt County in 2011 filed suit against owners of the strip, alleging “contamination and illegal dumping.” There probably was beer drinking going on, too.

http://www.heraldbanner.com/news/settlement-reached-in-caddo-mills-dragstrip-lawsuit/article_47d58cd6-2a88-11e4-9f74-0019bb2963f4.html

There are many internet stories on the drag strip. Many, many stories.