Must be a Hex(t) on these towns

Hext, Okla., is in the far west of the Sooner State. Hext, Texas, is a bit south of the center of the Lone Star State. Highway distance between the two towns is 352.4 miles, by way of Highway 6 North.

The Oklahoma Hext is on old U.S. Highway 66, with I-40 a few miles south. There is no off ramp to Hext. Here is a link to photos:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hext,+OK+73645/@35.248939,-99.753486,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNbEE_elu0Xd5C1GG_20Y2uoO2sQjtBWSNMKmYL!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNbEE_elu0Xd5C1GG_20Y2uoO2sQjtBWSNMKmYL%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i2492!8i1870!4m5!3m4!1s0x87abc8cf7098c8d9:0x4040d4d39be7bf3!8m2!3d35.248939!4d-99.753486

Hext is in that part of Oklahoma, when you’re out there, you are out there. The nearest town west is Erick (6.8 miles), with Sayre sitting 7.1 miles east.

Hext had a post office from June 4, 1901, until November, 1902. Hey, we got mail! And then: Sorry. No more mail.

Hext is in Beckham County, Okla. In 2010, Beckham County population was 22,119, somewhat of a decrease from the historical high of 28,991 in 1930. Between then and now, the smallest population was 15,754, in 1970.

“The county economy has been based mainly on farming and raising livestock. The major crops have been cotton, wheat, alfalfa, kafir, milo maize, and broomcorn. Mineral industries have occasionally been significant. In the early 20th century, there was some salt production. A limited amount of oil and gas production began in the 1920s.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beckham_County,_Oklahoma

The Texas Hext is in Menard County. This Hext is still settled, with a 2010 population of 73.

“Hext is at the intersection of State Highway 29 and Farm Road 1221, sixteen miles southeast of Menard in eastern Menard County. It was known as Maringo (Marengo) when the area was settled in the 1870s, but residents changed the name to Hext in the late 1890s in honor of Joseph Robert Hext. A local post office was established in 1897 with Ennis Stark as postmaster. In 1914 the community had a cotton gin, a hotel, two general stores, and 125 residents. A Church of Christ had been organized in 1904, and a Baptist church was established in 1916. By the mid-1920s, population estimates for the community had fallen to forty; they rose to sixty in the late 1940s and remained at that level through the mid-1980s. The community reported sixty-four residents in 1988. In 2000 the population was seventy- three.”

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnh23

Here is a link to photos of Hext, Texas.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hext,+TX/@30.8691623,-99.5379785,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x865995742798ec0d:0xda8ab257a24e2483!8m2!3d30.8690162!4d-99.528435

Like its Oklahoma cousin, Hext, Texas, is out there.

One of the pictures is of the front of the Trading Post Café. At the bottom of the sign are the letters “BYOB.” That means “Bring Your Own Bottle.” The café sells soft drinks, but if a customer wants something harder, he has to bring his own.

Northwest of Hext, the aerial photo shows a “Dead Man Hollow,” but no explanation.

Here is a link to a big storm with possible tornade near Hext in 2013:

http://www.skip.cc/chase/130509/13050912.jpg

More photos: http://www.skip.cc/chase/130509/