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History · Matador

Matador’s post office opened in 1886, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Traweek House.

1886first post office
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Matador began

When was Matador founded?

1886

The Matador post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1891.

2020 census: 569140 years
Founding year: the first Matador post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1891.The full story ↓

What stands out about Matador’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Matador are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Matador’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Matador’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Matador’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Matador came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Matador.

Read it all →

The Matador Ranch was consolidated in 1882 by a Scottish syndicate, and a post office opened at Matador in 1886.

At the end of the 19th century, townspeople freed the community from domination by the Matador Ranch, which was liquidated in 1951, by relocating nonranch families there and electing their own slate of officials.

The community was incorporated in 1912 and made the county seat. The state required that a town have at least 20 businesses. Local ranch hands hence established fraudulent, temporary businesses using ranch supplies. The only real business in Matador at the time was a saloon.

Chapters2023 tornado

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Matador, 1886 to 1947

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886Post officeThe Matador post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1947Born hereKaren Elliott House is born here
  5. 1947Born hereJesse Powell is born here
By decade

Matador, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Motley County, TX, Courthouse IMG 15442011Motley County, TX, Courthouse IMG 1544Matador, TX, water tower IMG 15412011Matador, TX, water tower IMG 1541Matador, TX, City Hall IMG 15452011Matador, TX, City Hall IMG 1545Hotel Matador in Matador, TX IMG 15622011Hotel Matador in Matador, TX IMG 1562First State Bank, Matador, TX IMG 15462011First State Bank, Matador, TX IMG 1546TXMap-doton-Matador2004TXMap-doton-Matador
On the National Register

1 historic place in Matador

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1991
Traweek House
Traweek House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Prairie School1
Traweek HouseClassical Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Matador

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Karen Elliott HouseAmerican journalist and former executive · b. 1947
J
Jesse PowellAmerican football player · b. 1947

Questions about Matador’s history

What year was Matador founded?

The Matador post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1891.

What is on the National Register in Matador?

One place: the Traweek House (listed 1991).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.