Lorenzo is often the first face of Crosby County for travelers coming from Lubbock. It sits comfortably on the edge of the urban and the rural—a place where you can see the lights of the "Hub City" at night but still wake up to the sound of tractors in the morning. This is the story of the town that became the friendly gateway to the canyon.

At a Glance: The Friendly Front Door

Before exploring the timeline, here is what defines Lorenzo today.

  • Established: Platted in 1910 by the C.B. Livestock Company.
  • Elevation: ~3,150 feet.
  • Namesake: Lorenzo Dow, a colorful attorney for the livestock company (not the famous evangelist, though the name was likely a nod to him).
  • Modern Identity: A vibrant "bedroom community" for Lubbock commuters that refuses to lose its agricultural soul.
  • Mascot: The Lorenzo Hornets.

1. The Company Town (1910–1920)

Like its neighbor Crosbyton, Lorenzo was a child of the C.B. Livestock Company.

In 1910, the company was aggressively developing its 90,000-acre holdings. They knew that for the land to be valuable, it needed towns, and those towns needed a railroad. The company attorney, Lorenzo Dow, was instrumental in securing the title to the townsite. In a playful twist of history, he purchased the land one day after April Fool's Day in 1910, only to sell it back to the townsite company months later to officially launch the settlement.

When the Crosbyton-South Plains Railroad laid its tracks in 1911, Lorenzo was ready. The first train rolled through in April, and by September, children were attending school in a converted store building. The town grew rapidly around the tracks, becoming a vital shipping point for the heavy machinery breaking the virgin prairie sod.

2. Water and Wealth (1940s–1960s)

While many West Texas towns withered after the Dust Bowl, Lorenzo found a second wind through innovation: Irrigation.

Farmers in the western part of Crosby County were among the first to aggressively adopt deep-well irrigation. As the "center pivot" sprinklers began to dot the landscape in the 1950s, Lorenzo transformed. The erratic dryland cotton yields stabilized, and the town became a consistent producer of cotton, grain sorghum, and later, specialty crops like onions and sunflowers.

This agricultural stability funded a mid-century boom. The Lorenzo Independent School District consolidated several smaller rural districts (like Estacado and Pleasant Hill), growing the "Hornet" family and turning the high school into the community's social anchor.

3. The Commuter Shift (1980s–Today)

As Lubbock grew eastward, the dynamic of Lorenzo shifted again. It became the perfect compromise for families who wanted the quiet safety of a small town with a 20-minute commute to the city.

This influx of new energy sparked a cultural revival. Today, Lorenzo is known for its public art. Travelers on U.S. 82 often slow down to admire the murals that color the downtown district, depicting scenes of early pioneer life, classic barber shops, and the endless Texas sky.

Preserving the Legacy

Lorenzo has managed to modernize without paving over its past.

Local Highlights:

  1. The Mural Corridor: Take a walk down the main strip to see the large-scale artwork that celebrates the town's history.
  2. Lorenzo Community Center: The hub for everything from voting to weddings, continuing the tradition of tight-knit gatherings.
  3. The Cotton Gins: During harvest (October–December), the gins on the edge of town are a hive of activity, processing the white gold that built the county.

Continue the Journey

Lorenzo is just the beginning of the Crosby County story.