Texhoma Times
November 2, 1948 Number 18
Jesse Riffe Elected Mayor as Texhoma, Tex., Revives
Jesse Riffe, Texhoma grain man, is mayor of the newly reconstituted municipal government of Texhoma, Tex.
Riffe who was the moving force in raising money by subscription to pave streets on the Texas Side, was the unanimous choice of the south side voters who braved a snowstorm Saturday to cast ballots for town officers.
There are more than 80 eligible voters in Texhoma, Tex., but only 21 of them voted. Riffe received 11 votes for the mayoralty. No votes were cast for anyone else.
Roy Worley was chosen to be secretary-treasurer of the municipality, receiving 19 votes. Hugh Hass Jr. will be the municipal marshal. He got 20 votes.
In the voting on the five aldermanic seats George Riffe and A.Y. Ingham Jr. each received eight votes for the fifth seat. The tie will be resolved by the Sherman County Commissioners Court, probably by flipping a coin.
The other four alderman elected were: C.R. Hawkins, 13 votes; Hoyt Gist, 11; Rentie Hamilton 11, B.R. Cox, 9.
Texhoma, Tex., was organized as an incorporated city in 1916, but no municipal officers have been elected since 1919. The incorporation has been in a state described as "dormant".
The rapid growth of the Texas Side in the recent years has made residents conscious of the need for
a municipal organization to handle such matters as sewage, paving, fire protection and law enforcement.
Texhoma, Tex., now has a population of 400 to 500 while Texhoma, Oklahoma., has 1500 to 1600.
Joe Williams, who now lives in Amarillo, was the first and only mayor the Texas Side ever had,
serving from 1916 until 1919.
On the first board of aldermen were John A. Gex, J.A. Powelson, A.Y. Ingham, D.R. Stewart and
Lloyd Mason. Of these only Ingham still resides in Texhoma, Tex. At the time of the last meeting of the aldermen on Aug. 7, 1919, the board of alderman was composed of Gex, A.H. Storrs, H.A. Mallett, Mason and S.G. Ward.
Joe Williams originally owned the land which now comprises the Texas Side. The town site was dedicated in 1906 as the "Texas addition to Texhoma, Okla."
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