Editing Littlefield, Texas (section)

==History==
Littlefield is named for [[George W. Littlefield|George Washington Littlefield]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fli18 | title  = Littlefield, George Washington | first = David B | last = Gracy II | work = Handbook of Texas Online | access-date = April 27, 2013}}</ref> In July 1901, Littlefield purchased the southern, or Yellow Houses, division of the [[XIT Ranch]], forming the Yellow House Ranch.<ref>{{cite book| last = Duke| first = Cordia S.|author2=Joe B. Frantz |title = 6000 Miles of Fence, Life on the XIT Ranch of Texas| year = 1961| publisher = University of Texas Press| location = Austin| isbn = 0-292-77564-4| pages = 6–7}}</ref> At that time, the ranch covered {{convert|312175|acres}} in Lamb, Hockley, Bailey, and Cochran Counties.<ref name=YHR>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apy01|title=Yellow House Ranch|first=David B|last=Gracy II|work=Handbook of Texas Online|access-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref>  In 1912, when surveys showed that a new rail line from [[Coleman, Texas]], to [[Texico, New Mexico]], would pass through his property, Littlefield formed the Littlefield Lands Company to sell the northeastern corner of the Yellow House Ranch, a total of {{convert|79040|acres}}, to settlers and to establish the town of Littlefield in Lamb County.<ref name=Handbook>{{cite web | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hfl05 | title  = Littlefield, TX| first = William R | last = Hunt | work = Handbook of Texas Online | access-date = April 27, 2013}}</ref> Littlefield became a stop on the [[Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway]] in 1913.<ref name=Handbook/>

The most westerly piece of debris (a [[Space Shuttle thermal protection system|thermal protection system]] tile) from the 2003 [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]] was found in a field in Littlefield.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62378435/shuttle-developments/ |title=Shuttle developments |newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |page=A18 |date=February 23, 2003 |access-date=November 1, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="survival_report">{{cite web
  | title = Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report
  | publisher = NASA
  | date = 2008
  | url = https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/298870main_SP-2008-565.pdf
  | id = SP-2008-565
  | accessdate = February 11, 2022  }}</ref>{{rp|1.12}}