Chalk, Texas

Chalk is an unincorporated community in Cottle County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 17 in 2000.

History
On property that was formerly a portion of W. Q. Richards' 3D and Moon ranches, Chalk was established. In 1903 or 1904, a severe drought and rising farmland prices prompted him to drill wells and plan a community. The settlement was previously known as Richards Colony and then as a Dutch colony between 1905 and 1907, when it was renamed Chalk in honor of James M. Chalk, a gin owner and the community's first postmaster in 1908. The Oscar brothers opened a store in the village in 1906, which gave it a boost, although the town progressed slowly. Chalk's population had grown to 45 by 1915. There were four stores and 100 people in the village by 1940. Later on, its population shrank. Chalk had 45 residents by the year 1980, although the town still maintained a post office, a cotton gin, and a gas plant. 45 people were living there as of 1990. The population fell to 17 in 2000.

On June 1, 1954, an F3 tornado struck areas east of Chalk. One person died and 14 were injured.

Geography
Chalk is located on Farm to Market Road 1038 in southern Cottle County.

Education
Since there were three schools in the area, Chalk did not get a school until 1914. It closed in 1945. Today, the community is served by the Paducah Independent School District.