Bootleg, Texas

One of the first real schools in the area was the Messenger school, with J. N. Messenger as its founder. After that, a school called the Walcott School was built amid the Walcott, Piatt, Arnold, and O'Brien ranches in 1914, which changed location several times until 1950, when the ranch where it was located became a part of the Walcott district and an unnamed brick school was erected on the north of Bootleg.^[3]

During the 1930s no streets were present in the area, but trails were imprinted into the pastures due to frequent use by cars and trucks.^[2] At the same time, Bootleg experienced a massive economic growth after Louis Woodford converted the bootleg school into a general store, which then became a trading post for the western part of the Deaf Smith County.

The community has a volunteer fire department called the Bootleg Volunteer Fire Department serving the area around Hereford, with an unknown establishment date.^[4]

Antelopes are commonly seen in the Bootleg area.^[2]