La Plata

La Plata is a ghost town in Deaf Smith County, Texas, with roots going back to 1890, when the XIT Ranch founded it under the name Grenada as a way to consolidate influence following the creation of Deaf Smith County. The town's early years were defined by a contentious and corruption-laden county seat battle against the neighboring community of Ayr — a contest Grenada ultimately won. Shortly after that victory, postal officials requested a name change, and county judge J. R. Dean renamed the settlement La Plata. A courthouse was part of its early civic ambitions.

Today La Plata is a quiet relic on the Texas landscape, and visitors come primarily for the historical curiosity and the chance to photograph what remains of a once-contested seat of local power. Access is straightforward given the flat terrain of Deaf Smith County, and the site is generally reachable year-round, though summer heat and winter cold are real considerations on the open Texas plains.