O.P. "Pack" Wolf
O. P. “Pack” Wolf was born in Burnet County in 1857. At age 22 he migrated west and filed claim to land on Rough Creek in northwest Scurry County.
West Texas was a tough country and a severe drought hit the land.
Pack generously allowed a neighbor to water cattle in Rough Creek.
Too late, Pack learned that the neighbor’s cattle were infected with the fever and Pack’s herd was wiped out.
He sold out and bought 66 acres along Deep Creek. He had dreams of making this a Wolf town site, but instead made it into a park.
Pack turned from ranching to trail driving and freighting.
He hauled many loads of the lumber from the T&P Railroad in Colorado City for housing for the early settlers.
In 1906 he requested and received the job of City Marshall in Snyder.
Snyder wasn’t the Wild West at that point in time but it wasn’t Disney World either.
Pack wore a .45 on his hip and his creed was “law and order.”
The town was his to keep as long as he was in office.
He never backed down from a fight and was once wounded in the hand.
On December 16,1916, Pack was witness to the shooting death of Ed Simms in the Simms-Johnson feud.
Ramrod straight, often puffing a pipe, he patrolled the streets, alleys and wagon yards on a big bay horse and was “tough” in carrying out his duties.
You didn’t mess with Pack.
Pack was Snyder’s first environmentalist.
A chug hole or loose plank on the town’s wooden sidewalks never failed to capture his attention and was duly reported to the proper authorities.
A scrap of paper scurrying down the street before the West Texas wind was soon captured as Pack stepped from the saddle to snatch it up.
For 20 years from 1906 until 1926 Pack dispensed law and order in Snyder.
He was looked upon with a mixture of pride, respect and fear as he made his mark in the early days of our community.
Picture of Pack Wolf on big bay horse.
Picture of Pack Wolf on what is now north College Avenue, leading steer around town.
One of Pack’s duties was to return stray livestock to their owners. Here is pack leading a steer around the square looking for its owner. If not found, Pack took the animal to his “pound” which was an enclosure surrounded by one strand of barbed wire.
Sources for the information:
Historical Markers in Scurry County.
Reflections: An Album of West Texas History, 1840-1990 by Charles G. Anderson