submitted by: Jarel Amox

The city of Domino, TX was originally founded by a couple of men who wanted to sell liquor in a dry county. They formed the city and had a city election so that they could open a liquor store there. The town was formed some time in the late 50's or early 60's. My father knew the men who formed the city very well. They named it Domino after the Domino game and the fact that when you win at Dominoes, you are said to have "Dominoes". These men figured to "make a killing" off the businesses that there intended to start in the town, and did just that.

The town is located just off US Highway 67 between Lake Texarkana (now Wright Patman) and Atlanta. The population at the time it was incorporated was not more that around 200 people, if that many. I do not know how many live there now, but there are not many folks there now. I know some other people that were in the area at the time of the formation of Domino and will ask them about it and let you know some more information.

submitted by: G V RICHARDS

Actually it is right below the Bowie County line in Cass County on highway 59.  The two counties are separated at the Sulfur River at Write Patman Lake, and Domino is the first community you come to going south toward Queen City.

One reason they were so successful was the two dry counties, Cass and Bowie.

Miller County Arkansas had an age limit of 21 when Texas and Louisiana were still 18. I guess the next closest place to go to would have been at the Louisiana state line on highway 1, or another state line road going into
Louisiana or Oklahoma.

There used to be just a flashing yellow caution light on the highway to mark the turn off. Now they have a full fledged red light. A lot of large log trucks turn there because of the "paper mill". International Paper has a large plant, employing many, on the same road, just past the Domino community.

There is a little information on Domino in the "Handbook of Texas On Line"
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/index.html
It says:
DOMINO, TEXAS. Domino is on Farm Road 3129 ten miles northeast of Atlanta in northeastern Cass County. It was established in the late nineteenth century as a flag stop on the Texas and Pacific Railway. In the mid-1930s the town had two churches and a number of houses. The construction of nearby Wright Patman Lake qv in the 1950s brought new growth. The community incorporated during the 1970s, and in 1990 had a population of 101. Many of the residents work in Atlanta or Queen City.

SULPHUR RIVER
After exiting Lake Texarkana at its dam, the Sulphur River  continues east, entering Arkansas four miles east of Domino. In Arkansas it
flows east for fifteen miles to its mouth on the Red River, two miles northeast of Doddridge in southern Miller County, Arkansas (at 33°06' N, 93°52' W). The river flows 183 miles.

BAKER CREEK. Baker Creek rises 4½ miles north of Queen City in northeastern Cass County (at 33°13' N, 94°10' W) and runs northeast for eight miles to where it joins a small unnamed stream to form Baker Slough near Domino (at 33°16' N, 94°06' W). The stream is intermittent in its upper reaches. It flows over sandy and loamy soils that support pines and hardwoods. The creek may have been named for John Baker, original grantee of land near its mouth.

BAKER SLOUGH. Baker Slough originates where Baker Creek joins a small unnamed stream near Domino in northeast Cass County (at 33°16' N, 94°06' W) and runs east for 3½ miles to its mouth on Long Slough (at 33°16' N, 94°03' W). The loamy and clayey soils in this nearly level to gently undulating area are flood-prone, and native vegetation includes water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and grasses. Baker Slough is reported to have been named for Cullen Montgomery Baker, qv who is said to have camped in the area frequently.

* And recent articles from the Newspaper:
November 6, 1999: Accident near Domino claims one
DOMINO, Texas-One man was killed Saturday morning when his pickup was struck by an Amtrak train. James Odel Porterfield, 80, of Texarkana, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11 a.m., according to a Texas Department of Public Safety report. Porterfield was traveling west on Farm to Market Road 3129 in Domino when he failed to yield at a railroad crossing and was struck by the southbound Amtrak, according to the report. No one on the 17-car train was injured.

October 8, 1999; Hebron Baptist Church, Domino, Texas, will celebrate homecoming at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Ricky Harvey Family will be singing.

September 24, 1999; St. Paul CME Church, Domino, Texas, will have a friends and family day at 3 p.m. Sunday. The speaker will be the Rev. Raymond D. Oliver. For more information, contact the Rev. John L. Reed.

September 14, 1999; DOMINO, Texas-Estimates are still being tallied for the damage and lost production suffered when a water line was severed Monday to International Paper's Texarkana Mill, officials said. "We anticipated eight to 24 hours lost," said Amanda Black, International Paper Texarkana Mill communications manager. "It's too early to tell the (financial) impact." The water flow was severed Monday morning when a Gilbert Network Services employee cut through the water line, running from Lake Wright Patman to the mill, while laying fiber optic cable from Dallas to Texarkana. The damage occurred on the east side of U.S. Highway 59 in Domino.

Some machines at the mill were back in action by 2 a.m. Tuesday but other machines were still in the process of starting up at 3 p.m. Tuesday.  While the mill was shut down, additional fire watches, cleanup and miscellaneous maintenance were scheduled in an effort to keep the mill ready for when operations resumed.

September 13, 1999; Severed water line shuts down IP mill
DOMINO, Texas-International Paper's Texarkana Mill was shut down Monday after a contractor, not working for IP, severed a water line that runs from Lake Wright Patman to the mill, an IP official said. The damage occurred early Monday on the east side of U.S. Highway 59 in Domino while utility crews were working, the official said.

August 2, 1999; State works on Domino signal light Motorists traveling on U.S. Highway 59 may want to leave a little earlier than normal due to construction at the traffic signal light at Domino, Texas. "The heavy truck traffic has created ruts and it (the intersection) requires
heavy maintenance," said John Baker, Texas Department of Transportation engineer in Atlanta. The department is putting a concrete overlay at the intersection and will also build ramps made with hot mix, Baker said. The overlay is designed to last about 30 years before repairs will be needed, he said.