Engrained with History

The smell of warm coffee wafts through the room. Mugs in hand, farmers gather around, laughing and chatting. Some lounge in chairs while others stand. After a few hours, the coffee becomes cold, and the farmers drift away, like cotton in the wind.

J.C. and Lou Bell Bunnell settled the area now known as Wall. Situated on the Lipan Flat, an area known for its rich soil, Wall has been a farming community since the Bunnell’s founded it in 1886.

“Farmers are the ultimate optimist,” Wall Co-Op general manager Mina Abott said. “They always believe that there is rain coming, they always believe in the next crop. They have a work ethic you don’t see in today’s society.”

According to Wall Co-Op office manager Kelli Ingre, cotton has affected everybody’s future in Wall, from professions to family.

“How does oxygen make you live?” Ingre said. “This whole town is based upon cotton. [As for] anyone who lives and goes to school here, it’s because of the farmers and the industry. It’s because of that [the cotton industry] that the town even exists.”

Wall has several cotton-farming families that have resided here since the early 1900s. Fifth-generation farmer Brett Schniers grew up on a farm and continues this family tradition today.

“We also grow corn, wheat and milo,” Schniers said. “But cotton makes up around 50 percent of our crop.”

According to Schneirs, cotton brings in crucial revenue to Wall and the surrounding area.

“Out here and in West Texas cotton is typically the most valued crop,” Schneirs said.

Every day, farmers gather at the Wall Co-Op to drink coffee and pass the time. Many attend church together or attend the local football games. Through trials and triumphs, cotton has built a community within a community, according to Ingre.

“When you see people out, and you know their kids and their grandkids and what school they go to,” Ingre said. “What sport they play…their position on the football team…that’s why they come out and drink coffee every morning. It’s all about relationships.”