Authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1909 as one of seven agricultural experiment stations established in the state, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at Spur, known as the Rolling Plains Experiment Station or Substation No. 7, opened at this site in December 1909 on land provided by the S. M. Swenson and Sons Land and Cattle Company. It gave agricultural scientists facilities to develop information, procedures, and solutions to regional agricultural problems, and its work ultimately affected agricultural methodology far beyond regional boundaries. Soil and water conservation programs developed here included a terracing system called Syrup Pan, which made full use of rainfall and diverted water and resulted in vastly improved crop yields. Other work included drafting legislation that led to the establishment of the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, brush control using chemical, mechanical, and biological methods, and livestock breeding and nutrition experiments. Although the station officially closed in 1986, the results of research conducted here continue to influence agricultural programs worldwide.