Early settlers in this area included the J.C. Womble family, which arrived in January 1892. The next year, the community obtained land for a schoolhouse known as the Union School. In May 1893, George D. Whitfield, a young cowboy, was buried in the schoolyard; his was the first marked burial, although two earlier graves were already known to exist. Residents organized the Palo Duro Missionary Baptist Church in 1901 and held services in the schoolhouse before moving across the road in 1905. In May 1910, the school moved approximately two miles north, and the property reverted to its original owner. In 1914, the land containing the gravesites was deeded to the community for use as a cemetery. During the mid-20th century, area residents bought additional land and added a well and fence. As the burial place of numerous local residents and military veterans, the cemetery remains a link to the area's history.