The first post office in Winkler County, then part of Tom Green County, opened near here in 1908 on the John Howe ranch, with mail arriving twice weekly to serve 300 people. The Duval townsite, promoted across the United States by the Pueblo Investment Co., opened on March 19, 1910, with free lots, a picnic, and a cowboy tournament. In April, Kermit became the seat of Winkler County, and the post office moved there in October. Duval failed to develop, and townsite rights were canceled after the 1928 oil discovery here. Ownership of many valuable lots sold in 1910 remains unclear today.