Some historians state that the name ''Lancaster'' was bestowed upon the town by Mr. M.L. Wicks, a real estate developer who purchased six sections of land from the Southern Pacific Railroad. Another version of the way Lancaster received its name attributes the deed to Mr. Purnell, a member of the Southern Pacific Railroad staff whose duties included the naming of all stations. His reasons, unfortunately, must remain obscure because all records were destroyed by fire in 1906.