Colorado City, Texas

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Colorado City, the county seat of Mitchell County, is on the Colorado River, Lone Wolf Creek, U.S. Highway 20/80, State highways 208 and 163, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad, 38 miles east of Big Spring and 23 miles south of Snyder in the north central part of the county.

History

Colorado City History 1922. Colorado City, the county seat of Mitchell County, is located on both banks of the Colorado River. It is noted for its sidewalks, and shade trees, pretty women and fat men. It has one of the best school systems in West Texas. The present court house is a three-story brick structure built in 1884 at a cost of $80,000. Colorado City's trade territory extends from 20 to 30 miles in each direction from town. It is considered one of the oldest cow-towns in Texas, its farming, and especially stock-farming interests are growing fast. Its days of rough and tumble "shoot the town up," cow-boy fashion, are past, although it is still the home of large ranch owners, they are a different type of men, more progressive and energetic than in former days.

The present county officials are : J. C. Hall, county judge ; W. J. Chesney, sheriff and tax-collector ; W. S. Stoneham, county and district clerk ; J. B. Holt, tax-assessor ; T. J. Coffee, county attorney ; U. D. Wulfjen, commissioner, Precinct No. 1; H. A. Lasater, commissioner, Precinct No. 2; E. Barber, commissioner, Precinct No. 3, and S. M. Hallmark, commissioner, Precinct No. 4. - History of Texas, 1922, by W. Barrett Travis.

In 1931 Colorado City had an estimated population of 4,761 and 200 businesses. By 1940 the population had increased to 5,213, but by 1945 the number of reported businesses had declined to 120. In the late 1940s increased oil activity in Mitchell, Scurry, Coke, and Borden counties caused some growth, and by 1949 the number of businesses in Colorado City had increased to 176. During the mid-1950s a drought, the longest on record, affected the area's agricultural production, particularly of cotton. In 1955 the population was 6,774. Lake Colorado City, five miles southwest, was built in the late 1940s, and Champion Creek Reservoir, six miles south, was built in 1959. The population was estimated at 6,400 in 1965. The Col-Tex Refinery closed in 1969, but in the early 1970s new industries were established, including a meat-packing operation and a mobile-home plant. Colorado City had 5,300 residents and 126 businesses in 1975. In 1990 it had a population of 4,749, a hospital, and 104 businesses. Local attractions include the Colorado City Historical Museum, the Colorado City Playhouse, and an annual rodeo. In 2000 the population was 4,281, and the community contained 234 businesses.