Girvin (Texas)

Girvin is an unincorporated community in Pecos County in the US state of Texas .

geography

The former school building now serves as a meeting room

Girvin is located in west Texas, 51 kilometers northeast of Fort Stockton near the Pecos River at the intersection of US Highway 67 and Farm Road 11 at an elevation of 709 meters above sea level.

history

The place was originally called Granada when the first settlers came to the area in the 1890s. Around 1900 the place was renamed Girvin after the most important rancher in the area, John H. Girvin. In 1912 the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway reached the place that expanded around the station. A year later a post office was opened, and a school over the next few years. In 1924 Girvin had 15 residents, a shop, a hotel and a restaurant and served as a local supply center for the surrounding ranches and farms.

Derelict building in Girvin

With the discovery of the Yates oil field in 1926, Girvin developed into a supply point for the surrounding oil wells and was connected to the electricity network in 1929. The school building, initially constructed of wood in the 1920s, was replaced by a brick building in 1930. In 1931 a factory for salt production was built in the immediate vicinity of the village.

When US Highway 67 was built past Girvin in 1933, the place lost its importance, and the population dropped to 75 in 1939. A new settlement center was built on the highway, also called Girvin. The railway company stopped freight traffic to Girvin in 1944, and when the station closed in 1955, passenger traffic also stopped. 1963 Girvin still had a total of 30 inhabitants, and in 1967 the original place Girvin was given up, so that only the settlement on the US Highway existed. In 2000 there were about 30 people living in Girvin.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Justice, Glenn: "Girvin, Tx," . In: Handbook of Texas Online. Publisher: Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 17, 2013

Web links

• US Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Girvin, Texas (Eng.)
• Brief History Girvins with numerous current photo (Engl.)

Coordinates: 31 ° 4 ′  N , 102 ° 23 ′  W