Iowa Park, Texas, a city in Wichita County. (original) (raw)

High School in Iowa Park
1900s photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com

History in a Pecan Shell

The town, originally named Daggett Switch was founded in 1888 alongside the tracks of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway by D. C. and A. J. Kolp. When the Texas Panhandle Company brought in prospective buyers from Iowa around 1888, it seemed that a change of name was in order. It occured with the opening of the post office that year.

The town was officially launched on a disasterous note. Shortly after incorporation, a good portion of the town burned. It soon became a shipping point for cotton and wheat. Hard times came in the early 1890s when a drought hit, but by the time 1900 arrived the town had a respectible population of nearly 800.

The population fell during the mid teens but an oil discovery in 1918 righted the dip. By 1926 the population was just over 2,000. A cement highway connecting Iowa Park with Wichita Falls was built in 1927. In the mid 30s Iowa Park managed to keep its populatiuon near 2,000 while most other towns declined.

Sheppard Air Force Base provided a shot in the arm in the 1950s but by the end of the decade the population was still hovering around the 2,100 mark. By the late 60s the population had swelled to nearly 5,000 and increased further to 6,200 in the 70s.

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