Paint Rock, Texas, Concho County seat. (original) (raw)
History on a Painted Cliff
Originally, the town was begun a half mile west of the present location, but the mistake was found and the first buildings relocated to the present site. The year was 1879 and the name comes from the numerous ancient pictographs along the rock walls of the Concho River. The same year (1879) saw the opening of the post office.
In the mid 1880s, Paint Rock had a population around 100 and had developed into a pecan, sheep and wool shipping point.
A Presbyterian church was organized in 1881, followed by a Baptist church in 1886. They and they late-arriving (1892) Methodists shared a Union Churchbuilding until they eventually each built their own.
The first of two destructive fires occurred in 1909 (the second in 1922). This partially accounts for the incomplete courthouse square today.
It wasn�t until 1910 that the railroad arrived and by 1914, the community had its own water system and newspaper.
Despite the fires, Paint Rock reached it�s apex in 1931 with around 1,000 residents. Two years later, as the effects of the Great Depression were felt, and the population declined by half. Then, as if life wasn�t hard enough, the railroad bridge was washed out in 1936 and the town was left without a rail connection.
It returned to 800 in the early 1940s and remained there more or less through the 1950s. In 1972 it had plunged again � this time reaching a low point of just 193 residents.
The 200 census reported 320 people, making it one of Texas� least populated county seats. (See Ten County Seats You're Not Likely to Visit)
Paint Rock, Texas Landmarks/Attractions
A small cluster of buildings surround a tidy courthouse that reassures Paint Rockers that they are the County Seat, not the Colossus of Eden.
Concho County Precinct Building
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
Paint Rock Wool Warehouse
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, December 2006
Paint Rock Pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Pictographs can be visited by car or tours can be arranged (325-732-4376).
Paint Rock pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Photo courtesy Steven M. Aycock, DDS, 2011
Paint Rock pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2010
Paint Rock pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Photo courtesy Steven M. Aycock, DDS, 2011
Paint Rock pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Photo courtesy Steven M. Aycock, DDS, 2011
Paint Rock pictographs on the Campbell Ranch
Photo courtesy Steven M. Aycock, DDS, 2011
Paint Rock Chronicles:
- Paint Rock: The Last Comanche Fight of Jack Hays
by Jeffery Robenalt
Some historians have questioned the Rangers' victory at Paint Rock as pure fiction or an attempt to revise history, however, Jack Hays and the Texas Rangers need no help from me or any other historian to bring glory and honor to their name. Read full article - Who Killed Oliver Thornton?
by C. F. Eckhardt
Oliver Thornton is no more than a footnote in the history of Western outlawry�a man who wouldn�t be more than a name on a tombstone had he not chanced to get himself murdered... Read full article
Concho County Vintage Photos
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