Olden, formerly Olden Switch, Texas, Eastland County. (original) (raw)

History on a Pinhead

First known as �Olden Switch,� the town was built alongside of the Texas and Pacific Railroad on its way to El Paso in the 1880s. Rumors of silver ore started a premature �rush.� The rush may have been real but no silver was found. Oil did appear in 1919 as one of many regional oil fields.

Olden�s population seemed to have peaked in 1945 when 500 residents called it home. Improved roads and the availability of cars after WWII allowed people to leave and leave, they did. By the 1980 census only 110 people remained. The same number was used for the 2000 census.

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