Orient, Texas, Tom Green County. (original) (raw)

Cover canceled with Orient, TX 1958 postmark
"1858 - 1958 Butterfield Overland Mail Centennial"
Courtesy Dan Whatley Collection

History in a Pecan Shell

Derived from the name of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, this "town" ended up being the smallest of the three. Besides, "Orient" is a rather broad term, isn't it? The town bucked the custom of having a store first and then applying for a post office. The post office opened it's doors in 1909 and five years later the store arrived. Our favorite source states that there were two teachers in 1930 but doesn't mention any students. (Maybe the teachers played cards in the empty schoolhouse.)

No one remembers the day the census enumerator arrived in 1925, but he/ she reported finding 20 people present. By 1934, the population was just ten and residents claim that the others "left in search of work."

The town would've disappeared totally if not for oil and gas discoveries but there was no boom. The post office closed in the 1960s as well as one of the town's two businesses. The population swelled to 40 "Orientals" in the early 1950s and remained there for the 2000 census. We eagerly await results from the 2020 census.

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