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Big Spring
has long been known as the crossroads of West Texas. The ancient
spring for which the town was named attracted prehistoric people,
Amerinds, Spaniards, Mexicans and Anglos. The fascinating Comanche
'War Trail' to Mexico branched at the spring.
Old tales are
legion and photographic documentation is extensive.
Early explorers and cartographers noted the 'big
spring of the Colorado River'. In 1839, Dr. Henry Connelly,
a trader from Chihuahua, Mexico successfully led a huge caravan
with a fortune in silver to Fort Towson, Oklahoma, stopping midway
at the spring. U.S. Army Captain R.B. Marcy in 1849 lauded
the beauty of the place and one of his Indian guides, Manuel, said
that his brother-in-law died in a battle between Indians at the
spring, fifteen years earlier. Official reports of Texas Rangers
and U.S. Cavalry frequently mention the Big Spring.
When the town was formed about 1880 it consisted of canvas
dwellings and a noticeable predominance of saloons. The citizenry
was hard to tame; in the 1880 census Texas Rangers outnumbered citizens.
Large mercantile stores were established to supply regional ranches
of the Staked Plains. The Texas & Pacific Railroad hauled
in materials of all kinds and took away cars full of cattle and
buffalo bones for eastern markets. Railway workers contributed much
to the culture of the thriving metropolis.
Two major highways were eventually constructed and prosperity
continued. Fine hotels went up to accommodate commercial travelers
and tourists from all over the world. Three airlines hubbed at the
Big Spring Air Terminal - all in time for the massive discovery
of oil in almost every part of Howard County. Even the Depression
failed to kill the economy, or at least it seemed to be felt less.
For a time there were four oil refineries located in the
town.
Cotton farming
thrived. Many gins were built in several communities throughout
the county. At the beginning of World War II the substantial
Big Spring Army Air Base was laid out and thus brought in
new culture and new money. Big Spring and Howard County residents
enlisted in the military services in unusually high numbers.
Music-making
was an integral and large part of Big Spring area life from
the beginning. Honky-tonks promoted many soon-to-be-famous
performers. A magnificent municipal auditorium and city park with
a unique amphitheater provided the stages for popular musical shows.
At one time Big Spring was reputed to have more Protestant churches
than any place in the U.S., per capita. The population of the city
once reached 35,000.
Big Spring Today
Skipping to the present, the town is now about 23,000 with a large
part of the economy based on public-sector institutions, such as
prisons, a regional VA Hospital and a state mental hospital. Although
the decline in oil revenues has dramatically affected the entire
region, employment rate is high and cost-of-living relatively low.
New business ventures are encouraged by city government policies.
Copyright
Doyle Phillips
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