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The
former jail?
Photo courtesy George Shaffer, 2006 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Named for an Englishman who was a shareholder
in the railroad, Best was nothing
but a switching point on the Orient Railroad. When oil was discovered in 1923,
Best mushroomed as the regional supply center. The population grew to an estimated
3,500 in just two years. Best gained an instant reputation for being a wild town.
Perhaps added by the irony of its name and a novel (The Big Fist) written in 1946
- set its bad reputation in stone. |
Springston
Ranch in Best
Photo courtesy George Shaffer, 2006 |
| The town's unofficial
slogan was "the town with the Best name in the world and the Worst reputation."
After the boom fizzled, only 300 people were left in the 1940s. A service station
/ post office was still in operation in the 80s and by the 1990 Census - only
25 people were left. It is now listed as 0001. |
Texon
oil field
Photo courtesy Brian R. Jack |
| "The
men on the right is my Grandfather, Elmer Ellsworth Hartzell" - Brian R.
Jack, February 25, 2007 |
Best
Texas ForumSubject:
Best, Texas
Dear Texas Escapes, My grandfather, Richard Baker Jr., was
the District Attorney in Best about 1925. I still have his business card. He was
getting ready to bust some "dishonest" oil guys about 1927, and they laid an ambush
for him coming back from San
Angelo. He managed to evade them but they caught him in the street the next
day and broke his jaw. My grandma, who was from Indiana and met him when he was
chasing Pancho Villa, said she was done. They went to have his jaw fixed at Walter
Reed in DC and they left Texas forever. Dad's great grandfather was a leading
citizen in Crockett, Texas. It was a tough way to leave Texas. - Tom Baker,
Kilmarnock, Virginia, January 28, 2009
Subject:
Best, Texas
I, Brian Ross Jack, was born in Best, Reagan County, Texas
on 29 July 1928, to Marion Hugh & Helen Wanita Hartzell Jack. My grandfather also
lived there: Marion Hale & Lucretia Montgomery Jack. They lived about 100 yards
in front of our house. My father and grandfather both worked in the oilfields.
My father also did welding and mechanics in his garage next to our house. It is
my belief that most of the residents moved to Kermit,
Texas. My mother, sister and I left Texas and moved to live with my grandfather,
Elmer Elsworth & Lulu May Kahler Hartzell in Orting, Pierce County, Washington
in 1935. God Bless. - Sincerely, Brian R. Jack, Fort Worth TX, May 06, 2006
Subject:
Best, Texas
My mother, Mary (Vandervort) Hensley, lived in Best as a girl.
Her father worked in the oil fields. Her youngest sister, Rhea, was born in Best.
My mother passed away on April 30 at the age of 91. I visited Best with my mom
a few years ago, and the photos you have online are exactly what I saw then. I
thought Mom told me that the stone structure was the jail. She pointed out the
hill where the town's water tank once sat. My Mom's parents were Bonnie and Emmett
Vandervort. My grandfather died of a heart attack while at work in the oil fields
in the 40's and my grandmother eventually moved to Los Angeles. I've heard a few
stories about the wild town that Best was. There was a newspaper article about
the Wild West town of Best, but I have lost track of it. I've heard that my grandmother
made bootleg alcohol and also ran a small grocery store for a time. I was hoping
to find out more about the history of Best. Some of my mom's relatives still live
in San Angelo and her oldest sister Vanatta was married in the old Cactus Hotel.
Just sharing a few little tidbits that I recall. Thank you. - Charlene Hensley,
May 11, 2006
Subject:
Best, Texas
As best I could figure out, Best was located at Hwy 67 and
Best Lane, between the highway and the train tracks located about a block south.
Best Lane turns north off of 67, and is called Lone Wolf Lane south of the highway.
Santa Rita Road runs parallel with and between the highway and tracks, and goes
to the Santa Rita No. 1 well.
The only structures that remain standing
are a small blockhouse and Springston Ranch (see above photos). There were no
signs of life at the ranch house other than an old pickup and a roof-mounted satellite
dish. I did get there before sunrise, but there were no lights burning. After
crossing the tracks, Lone Wolf turns back to the east; I did see what appeared
to be the remains of some type of corrogated tin building across the road from
the blockhouse, but it was totally collapsed. Traffic on the back roads was light,
namely a couple of oil field types checking wells, I reckon. There was an active
rig west of Best. Not much more than that. - George Shaffer, March 17, 2006
Anyone
wishing to share history, stories, photos or knows the name of the last person
living in Best, Texas, please contact
us.
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