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VIGO PARK,
TEXAS
Texas Ghost
Town
Swisher County, Texas Panhandle
FM 146 and FM 2301
Between Palo Duro and Tule Canyons
53 mils SE of Amarillo
10 miles S of Wayside
17 miles E of Happy
Population:
31 (estimate)
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The
store opened in 1907 as a 2 story structure with Dr & lawyer offices
on the 2nd floor. It closed in 2004 and was the last surviving business.
Photo courtesy Suzan Caudle |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The towns name comes from Vigo and Parke counties in Indiana
– the former homes of the settlers recruited by the Indiana-Texas
Land Company. The company had purchased a large tract of the JA Ranch
and developed it around 1906. A post office was granted in 1907 under
“Vio” - an apparent misspelling of Vigo. In 1908 the word Park was
added. |
Vigo
Park, Texas 79088
"The Post Office is still operating, with a total of 16 P.O.
boxes" - David Higgins
Photo courtesy Suzan Caudle, Lubbock, TX |
| Vigo Park never
got a railroad, but wells helped the residents irrigate their property
and the town managed to hold its own, although the population was
only 40 in 1940. |
The
old Vigo Park school, now a community center.
Photo courtesy Suzan Caudle, Lubbock, TX |
| "The School
opened in 1918 and boasted up to 100 students at it's peak. It closed
in 1947. The building was restored recently by the residents of Vigo
Park." - David Higgins |
The
old San Jacinto School
3 miles East of Vigo Park
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2004 |
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