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Scotland
City Limit
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, September 2009 |
Photographer's
Note:
A little over
400 people living mostly in a small part of a town covering several square miles,
one historical marker, one church and cemetery, several interesting ranch or home
drive entrances, and someone's huge collection of rusting old farm tractors pretty
much sums up this town. The collection of tractors is impressive, unless you've
seen the collection outside of Toco. - Mike
Price, September 2009
History
in a Pecan Shell
The town was not named after the country but
for Canadian investor Henry J. Scott, who bought land and platted the town about
1907.
As a German Catholic community, the population was made up of farmers
who transmigrated here from Central and South Texas. The town was connected to
the outside world in 1908 when the Southwestern Railroad arrived from Henrietta
and a post office opened that same year.
By 1910 the population was up
to 600 and the railroad now connected Scotland to Archer
City. Scotland entered a decline around 1920 when the railroad abandoned its
tracks. Nearby oil discoveries failed to reverse the downward spiral but hopes
were still high and the town managed to build a new school and auditorium in 1922.
There
were only 316 people by the mid 1920s and that figure remained in place for years.
With improved roads allowing residents to find jobs in Wichita
Falls, the population declined to a mere 250 by 1950. The local school closed
two years later.
In the mid 1960s Lake Arrowhead was conceived and as it neared completion
workers and new landowners brought the population back up to 350.
Lake
Arrowhead is owned by the City of Wichita
Falls and provides their water supply. In 1970 Scotland was back down to only
145 people served by six businesses, but by 1990 it was up to 490. Scotland has
since spread across the county line into Clay County and the 2000 population is
back up to 438.
Scotland
Area Hotels - Book Here & Save:
Wichita
Falls Hotels | More Hotels |
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J.
H. Meurer Home
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, September 2009 |
More
Scotland, Texas scenes
Photos courtesy Mike
Price, September 2009 | |
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