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1920s
Coke County Map showing Silver and other ghost towns
Courtesy General Land
Office |
History in a Pecan
ShellBegan in the
1870s as a ranching community, it wasn’t until 1890 that the town was granted
a post office. A school opened that same year.
For thirty years (1910
to 1940) there were only ten people counted for the census. Just after WWII
oil was discovered in the region and the population exploded to an estimated 1,000
people, making it one of the county’s population centers.
Silver’s tiny
school was replaced by a grand building which was later turned into a hog farm
when the oil reserves fell in the mid 1960s.
In 1980 the population was
down to a mere 60 residents, and has since declined to 30. |
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Silver Historical
Marker TextSILVERA
pioneer ranching center, settled
about 1880. Early land owners included S.M. Conner, W.G. Jameson and W.R. Walker.
Dr. J. E. Reed for 50 years was only physician here. R.B. Allen was outstanding
civic leader.
Post office, named for peak nearby, was opened 1890 with
Thomas J. Wiley Postmaster.
School (2 Ml. SW) was moved here and renamed
Silver Peak.
Oil discovery, 1946, brought drilling, refining, employees'
camps, much growth. The town became busy oil-gas center.
After camps closed,
1966, the population declined. | |
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