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MERTZON, TEXAS

Irion County Seat, West Texas

31° 15' 36" N, 100° 49' 15" W (31.26, -100.820833)

Hwy 67 and FM 2469
SW of Sherwood
26 miles SW of San Angelo
ZIP code 76941
Population: 743 Est. (2019)
781 (2010) 839 (2000) 778 (1990)

Mertzon, Texas Area Hotels San Angelo Hotels

Mertzon Tx - View from Irion County Courthouse
View of Mertzon from the Courthouse on the hill
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2010

History in a Pecan Shell

The town was named after M. L. Mertz who was a director of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway. A post office was opened in 1908 and the railroad entered Irion County in 1911 bypassing the Sherwood by a mere 1.5 miles. The town incorporated in 1933 and an election was held in 1936 to determine which town would be the county seat. Sherwood lost.

Battle of Dove Creek - Nearby is the site of the Battle of Dove Creek ... next page

The combined population of all towns in Irion County does not exceed 2,000 persons.

Mertzon Tx Irion County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2010
Irion County Courthouse


Mertzon Tx Church Of Christ
Church Of Christ
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2010
More Texas Churches


Mertzon Tx City Limit sign
Mertzon City Limit
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2010


Mertzon Tx Welcome Sign
Welcome to Mertzon
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, October 2010


Mertzon Tx Tankersly Farm Silo
Silo on Tankersley Farm, one mile from Mertzon
Click on image to enlarge
1935 Photo courtesy Dan Whatley

More Texas Silos

Contributor's Note:
"Tankersley was one of San Angelo founders and was involved in San Angelo/Concho Valley growth."

See Tankersley, Texas



Mertzon Windmills

by Mike Cox

Last time I drove through Mertzon, it sunk in on me that the windmills were gone.

West Texas still has plenty of Aermotors cranking away, and on many mesa tops giant wind turbines are popping up like rain lillies, but Mertzon used to depend on wind power long before it was the green thing to do.

With a little editing, here is a piece on Mertzon in the 1960s from “Red Rooster Country,” my long out-of-print first book:

“They look like a field of iron sunflowers in the distance, but they’re windmills – literally scores of them scattered all over Mertzon.

“Though no one has tried to organize the movement, there is a distinct possibility that without much effort, Mertzon could be named the Windmill Capital of the World.

“One Mertzon resident estimated there were about 100 windmills dotting the small Irion County capital and at one time, even more.

“The reason for all the windmills is that Mertzon has no public water works. If a resident wants running water, either a windmill or an electric pump must be used.

“Mertzon residents naturally don’t pay much attention to their abundant windmills, but motorists passing through on U.S. 67 often are surprised.

“If Mertzon does own the title of windmill Vatican City, it’s going to have to enjoy it while it can. The day will come when the electric pump phases out the windmill for good, at least inside the citiy limits.

“‘All the windmills are fairly old,’” County Judge Reginald Atkinson said. “‘I don’t remember any new ones going up in the last 15 or 20 years.”

“Mertzon was settled around the turn of the (last) century by ranching people. “‘Naturally,’” the judge said, “‘when these people moved in from their ranches they moved their windmills, too.’”

“Today (1968), people are finding electric pumps quite a bit less expensive than the traditional windmill. A good windmill costs about $700 while an electric pump can be installed for around $300, the judge said.

“But no one around Mertzon intends to junk their windmill before it doesn’t work any more, and even then they sometimes leave them standing.

“If a city water plant was constructed, however, the pumps and windmills would be made useless. But the chance for a city owned water plant any time soon is not very likely.

“‘Right now we have one of the lowest tax rates in the country,’” the judge continued. “‘If we were to decide to operate a water works the tax rate would naturally have to be increased accrodingly.’”

“There is commercially-owned water system in the city, but it does not serve the whole city.

“One resident said for each windmill in Mertzon there is a different tasting water supply. “‘Some of it is really good, but some wells are so bad you can hardly drink the stuff,’” he said.

“Regardless of poor water in some wells, the people of Mertzon appreciate their windmills. After the initial investsment, they don’t have to pay any water bills.”

These days, alas, the urban windmill thicket is gone and folks in Mertzon no longer enjoy free water.



© Mike Cox
"Texas Tales" July 15, 2010 column

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Irion County Texas 1940s map
1940s Irion County map showing Mertzon & Sherwood
Courtesy Texas General Land Office


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West Texas

Mertzon, Texas Area Towns:
Sherwood | San Angelo | Big Lake

See Irion County

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