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RANKIN,
TEXASUpton
County Seat, West
Texas
Highways 67 and 349
55 miles S of Midland
32 miles SE of Crane
28 miles W of Big
Lake
22 miles N of Iraan
Population: 800 (2,000) 1,011 (1990) |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Established in 1911, Rankin is the oldest town in
Upton County.
Named after rancher F. E. Rankin, the town came into being
when the former county seat of Upland (11 miles North) was bypassed by the Kansas
City, Mexico and Orient Railway.
A post office was established in
1912 and most of the population moved to town from Upland. Rankin however did
not officially become county seat until 1921.
With the discovery of
oil in the twenties, the population rose to an estimated 1,500 by 1928 and the
town was incorporated that year.
The boom created funds to expand Rankin's
infrastructure and explains the presence of the over-sized Yates
Hotel (now the Rankin Historical museum).
The boom also funded a
brick school, the courthouse
and a two-story office building.
Oil close to Rankin was not found (at
that time) and the population moved on to new fields. The population declined
to 935 by 1931 and declined further during the Great Depression.
By 1940
the population was a mere 672 but an oil discovery north of Rankin came in building
the town anew and bringing the population nearly up to what it was during the
first boom.
Rankin has retained a population between 1,000 and 1,500
from the 1950s through the 2000 census with oil, sheep and cattle remaining the
economic base. |
Rankin Chronicles
Rankin
Beach by Mike
Cox
It marked a rough time in Rankin’s history, when bootleg booze and
black gold flowed with equal ease...
more
Rankin
Hotel by Mike Cox
"At one time, as many as 10 hotels of sorts
did a flourishing business in Rankin, but the Harlan and Yates amounted to the
Waldorf Astoria and Ritz of the town once claiming a population of 10,000."
... more
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