| |
STERLING
CITY, TEXASSterling
County Seat, Panhandle
/ West Texas
On the North Concho River
US 87, Hwy 163 and 158
43 miles NW of San
Angelo
42 miles SE of Big
Spring
Population 1081 (2000) 1,096 (1990) |
Sterling
City Closed Pony Bridge
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2009 |
History
in a Pecan ShellNamed
for buffalo
hunter and Indian fighter W. S. Sterling when the town became the county seat
in July 1891. There wasn't any competetion for the county seat and Sterling City
remains the population core for the county.
R. C. Stewart was the man
who donated the land for the town in January of 1891. It was platted the following
month by H. B. Tarver.
By June of that year the town had its own newspaper
as well as a hotel and several essential businesses and before the year was out
Sterling City had a post office.
The first school was built in1892 and
four years later the population was 300 Sterling Citizens.
The Santa Fe
Railroad arrived in 1910, but later abandoned its service.
At one time
the town had 150 windmills providing water to the town. By 1914 the population
had increased to 900.
No figures were given through the thirties, but
after WWII the population
had decreased by about 10%. By 1970 it was down to 780 but increased back to 915
by 1980. The population finally broke the 1,000 person mark in the late 80s or
early 90s and is listed on the 2004 highway map as 1,081.
Side Trips:
Camp Elizabeth
>
Sterling City Area
Destinations & Hotels
>
Sterling
City Today |
 |
Hwy
158 - An old cabin beside the road
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2009 |
 |
Sterling
City ForumSubject:
Camp Elizabeth
This is one of those Centennial Markers that no one knows what to do with. Camp
Elizabeth "is thought" to have been about 10 miles northwest of Sterling City.
If the Centennial Committee didn't know for sure that it was there. How could
we? And why did they go to all the trouble to have one of this markers carved,
delivered and erected in such a remote location? - Barclay
Gibson, December 28, 2009
Subject:
Sterling City, Texas
Dear TE, I just read the letter of January 2006 from Debra Wimberly. She was commenting
on the building diagonally across from the Sterling County Courthouse. When my
family moved to Sterling City in 1945, that building housed the Deal Pharmacy.
It was always a very busy place and was a hangout for us kids while we were in
town. In the same building, round the corner East toward the school, Dr. Swann
had his offices. Upstairs was the telephone system and where the central operator
worked.
Sometimes a photographer from San Angelo would come to Sterling
and set up for kids’ portraits, and he used rooms upstairs in this building.
When we moved to Sterling City we actually lived in Coke County, managing
the 7 ½ section Mendenhall Ranch. The only road from the ranch to pavement went
to Sterling City. We were supposed to attend school in Robert
Lee, but arrangements were made for my brother George and me to attend Sterling
City schools.
We lived in Sterling City until 1955 and some of my fondest
memories are from this period in my life. - Johnny Thompson, Midland, Texas,
December 01, 2006
I
was born and raised in Sterling City. In 1974 I was one of the last babies to
be delivered by Dr. Swan in the hospital there.
I just wanted to let y'all know that one building [in your coverage] has been
left out. That would be the landmark on main street catercorner from the courthouse
and the jail. That building has been there forever. It was a motel at one time
and a bank and is supposed to be haunted. It was redone to be a restaurant then
the ownership changed and it was reopened up as a restaurant again and again.
I remember hearing about it being haunted more than once. I thought that y'all
would like [to share] that little tidbit - Debra Wimberly, former Sterling
Citizen, January 19, 2006 |
| Sterling
City ISD
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, August 2005 | |
|
