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LORAINE,
TEXAS
Mitchell County,
Texas Panhandle
Highway 20/80, and FM 644
10 miles E of Colorado
City
48 miles E of Big
Spring
58 miles W of Abilene
Population:
731 (1990) 656 (2000)
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View of downtown
Loriane
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2007 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Loraine has three stories in connection to its name. One states that
it was named in honor of the wife of a railroad officer, another claims
the French provence of Lorraine and a third says it was to honor Loraine
Crandall, the wife (or daughter) of local landowner Parson Crandal.
Established on the Texas and Pacific Railway in the 1880s, Loraine
was first a cotton and cattle shipping point and development was slow.
The town was granted a post office in 1890, and a school was constructed
three years later. In 1905, the aforementioned Parson Crandall bought
land from the railroad and had the town platted. With its streets
laid out, the town grew rapidly. It's first paper was published in
1906 and by 1914 the population was estimated as 800 citizens with
more than forty businesses.
The 1920s saw the installation of its own public water system, as
well as high school and grade school facilities and by the 1930s the
population was thought to be between 700-750 people.
Loraine's hospital opened in 1938, and throughout the 1940s the Loraine
Cooperative Association handled the dairy interests for several nearby
counties. The population increased to over 1,000 in the 1950s but
industry and businesses declined. By 1986 only six businesses were
still solvent. The population had been in a decline but has rebonded
in recent years to the present 656. |
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| Photos courtesy
Barclay Gibson, February 2007 |
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