Dryden is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in south central
Terrell County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
History
The community was founded in 1882 and named for Eugene E. Dryden, the chief engineer of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, which was building its tracks through Terrell County and established a section house at Dryden. Over the next several decades Dryden became a small center for
ranching-based businesses. The headquarters for the Pecos Land and Cattle Company was established in Dryden in 1884. The company drilled a well that supplied the area with water.
By 1912, a hotel, the Dryden Hotel, had been established, along with a combined schoolhouse, community center, and church. Dryden had a population of nearly 100 by 1929.
Two units of U.S. Army troops were stationed in Dryden during the 1913–17 Mexican border unrest. During the
Great Depression of the 1930s, the railway moved its crews and closed its depot at Dryden, and the area’s ranches were eventually broken up. Population began to dwindle to approximately fifty by 1970. Although a
general store was operating in 1995, the population continued to decline to thirteen by 1988.
The post office dates from 1888. The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
does not maintain a post office in Dryden anymore.
Wayne Sutton has been appointed mayor by the other residents.
Geography
Dryden is located on
U.S. Route 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...
at the intersection with
State Highway 349, 100 miles (162 km) west of
Del Rio.
Climate
Elevation: .
See also
*
List of ghost towns in Texas
References
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Texas
Unincorporated communities in Terrell County, Texas
Ghost towns in West Texas