Stiles is a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
in
Reagan County,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, United States, about north of
Big Lake.
[Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Stiles, Texas," https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hns86 (accessed June 3, 2007)] As the only town in the area when Reagan County was established in 1903, Stiles was made the county seat.
Bypassed by the
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
and eclipsed when oil was discovered near Big Lake, Stiles was replaced with Big Lake as the county seat in 1925.
[
]
Stiles Courthouse
The ruins of the old 1911 Reagan County Courthouse are still visible just off Texas State Highway 137
State Highway 137 (SH 137) is a state highway in west Texas. It runs from SH 163 near Ozona to U.S. Highway 385 (US 385) near Brownfield. SH 137 was originally established in 1928, and it has been realigned severa ...
, between Big Lake and Texas State Highway 158
State Highway 158 (SH 158) is a state highway running from near Goldsmith, Texas eastward to Ballinger, Texas.
Route description
SH 158 begins at an intersection with State Highway 302/Farm to Market Road 181 northwest of Odessa in unincorporate ...
on Stiles Courthouse Loop. The courthouse was constructed with local stone by William Martin.[
In 1998, the structure burned several times, damaging the courthouse. Ralph Denton was charged with arson for several fires in Reagan County.
]
Stiles Cemetery
The Stiles Cemetery is located off of SH 137 across the Centralia Draw, southwest of the courthouse.
Established about 1903. Site is on land then owned by early settlers G. W. and Lizzie Stiles. Plot summarizes much frontier history, as it holds graves of cowboys who died in accidents on cattle range; one Spanish–American War veteran; victims of shootings, rattlesnake bites, epidemic dysentery. Most were pioneers of steady habits and quiet lives. Already in use for many years, the 3-acre plot was deeded to county in 1920 by J. D. Wagner, an adventuring man who lived for years alternately in Texas and in South America.
Centralia Draw
Stiles lies within an ancient stream channel called Centralia Draw that rises northeast of Rankin in eastern Upton County () and runs east for across Upton, Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, and Irion counties to the Middle Concho River
The Concho River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas.
''Concho'' is Spanish for "shell"; the river was so named due to its abundance of freshwater mussels, such as the Tampico pearly mussel (''Cyrtonaias tampicoensis'').
Geography
The Conch ...
. Today, Centralia Draw remains dry most of the year except during occasional brief periods of heavy rainfall and runoff. Evidence suggests that in the past a more active spring-fed stream once flowed through Centralia Draw cutting the broad valley we see today.[Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Reagan County," https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcr03 (accessed February 21, 2009).]
File:CentraliaDraw_2004.jpg, Broad valley of Centralia Draw just south of Stiles.
See also
*List of ghost towns in Texas
Images
File:Clairemont Texas Abandoned Jail.jpg, Abandoned jail in Clairemont (Kent County)
File:Benton City Institute.jpg, Abandoned school in Benton City (Atascosa County)
File:Close City Texas abandoned school.jpg, Abandoned school in C ...
*Llano Estacado
The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...
*Concho River
The Concho River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas.
''Concho'' is Spanish for "shell"; the river was so named due to its abundance of freshwater mussels, such as the Tampico pearly mussel (''Cyrtonaias tampicoensis'').
Geography
The Conch ...
*Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor of the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobamp ...
References
External links
Photos of West Texas and the Llano Estacado
{{Reagan County, Texas
Ghost towns in West Texas
Geography of Reagan County, Texas