Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker Counties in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. The population was 16,788 at the 2010 census (14,644 in Palo Pinto and 2144 in Parker). The city is named for mineral wells in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s.

History

In 1919, Mineral Wells hosted the spring training camp for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, the year of the famous "Black Sox" scandal involving "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Mineral Wells also hosted spring training for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and St. Louis Cardinals in the 1910s and early 1920s. The baseball field was located in the center of town. In 1952, Mineral Wells was the host of the Republican state convention in which delegates divided between presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower and Senator Robert A. Taft. Though state chairman Orville Bullington of Wichita Falls led the Taft forces, the convention vote ultimately went 33–5 in favor of Eisenhower.

Military History

Mineral Wells military history dates back to 1916 with the organization of Company 1, 4th Texas Infantry. By January 1925, the War Department approved the site that would become Camp Wolters, the training ground for the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Texas National Guard. In 1956, the base began operations as the Primary Helicopter Center of the United States Army that would provide basic training and primary flight training for all rotary-wing aviators. The Vietnam War created an increased need for pilots. To meet the demand, Fort Wolters increased operations to become the training site for helicopter pilots for the Marine Corp in 1968 and the Air Force in 1970. Nearly every helicopter pilot that flew in Vietnam was trained at Fort Wolters. Fort Wolters was deactivated in 1973. The 8,500 acres was then parsed out to the city of Mineral Wells, private businessmen, Weatherford College, and Lake Mineral Wells State Park.

State Park

Mineral Wells is very well known for the state park which features fishing, camping, horse riding, biking, hiking trails and rock climbing. One attraction is Penitentiary Hollow, a popular rock climbing area.

Film

Prison Break Season 2 episode 8 "Dead Fall" set in "Arizona" is actually various locations in and around Mineral Wells. In an opening aerial shot showing downtown Hwy 281 Northbound, Crazy Water banners can be seen on the light poles.

Geography

Mineral Wells is located at (32.808594, –98.101859). Mineral Wells lies east of the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

and

Palo Pinto Mountains The term Palo Pinto Mountains properly refers to a specific cuesta-like range of hills in western Palo Pinto County, Texas. The name ''Palo Pinto'' roughly translates to "painted stick" in reference to the juniper trees of the area. Isolated, ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of 21.2 square miles (54.9 km), of which 20.5 square miles (53.0 km) of it are land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km) of it (3.45%) is covered by water. Mineral Wells is west of

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

and east of Abilene.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 14,820 people, 4,958 households, and 3,329 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, 16,946 people, 5,707 households, and 3,857 were families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 828.6 people per square mile (319.9/km). The 6,386 housing units averaged 312.2 per square mile (120.6/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 77.69% White, 8.77% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 10.51% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 19.27% of the population. Of the 5,707 households, 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were not families. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the age distribution was 24.1% under 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,233, and for a family was $33,765. Males had a median income of $29,074 versus $18,633 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,336. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

describes the weather as humid subtropical, and uses the code ''Cfa''.

Government

Historic Post Office in Mineral Wells, Texas

The

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jai ...

(TDCJ) operates the Mineral Wells District Parole Office in Mineral Wells. The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) operated the Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility in the Fort Wolters Industrial Park on behalf of the TDCJ. It closed in August 2013. The correctional facility, which had been operated by CCA since 1995, is located on the property of the former Fort Wolters in

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year. Palo Pinto County comprises ...

and in Mineral Wells. It can house up to 2,100 prisoners. As of March 2013, its annual payroll was $11.7 million, and it was among the largest employers in Mineral Wells, with about 300 employees. On Monday March 4, 2013, the Texas Senate Senate Finance Committee voted 11-4 to close the correctional facility.Montgomery, Dave.
Lawmakers look to close private prison in Mineral Wells
" ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carte ...

''. Tuesday March 5, 2013. Retrieved on March 22, 2013. Mike Allen, the mayor of Mineral Wells, criticized the closure, saying, "We'll lose right at over 300 jobs, and 300 jobs in a community of 17,000 ... is devastating. This means a lot to this community." John Whitmire, the head of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said, "We're sitting on about 12,000 empty risonbeds, so it just makes good business sense ... that we not operate it, and we take those savings and plow them back into additional public-safety programs." 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 ...

operates the Mineral Wells Post Office. Zip codes are 76067 and 76068.

Education

Mineral Wells is served by the

Mineral Wells Independent School District Mineral Wells Independent School District is a public school district based in Mineral Wells, Texas ( USA). M.W.I.S.D. is a TEA Recognized School District. The district operates under the elementary schools Lamar, which serves Preschool through ...

, and by the Community Christian School.https://ccsmw.org Weatherford College operates a branch campus on the old Fort Wolters facility.

Notable people

* Barbara H. Bowman, geneticist * Adrian Colbert, NFL football player for the Miami Dolphins * Alvin Garrett, NFL football player and Super Bowl champion * Dan Herbeck, journalist for ''The Buffalo News''; co-author of ''American Terrorist'', best-seller biography of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh * Millie Hughes-Fulford, American medical investigator, molecular biologist and former NASA astronaut who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist * Shane McAnally, singer-songwriter and record producer *

Alvy Ray Smith Alvy Ray Smith III (born September 8, 1943) is an American computer scientist who co-founded Lucasfilm's Computer Division and Pixar, participating in the 1980s and 1990s expansion of computer animation into feature film. Education In 1965, ...

(born 8 September 1943), noted pioneer in computer graphics and the cofounder of Pixar *

Amanda Shires Amanda Rose Shires (born March 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddle player. Shires has released seven solo albums starting in 2005, her most recent being '' Take It Like a Man'' in 2022. In 2019, she founded a country music super ...

, singer songwriter * James Vick, UFC lightweight

Gallery

File:Mineral Wells, TX, sign Picture_2222.jpg, Entrance sign File:Former Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, TX Picture_2224.jpg, Baker Hotel File:Famous Mineral Water Co., Mineral Wells, TX Picture_2226.jpg, Site of historic Famous Mineral Water Company File:Crazy Water Retirement Hotel in Mineral Wells, TX Picture_2225.jpg, Crazy Water Retirement Hotel

References

External links

City of Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce

Historic Mineral Wells materials

Mineral Wells City Directories, 1909 and 1920

''A Pictorial History of Fort Wolters''

Historic Mineral Wells postcards and photographs

Mineral Wells Guide

Mineral Wells Fossil Park, Palo Pinto County, Texas.

{{Authority control Cities in Palo Pinto County, Texas Cities in Parker County, Texas Cities in Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Micropolitan areas of Texas