Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and

Parker Parker may refer to: People * Parker (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Parker (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Arts and entertainment * ''Parke ...

Counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The population was 14,820 at the 2020 census. 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, 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. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

in the 1910s and early 1920s. The baseball field was located in the center of town.

Military History

Mineral Wells military history dates back to 1864 with the organization of Company 1, 4th Texas Infantry. By January 1925, the War Department approved the site that would become

Camp Wolters Fort Wolters was a United States military installation four miles northeast of Mineral Wells, Texas. The fort was originally named Camp Wolters in honor of Brigadier General Jacob F. Wolters, commander of the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Nationa ...

, 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.

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.

Geography

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 14th-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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and east of Abilene.

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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

describes the weather as

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

, and uses the code ''Cfa''.

Demographics

According to the 2020 United States census, the city had a population of 14,820 individuals, residing in 4,958 households, and belonging to 3,329 families. This represents a decrease of 12.54% compared to the figures reported in the 2000 Census.

Government

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 jails ...

(TDCJ) operates the Mineral Wells District Parole Office in Mineral Wells. The

Corrections Corporation of America CoreCivic, Inc. formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas W. ...

(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 Fort Wolters was a United States military installation four miles northeast of Mineral Wells, Texas. The fort was originally named Camp Wolters in honor of Brigadier General Jacob F. Wolters, commander of the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Nationa ...

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto, Texas, Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1 ...

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 The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The 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. Car ...

''. 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 John Harris Whitmire (born August 13, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the List of mayors of Houston, 63rd mayor of Houston, Texas, since 2024. Whitmire was previously a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

, the head of the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said, "We're sitting on about 12,000 empty

rison Rison may refer to: People *Andre Rison (born 1967), American football player * Mose Rison (born 1956), American football coach * Vera B. Rison (1939–2015), politician Places *Rison, Arkansas **Rison High School Rison High School (RHS) is a ...

beds, 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 simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

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

Education

Mineral Wells is served by the Mineral Wells Independent School District, and by the Community Christian School.

Weatherford College Weatherford College (WC; officially Weatherford College of the Parker County Junior College District) is a public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general publi ...

operates a branch campus on the old Fort Wolters facility.

Notable people

Barbara H. Bowman Barbara Hyde Bowman (August 5, 1930May 15, 1996) was an American biologist, geneticist, and educator who was known for her research in human blood proteins. Her work characterized variants of globins, the family of proteins responsible for trans ...

, geneticist *

Adrian Colbert Adrian Colbert (born October 6, 1993) is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and Miami Hurricanes. Early life Colbert attended Mineral Wells High school in Mineral Wells, Texas. He was a ...

, 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'' *

Millie Hughes-Fulford Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford ( Hughes; December 21, 1945 – February 2, 2021) was an American medical investigator, molecular biologist, and payload specialist who flew aboard the NASA Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' in June 1991. Early life ...

, American medical investigator, molecular biologist and former NASA astronaut * Curt Knight, NFL kicker for the Washington Redskins *

Shane McAnally Shane Lamar McAnally (born October 12, 1974) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted as a singer in 1999 with his Shane McAnally (album), self-titled album on Curb Records. This project produced three sing ...

, singer-songwriter and record producer *

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 *

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. He is one of the 50 F ...

(born 8 September 1943), noted pioneer in computer graphics *

James Vick James William Vick (born February 23, 1987) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Vick was born to a modest Texan family on ...

, 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 File:Downtown Mineral Wells 2023 Wiki 1-1.jpg, Downtown Mineral Wells File:Nazareth Hospital Mineral Wells 2023 Wiki 2-1.jpg, Nazareth Hospital File:Crazy Water Hotel Mineral Wells 2023 Wiki 3-1.jpg, Crazy Water 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