Mankins, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mankins, Texas
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 Mankins, Texas
Location in Texas
Mankins, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Archer |
| Elevation | 1,112 ft (339 m) |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 10 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1362131 |
Mankins is a very small, unincorporated community in Archer County, Texas, United States. An unincorporated community means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government. In 2000, only 10 people lived there. Mankins is part of the larger Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
The Story of Mankins
This area first saw settlers around 1889. In 1890, the Wichita Valley Railway built a train station here. This station was used to load grain. A church was also built around this time. The community was first called Lazarus Switch.
How Mankins Got Its Name
In 1908, Charles Mangold bought the ranch nearby. He built a store and a hotel next to the railroad. The town was named after Tom Mankins. He was the foreman for the Lazarus Ranch, which was north of the community. Tom Mankins also ran a general store in the area.
Growth and Changes
A post office opened in Mankins in 1909. By 1914, about 55 people lived there. The community had businesses like cattle breeders and cotton buyers. In the 1920s, oil was found nearby! Between 1923 and 1926, 42 oil wells were working in Mankins. This made the population grow to 85 people by the late 1920s. It stayed around that number for ten years.
A brick building was built during this time. It was used as a community center and a church. At first, only Methodists had a church here. Then, Baptists came in 1936. By then, Mankins had six businesses.
Challenges and Decline
In 1938, a tornado hit the town. The Methodists moved their church to Holliday. An old church from Bowman was moved to Mankins in 1941. By 1950, the population grew to 120 people. There were four businesses operating.
The post office closed in 1963. The next year, there were no businesses left. The population dropped to 50 by the end of the 1960s. Water access got better in the 1970s. However, the land in town was still owned by the Mangold family. They weren't selling it, so Mankins couldn't grow. The population was 45 in 1990. Then it went down to just 10 people in 2000.
Fun Fact
In the 1970s, Mankins was a special place. It hosted the D.S. Dudley Circus and carnival!
Local Connections
The name of an ancient animal, Eothyris, has a connection to Mankins. Its specific name refers to J.R. Parkey. He was a local landowner from Mankins. Mr. Parkey helped a team from the Museum of Comparative Zoology find fossils on his land.
Where is Mankins?
Mankins is located where three major roads meet. These are U.S. Highway 82, U.S. Highway 277, and Texas State Highway 25. It's about 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Archer City. It's also about 19 miles (31 km) southwest of Wichita Falls. Mankins is in the northwestern part of Archer County.
Learning in Mankins
The first school in the community was called Lone Star School. It opened in 1889. Mankins still had a school in 1914. In the 1930s, there was a brick building used as a high school. Sadly, the 1938 tornado destroyed it. The school was rebuilt and used until 1941. Soon after, it joined the Holliday Independent School District. Today, students in Mankins still attend schools in the Holliday ISD.
