Wildorado, Texas
Encyclopedia
Wildorado is an unincorporated community
in Oldham County, Texas
, United States
. According to the Handbook of Texas
, the community had an estimated population of 180 in 2000.
, east of Vega
, the county seat
of Oldham County. The nearest large city is Amarillo
, located approximately 20 miles east of Wildorado.
Wildorado's elevation is 3,921 feet (1,195 m)
along the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad
. It was first settled by Eugene Binford and John R. Goodman, who ranched in the area before 1900. A post office was established in 1904. In 1908, the railroad was completed and a town site was laid out.. Goodman organized the Wildorado State Bank and built the Wildorado Hotel. A newspaper, the Wildorado Progress, began publication in 1909. By 1915, Wildorado had an estimated population of 100. During the 1920s and 1930s, the community endured droughts and dust storms. In 1936, Wildorado had a population of 57 with seven businesses. That figure increased to around 125 residents in the late 1940s. The gradual evolution of the Ozark Trail
(Route 66
) into Interstate 40
encouraged growth. After World War II
, when travel became a popular past time, Wildorado responded with services along its portion of Route 66 and the population rose to over 200 by the late 1950s. The formation of the Wildorado Water Supply Corporation in 1976-77 ensured a rural water supply and irrigation wells. During the latter half of the twentieth century, the population hovered around 180. Although Wildorado is unincorporated, it has a post office
, with the ZIP code
of 79098.
. The district has a single campus, Wildorado Elementary School, that serves students in grades kindergarten through six. Students in grades 7-12 attend Vega High School
http://www.vegalonghorn.com/vnews/display.v/ART/48daa0ade08a1 unless their parents choose another of Wildorado's neighboring districts.
Public education in the community of Wildorado is provided by the Wildorado Independent School District. Troy Duck is the district's superintendent. The district has a single campus, Wildorado Elementary School, that serves students in grades prekindergarten through six. Wildorado ISD is rated an Exemplary District by the Texas Education Agency. Wildorado Elementary accepts transfers and provides transportation by bus for accepted students. Students in grades 7-12 attend one of the nearby neighboring districts.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Oldham County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to the Handbook of Texas
Handbook of Texas
The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
, the community had an estimated population of 180 in 2000.
Geography
Wildorado is located along FM 809 south of and Main Street north of Interstate 40Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, east of Vega
Vega, Texas
Vega is a city in Oldham County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Oldham County . The population was 936 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2009, U.S. Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 896....
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Oldham County. The nearest large city is Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, located approximately 20 miles east of Wildorado.
Wildorado's elevation is 3,921 feet (1,195 m)
History
Named for nearby Wildorado Creek, the community was founded in 1900 as a railway townRailway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...
along the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
. It was first settled by Eugene Binford and John R. Goodman, who ranched in the area before 1900. A post office was established in 1904. In 1908, the railroad was completed and a town site was laid out.. Goodman organized the Wildorado State Bank and built the Wildorado Hotel. A newspaper, the Wildorado Progress, began publication in 1909. By 1915, Wildorado had an estimated population of 100. During the 1920s and 1930s, the community endured droughts and dust storms. In 1936, Wildorado had a population of 57 with seven businesses. That figure increased to around 125 residents in the late 1940s. The gradual evolution of the Ozark Trail
Ozark Trail (auto trail)
The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association that predated the United States federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, over a series of routes. These roads were...
(Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
) into Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
encouraged growth. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when travel became a popular past time, Wildorado responded with services along its portion of Route 66 and the population rose to over 200 by the late 1950s. The formation of the Wildorado Water Supply Corporation in 1976-77 ensured a rural water supply and irrigation wells. During the latter half of the twentieth century, the population hovered around 180. Although Wildorado is unincorporated, it has a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 79098.
Education
Public education in the community of Wildorado is provided by the Wildorado Independent School DistrictWildorado Independent School District
Wildorado Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Wildorado, Texas .Located in Oldham County, the district extends into portions of Deaf Smith and Randall counties....
. The district has a single campus, Wildorado Elementary School, that serves students in grades kindergarten through six. Students in grades 7-12 attend Vega High School
Vega High School
Vega High School is a 1A high school located in Vega, Texas . It is part of the Vega Independent School District located in southeastern Oldham County...
http://www.vegalonghorn.com/vnews/display.v/ART/48daa0ade08a1 unless their parents choose another of Wildorado's neighboring districts.
Public education in the community of Wildorado is provided by the Wildorado Independent School District. Troy Duck is the district's superintendent. The district has a single campus, Wildorado Elementary School, that serves students in grades prekindergarten through six. Wildorado ISD is rated an Exemplary District by the Texas Education Agency. Wildorado Elementary accepts transfers and provides transportation by bus for accepted students. Students in grades 7-12 attend one of the nearby neighboring districts.