Porterville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Porterville is a ghost town
in Loving County
, Texas
, United States
.
Porterville was established in 1905 by Dr. Phil Porter, a physician who relocated from Michigan
due to what he believed were health benefits of living in the desert. At one point in time, the town was a bustling community, with a hotel
, a blacksmith
's shop, a post office
, a doctor, and two general stores
. Its population growth was initially fueled by inexpensive farmland and irrigation. However, the nearby Pecos River
was not big enough to accommodate the needs of the farmers, and the population of the town declined precipitously. When oil
was discovered in the early 1930's, the nearby town of Mentone
was established, and the population of Porterville declined gradually until the town became abandoned.
Today, little remains of the former Porterville. The only building that still survives in any usable fashion is the town's church, which was built in 1909 and moved to Mentone in 1931. The community's elevation and geographic coordinates
are unknown, as the town today is essentially a bare strip of local highway.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Loving County
Loving County, Texas
US Census 2000Of the 67 residents, 60 were White, 6 of "some other race", and 1 person of two or more races. There were 7 residents who were Hispanic or Latino of any race...
, 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...
.
Porterville was established in 1905 by Dr. Phil Porter, a physician who relocated from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
due to what he believed were health benefits of living in the desert. At one point in time, the town was a bustling community, with a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
's shop, 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...
, a doctor, and two general stores
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. Its population growth was initially fueled by inexpensive farmland and irrigation. However, the nearby Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
was not big enough to accommodate the needs of the farmers, and the population of the town declined precipitously. When oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
was discovered in the early 1930's, the nearby town of Mentone
Mentone, Texas
Mentone is an unincorporated area in Loving County, Texas, the least populous county in the United States. As the county's only community, it serves as the county seat and has a 2010 population of 19, almost one-fourth of the county's 82 people. It is the least populated county seat in the United...
was established, and the population of Porterville declined gradually until the town became abandoned.
Today, little remains of the former Porterville. The only building that still survives in any usable fashion is the town's church, which was built in 1909 and moved to Mentone in 1931. The community's elevation and geographic coordinates
Geographic coordinate system
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position...
are unknown, as the town today is essentially a bare strip of local highway.