Colorado City was founded in 1880 at the crossing of the Colorado River and the Texas & Pacific Railroad line. Other historic traces date back to the Indigenous groups’ centuries-old campsites at Seven Wells. Homes, churches and a cemetery mark other points in time; lakes and oil history offer further perspectives on Mitchell County.
Water, Settlement and Landscape
Lake Colorado City lies on Morgan Creek in Mitchell County. Champion Creek Reservoir lies on Champion Creek, seven miles south of Colorado City. It has deep, rocky drop-offs, rock ledges, shoreline structures, submerged humps and a few old dams. Its profile therefore ranges from shoreline features to structures underwater.
The former spring site of Seven Wells is now covered by Lake Champion. For centuries, it served Indigenous groups as a campsite; in the 1880s, the early settlement of Artesia was established there in Mitchell County. This sequence brings together several periods at one place: from the spring site and campsite to the settlement, whose area is now covered by the lake.
Fisher Park/Champion Lake is a daily stop on the Colorado Headwaters Loop and offers developed camping facilities. This adds a specific route connection to the waters and their history.
Homes, Churches and Memorial Sites
The years of construction help distinguish the individual stories of the historic homes. The Majors Home was built in 1883 and is one of Colorado City’s first brick houses. The E.M. Hardigree Home was built in 1890 and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The John C. Prude Home, built in 1907, is a brick house with Prairie Style influences. The three dates span more than two decades; the Prude Home also has a stylistic connection in addition to its building material.
The Heritage House Museum is located in Colorado City’s first brick house. The Heart of West Texas Museum is housed in a restored historic mansion in downtown Colorado City.
Churches also preserve specific building histories. All Saints' Church was built in 1885 and consecrated as “All Saints” in 1886; its original bell is still in use. At First Baptist Church, materials salvaged from its original site were used for rafters and ceiling beams. The interior brick walls are made of bricks from the former boiler house of the Colorado City Salt Works.
In downtown Colorado City, a mural displays more than 200 cattle brands from ranches in Mitchell County. Colorado City Cemetery is a Historic Texas Cemetery; more than 5,000 citizens are buried there. Its oldest grave dates to April 29, 1881. The Colorado City Opera House dates to 1899 and is one of the state’s oldest music venues.
Ranching and Oil History
The West Texas Refinery Company, known as the Col-Tex Refinery, opened west of Colorado City in 1924 to process oil from Mitchell County. The site of the Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well recalls the beginnings of oil production in the Permian Basin. The two places represent different aspects of oil history: refining and early production.
The 96 Ranch was founded by James Durham Wulfjen and is one of the prominent early ranches. A cabin was built on the ranch near the Colorado River at the site of a former buffalo hunters’ camp. A name also carries a historical connection: Lone Wolf Mountain refers to a Kiowa chief. Local settlers built the structure at the Westbrook School and Church site in 1890, when Westbrook was only a stop on the Texas & Pacific Line.
Discover more destinations: Colorado City, Childress County, Caldwell County, Hays, Live Oak, Lavaca, Jeff Davis, Blanco County.
Return to the main travel overview: Texas.
