Black Springs
Oran, Palo Pinto County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Settled before the Civil War and named for the area's early water source, located nearby, the Black Springs community played a significant role in the growth of Palo Pinto County. Prominent individuals associated with the town included early cattlemen and trail drivers Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight and J. J. "Jack" Cureton, a noted military veteran and pioneer. In 1886 the community was renamed Oran in honor of Texas Governor Oran M. Roberts. Once the county's leading town and the site of stores, churches, a school and railroad, it declined in the 1930s and 1940s. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded before the Civil War around a reliable spring, Black Springs grew into the leading town of Palo Pinto County on the strength of the North Texas cattle country around it. Its story brushes against legends of the range — trail drivers Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight and the frontier veteran J. J. "Jack" Cureton all figure in the area's early days. Renamed Oran in 1886 to honor Governor Oran M. Roberts, the town supported stores, churches, a school, and a railroad before fading in the 1930s and 1940s.
Why it matters
The rise and decline of Black Springs traces the arc of countless Western communities, born of water and cattle and left behind when the railroads and highways moved on.
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Related people
- · Oliver Loving
- · Charles Goodnight
- · J. J. "Jack" Cureton
- · Oran M. Roberts
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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