Off The Beaten Path - Balmorhea, TX

[joe817]

BALMORHEA, TEXAS. Balmorhea is on Toyah Creek, the Pecos Valley Southern Railway, Farm Road 1215, and U.S. Highway 290, one mile southwest of Brogado in southwestern Reeves County. Indian and Mexican settlers farmed around the area from early times, taking advantage of the good supply of water from nearby San Solomon Springs.

The town was laid out in 1906 in the center of a 14,000-acre tract watered by the springs. Balmorhea was named for the three land developers who sent their agent, Ira M. Cole, to file the plat for the townsite. Their names were Balcum, Morrow, and Rhea. A public school was organized, and a post office opened in 1908.

In 1911 the Pecos Valley Southern laid its tracks from Pecos to Toyahvale through Balmorhea, and a hotel was built in the town that same year. In 1925 fifty people were reported living in Balmorhea, and by 1927 that number increased to 500. A bank opened in 1928 and operated until 1933. The population reached 1,220 in the 1930s, and the number of businesses bounced between twenty-five and thirty-three.

A gradual decline began after World War II. Throughout the 1950s and most of the 1960s the population was around 600, and the number of businesses declined to nineteen. In 1961 the town was incorporated. In 1968 Balmorhea had a population of 1,009 and thirty businesses. By 1988 it had four businesses and a population of 528. The 1990 United States census set the population of Balmorhea at 765. In 2000 the population dropped to 527. Balmorhea State Recreation Area is located at San Solomon Springs.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/balmorhea

The opening post only touched upon the wonder which is Balmorhea (say Bal-more-ay) State Park. In the midst of the West Texas desert you have one of the world's largest spring fed swimming pools. It is located roughly between Fort Davis & Stockton, Texas.

Look at the picture in the above link. Go straight out from the diving board, and the swimming pool takes a 90 degree left turn, and is even larger than what the photo shows. I have been swimming there, and it is an awesome wet oasis in the middle of an otherwise parched landscape.

In the great Texas ballad "The Lights of Loving County", by Charlie Robison, Balmorhea is mentioned. See lyrics below in the link. Listen to it live to fully appreciate what a great song it is.

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... %22+lyrics

Now I don't know whether the singer started his troubled ride in Pecos, Odessa, or somewhere else, so I couldn't calculate the distance he had to travel to El Paso. I was going to point out that he didn't have much stamina for a West Texas drive. But of course the reason that he "lost his mind on the broken white line, before I reached Balmorhea" was that he was upset that his intended fiance spilled the beans, and would get him arrested for murder.

Oh, by the way, Loving County, TX is one of the lowest population counties in the state at 134 souls.

The woman he killed was perceived by the singer to be a rich woman. She turned out to be the sheriff's dead wife.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uewrSagO-r4 Here's the song in all of its glory. It's 6:29 long.

SIA

[joe817]

Beautiful! Thanks so much for posting the links SIA.! I've never been there, but I'd sure like to go.