Coleman County, Texas: History
Around 10,000 BC, indigenous peoples of the Americas were the first inhabitants. Later inhabitants included the Jumano, Lipan Apache, and Comanche.
In 1632, Father Salas led an expedition to the upper Colorado River. In 1650, Captains Hernán Martín and Diego del Castillo explored the western portion of the county to the Concho River, and returned with pearls. Diego de Guadalajara followed the same path as Martín and Castillo in 1654. From 1683 to 1684, Juan Domínguez de Mendoza established a short-lived Quicuchabe mission.
In 1855, the county's oldest community, Trickham, was founded as a trading post for the ranching activities of John Chisum. Coleman County was formed from Brown and Travis Counties in 1858. The county is named for Robert M. Coleman, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
In 1861, Rich Coffey settled the communities of Leaday and Voss.
In 1876, the site was chosen for Coleman, the county seat.
The community of Santa Anna was established in 1879. It is named after the Santa Anna Mountains, which in turn, are named after Comanche Chief Santana.
In 1886, the Santa Fe Railway completed a spur to Coleman from nearby Coleman Junction (now San Angelo Junction).
In 1908, the county's first oil well came in near Trickham.
In 1914, the Santa Fe completed the Coleman Cutoff between Coleman, Lubbock, and Clovis. This linked its California lines with the Texas Gulf Coast and put Coleman on the road's main line. Coleman's distinctive brick-and-stucco Santa Fe depot was completed in 1915.
Oil was discovered north of Coleman on the J. P. Morris ranch in 1917.
The Coleman County Medical Center opened in 1923.
By 1925, tenant farmers comprised 63% of local agriculture.
In 1930, the Coleman County population peaked at 23,669.
The Coleman County oilfields produced over a million barrels in 1948.
In 2000, Wind Clean Corporation, harnessing energy from wind power, was founded.