Roaring Springs, Texas

Roaring Springs is a town in Motley County, Texas, United States. The population was 265 at the 2000 census.

Roaring Springs, Texas
Town
Downtown Roaring Springs, Texas
Location of Roaring Springs, Texas
Coordinates: 33°54′3″N 100°51′28″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Motley
Area [1]
• Total	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km^2)
• Land	1.06 sq mi (2.75 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation	2,507 ft (764 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	234
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	231
• Density	217.51/sq mi (84.00/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	79256
Area code(s)	806
FIPS code	48-62528[3]
GNIS feature ID	1366557[4]

Windmill Cafe in Roaring Springs

Travelers Inn Bed and Breakfast

The Thacker Jewelry Company in Roaring Springs is a manufacturing and retail outlet still in production. There is also a larger Thacker's store in Lubbock.[5]

First Baptist Church of Roaring Springs

Roaring Springs was originally an Indian campground. At the time of the recapture of Cynthia Ann Parker in Foard County, Roaring Springs was the main Comanche outpost. It was known for the purity of its water. In 1912, the community was laid out in the anticipation of service from the Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway, operated by Samuel Lazarus (1855-1926). The name "Roaring Springs" was adopted in 1913, when the railroad initiated service. A brick depot was soon established at the end of Broadway Street and handled passenger and freight traffic until 1971. The next year the depot was purchased by the town.[6]

Notable people

Verlon Dale Bigham (April 26, 1916–January 8, 2010), a Lubbock businessman, owned the Bigham IX Ranch located near his birthplace in Roaring Springs. His holdings included Anderson Bigham Sheet Metal, which he founded and operated from 1939–1989, and Bigham Brothers Manufacturing, established in 1960 with his late brother, Croft Bigham. He was a past president of the Lubbock and the Red Raider clubs, a former board member of First United Methodist Church in Lubbock, a past director of the Lubbock National Bank, and a member of the Masonic lodge. Bigham died of natural causes at the age of ninety-three. He and his wife, Betty Lou, had three children, Beverly Aderholt, Jerry Bigham, and Don Bigham, who predeceased his father.[7]

Francis Marion Gunter, Jr. (June 23, 1919–July 30, 2012), a native of Willis near Conroe in Montgomery County, Texas, was for thirty-five years the depot agent of the Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railroad, first in Roaring Springs and after 1960 in Floydada. A veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, Gunter served in the South Pacific in World War II and received the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Unit Citation. A Baptist, Gunter is interred at Roaring Springs Cemetery alongside his wife, the former Stella Mae Warren.[8]

Geography

Roaring Springs is located at 33°54′3″N 100°51′28″W (33.900716, -100.857640).[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	405		—
1940	514		26.9%
1950	435		−15.4%
1960	398		−8.5%
1970	308		−22.6%
1980	315		2.3%
1990	264		−16.2%
2000	265		0.4%
2010	234		−11.7%
Est. 2019	231	[2]	−1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 265 people, 117 households, and 82 families residing in the town. The population density was 248.4 people per square mile (95.6/km²). There were 145 housing units at an average density of 135.9 per square mile (52.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.70% White, 1.51% African American, 6.04% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.30% of the population.

There were 117 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.68.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $16,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,901. About 9.3% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.8% of those 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Roaring Springs is served by the Motley County Independent School District.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "Welcome to Thacker Jewelry". thackerjewelry.net. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
6. "Roaring Springs Depot", Historical marker, Texas Historical Commission, Roaring Springs, Texas
7. "Obituary of Verlon Dale Bigham". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
8. "Francis Gunter obituary". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

• Roaring Springs, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online