SARAGOSA, TEXAS

Texas Ghost Town
Reeves County, West Texas

31° 1' 27"N, 103° 39' 42" W (31.024167, -103.661667)

Highway 17 and FM 1215
33 miles S of Pecos the county seat
2 miles N of Interstate 10
Population: 185 est. (1990 to 2010)

Book Hotel Here › Pecos Hotels

TE photo, September 2009

History in a Pecan Shell

Saragosa began with a settlement on Toyah Creek in 1880. The original site is four miles east of the present town. A post office was granted in 1884, however, it only lasted seven years before closing. It was reestablished in 1900.

A plat for the town was filed in 1909 and the railroad (The Pecos Valley Southern) arrived in 1911. The town only had twenty-five residents in 1925 but six years later it had increased to a respectable 150 people. In 1933 it had decreased back to 25. The 1940s were kinder to Saragosa and the town grew to 60 people. It increased to 90 by 1949 – remaining there until the 1960 census when it reached a record of 380 residents.

Ten years later it was back to only 173. As the 1980s closed, the population stood at 183 people. Saragosa was struck by a huge tornado on the night of May 22, 1987, killing 30 residents and injuring 121. Eighty-five percent of the town’s buildings were destroyed in the storm.

Toyah Creek
TE photo, September 2009

TE photo, September 2009

Saragosa Texas scene with distance hills

TE photo, September 2009

Saragosa Texas cemetery.
More Texas Cemeteries
TE photo, September 2009

Reeves County 1920s Map showing Saragosa
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Take a road trip

Saragosa, Texas Area Towns:
Pecos the county seat
Balmorhea
See Reeves County | West Texas

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Pecos Hotels | More Hotels

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