Palo Pinto County on Tour
Saturday, April 29 from 9 to 4,
A self-paced historical and wildflower driving tour.
Tickets: Adults $20; Children 6 to 15 $5; under six free
Advance tickets Mineral Wells Area Chamber 940-325-2557
Possum Kingdom Chamber 888-779-8330
Day of tour purchase tickets and start tour at any location and proceed as you wish
Palo Pinto County Historical Commission took on the county tour the year of the sesquicentennial 2007 in an effort to showcase our county. Since then, the tour has been produced every bi-yearly odd-numbered year the last weekend of April missing only 2021 due to covid concerns.
Originally, the tour was produced and managed by the Brazos Foundation and Historic Mineral Wells. They conducted the tours annually beginning in 1990 and through 1996. In 2006, the PPCHC began to look at ideas for participating in the upcoming Sesquicentennial of 2007. Commission member Bill Bennett suggested that a tour of our county would be the best way to showcase our colorful history to the public. The tour committee was formed, Bill Bennet Chairman, Sandra Crawford, and Pam McQueary support. Bill chaired the committee for ten years. He passed away in January 2017 and the tour in April of that same year was dedicated to his memory.
The 2023 tour will be held on Saturday, April 29 from 9 to 4. It is a self-paced driving tour with members of the PPCHC and volunteers at each of the locations serving as docents to answer questions and share the wonderful history of each site.
Magpie Inn, Mineral Wells, began in 1910 as the Tygrett Hotel. Served as a boarding house during the mineral water boom.
The Crazy Water Hotel, Mineral Wells, played an important role as a magnet for wellness tourism. The original hotel was destroyed by fire in 1924 and rebuilt at a whopping 1.5 million.
Oran/Black Springs, East of Graford, once boasted a thriving mineral water business of its own and had hotels and a skating rink. Its origins date back to the 1850s and it is believed by many to be the first settlement in Palo Pinto County where Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight are said to have hatched the plan for their famous cattle drives sitting right there in Oran under a pecan tree.
The Old Jail Museum, Palo Pinto, provides visitors with a detailed depiction of life in Palo Pinto County during the 1800s. It holds a vast collection of Native American artifacts as well as heirlooms from the county’s rich ranching history.
The First Christian Church, Palo Pinto, is a fantastic display of late 19th-century architecture
Lovers Retreat, West of Palo Pinto, is one of the most popular tour stops with an old footbridge across eagle creek and beautiful rock formations flanking the banks of the creek.
Worth Ranch, North of Palo Pinto, is another site of beauty with rocky riverbanks and verdant forests and stunning picturesque views.
