Winters

Winters is on U.S. Highway 83, Farm roads 1770 and 53, and the Missouri-Pacific Railroad, in north central Runnels County. It was first settled in 1880 by the C. N. Curry and C. E. Bell families in an area called Bluff Creek Valley, a mile southeast of the present town. Jack Mackey, a cowboy, suggested the town's name in honor of John N. Winters, a local rancher and land agent. Winters donated land for the first school. The post office was established in 1891 with Frederick Platte as postmaster. The population was 163 in 1892, and the town continued to grow. A brass band was organized in 1901 by Charles Tipton Grant and toured widely in West Texas for years. The Winters Recorder was published by W. D. Currier in 1903 and changed its name to Winters Enterprise in 1905. The population was 600 in 1909, when the Abilene and Southern Railway built an extension to Winters from Abilene. The first major industry was a cottonseed oil mill established in 1909, the year the town was incorporated. The plant closed in 1939. A public library was built in 1964 and improved in 1968. Manufactured items include air conditioning equipment, metals, lenses, outdoor lighted signs, and aircraft parts. Annual events include a show sponsored by the West Texas Shetland Pony Breeders Association. The 1980 population of 3,061 was a little more than double that in 1910 at 1,247. In 1970 Winters had ninety-six businesses. In 1990 the population was 2,905 and in 2000 the community had 140 businesses and 2,880 inhabitants.