Anarene

Anarene, in south central Archer County, was named for Annie Lawrence Graham, daughter of pioneer settler J. M. Keen, who, after serving in the Confederate Army, began ranching in the area and built up his herd to 15,000 head. He used a terrapin emblem for a brand because he found a rock painting of a terrapin at Terrapin Springs, three miles northwest of Olney. His daughter Annie married Charlie Graham, whose family came to Archer County to raise sheep. Joy Graham, their son, claimed that "the only reason he was born was due to the invention of barbed wire, which kept peace, leading to a marriage between the sheepman and cattleman."

Anarene was founded on the Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad in 1908. Its primary economic activity was hauling coal from the recently opened Newcastle Mine, some twenty miles south. Charlie Graham built a two-story hotel, opened a post office, and laid out the town with the help of J. H. Kemp and Frank Kell, officials of the Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad Company. Most businesses were on First Street; the school was to the west of Graham Street and south of Dallas Avenue. The railroad buildings, old store, dipping vat, cotton gin tank, loading ramps, cattle pens, and baseball field were across the tracks to the east.