Antelope

Antelope is near the intersection of Loop 187, U.S. Highway 281, and Farm Road 175, twenty miles northwest of Jacksboro in northwestern Jack County. In 1858 Antelope received a post office, and in 1859 B. F. Spear was postmaster. The community was in a ranching area near the West Fork of the Trinity River and became an overnight stop and supply point on the cattle trails. In 1875 Walter S. Jones platted and surveyed the six blocks around the town square, but the papers were not filed until 1889. By 1890 Antelope had a population of 300, a hotel, several general stores, Methodist and Baptist churches, a school, and daily stages to Henrietta and Graham for a two-dollar fare. A saw and grist mill operated in the community until 1900, when a cotton mill replaced the gristmill. The area was a popular overnight stop for drummers. By 1914 the population was 200. The community still had several general stores, a physician, and a blacksmith but no hotel or mill. The population was 166 in the 1940s. The Mullins Brothers general store, which had opened in 1883, was still in business, and the community had a garage and filling station, the Methodist and Baptist churches, and a school. The community's economy was supported by stock raising and nearby oilfields. In the 1980s the population fell to sixty-five, where it remained in 1990 and 2000. Two businesses remained in the community.