Aspermont

Aspermont is at the junction of U.S. highways 83 and 380 and Farm roads 610, 2211, and 1263, fifty-nine miles north of Abilene in central Stonewall County. It was platted as a townsite in 1889 by A. L. Rhomberg, who provided the land and gave it the Latin name for "rough mountain." A post office was opened the same year. Earlier area residents called the place Sunflower Flat. The population had reached approximately 250 in 1898, when Aspermont replaced Rayner as county seat. Rayner contested the election, and the courthouse relocation was deferred until 1900, when litigation cleared the way for construction. Aspermont was incorporated in 1909 with a population of 700; construction of a lake and water-supply facilities began in 1914. Local businessmen made donations to encourage railroad construction, and the Stamford and Northwestern Railway line was extended from Stamford in 1909 and leased to the Wichita Valley Railway Company. Aspermont had 400 residents by 1900 and 600 by 1910. World War I reduced the population to 436 in 1920, but it rebounded by 1930 to 769; by 1940, thanks to the discovery of oil, it had increased to 1,041. The local economy relies on ranching and oil. In 1970 the town had 1,198 residents and fifty businesses; in 1980 the population reached 1,357. A hospital was built in 1965. County facilities in town include a library, a swimming pool, and a livestock show barn. An annual rodeo is a feature event. The population in 1990 was 1,214. In 2000 the population dropped slightly to 1,021.