Swenson

Swenson, an uncorporated community at the intersection of U.S. Highway 380 and Farm Road 1646, in west central Stonewall County, was laid out in 1908 by Thomas C. Hoy in anticipation of the arrival of the Stamford and Northwestern Railway and dedicated in 1910. Pioneers included Thomas C. Hoy, John W. Hoy, Theo Hoy, Jim Gregory, R. T. Green, and W. H. Billinsley. The town was named for Swante M. Swenson, a prominent rancher. In 1910 rail service began on the Stamford and Northwestern, and by 1912 Swenson had a post office, two hotels, a bank, and other businesses. The school was established in 1908. Local students began attending Aspermont schools in 1943, and the school board voted to officially consolidate the two districts in 1944. The population was 175 in 1920 and 400 in 1940, when the town had twenty businesses. Afterward the town declined. Of the three churches, Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ, only the last remained in 1980. The post office was closed in the early 1960s, and by 1979 there were only three businesses left, two gas stations and a grocery. The reported population was 185 in 1980 through 2000. By 2009 the population was estimated at 90.