Mitchell County: Lakes and History

Your trip to Mitchell County can explore two themes: waterways and shoreline features, and historic sites and buildings. Lake Colorado City is on Morgan Creek in Mitchell County. Champion Creek Reservoir is on Champion Creek, also in the county, and seven miles south of Colorado City. The two bodies of water offer different starting points for getting to know the landscape and its history.

Lakes, Shorelines, and Landscape

At Champion Creek Reservoir, the landscape is defined by deep, rocky drop-offs, rocky outcrops, and shoreline structures. There are also underwater humps and some old dams. The description thus encompasses both visible shoreline features and structures beneath the water’s surface, as well as traces of construction. Lake Colorado City and Champion Creek Reservoir are distinct bodies of water: Lake Colorado City is on Morgan Creek, while the reservoir is on Champion Creek.

Seven Wells was a spring area and is now covered by Lake Champion. For centuries, Seven Wells served Indigenous groups as a campsite; in the 1880s, Artesia, an early settlement in Mitchell County, was established there. This site brings together a long history of use as a campsite, the story of an early settlement, and the transformation from a spring area to today’s lake.

Fisher Park/Champion Lake is a stop open daily on the Colorado Headwaters Loop and offers developed camping facilities. Picnic Overlook offers a good view of the lake. These places add specific landscape features to the geological and historical context, though they need not serve the same kind of visit.

Colorado City and Its Architectural History

Colorado City was founded in 1880 at the intersection of the Colorado River and the Texas & Pacific Railroad line. Several buildings illustrate the town’s subsequent history in different ways. The Majors Home was built in 1883 and is one of Colorado City’s first brick houses. The Heritage House Museum is located in the city’s first brick house. The E.M. Hardigree Home, built in 1890, is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The John C. Prude Home was built in 1907; the brick house shows Prairie Style influences.

All Saints' Church also brings together several specific dates: the church was built in 1885 and consecrated as “All Saints” in 1886. Its original bell is still in use. A mural in downtown Colorado City depicts more than 200 cattle brands from ranches in Mitchell County. The themes thus range from architectural styles and religious history to the area’s ranches. The Colorado City Opera House dates to 1899 and is one of the state’s oldest music venues.

More Historic Traces

The Colorado City Cemetery is designated a Historic Texas Cemetery; more than 5,000 residents are buried there. The oldest grave dates to April 29, 1881. These exact dates give the cemetery’s history a different timeline from the construction dates of the houses and churches. The Heart of West Texas Museum is located in a restored historic mansion in downtown Colorado City.

The history of oil and ranching is also among the stories preserved here. The West Texas Refinery Company, known as Col-Tex Refinery, opened west of Colorado City in 1924 to process oil from Mitchell County. The site of the Coleman Ranch Field Discovery Well recalls the beginnings of oil production in the Permian Basin. James Durham Wulfjen founded the 96 Ranch, one of the notable early ranches. A cabin was built on the ranch near the Colorado River, at the site of a former buffalo hunters’ camp. The name Lone Wolf Mountain, in turn, refers to a Kiowa chief.

Discover more destinations: Colorado City, Wilson County, Guadalupe, Culberson, Cameron, Cherokee County, Leon, Robertson County.

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