HISTORY
Origin & Development of the City of Nevada, TX
Nevada is on Farm Road 1138, 2 miles east of Lavon Lake in southeastern Collin County. The first organized community in the area was McMinn Chapel, established in the early 1840s, 4 miles north of the present Nevada site. How the City Got Its Name
Two stories explain Nevada's name. Granville Stinebaugh bought the original 160-acre site for $48
0 and chose the name, and some say because he liked the sound of it when he was on his way to California for the 1849 Gold Rush. Others say he chose the name as a reminder of his hometown, Nevada, Mo., which uses the same pronunciation. Stinebaugh's chosen home flourished until May 9, 1927, when a Tornado ripped through, killing 27 people and injuring 75 more. Rescuers tended to the wounded in the Nevada Baptist Church's shelter, where the bloodstains on pews remain apparent to this day. City of Nevada, TX
The Establishment
For the most part, the community residents were the family and friends of its founder, John McMinn. In 1861 Granville Stinebaugh moved to Texas from Missouri and purchased 160 acres of land near McMinn Chapel. Shortly after that, Nevada's town was established on his farm and named by Stinebaugh in honor of Nevada Territory, which he had passed through to search for gold in California. The town received a post office on August 3, 1880. Eight years later, the tracks of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway reached the community. How the City Flourished
In 1889 Nevada incorporated an aldermanic form of government. From the 1880s to the 1920s, Nevada served as a retail market for a small but populous farming territory. The population of the town grew from an estimated 50 in 1885 to 578 in 1920. By 1925 Nevada provided its 625 residents with paved roads, electricity, a telephone exchange, twenty-five businesses, and a high school. On May 9, 1927, a Tornado struck the town—27 people were killed, 75 were injured, and approximately $1 million in property damage occurred. Rescuers tended to the wounded in the shelter of the existing Nevada Baptist Church. Population Census Through the Years
The Great Depression and the mechanization of farming further re****ed the growth of the town. By 1950 the population had decreased to 386, and it remained near this figure for the next 30 years. In 1980 Nevada had an estimated 400 residents served by four businesses. In 1990 the population was 456. The population was 822 in 2010.
