Page Contents for Stanton, Texas

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Miscellany

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Statistics & Facts

The Texas state capital is Austin.
The population of Stanton is approximately 2,318 (2004), 2492 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 999 (1990), 869 (2010).
The amount of land area in Stanton is 3.678 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Stanton is 1.8 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 0.034 sq kilometers.
The distance from Stanton to Washington DC is 1518 miles.
The distance to the Texas state capital is 272 miles. (as the crow flies)
Stanton is positioned 32.12 degrees north of the equator and 101.78 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Stanton elevation is 2,669 feet above sea level.

Location

in west-central Texas about 23 miles from Midland. Other nearby communities include Big Spring, Ackerly, Forsan and Coahoma.
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History & History Related Items

A small community known as Grelton was created when the Texas and Pacific Krailway built a section house and water tank in 1881. Not long after, John Jacob Knoz from Kansas arrived to find a place for a new German Catholic colony. Charles Froesee surveyed the land and created lots and Konz returned to Kansas to get ready to move his group to Grelton. On 15 August 1881, a small group arrived back in Grelton and in October of that same year, the first buildings were constructed. More settlers arrived in 1882 and the area was even promoted as far away as Germany. The name was changed in 1885 to Marienfeld (Field of Mary in German) and the town continued to grow. Within a short time a Catholic church and a monastery were built . A convent and academy was also opened in 1894. Though ranching had been the main emphasis of the economy Father Anastasius felt the economy needed to be more diverse to keep the town thriving. A demonstration farm was created and crops planted. Though successful at first, the new settlers were surprised by the climate with drought and winter blizzards. The town almost didn’t survive with many moving to nearby Big Spring. After many in the town moved away, the new transplants were mostly protestant rather than the predominant Catholic. By 1890, a new name for Marienfeld was chosen. It was Stanton, named for Edwin McMasters Stanton, a Supreme Court Justice and former secretary of War for Abraham Lincoln. The monastery was moved in 1897.

The town also remained the county seat though some attempts were made to change that in the early 1900’s. A new courthouse was built in 1910. Stanton was incorporated in 1925.
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Attractions

Learn more about Stanton at this site.
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Stanton

Miscellany

The population of Stanton was:
1980 – 2,302
1990 - 2,576
2000 - 2,556
2004 - 2,318