Random Picture of the Week #101: Ibex, Texas ruins

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This week’s random image of the week is of all that remains of the Ibex, Texas ruins. All that remains are the refinery smoke stacks and concrete foundations.

Ibex, Texas Ruins

Ibex, Texas was founded in 1921 after oil was discovered by the Ibex Oil Company of Colorado. The town was then named after the company. From 1921 to 1922 thousands of oil workers and their families moved to the area. Since the area is mostly ranch land, families lived in tents and some camped out in the pastures using bed sheets and other fabric as roofs. By 1922 a refinery was added. Then in 1923 a post office was added but closed by 1930. At the town’s peak in popularity it had a grocery store, a dry-goods store, a drugstore, a boardinghouse, a meat market, a central phone office, a dance hall, and several cafes 4-room school (served has community hall and church) and hotels.

In 1925 fire was the cause of this little boom towns death. The fire took out the gas refinery and storage tanks hold 5,000 gallons of fuel. Although Texas Escapes and Texas State Historical  Association doesn’t mention it but I believe the fire probably took out a good portion of the town, which led to the town population decline.

Although the fire did not completely destroy the town, oil production slowed down. This caused workers to move to other boom towns. Eventually, the businesses closed down and then over time the businesses were torn down and now all that is left of the town are the refinery ruins.

By the 1990s, the census reported the town as an agricultural community with a population around 25 people.

My Visit to Ibex, Texas Ruins

Back in July 2017 I made a visit to the area. Its rural and almost no population or it so spread out that seems like there isn’t a population. Most of the land looked to be owned by ranchers and hunting groups. The foundation ruins were covered by vegetation or hidden behind scrub trees. The stacks are about the only foundations I could see. The ruins are on private property behind a fence. All pictures were taken from the fence. I would love to take a closer look. When I get some time I will track down the owners and see about getting permission to access the ruins.

I am still researching Ibex, Texas ruins for a future article over at VanishingTexas.net. If you want to share any of your stories or history of the place or even share current pictures for that future article please contact me.

About the Images

I shot the Ibex, Texas ruins on a bright and sunny early afternoon with my Sony a6000 and a Sony SEL16F28 16mm f/2.8 lens. I then edited the image in Adobe Lightroom CC. I used Topaz Labs A.I. Clear and DXO NIK Collection to clean up the image, remove noise, and recover the lost details.