Editing Overton, Texas (section)

==History==

It was known to the [[Choctaw]]s, [[Chickasaw]]s, and [[Muscogee|Creeks]] who lived in the area as Tiyuk Hekia (Standing [[Pine]]); many years later, when it was [[Incorporated town|incorporated]], it became known as Overton.

The town was named after Major Frank Overton, an early [[settler]] and landowner who donated some of his land for the town site. It was [[plat]]ted in 1873 and a post office was granted that year.

Overton was originally intended to be a crossroads for two railroads. In 1875, the [[Henderson, Texas|Henderson]] and Overton Branch Railroad, {{convert|16|miles}} long, was completed and was later joined by the [[International-Great Northern]]. When the nearby communities of Bellview, [[Jamestown, Texas|Jamestown]], Rocky Mount, and [[Salem, Cherokee County, Texas|Salem]] were all bypassed by the railroad, Overton gained the businesses and people who wanted to benefit from the railroad lines. The town offered lots for businesses to relocate, and many took the offer.

The [[Freemasonry|Masons]] and [[Odd Fellows]] built the first school, and a church was constructed in 1875. By 1888 the population had increased to 500 and had all essential businesses, including a newspaper. Overton prospered as an agricultural community, and in 1904 the population had reached 568.

[[Oklahoma]]n [[wildcatter]] [[Columbus Marion Joiner|C. M. "Dad" Joiner]] was drilling his third well in 1930,<ref name=oo>{{cite book |last1=Olien |first1=Diana |last2=Olien |first2=Roger |title=Oil in Texas, The Gusher Age, 1895-1945 |date=2002 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin |isbn=0292760566 |pages=170–171}}</ref>  and the town of Overton helped raise the funds he needed to drill. When the well came in, Overton shared in Joiner's success, as churches, schools, and a [[refinery]] were built. Hubbard College was founded during this time as well. The town's once agrarian-based economy suddenly revolved entirely around the production of [[Gasoline|oil]].

Overton's population skyrocketed from 426 in 1931 to 3,000 in 1933. By 1936 it was up to 4,500 and the town went through the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] relatively unscathed. But by the end of [[World War II]] the population had declined by half—reaching just 2,000 in the 1950s and remaining at that level through the 1970s. In the 1980s Overton was Rusk County's "second city" with a population of 2,430 in 1983. By the 1990s Overton extended into neighboring Smith County.

The City of Overton has had a storied history with radical groups{{who?|date=August 2024}} claiming the site as their base of operations. The Republic of Texas operated within the city limits from the early 2000s, up until the building was mysteriously burned down. Overton has a historical voting base consisting primarily of older, Republican-leaning voters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.co.rusk.tx.us/page/rusk.Elections|title = Rusk County, Texas}}{{404|date=August 2024}}</ref>