Scurry County

Snyder is a city in and the county seat of Scurry County, Texas.

Snyder named for merchant and buffalo hunter William Henry (Pete) Snyder, who built a trading post on Deep Creek in 1878. It soon drew fellow hunters, and a small settlement grew up around the post. The nature of those early dwellings, mostly constructed of buffalo hide and tree branches, led to the community’s first, if unofficial, name of “Hide Town”. A statue of an albino buffalo on the grounds of the Scurry County Courthouse in Snyder pays homage to the town’s beginnings as a buffalo-trading post.

Population:

1892 – 600, with a school, two churches, a grist mill, steam gin, two banks, and two weekly newspapers being part of the community.

1910 – 2,514, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway tracks reached Snyder in 1911, spurring further growth. Ranching and farming were the primary economic backbone of Snyder through the first half of the 20th century.

1948 – 12,000, oil was discovered, Snyder became a boomtown.

1951 – 16,000, estimated peak population. This soon decreased to the 10,000 to 11,000 level and stabilized. Although the boom was over, oil still remained a vital part of the local economy.

Higher education came to Snyder in 1971 with the founding of Western Texas College.

The Scurry County Coliseum in Snyder, operated by Western Texas College since 2008, is a large arena which hosts area events. Outside the coliseum is a locomotive engine and a small restored historic village. Also located in Snyder is the Diamond M Museum. Established by local oilman and rancher Clarence T. McLaughlin, the museum houses over 80 bronze works and 200 paintings. Among the collection are works by Peter Hurd and Andrew Wyeth.