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Mentone, smallest county seat in Texas
Loving County was created in far west Texas in 1887 from Tom Green County, 200 miles to the east. Sadly, it was
abolished 10 years later due to a land fraud scheme. Then in 1931, the county was officially recreated and organized.
So, before 1887, records for the area are located in Tom Green County and, before 1931, they might be in Tom Green.
Loving consists of about 671 square miles of flat desert terrain with a few ranches. It's the smallest county in the
Permian Basin and is the least populated county in the country (of counties with a permanent population). Loving County
has never had more than 300 people and, in 2020, had less than 70. A dam was added to the Pecos River in 1936, just east
of Angeles, creating Red Bluff Reservoir. The river and the reservoir are the only reliable water sources in the county
but "even the cattle don't want to drink it". The drinking water is hauled in by truck.
The county seat is Mentone. About 80 miles west of Odessa, Mentone is located in the southwest part of the county, just
north of where Hwy 302 crosses the Pecos River. It's the only community in Loving County, is not incorporated and is
home to about 10 of the county's residents.
No railroad, no doctor, no grocery store, not even a cemetery - sounds like Gilligan's Island.
Resources
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Off-Site
Loving Archives
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