Sheriff Billy Hopper said Mentone is always home for him, but it isn’t what it used to be.
In 1988 the US Census Bureau ranked Loving County as the richest in the nation.
The little West Texas town still holds big bucks, even though the town can fit in the palm of your hand.
Sheriff Hopper has been in Loving County’s only town, Mentone, since a little after it was established in 1931.
“Most people that live in Loving County are either here hiding out from somebody, or they’ve been families that’s come here.”
The 70 residents of Mentone keep their lives pretty private, but it’s no secret oil has brought big bucks into the town.
According to the US Census Bureau, the average per capita income at its peak was $34,000 in Loving Co.
“We owe a lot to the oil industry, because the oil industry is our county,” Hopper said.
Their county, and their history.
Loving Co. local Raymond Wildman said although county riches have shifted, this town had his heart from the moment he stepped on the oil field.
“I’m just kind of accustomed to being here, I started working out here in 1958, my parents signed a work permit, and I started rough neckin’,” he said.
Driving through the tiny town, you’ll pass miles of land leased to oil drillers.
Locals say rumor has it, those landowners bring in up to $500 million a month during the boom, but that money isn’t reflected on the county’s conditions because many of the owners don’t even live there.
“This road 302 was nonexistent ’till about 1953 they finished it, there was a road through there but you didn’t want to drive it,” Hopper said, “That sand bed over there next to that ranch house, they made a living out of pulling people out of the sand hole there.”
That doesn’t mean, however, living in a town of less than 80 doesn’t have financial perks.
“Needless to say the salaries are pretty good,” Hopper said.
“The pay is well, it’s not the best in the world but it’s also still better than a lot in the neighboring counties,” Deputy Sheriff Noah Cole said.
Most of the people who live here, say they always tend to find their way back, and don’t plan on leaving.
“I’m just gonna be here, this is where I’ll die,” Wildman said. “Lord willing the creek don’t rise, it’ll just dig a hole in the front yard, put my ashes in a coffee can and put it in there and pour beer over top of it.”
(Information from YourBasin.com)
