Argyle

History

The first European settlement, consisting of a few families, occurred in the Argyle area in the 1850s. The place was then known as Pilot Knob or Waintown. The settlement gradually acquired a few amenities in the late 1800s: a school in 1875, a Baptist church in 1876, and a post office in 1878. The community was formally founded and renamed Argyle in 1881, after the Texas and Pacific railroad built a track through the area. Some believe a railroad surveyor named the town after a garden in France. However, others believe the town to be named after the region of Argyll in Scotland. Also around this time was when Sam Bass, an infamous outlaw who stole $60,000 in gold coins from the Union Pacific Railroad, was rumored to have stashed the gold in a cave. Sam Bass died when he was 27, and it was rumored he never lived to retrieve the gold. Growth was very slow during the nineteenth century, and by 1890 Argyle only had a population of 148. The town did boast several agriculture-related industries, such as grist mills, general stores, and a cotton gin. In 1885 Argyle built a two-story brick school, and population grew until it reached 238 in 1930. A bank was also established in 1906, a little red brick building with a drugstore in the front. The bank wasn't around long before it was robbed in 1912. The robbers made away with $1700 and were never caught. Electricity and telephone service became available in the mid-1930s. The Great Depression took its toll on the Argyle area, and the population declined to only ninety in 1950. Argyle incorporated as a separate city on September 19, 1960, with M.H. Wilson as the first mayor. Gradually the town grew in population as more people from the Dallas–Fort Worth area discovered its rural charm. By the 1970s a number of retail…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.41%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,089
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,933
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  11,152
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  11,096
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,418
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,375
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,209
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  9,117

Largest nearby schools

• FLOWER MOUND H S
  High · FLOWER MOUND · 3,542 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• MARCUS H S
  High · FLOWER MOUND · 3,005 students · 15:1 ratio
• BYRON NELSON H S
  High · TROPHY CLUB · 2,809 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• GUYER H S
  High · DENTON · 2,554 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• NORTHWEST H S
  High · JUSTIN · 2,264 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• RYAN H S
  High · DENTON · 2,194 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• DENTON H S
  High · DENTON · 2,024 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• ARGYLE H S
  High · FLOWER MOUND · 1,477 students · 15.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2024-05-01
  7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
• M 3.2 — 2024-05-01
  7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
• M 2.51 — 2022-07-20
  9 km WSW of Lebanon, Oklahoma
• M 2.53 — 2021-12-20
  14 km ENE of Leon, Oklahoma
• M 2.51 — 2020-06-11
  14 km NE of Leon, Oklahoma
• M 2.55 — 2020-01-06
  13 km NE of Leon, Oklahoma