Area Information
Mineral Wells is 51 miles (82 km) west of Fort Worth. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s.
In 1919, Mineral Wells hosted the spring training camp for the Chicago White Sox, the year of the famous "Black Sox" scandal involving "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Mineral Wells also hosted spring training for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals in the 1910s and early 1920s. The baseball field was located in the center of town where a shopping center now sits.
In 1952, Mineral Wells was the host of the Republican state convention in which delegates divided between presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower and Robert A. Taft. Though state chairman Orville Bullington of Wichita Falls led the Taft forces, the convention vote ultimately went 33-5 in favor of Eisenhower, who was thereafter nominated and elected.
Also from Mineral Wells is Astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford, who graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1962. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard STS-40 Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1) in June 1991 as a Mission Specialist conducting medical experiments, logging over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbit.
Mineral Wells Fossil Park. I enjoyed my visit to the park (June 2, 217) and after a few hours searching the surface I ended up with a nice collection of crinoids. In hindsight I should have stayed all day. I highly recommend this fossil site!!!
Resources: Wikipedia
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