History of Nevada, Texas

Old Farming Community to Growing Rural Suburb

Nevada is a rural suburb of Dallas, Texas, and is located about 2 miles east of Lavon Lake on Farm to Market Road 1138 in southeastern Collin County.

The area’s fertile soil and the abundance of clean water from Bear Creek attracted settlers to the region. The first community was established in the early 1840s and was named McMinn Chapel and was about four miles north of present-day Nevada. The majority of the people who lived in McMinn Chapel were John McMinn’s, his relatives, and his friends.

In the 1860s, Granville Stinebaugh came to Texas from Missouri and bought 160 acres near McMinn Chapel. Soon after, Stinebaugh founded the town of Nevada on his land and named it after the Nevada region, which he had traveled through on his path to California to look for gold. On August 3, 1880, the community of Nevada was granted a post office.

Shortly after arriving and establishing the Nevada community, Sam Stinebaugh opened a general store. A while later, Nick T. White purchased 300 acres of land around Nevada, and in 1856, he established a livery stable and horsepower gin. At around this same time, he donated land for the building of the Methodist church. This was followed by Jim Gatherwright who in 1880 constructed an ox-powered gin and R. N. Jones who constructed a gin and grist mill in 1885.

In 1888, St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad, later known as the Cotton Belt Railroad, arrived in Nevada. The railroad provided economic opportunity and a means for the local farmers to ship their produce to Dallas and other markets. The small town of Nevada became the regional business and transportation center for area farmers and ranchers. In 1889, Nevada was officially incorporated under an aldermanic form of government.

In 1890, the Nevada Baptists Church was founded with Rev. M.M. Wolfe as the leader of a 35-member congregation. Membership grew, and by the end of the first year, there were a total of 80 parishioners. The first church building was completed in 1891 and served the community until a new brick structure was erected in 1919-20.

In the early 1900s, John Evans bought land in the east of town and founded Evans Addition. At this time, the small town of Nevada had two banks, a newspaper, stores, churches, fraternal lodges, and numerous other businesses. The population of Nevada increased from about 50 people in 1885 to over 500 residents in 1920. By 1925, Nevada had paved roads, electricity, a phone exchange, twenty-five businesses, and a high school with a population of over 600 people.

Unfortunately, the prosperity and growth of Nevada would come to an end when a massive and devastating tornado tore through the town on May 9, 1927, killing 19 people, injuring dozens of others, and destroying much of the town. This was followed by the Great Depression which left the town in a very difficult situation and unable to recover. The residents decided to cease the operation of the city and unincorporated leaving the area under the control of Collin County officials.

Between 1930 and 1940, the community declined and the population dwindled to less than 400 residents. Over the next 40 years, the community stabilized but experienced very little growth or change. This started to change in the 1980s and the city was officially reincorporated in 1988 at which time it entered a period of slow but steady growth. The population was 456 in 1990 and 563 in 2000. By the year 2010, the town had become home to over 800 residents.

Today, Nevada is a growing far northeastern rural suburb of Dallas that covers 2.4 square miles and has over 1,200 people who call the city home.