In 1930, rail service finally reached Eldorado, where sheep production was rising along this arid crest of the Edwards Plateau. Established in 1939, West Texas Woolen Mills flourished under U.S. Army contracts for wool blankets during World War II. Eldorado became the top woolprocessing center in the Southwest. The mill closed in the 1980s, but local businesses are glad to help arrange a tour of the landmark mill’s looms and carding machines, some dating from the 1880s. Eldorado is the seat of Schleicher County, which was established in 1887 and named for German immigrant and engineer Gustav Schleicher. Schleicher, who weighed more than 300 pounds, was also a U.S. congressman. The three-foot-wide chair he used in the U.S. House of Representatives sits in the Schleicher County Historical Museum, located in the 1922 Eldorado Hardware Store.
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Forts Trail Region
Schleicher County Historical Museum
7 W Murchison St Eldorado, TX 76936 (325) 374-2554 Website
Schleicher County Historical Museum7 W Murchison St
Eldorado, TX 76936