SEVEN WELLS, TEXAS. Seven Wells was six miles south of the site of present Colorado City in east central Mitchell County. The community, first called Artesian when platted on November 28, 1882, soon adopted the name Seven Wells, after several nearby natural springs at the confluence of North and South Champion creeks. Early residents of the community included J. D. Wulfjen, D. N. Arnett, and C. W. Delling. A school established at Seven Wells in 1883 was the first educational facility in the county and became the first rural district when school organization occurred the next year. Seven Wells remained a small settlement, having one store-saloon and the school, which served as a church and area community center. The springs at Champion Creek were a popular recreation spot and were known as a source of exceptionally good water. Early citizens of Colorado City bought water from Seven Wells in preference to that from the Colorado River. The Seven Wells school remained active into the twentieth century and reported fifty-six students in 1933–34. The school consolidated in 1949, the last rural district to do so. In 1966 Texas Electric Service Company bought nearby land and built a dam across Champion Creek, thus submerging the springs. Nothing remained of the settlement in the 1980s except a school building one mile west of State Highway 208.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lore and Legend: A Compilation of Documents Depicting the History of Colorado City and Mitchell County (Colorado City Record, 1976).
