WINDOM, TEXAS. Windom is on U.S. Highway 82, Farm Road 1743, and the Missouri Pacific line, ten miles east of Bonham in east central Fannin County. Early settlers in the area were Nancy Fitzgerald, Abraham McClellans, Jacob Baldwin, and Maj. James Donaldson. The settlement was established about 1870, and in 1872 the Texas and Pacific Railway extended its tracks through the small community, which became a flag stop on the line. Local legend attributes the name to its windblown location. In 1885 Windom had a post office, a school, and a number of churches. The population stood at 312 by 1900, and the town incorporated in 1918. In the mid-1920s 389 people lived there. In 1924 U.S. Highway 82 was paved. Like many small towns, Windom entered an extended period of decline during the decade of the Great Depression.^qv The population decreased from 317 in 1936 to 290 by the mid 1940s. The number of businesses declined from seventeen to ten. In 1967 the town had a population of 218 and six businesses. Since the 1960s, however, Windom has grown slowly, perhaps because of its proximity to Bonham. In 1976 it had 247 residents and five businesses. In 1990 the community had a population of 269 and one business. The population dropped to 245 in 2000.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Kathleen E. and Clifton R. St. Clair, eds., Little Towns of Texas (Jacksonville, Texas: Jayroe Graphic Arts, 1982).

Brian Hart