CHRISTINE, TEXAS. Christine is on Farm Road 140 ten miles south of Jourdanton in south central Atascosa County. It was founded in October 1909 as one of two towns promoted by developer C. F. Simmons and named after his daughters, Christine and Imogene. The community of Imogene never went beyond the planning stages, but by 1910 Christine had a post office, two hotels, a cafe, and a department store. Simmons also built the Artesian Belt Railroad to Christine from McDonna. A three-teacher school and Methodist and Baptist churches were added in 1911. By 1913 the school had 141 students.

Water problems plagued the town, but in 1916 a reservoir and water tower temporarily solved the problem. Lettuce, honey, and cattle became the main cash crops. Three cattle breeders and retail outlets for feed, lumber, and groceries served an estimated population of 600 in 1914. Christine became a stock-shipping point. The population of the town declined to 259 by 1925, however. In 1931 the number of residents had increased to 524, where it remained for a decade; during this time the number of recorded business varied from nine to fifteen. In 1936 the Christine school had seven teachers and 175 students.

Christine's population declined to slightly less than 300 during the 1940s and remained under 300 until 1982. The town had nine businesses in 1945 but only two in the late 1960s. The high school closed in 1948, and the school district was officially annexed to Jourdanton in 1954. During the 1950s a new water well was dug in Christine. In the early 1980s the Atascosa Mining Company and the San Miguel Power Plant were located there. In 1988 the population was 381, and one retail business was listed. The population was 436 in 2000 with seven businesses listed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Atascosa County Centennial, 1856-1956 (Jourdanton, Texas: Atascosa County Centennial Association, n.d). Atascosa County History (Pleasanton, Texas: Atascosa History Committee, 1984). Margaret G. Clover, The Place Names of Atascosa County (M.A. thesis, University of Texas, 1952). C. L. Patterson, Atascosa County (Pleasanton, Texas: Pleasanton Express, 1938).

Linda Peterson