Iraan is a small Texas town about 55 miles west of Ozona. It was named after Ira and Ann Yates, and the pronunciation is “Ira-Ann.” The Yates donated 152 acres of land in which the town was established, after the discovery of nearby oil in 1926. Iraan was the official replacement of the boomtown of tents, shacks, and bunkhouses which sprung up when the oil companies rushed to move workers and their families out to the area. The town motto today is ‘Remote but Remarkable.’
Things to Do
The Town of Iraan is 100% Texan, and it Inspired a Famous Comic Strip
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A school was built in 1927, a post office established in 1928, and by 1930, Iraan had a population of 1,600. V. T. Hamlin, the original creator of the “Alley Oop” comic strip, was working in the area in the early 1930s and was inspired by the terrain and many fossils being dug out of the ground. This cartoon was created December 5, 1932, and it’s still being drawn for publication today, over 87 years later! The population of Iraan declined in the ’60s, boosted again in the ’70s and early ’80s, then has slightly waned each year since.
Due to the semi-remote location of Iraan, the school district provides teachers with housing. Visitors can bring an RV and park in one of three parks, then hit up the local 9-hole golf course set among beautiful hills and mesas, as well as a public swimming pool. Have you ever been to a Boy Scout Hut? The one here is adobe style and recently renovated. Be sure to visit the Alley Oop RV Park and Fantasy Land near the banks of the Pecos River. This stop has a museum of the area and large reproductions of the Alley Oop characters, as well as features of early Native American woven sandals, arrow points and clay pipes, plus fossilized ammonites, bird tracks, and nautiloids. Iraan is a fun place, so add it to your list and visit today!
