Ozona History

September 27, 1934
Injuries suffered early Wednesday morning in an automobile accident a mile and a half west of Ozona on Highway 27 while on his way to Ozona to the bedside of a son, Ted Chapman, who was injured in another auto crash Sunday night, proved fatal to James Chapman, 78, pioneer resident of Crockett County, at 6 o’clock Wednesday evening. Mr. Chapman suffered a crushed chest and other injuries about 1 o’clock Wednesday morning when the car he was driving to Ozona collided with one driven by Fred Williams. The collision occurred at the top of the hill and on a curve in the highway about a mile and a half west of Ozona. 

September 28, 1944
An electrically powered machine that will do the work of several men in stacking wool in the local warehouse of the Ozona Wool and Mohair Co. has recently been installed. The wool stacker, 13 1/2 feet high, is in effect, an elevator driven by an electric motor which lifts the heavy wool bags to the ceiling of the warehouse or may be stopped at any intermediate point. The motor drives a worm-geared drum on which a steel cable winds and unwinds to lift and lower the sacks. With this new stacker, Melvin Brown, manager, says that wool can be stacked in half the time and takes the place of several men doing the work, a boon in this war-time labor shortage era.

September 23, 1954
Crockett County property valuations for tax purposes climbed another two million dollars plus this year to reach a new record total valuation for county purposes of $27,794,255, according to the report of the assessor, V. 0. Earnest, submitted to the Commissioners Court this week. Property valuations for county, state and school purposes vary in this county because of the University lands which are taxed for county and not school or state purposes and because of the homestead exemption law which reduces the state values somewhat. Total valuations for state tax were $26,877,440 and for schools, $26,515,385. The county valuation of $27,794,255 represents an increase of $2,314,720 over the 1953 valuation. The school valuation rose from a 1953 valuation of $24,433,325, an increase of $2,082,060 in the year. The total tax assessed against property in this county for the year 1954, combining county, state and school taxes, is $802,449.96. Of this amount, the state tax total at a 42 cent rate will be $112,383.82. 

September 24, 1964
The Ozona Chamber of Commerce is in the process of completing three welcome signs to be placed north on state Highway 163 east and west on U.S. 290 The signs are 5'x12' with a white background. They are lettered in black and red with the words, “Welcome to Ozona, Stop and Visit.” This is a part of the Tourist Committee's program to encourage more traveling people to stop and spend more time in Ozona.

September 26, 1974
RIGHT STRAIGHT DOWN - - This has been the story for eight straight days in Ozona, causing hazardous driving conditions and flooded streets. Highways out of the city to the south and west were closed at some time during the period, with Highway 163 south washed out and still closed to traffic Tuesday.