Seminole is a city in and the county seat of Gaines County in Texas, United States. The population was 6,430 at the 2010 census.It is the birthplace of country music singers Larry Gatlin and Tanya Tucker. Paul Patterson, the Western author and educator and mentor of Elmer Kelton, was born in Gaines County.HistoryThe land for Seminole was donated by nonresident landowners to become the county seat for Gaines County. In 1906, the first move to Seminole was made by W.B. Austin and his wife Emma, who moved their general store there, which was located in Caput, Texas. During this time, several post offices found a new home in Seminole. Seminole National Bank opened its doors in 1906, followed by First State Bank in 1907. In 1912, Seminole National Bank lost over $3,000 when it was robbed. In 1914, the two banks merged to form First State Bank. In 1950, Seminole's population surpassed Seagraves, Texas, for the first time.In 1977 some 100 families of Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonites from Mexico bought land southwest of Seminole to settle there, but faced difficulties with immigation. In 1980 President Jimmy Carter signed legislation allowing the original 100 families to gain full citizenship. In 2016 there were about 6,000 Plautdietsch speakers around Seminole.
