▁year , ▁Al ba ▁also ▁received ▁a ▁post ▁office . ▁It ▁closed ▁briefly ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 2 ▁but ▁re open ed ▁that ▁same ▁year . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 8 8 2 , ▁a ▁town site ▁had ▁been ▁laid ▁out ▁and ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁mer ch ants ▁were ▁opened ▁in ▁the ▁area ▁to ▁serve ▁the ▁infl ux ▁of ▁rail road - t ie ▁cut ters ; ▁population ▁was ▁ 5 0 ▁by ▁ 1 8 8 4 ▁and ▁ 3 0 0 ▁by ▁ 1 8 9 6 . ▁ ▁A ▁l ign ite ▁coal ▁depos it ▁was ▁discovered ▁near ▁Al ba ▁around ▁ 1 9 0 0 ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 2 ▁and ▁ 1 9 0 3 , ▁the ▁Texas ▁Short ▁Line ▁Railway ▁was ▁constructed ▁to ▁ship ▁coal ▁from ▁Al ba ▁and ▁nearby ▁Ho yt ▁to ▁Grand ▁Sal ine ▁in ▁Van ▁Z and t ▁County . ▁By ▁ 1 9 1 1 , ▁five ▁area ▁mines ▁produced ▁about ▁ 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁tons ▁of ▁coal ▁per ▁month . ▁Population ▁was ▁around ▁ 1 , 5 0 0 ▁by ▁this ▁year . ▁Un like ▁other ▁coal ▁mines ▁in ▁the ▁state , ▁those ▁at ▁Al ba ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁use ▁conv ict ▁labor , ▁because ▁Al ba ▁was ▁a ▁su nd own ▁town ▁that ▁b anned ▁African ▁Americans ▁and ▁His pan ics ▁from ▁living ▁or ▁working ▁there . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 9 9 0 , ▁the ▁boundaries ▁of ▁Al ba ▁had ▁expanded ▁in ▁to ▁nearby