▁a ▁town ▁located ▁at ▁the ▁intersection ▁of ▁U . S . ▁Highway ▁ 6 9 ▁and ▁Farm ▁To ▁Market ▁Road ▁ 1 7 ▁on ▁the ▁western ▁edge ▁of ▁Wood ▁County , ▁Texas ▁south ▁of ▁Lake ▁F ork ▁and ▁approximately ▁ten ▁miles ▁west ▁of ▁Qu it man . ▁The ▁population ▁was ▁ 5 0 4 ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁U . S . ▁Census . ▁ ▁History ▁A ▁gun sm ith ▁named ▁Joseph ▁Sim p kins ▁was ▁likely ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁sett le ▁the ▁area , ▁arriv ing ▁here ▁with ▁his ▁family ▁from ▁Missouri ▁around ▁ 1 8 4 3 . ▁The ▁area ▁was ▁previously ▁altern ately ▁known ▁as ▁Al bia ▁and ▁Sim p kins ' ▁Pra irie . ▁The ories ▁on ▁how ▁the ▁community ▁got ▁its ▁name ▁differ ; ▁one ▁claims ▁it ▁was ▁because ▁the ▁town ▁had ▁been ▁intended ▁for ▁white ▁sett lers ▁only ▁while ▁another ▁claims ▁it ▁was ▁named ▁for ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁a ▁rail road ▁official . ▁ ▁The ▁Al ba ▁O il field ▁was ▁discovered ▁just ▁south ▁of ▁Al ba ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 8 ▁by ▁F . R . ▁Jackson . ▁ ▁The ▁Missouri , ▁Kansas ▁and ▁Texas ▁Rail road ▁came ▁through ▁Al ba ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 1 . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁ship ments ▁to ▁Al ba ▁is ▁reported ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁te legraph ▁office ▁and , ▁reported ly ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁te legraph s ▁received ▁told ▁details ▁of ▁the ▁assass ination ▁of ▁President ▁James ▁Gar field . ▁Later ▁that