Iatan, Texas

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{{Infobox settlement

|official_name =Iatan, Texas

|settlement_type =Ghost town

|pushpin_map = Texas#USA

|pushpin_label = Iatan

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = Texas

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = Mitchell

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|population_as_of = 2010

|population_total = 0

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|timezone = Central (CST)

|coordinates = {{coord|32|20|14|N|101|7|43|W|region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}

|postal_code_type =

|postal_code = 79565

|area_code = 432

|}}

Iatan is a former unincorporated community and ghost town in Mitchell County, Texas.{{cite web|title = Iatan, texas, Mitchell County ghost town.|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Iatan-Texas.htm|accessdate=December 18, 2023|website=Texas Escapes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/iatan-tx|title=Iatan, TX.|accessdate=December 18, 2023|website=Texas State Historical Association}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mapquest.com/us/texas/iatan-tx-282913483|title=Iatan, TX Map & Directions|website=MapQuest|accessdate=December 18, 2023}} The town was situated about 20 miles west of Colorado City, the seat of Mitchell County.{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Francis White |title=A History of Texas and Texans |publisher=American Heritage Society |year=1914 |editor-last=Barker |editor-first=Eugene C. |volume=2 |location=Chicago & New York |pages=931–932}} Founded in 1881 as a Texas and Pacific Railroad stop, it was also briefly known as Vista, Texas. The name "Iatan" is believed to be in relation to the nearby Williams-Waddell Iatan Tank Ranch. Other sources believe the name was originally "Satan's Flat," but when the application for a post office was put in, the "S" was misread and became an "I."{{Cite news |last=Baum |first=Jim |date=April 1, 1993 |title=Chief Lone Wolf |url=http://mitchellcounty.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=iatan&i=f&d=01011900-12312018&m=between&ord=k1&fn=colorado_city_record_usa_texas_colorado_city_19930401_english_4&df=1&dt=10&cid=2744 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=Colorado City Record |location=Colorado City, Texas |pages=4}}

A post office, owned by Daniel Crowe, opened in Iatan in March 1890 and served it until September 10, 1924, when it was relocated to be in a neighboring town, Westbrook. Iatan's sole educational institution became part of Westbrook's district 1938, at a time when the community had a population of about 125. The population diminished over time, and in the 1950s only 20 people called Iatan home. The population remained at that level for many years.

The city has been considered a ghost town since the 1960s. When 1972 arrived, the last building remaining was its railroad depot. As of 2024, the only remaining evidence of the community is a cemetery.