Over the weekend, I found myself having to make a quick trip down to Austin. Rather than make my way down though the Hub City and the lonely open Concho Valley of US-84, I opted for a very direct trip via US 287 to Fort Worth and Eventually I-35 and on the way I found myself stopping in Chillicothe. It may not be your first choice in getaways but there is something to the town that keeps it on the map. Get our free mobile app It's early days were marked by the rails Michael J. Rivera/Townsquare Media Chillicothe was founded in 1889 and was named by A.E. Jones after his hometown with the same name in Missouri, The word Chillicothe is Shawnee for "Big Town." Today the town of just north of 700 isn't exactly as big as its peak in the 1950s where the population was just over 1500. The Town saw much of it's early growth in the late 1800s when the Fort Worth and Denver City rail line passed through. It gets its nickname of Iris Village from the large numbers of the flower throughout the city.