Bishop was established in 1910 by F.Z. Bishop on land he had purchased from the Driscoll Ranch, with the townsite staked on both sides of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico railroad line. Dreaming of a model town on the prairie, F.Z. Bishop managed construction, planned the townsite, and designed the business district to have a uniform appearance with brick facades. He began construction of an electric plant and water system, planted 600 palm trees along the streets, and laid three miles of sidewalks. A 40-acre city park with a lake, band pavilion, and deer park were underway, and a frame schoolhouse opened in September 1910. The town grew quickly, reaching 1,000 people within two years, and was incorporated in April 1912, when R.R. Hall, business manager for F.Z. Bishop, was elected first mayor. Churches were built, and a two story brick school with a raised basement replaced the first school. Although F.Z. Bishop declared bankruptcy in 1916, the town continued to grow and prosper, and oil and gas discoveries in the 1940's caused petroleum-related industries to supplant agriculture as the chief economic base. F.Z. Bishop was buried in Bishop in 1950.