Upton County, Texas

Upton County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

John Cunningham Upton and his brother William Felton Upton, two lieutenant colonels in the Confederate army; John Upton was killed at the Second Battle of Manassas and William Upton later served Fayette County in the Texas Legislature

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Upton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Its county seat is Rankin. The county is named for two brothers: John C. and William F. Upton, both Colonels in the Confederate army.

The area that is now Upton County was traversed during the early nineteenth century by Comanches and Apaches, who competed for hunting grounds in the area. Both tribes were superior horsemen, capable hunters of buffalo^qv and other game, and relentless raiders of their neighbors. Despite their considerable achievements in material culture and adaptation to their environment, the Indians lost their domination of the region to the United States Army and the advancing tide of white settlers in the 1870s and 1880s. In the 1860s the Chihuahua Trail from Mexico to Indianola, Texas, a significant trading route, crossed the region, as did the route of the Butterfield Overland Mail (1858-61), and the Goodnight-Loving Trail.^qv Originally part of the Bexar Territory, the area was part of Tom Green County from 1874 until 1887, when Upton County was established. One of the earliest settlers was Dr. George W. Elliott, who moved into the area in 1881 and drilled the first well; he reached water at thirty feet. The area was part of the open range until the 1890s, when sheepmen crossed the Pecos River to compete with cattlemen for the range. The United States Census counted fifty-two people living in the county in 1890, and only forty-eight in 1900; most of these belonged to the families of Arthur F. Schnaubert, Frank Inghram, and Jim O'Bryan, or were hired cowboys and ranch hands. According to the agricultural census for 1900, there were eighteen ranches that year; almost 39,000 cattle were reported, but virtually no crops were grown. The area began to attract more settlers in the early twentieth century. In 1900 and 1901 open range cattlemen started selling their holdings, and the state encouraged the sale of school and railroad lands for settlement. Rancher Henry M. Halff^qv tried to develop an irrigation area for cotton and vegetable raising and sold town lots at Upland for the price of a notary fee. Upland opened a public school in 1908. By 1910 there were 105 ranches or farms in the area, and the population had increased to 501; the county was organized that year, and Upland became the county seat

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/UU/hcu2.html (accessed November 9, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,242 square miles (3,216 km²), of which, 1,242 square miles (3,216 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) of it (0.01%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

• Midland County (north)
• Reagan County (east)
• Crockett County (south)
• Crane County (west)
• Ector County (northwest)
  

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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