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Texas Counties

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Texas Counties

Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931

Wilbarger County, Texas

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

County Seat: Vernon
Year Organized: 1858
Square Miles: 971

Court House:

1700 Wilbarger St, Room 12
County Courthouse
Vernon, TX 76384-4748

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Josiah Pugh Wilbarger and Mathias Wilbarger, two brothers and early settlers; Josiah Wilbarger survived being scalped by a group of Comanches

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Wilbarger County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat is Vernon. Wilbarger is named for Josiah Pugh Wilbarger and Mathias Wilbarger, two early settlers.

Wilbarger County was organized in 1881, and the town of Vernon was designated the county seat; there were only fifty-six voters in the county at that time. The county grew quickly during the 1880s, despite droughts in 1886 and 1887, the prevalence of prairie dogs, and occasional rampages of stampeding cattle from the seasonal cattle drives that traveled through the area. In 1886 the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway built into Vernon, connecting the county to outside markets and encouraging immigration. The importance of the railroad to early development was recognized by local ranchers, who had donated rights of way. Relations with Indians were friendly during the 1880s. Quanah Parker^qv and his Comanche followers visited the Doan family frequently, and Comanche-Kiowa Indians from Oklahoma marketed in Vernon with their government allotments in the 1880s. A newspaper, the Vernon Weekly Call, was established by D. O. McConnell in 1889. By 1890 there were 720 farms and ranches, encompassing almost 313,000 acres, in Wilbarger County, and the population had increased to 7,092. Ranching had become important, and almost 23,000 cattle and 21,000 sheep were reported that year. But crop farming was also becoming fairly well established in the area. Almost 6,000 acres were planted in corn that year, in addition to 11,000 acres in wheat and 13,000 acres in oats; another 1,600 acres were devoted to cotton. Poultry raising was also becoming a significant part of the economy, and 50,700 chickens were reported that year. Many farmers and ranchers suffered reverses during the 1890s. By 1900 almost all the county's sheep had disappeared, only 636 farms remained, and the population had dropped to 5,759. Nevertheless, crop acreage expanded significantly during this time, and in 1900 over 14,000 acres were planted in corn, almost 34,000 acres in wheat, and almost 4,000 acres in cotton. The number of cattle increased to 33,000 head that year. The agricultural economy rapidly expanded between 1900 and 1920 as hundreds of new farmers moved into the area. By 1910 there were 1,435 farms and ranches in the county; almost 63,000 acres were planted in corn, and about 20,000 acres in wheat, while more than 55,000 acres were planted in cotton, which was rapidly becoming the area's most important cash crop. As old ranch lands were converted to crops, the number of cattle declined, and by 1920 there were only 10,000 cattle in the county. The population grew rapidly during this period, rising to 12,000 by 1910 and to 15,112 by 1920. Immigration continued during the 1920s, as cotton cultivation spread rapidly across the county. By 1930 almost 166,000 acres were planted in cotton, while only 1,400 acres were devoted to wheat and 8,000 acres to corn. There were 2,139 farms that year, 1,717 of which were operated by tenants (see FARM TENANCY). The 1920s also saw the rise of the petroleum industry. The first oil well in the county had been drilled in 1908, and a producing well followed in 1915, but significant production awaited the drilling of the South Vernon field in 1923. Soon the oilfield was extended across much of the south part of the county from the Wichita county line west through the Flukman field. By 1930 there were 24,579 people living in Wilbarger County

More at Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/WW/hcw9.html (accessed November 9, 2008).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 978 square miles (2,533 km²), of which, 971 square miles (2,515 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (18 km²) of it (0.72%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Tillman County, Oklahoma (north)
Wichita County (east)
Baylor County (south)
Foard County (west)
Hardeman County (west)
Jackson County, Oklahoma (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Vernon (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."