How Scurry County Got Its Name

The Texas legislature created Scurry County in 1876 from lands that had been part of Bexar County. The county was named for William R. Scurry, a Confederate general. Buffalo hunters arrived in the area around 1874, followed by ranchers in 1877.

The county seat, Snyder, began as a trading post built in 1878 by William Henry (Pete) Snyder, a Pennsylvania-born buffalo hunter and trader, on the banks of Deep Creek. Early residents nicknamed the rough settlement 'Hide Town' and 'Robber's Roost.' The town was platted in 1882 and became the official county seat in 1884. Ranching (cattle and sheep) dominated the economy before cotton farming and eventually the oil boom transformed the county.