How Reagan County got its name and its county seat

Reagan County was created by the Texas legislature in 1903. It was carved out of Tom Green County and named after John H. Reagan, a U.S. senator from Texas who was also the first chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission — the same agency that still regulates oil and gas today. The county covers about 1,173 square miles at the edge of the Edwards Plateau in West Texas, with elevations ranging from roughly 2,400 to nearly 3,000 feet.

Big Lake was not always the county seat. A town called Stiles served that role first. Big Lake took over as county seat in 1925, after the 1923 oil discovery at Santa Rita No. 1 brought rapid growth. Before oil, the economy ran on sheep, cattle, and wool. Grierson Springs in the southwest corner had provided water for travelers and a U.S. Army camp as far back as the 1870s. Today Big Lake is still the only incorporated city in the county.