How Real County Came to Be — and Why Goats Were Central

The Texas Legislature created Real County in the spring of 1913 from parts of Edwards, Bandera, and Kerr counties. Residents had pushed for a new county because traveling to Rocksprings or Bandera over rough roads took too long. The county was named for Julius Real, a Republican state senator at the time. Leakey became the county seat.

By the time the county formed, angora goats for mohair production were a central part of the local economy. Cattle, sheep, and goat ranching shaped the area for most of the 20th century. Today tourism and hunting lease income have grown alongside traditional ranching. The Handbook of Texas at tshaonline.org has the full county history.