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History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Randall County · County Seat
Canyon Is the County Seat of Randall County
Canyon, founded in 1889, is the county seat of Randall County and home to West Texas A&M University and the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.
Randall County · Indigenous & Exploration History
Coronado May Have Camped in Palo Duro Canyon in 1541
The area that is now Randall County has been inhabited for roughly 10,000 years, and the Spanish expedition led by Coronado likely passed through in 1541.
Randall County · County History
How Randall County Was Founded — and How It Got Its Name
Randall County was created in 1876 and named after a Confederate general, with a misspelling of his name that stuck.
Randall County · Climate & Geography
Living at 3,500 Feet: Randall County's High Plains Climate
Randall County sits on the Llano Estacado at 3,000 to 3,800 feet above sea level, giving it a semi-arid climate with cold winters, hot summers, and persistent wind.
Randall County · Natural Landmark
Palo Duro Canyon: A 800-Foot-Deep Gash in the High Plains
Palo Duro Canyon, carved by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, runs through Randall County and reaches depths of up to 800 feet.
Randall County · Cultural Event
TEXAS Outdoor Musical Runs Summers in Palo Duro Canyon
A professional outdoor musical drama about Panhandle history runs Tuesday through Sunday each summer at the Pioneer Amphitheater inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Randall County · History Museum
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon is a state museum focused on the natural and cultural history of the Texas Panhandle.
Randall County · Higher Education
West Texas A&M University Anchors Canyon's Economy
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon has been a central part of Randall County's economy and community life since it opened in 1910.
Randall County · Agriculture
Wheat and Cattle Drive Randall County's Farm Economy
Randall County shifted from open-range ranching to mixed farming after 1900, with wheat becoming the top crop and cattle remaining a key part of the economy.
Reagan County · County History
How Reagan County got its name and its county seat
Reagan County was carved from Tom Green County in 1903 and named for a Texas senator who also served as the first head of the Railroad Commission.
Reagan County · History
The oil well that changed Texas — and funded UT
The Santa Rita No. 1 well blew in near Big Lake in 1923, opening the Permian Basin to oil production and pouring money into the University of Texas.
Real County · County History
How Real County Came to Be — and Why Goats Were Central
Real County was carved out of three counties in 1913, largely because residents were too isolated from the nearest courthouses, and its early economy ran on angora goats.
Real County · Park History
The CCC Built Garner State Park in the 1930s
Depression-era workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps built most of what you see at Garner State Park between 1935 and 1941.
Red River County · Local History
Clarksville Was One of the Earliest Towns in the Republic of Texas
Red River County was established in 1837 and Clarksville served as the main trading hub for northwest Texas for decades before railroads shifted commerce elsewhere.
Reeves County · County History
Reeves County grew from ranching, then oil, in a dry West Texas landscape
Reeves County was carved out of Pecos County in 1883 and built its economy on cattle ranching, the railroad, and eventually oil and gas.
Refugio County · History & Identity
Refugio County takes its name from a Spanish mission founded in 1793
The county seat of Refugio and the county itself are both named after the Nuestra Senora del Refugio Mission, one of the last Spanish missions established in Texas.
Roberts County · Local History
Roberts County grew out of open-range cattle ranching in the 1870s and 1880s
Roberts County was carved from large ranching operations after the Army pushed out Comanche and Kiowa bands in 1874-75. Its county seat Miami still hosts a National Cow Calling Contest that has run every year since 1949.
Robertson County · County History
Robertson County Has Had Five Different County Seats
Robertson County was founded in 1837 and moved its county seat five times before settling in Franklin — a history tied to early Texas settlement and Reconstruction.
Rockwall County · Indigenous History
Caddo people lived in the Rockwall County area before Anglo settlement
The area that is now Rockwall County was home to Caddo and Creek peoples in the early 1800s. Anglo-American settlers arrived in the 1840s.
Rockwall County · Agricultural History
Railroads transformed Rockwall County from a cattle county to a cotton county
Before the railroads came in the 1870s and 1880s, Rockwall County's economy was built on cattle — the railroads shifted it toward cotton, which peaked in 1930.
Rockwall County · Growth & Development
Rockwall County grew from 7,000 people in 1970 to over 100,000 by 2019
Once a quiet agricultural county, Rockwall has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the DFW metro since Lake Ray Hubbard opened in 1969.
Rockwall County · County History
Rockwall County was created in 1873 from Kaufman County
Settlers in the area pushed for their own county in the 1870s because the Kaufman County seat was inconveniently far away — and the Texas legislature agreed.
Rockwall County · Early Settlement
Rockwall County's first Anglo-American settler arrived in 1846
John O. Heath was the first Anglo-American settler in the area, arriving in 1846 when the land was still part of Kaufman County.
Rockwall County · County Identity
Rockwall is the smallest county in Texas by land area
At only 147 square miles, Rockwall is the smallest county in Texas — a fact that shapes everything from its rapid growth to the tight-knit feel of its communities.
Rockwall County · Place Name Origin
The county gets its name from a strange underground rock formation
In 1851, farmers digging a well found a strange rock wall running underground. That formation gave the county and its county seat their names.
Runnels County · County History
How Ballinger Became the County Seat
Runnels County was created in 1858 and named for a Mississippi governor, but Ballinger only became the county seat in 1888 when the railroad arrived and beat out the earlier county seat of Runnels City.
Rusk County · County Seat
Henderson Is the County Seat and Central Hub for Services
Henderson has been Rusk County's seat of government since the county was organized in 1843 and is where you go for most county services.
Rusk County · Historic Tragedy
The 1937 New London School Explosion Shaped Natural Gas Safety Law
On March 18, 1937, a natural gas explosion destroyed a school in New London, killing nearly 300 students and teachers and prompting Texas to require odor added to natural gas.
Rusk County · Oil Boom History
The East Texas Oilfield Changed This County Forever
The discovery of oil in Rusk County in 1930 opened the East Texas Oilfield and transformed the region from a quiet farming area into a boomtown almost overnight.
Sabine County · County History
How Sabine County and Hemphill Got Their Start
Sabine County was established in 1837, and the Ais tribe of the Caddo people lived in the region long before European settlers arrived.
San Augustine County · Local History
San Augustine: One of Texas's Oldest Towns
San Augustine was a key town during the Texas Revolution and one of the first county seats organized under the Republic of Texas in 1837.
San Jacinto County · County History
San Jacinto County Was Built on Timber, Then Found Oil
The county was carved out of four neighboring counties in 1870 and named for the battle that ended the Texas Revolution, with timber driving its early economy before oil arrived in the 20th century.
San Patricio County · Oil and Gas History
Oil and Gas Have Shaped the County Since the 1930s
San Patricio County shifted from cattle and cotton to petroleum after oil was found near Sinton in 1935, and oil and gas are still part of the local economy today.
San Patricio County · County History
San Patricio County Was Founded by an Irish Catholic Colony
The county takes its name from an 1829 Irish Catholic colony called San Patricio de Hibernia, making it one of the few Texas counties with Irish roots.
San Patricio County · County Seat
Sinton Became the County Seat After the Railroad Arrived
Sinton was founded in the 1880s along a new railroad line and became the county seat in 1894, replacing the original settlement of San Patricio.
San Saba County · Local History
San Saba and Its Pecan Industry
San Saba calls itself the Pecan Capital of the World, a claim rooted in the work of a 19th-century settler who improved native pecan trees.
Schleicher County · Local History
Eldorado Grew on Ranching, Wool, and Oil
Schleicher County was built by ranchers, shaped by the wool and mohair trade, and later transformed by oil money that funded local schools for decades.
Scurry County · County History
How Scurry County Got Its Name
Scurry County was carved out in 1876 and named for a Confederate general, and the county seat Snyder grew from a buffalo hunter's trading post.
Scurry County · Education & Community
Western Texas College Serves the Region from Snyder
Western Texas College, based in Snyder, is a two-year community college that is also one of Scurry County's taxing units — meaning its tax rate appears on your property tax bill.
Shackelford County · County History
Albany Has Been Shackelford County's Seat Since 1875
Shackelford County was formed in 1874 and named for a Texas Revolution hero; Albany replaced Fort Griffin as the county seat and has served in that role ever since.
Shackelford County · Historic Site
Fort Griffin Historic Site Sits on a Bluff North of Albany
Fort Griffin was a U.S. Army post established in 1867 that anchored a frontier town and cattle trail crossroads; today the site is managed by the Texas Historical Commission.
Shackelford County · Local Tradition
The Fort Griffin Fandangle Is an Official Texas State Play
Since 1938, Albany has staged an outdoor musical drama about the county's frontier history that the Texas Legislature recognized as one of four official state plays.
Shelby County · County History
How Center became the county seat of Shelby County
Shelby County was formed in 1836 and named for a Revolutionary War hero, and its county seat moved from Shelbyville to Center in 1866.
Sherman County · Local Economy & History
Sherman County's economy: wheat, cattle, and natural gas
Sherman County built its economy on cattle ranching, then wheat farming, then irrigation and feedyards — with natural gas playing a surprising role in local school funding.
Sherman County · Local History
Stratford became the county seat under Texas Ranger guard
Sherman County's government moved from Coldwater to Stratford in 1901 in a contentious midnight transfer — and Texas Rangers had to keep the peace.
Smith County · Civil War History
Camp Ford in Tyler was a major Civil War prisoner of war camp
During the Civil War, Camp Ford in Tyler held as many as 4,725 Union prisoners at its peak, making it the largest Confederate prison camp west of the Mississippi River.
Smith County · Agricultural Heritage
Smith County hired what is considered the first county agricultural agent in the U.S. to supervise a single county, in 1906
In 1906, Smith County brought on what historians have called the first county agricultural agent in the nation to supervise a single county exclusively.
Smith County · County Origins
Smith County was established in 1846 and named for a Texas Revolution general
Smith County was carved out of the old Nacogdoches District in 1846 and named after General James Smith, a hero of the Texas Revolution.
Smith County · Oil History
The 1930 East Texas oil discovery transformed Smith County
The discovery of the East Texas oilfield in 1930 triggered a major economic boom in Smith County and made Tyler a regional hub for oil companies.
Smith County · Annual Event
The Texas Rose Festival in Tyler has run every October since 1933
Tyler's Texas Rose Festival is an annual October celebration tied to the rose industry that built the region's economy.
Smith County · Rose Industry
Tyler became the center of U.S. rose production in the 20th century
By the 1940s, Smith County growers produced around half of the rose bushes sold in the United States, earning Tyler its nickname as the Rose Capital.
Somervell County · Local History
Glen Rose grew around mineral springs before dinosaur tracks made it famous
Somervell County was carved out of Hood County in 1875, and Glen Rose became its only county seat.
Starr County · Local History
Fort Ringgold protected Rio Grande City for nearly 100 years
Fort Ringgold, established in 1848 right next to Rio Grande City, anchored the border town's growth and later became part of the local school district.
Starr County · Tejano History
Starr County has deep Tejano and Spanish ranching roots
Spanish settlement in 1749 built a ranching culture that shaped Starr County's land, economy, and Hispanic majority population for generations.
Starr County · Labor History
The 1966 farmworker strike put Starr County on the national map
In 1966, Mexican American farmworkers in Starr County went on strike against large agricultural growers — a key event in the broader Chicano civil rights movement.
Stephens County · Local History
Breckenridge Grew from a Small Town to a Boomtown Overnight
The 1920s oil boom turned Breckenridge from a quiet ranching town into one of the most chaotic boomtowns in Texas history.
Sterling County · County History
How Sterling County Got Its Start
Sterling County was carved out of Tom Green County in 1891 and built its early economy on cattle ranching.
Stonewall County · County Seat History
Aspermont: The County Seat With a Latin Name
Aspermont has been the county seat since 1898, when it replaced the earlier town of Rayner after a contested election, and its name is Latin for 'rough mountain.'
Stonewall County · Geography and Landmarks
Double Mountain and the Brazos Forks Shape the County
Stonewall County's most recognizable landmark is Double Mountain, and two forks of the Brazos River — the Salt Fork and the Double Mountain Fork — run through the county.
Sutton County · County Origins
How Sutton County got its name and county seat
The Texas legislature created Sutton County in 1887 from part of Crockett County, and Sonora won the county seat competition in 1890.