Pecos County, Texas


Pecos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 15,507. The county seat is Fort Stockton. The county was created in 1871 and organized in 1875. It is named for the Pecos River. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.

History

Native Americans

Archeological digs at Squawteat Peak uncovered prehistoric hunter-gatherer artifacts. Fourteen clusters of stones interpreted as wickiup and tipi rings indicate human habitation. A ring midden in the camp provided a radiocarbon date of 1300 AD. Archeological finds along Tunas Creek include a burial site, pictographs, and artifacts; a possible modified Langtry projectile point.

Early routes

The Comanche Trail crossed Pecos County near Horsehead Crossing and through Comanche Springs.
The Chihuahua Trail connecting Mexico’s state of Chihuahua with Santa Fe, New Mexico, brought travelers through the area by Comanche Springs about 1840.
A United States Army outpost, Fort Stockton, was established in 1858 at Comanche Springs to guard the San Antonio-El Paso Mail. That same year, the Butterfield Overland Mail began service to the army post.

County established and growth

The town of Fort Stockton began near the Fort Stockton army post at Comanche Springs as St. Gaul, Texas, but was renamed Fort Stockton in 1880. Pecos County was established by the Texas legislature in 1871 originally out of Presidio County. In 1871, Pecos County was organized and St. Gaul was named the county seat. About 1,100 people were living in the county that year. By 1890, the county had 227 cattle and 150 sheep, and were planted in corn. By 1900, the area's economy had become almost completely dominated by cattle and sheep ranching, though plots of wheat, rye, corn, and oats were grown. Around 1900, a small settlement known as Sheffield sprang up in eastern Pecos County on land owned by Will Sheffield and served as a supply point for the surrounding ranches. In 1913, construction of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway across Pecos County caused a boom in land speculation and community growth, as did irrigation projects along the Pecos River. The town of Girvin, named for rancher John H. Girvin, grew around a train stop on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway that served as a cattle shipping point. Construction of Texas State Highway 290 linking Fort Stockton to Big Bend National Park gave a boost to tourism. In the 1980s, the economy of Pecos County continued to be based on farming, ranching, oil and gas production, and tourism. The Yates Oil Field in Crockett County, Texas, and Pecos County in 1927 resulted in a financial boom period for the county. Towns such as Red Barn, Iraan, and Bakersfield rose up in response to oil-related employment opportunities. The population of the county more than doubled during the 1920s. Oil production helped to stabilize the local economy.

Alley Oop and Paisano Pete

The town of Iraan, Texas prides itself on being the birthplace of cartoon caveman Alley Oop, when creator V.T. Hamlin worked in the oilfields. Although first published in the Des Moines Register in 1932, Hamlin claimed to have originated the idea while he watched dinosaur bones being dug up by oil equipment. Visitors to Iraan can visit the Alley Oop Museum found on Alley Oop Lane. Fort Stockton pays tribute to the agile roadrunner with their Paisano Pete the Roadrunner statue.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and is covered by water. It is the second-largest county by area in Texas.

Yates Oil Field

Pecos County is home to one of the largest oil fields in the United States, the Yates Oil Field, which is in the extreme eastern part of the county, along the Pecos River. The field covers about near the town of Iraan. Discovered in 1926, it has produced over a billion barrels of oil, and most industry estimates give it more than another billion in recoverable reserves. The Yates Oil Field was one of the first giant fields to be found in the Permian Basin.

Major highways

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 15,507 people living in the county. 79.4% were White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 13.5% of some other race and 2.1% of two or more races. 67.3% were Hispanic or Latino.
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,809 people, 5,153 households, and 4,029 families living in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile. There were 6,338 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 75.85% White, 4.39% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 16.13% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. 61.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,153 households out of which 41.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 13.80% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 123.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 132.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,033, and the median income for a family was $31,122. Males had a median income of $25,888 versus $18,113 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,212. About 18.10% of families and 20.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.20% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Pecos County is provided by three Independent School Districts : Buena Vista, Fort Stockton, and Iraan-Sheffield.

Williams Regional Technical Training Center

is home to the Midland College / Williams Regional Technical Training Center, located alongside Interstate Highway 10, in Fort Stockton. The center was built in 1996 - through a joint effort by Midland College, and by leaders of Fort Stockton education, business and government - as a means to enhance higher education and workforce development in this part of West Texas. Fort Stockton and Pecos County are part of the Midland College service area. After just four years, the facility - named in honor of Fort Stockton native and WRTTC donor Clayton Williams - was doubled in size through fundraising and program development.

Communities

Cities

Oilman and rancher Clayton W. Williams, Sr., served for 16 years as a Pecos county commissioner. His father, attorney Oscar Waldo Williams, earlier served a decade as Pecos county judge. Clayton Williams, Jr., the 1990 Republican gubernatorial nominee, was reared in Fort Stockton.

Politics