Gaines County, Texas
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Surnames/tags: gaines_county,_texas us_history texas
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Formed From
Gaines Couny was created from Bexar District in 1876 and organized in 1905. Seminole was named the county seat, The county was named for James Gaines, a merchant and signer of the Texas Declaratiion of Independence.
Adjacent Counties
| Northwest |
North Yoakum County Terry County |
Northeast |
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| West Lea County, New Mexico |
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Gaines County, Texas |  |
East Dawson County |
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| Southwest |
South Andrews County |
Southeast |
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History/Timeline
The land was occupied purely by wild Comanche Indians and Mexican Comancheros, traders who had a thriving business with the Plains Indians. Gaines County was strictly Comanche Indian country until the U,S, Army campaigns of 1875. In October 1875, Lt. Bullis who commanded the 24th Infantry encountered a large group of Indians at Cedar Lake/Laguna Sabinas. Lt. Bullis took over the Indians for food, supplies, buffalo hides, and utensils. It was then that Col. Shafter established a camp at Cedar Lake and continued to scout the area as far south as the Pecos River. That November he came across a draw where he found a water development. He discovered over 70 wells that reached levels 4 to 15 feet deep. This area became a regular place to trade goods.
As early as 1879 ranchman C C Slaughter ran herds on much of eastern Gaines County from his headquarters at Rattlesnake Canyon. The ranchers arrived in the 1880s and farming started around 1900.
'C C Meddin, who moved his family and herd to Gaines County in 1880, was the first permanent settler.In the 1880s and 1890s other ranchers moved into the area, including C M Breckon, the Brunson brothers, Bill Anderson, Dave Ernest, Robinson and Winfield Scott of the Hat Ranch, C Bill Higgins of the Wishbone Ranch, J E Millhollon of the MH Ranch, and the several owners of the Triangle H Triangle north of Seminole.
In 1887 the northern part of the county was occupied by the Mallet Ranch. The foreman, Dave Ernest sold the ranch to a merchant from San Antonio who used the land for driving cattle towards Kansas. In 1912 a small post office opened up east of Seminole that was named after a local ranch brand that would later become Loop, Texas. In 1917 the Santa Fe Railroad came through Blythe, Texas, but its name was changed to Seagraves, Texas after the company discovered they had a town by the same name already located on the line.
A great addition to Gaines County came in 1977 when a group of Mennonite people arrived to start farming and ranching. In 2005 Gaines County became the number one Oil producing, Cotton producing, and Peanut producing county in Texas
Government Offices
GAINES COUNTY Named for James L. Gaines, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Anglo settlement of the area began about 1895, and the county was formally organized in 1905. Seminole was established as the county seat that year, and a courthouse was built in 1906.
GAINES COUNTY has three courthouses:1906, 1919 and 1955.[1]
1906 1st Courthouse: no image
1919 2nd Courthouse- [2]Gaines County Courthouse was drastically remodeled in 1955. Brick with columns.
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| 1919 Courthouse |
1955 3rd Courthouse - Gaines County Courthouse was remodeled . It is now Modern, material is Concrete and limestone. Functional. Modern style[2]
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| 1955 after remodel. |
Geography
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| Location In Texas |
Gaines County encompasses 1,479 square miles,
Gaines County is located n the Panhandle Plains area of Texas. It is on the southern High Plains of West Texas and has New Mexico as its western border. The county drains to draws and playas and has underground water. Sandy loam and sandy soils lie over the county's red-clay subsoil and support a growth of mesquite, shinnery, and catclaw. Its center point is at 32°45' north latitude and 102°57' west longitude, about eighty miles southwest of Lubbock.
The county has a total area of 1,503 square miles, of which 1,502 square miles is land and 0.5 square miles is water. The altirude varies from 2,935 to 3,695 feet above sea level. The highest point in the county is in the northwest corner with an elevation of 3,695 feer above sea level.
Airports
- Gaines County Airport, Seminole
- Seagraves Airport, Seagraves
Hospitals
Lakes
- Cedar Lake/Laguna Sabinas - largest salt lake on the Texas plains
- McKenzie Lake
Major highways
- U.S. Highway 62 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_62
- U.S. Highway 180
- U.S. Highway 385
- State Highway 83
- State Highway 115
Railroads
- WTLR- West Texas & Lubbock Railroad, serves Seagraves from Terry County to the north.
Local Resources
- Cedar Lake/Laguna Sabinas - largest salt lake on the Texas plains
- McKenzie Lake
- WTLR- West Texas & Lubbock Railroad, serves Seagraves from Terry County to the north.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,467 people, 4,681 households, and 3,754 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 5,410 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.28% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.17% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. 35.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,681 households out of which 45.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.70% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.80% were non-families. 18.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the county, the population was spread out with 35.00% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,432, and the median income for a family was $34,046. Males had a median income of $29,580 versus $16,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,088. About 17.30% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.20% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The county is served by a twice-a-week newspaper publication, the Seminole Sentinel, as well as local radio stations KIKZ (AM) and KSEM-FM.
Cities
Population as of Jan 1, 2014 is shown in parenthesis.
- Denver City - mostly in Yoakum County (4,705)
- Seagraves (2,609)
- Seminole (7,110)and Seminole and Seagraves are its two largest cities.
Communities
Festivals
- Celebrate Seagraves in July, Seagraves
- Go Nuts Produce Fair in Septenber, Seminole
Schools
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| Rockin Schoolhouse |
There are 12 public schools and 3 private schools inn Gaines County.
Public Schools
Category within Independent School District (ISD) Loop ISD Mascot=Longhorn, Coloes=Red & White
- Loop School, Loop
- Four County Shared Services Arrangement for Special Education
Seminole ISD
- Seminole Elementary, Seminole
- Seminole Primary, Seminole
- Young Elementery, Seminole
- Seminole Junior High, Seminole
- Seminole High, Seminole
- Seminole Special Education, Seminole
- Seminole Success Center, Seminole
- Seminole Technology Center, Seminole
Seagraves ISD Mascot=Eagle, Colors=Red & Black
- Seagraves Elementery, Seagraves
- Seagraves Middle, Seagraves
- Seagraves High, Seagraves
- Four County Shared Services Arrangement for Special Education
Private Schools
- Grace Mennonite,Seminole (1-12)
- Reinlaender Mennonite Westside, Seminole (1-9)
- Seminole Mennonite (K-12)
Cemeteries
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There are 7 cemeteries in Gaines County listed alphabetically,
- Gaines County Cemetery, Seagraves
- Gaines County Cemetery, Seminole
- Gaines County Memorial Cemetery, Seminole
- Loop Cemetery, Loop
- State Line, Gaines County
Historic Census
| Census yr. | Pop. |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1890 | 68 |
| 1900 | 55 |
| 1910 | 1,255 |
| 1920 | 1.018 |
| 1930 | 2,800 |
| 1940 | 8,136 |
| 1950 | 8,909 |
| 1960 | 12,267 |
| 1970 | 11,593 |
| 1980 | 13,150 |
| 1990 | 14,123 |
| 2000 | 14,467 |
| 2010 | 17,526 |
| 2015 est. | 20,051 |
Notables
- Larry Gatlin, country music singer
- Paul Patterson. author
- Tanya Tucker, country music singer
Sources
- Gaines County, Texas. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaines_County,_Texas
- The Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. - http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/
- Texas Almanac 2016 - 2017, Copyright (c) 2016 by Texas State Historical Association, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. All Rights Reserved, - https://shoptsha.com/products/12459/Books/Texas-Almanac-2016-2017
- Texas Highways, published by the Texas Department of Transportation, Austin, Texas, Copyright (c) 2016, All Rights Reserved. = http://www.texashighways.com
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