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Archer County, Texas

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Formed From

Archer County was created from Fannin Land District in 1858 but was not organized until 1880. It was named for Dr Branch Tanner Archer, Republic of Texas Commiissioner to the United States. The county seat is Archer City.


Contents

History/Timeline

Royal Theatre used in Last Picture Show


Archer, Archer City, Lakes Trail Region [1]

The county and county seat were named for Branch Tanner Archer, a doctor from Virginia who arrived in Texas in 1831 and quickly became involved in the Texas independence movement, including fighting in the battle of Gonzales in 1835. He was (1790-1856) Republic speaker of the House, secretary of war, commissioner to the U.S. [2]

This county and county seat are the subject of fiction novels, by Larry McMurtry who was born here.[3] This is the county and city the author Larry McMurtry used as subject in several books. The author, born Birth June 3, 1936, Living. Larry McMurtry 's hometown is Archer City, Archer County, Texas, USA

NOTED: for Last Picture Show Archer City many, many others. Attended North Texas University, Denton, Denton, Texas, Archer City.

Books about Archer City include: "Thalia", " Anarene". "The Last Picture Show and "Texasville", fiction written by McMurtry about Archer City, his hometown.

1700s Apaches, Wichitas, Tawakonis, Kichais, Caddoes, Comanches, and later Kiowas are known to have hunted in the area. [4]

1700's French traders operated a post close to the two small mesas (west central area) called Little Arizona.[4]

1837 - Texas Rangers lost a battle with the Kichais, called "battle of Stone Houses" in SE Archer County.[4]

Jan 22, 1858, - Texas legislature created Archer County from Clay County and named it in honor of Republic of Texas commissioner Branch Tanner Archer, however there were no settlers.[4]

1870- U.S. cavalrymen led by Capt. Curwen B. McLellan in a battle of the Little Wichita River lost the battle by Kiowas led by Kicking Bird in the NW part of the county.[4]

1871 -Waggoner Ranch - located in Archer, Baylor, Foard, Knox, Wichita, and Wilbarger counties, size 524,000 acres, PRIMARY USE cattle, quarter horses Waggoner Ranch - W.T “TOM” Waggoner and father began their ranching by leasing acreage in Texas. Soon they leased thousands of acres.. By the time W.T. died in 1934, the Ranch was the largest contiguous piece of ranch land in the USA, 524,000 acres spread over 6 counties, and a single fence! In his will, Waggoner specified not to divide the ranch. Half of the Ranch is owned by Electra Waggoner Biggs (86 year old)and her children and grandchildren. The other half is owned by Albert B "Buck" Wharton III (age 51 and a cousin.. The two owners have feuded over management of the ranch for 20 years, yet live in separate houses, located on the west side of the ranch property.[5]

1874 - first American settler, Englishman, Dr. R. O. Prideaux settled on the West Fork of the Trinity River in SE Archer County.[4]

1875 U.S. Army had driven all the Indians from North Texas.

Post 1875 Cattlemen started into the county and paved the way for other American settlers by drawing imaginary lines and agreed upon between herd owners for their territories. Cowboys rode these lines daily to drive stray animals back to their respective territories.
Three ranches controlled these areas:[4]
T Fork and 99 pastures controlled northern section.
OX Ranch and Circle Ranch formed central section.
LM, TIP, JJ, CLA Bar, Mule Shoe, GAR, Figure 3, Lazy H, Waggoner, and other smaller ranches occupied the southern portion[4]

Nov 1879 - Farmers and small ranchers petitioned comissioners' court of Clay county asking for political organization of Archer County.- in opposition to the large ranchers.[4]

Colonists settled on vacant or unpainted lands building dugouts, log, board, or stone houses.

1880 - 596 people lived on 53 ranches/farms and 56,000 Cattle that year. 1880 Dr. C. B. Hutto, dentist of South Carolina and founder of the town, donated the land for county seat and gave the county a one-story box house with 4 small rooms and 1 large room for the courthouse.

Spring, 1880 the court ordered the election and Archer County was organized July 27, 1880.

Early county officials were Republican, due to the Union states they moved from. Settlers active in politics were: Many of the early county officials were Republicans, since numerous early settlers had migrated from old Union states, particularly Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; but many county Democrats voted for them, anyway, on the basis of ability. Settlers active in county politics included W. B. Hutcheson, T. M. Coulson, William Hutton, and A. J. Ikard.[4]

1885-87 Hardship--the settlers endured the Great Plains environment, during a 2 year blizzard-drought-blizzard.[4]

1885-86 The winter killed thousands of cattle here. Circle Ranch was bankrupted due to its losses. [4]

Summer 1886 - hot west winds dried up vegetation and water sources, with a following drought following . Cattle drifted down dry creeks to the West Fork of the Trinity River. Some of these animals were scattered to Fort Worth, many were lost permanently. [4]

1887 -Severe winter followed the drought. State census revealed that the county's population declined 521 in 1887.[4]

1890: Railroads were brought in. - Wichita Valley Railway crossed N Archer County, giving rise to the towns of Holliday, Mankins, and Dundee. [4]More than 75,000 cattle were counted. 2,101 people were counted in Archer County, living on 278 ranches and farms.[4]

1890-1930 - Farmers in Archer County began to plant 10,000's acres of "forage crops"and "cereal crops (corn, wheat, and oats.[4]

1900 Ranching declined somewhat during this period, but continued to be a crucial mainstay of the local economy, 65,627 cattle were counted; in 1910, there were just over 41,000 cattle in the county.[4]

1880 1st Courthouse -The first courthouse was 20’ x 20’ one-story wooden building, and donated by founder of Archer City, Dr. C. B. Hutto, who also donated lots for the town square. The courthouse had one large room that was used as the courtroom and by the county attorney and four smaller rooms that were used by the county clerk, sheriff, tax collector, surveyor and treasurer. [4]It was used until a much larger courthouse was completed in 1892.[6]

1892 2nd Courthouse, Architect - A. N. Dawson, Style - Romanesque Revival, Material - Sandstone,

Dome and cupola was removed in 1925.

"The interior and exterior restoration of the Archer County courthouse to its' 1920's condition was completed in 2005." - Terry Jeanson[6]

1892 courthouse Painting before dome removed 1926.
Built with brown quarry-faced sandstone obtained locally, the 1892 courthouse was designed by Fort Worth architect Alonzo N. Dawson in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. the Commissioners Court of Archer County had invited architects to submit plans for a courthouse which would cost not less than $25,000 but not more than $35,000. [6]
1892 Courthouse (2nd).

The courthouse has large entryway arches on each side, two on the north and south sides and three on the east and west sides. In the center of the north and south sides on the second story, there are openings which resemble Palladian style windows with balustrades above them. It has corner pavilions which have arched windows on the first and second floors. The building has an octagonal clock tower, clad in sheet metal, in the center of the building with a large truncated cupola and a lantern on top.[6]

1926, Remodeling and expansion was done. The central clock tower and roofs on the corner pavilions were removed and a third story was added. The arches over the windows on the second floor of the pavilions were removed and replaced by simple lintels which also frame the third floor windows. Gabled roofs with red clay tile now adorn the center of each side of the building. The interior was also altered, including the lowering of the ceiling in the district courtroom and the elimination of the district courtroom balcony. [6]

1892 courthouse after the remodeling in 1926..
Wood floors were covered with vinyl tile and in 1960, metal windows were installed to replace the original wooden windows.[6]

Because of the extensive remodeling in 1926, when the county prepared to restore the 1892 courthouse in the early 2000s, it wasn’t feasible to restore the building to its original condition, so it was restored to its 1926 condition. [6]

Geography

Location in Texas

Archer County is located in the Prairies and Lakes section of North Central Texas. Latitude/Longitude: 98°30' west longitude and 35°30' north latitude, 25 miles S-SW of Wichita Falls. It contains 925 square miles, of which 903 square miles is land and 22 square miles is water.

Type: of the Central Rolling Red Plains, Central Rolling Red Prairies, and Western Cross Timbers.
Soils sandy loams, clays to stony soil on the plains and prairies and sand, loams in the timbers.
County Resources

Oil and gas, copper deposits, beds of sand and gravel

Rivers: The Big Wichita, the Little Wichita, the West Fork of the Trinity, and the Brazos rivers drain Archer County. The Big Wichita River touches the county's NW corner, and the diversion dam of the Wichita Valley irrigation system is located at this point.
Altitude:The altitude 900 to 1,400 fee.
Rainfall: 25.26 inches,
Temperature a 28° to 98° F, a
Growing season lasts 220 days.

County Resources
Agriculture

  • Calfs
  • Cows
  • Dailry
  • Hay
  • Horses
  • Silage
  • Stocker Cows
  • Whe at

Minerals

  • Copper Deposits
  • Gravel
  • Natural Gas
  • Oil
  • Sand

Protected areas

  • Lake Kickapoo- reservoir in Archer County, Texas, with a surface area of 6,200 acres (25 km2). Named after the Kickapoo tribe native to the area.
  • Air Force Space Surveillance System (formerly NAVSPASUR) site-at Lake Kickapoo (33°32.764′N 98°45.763′W). It is the master transmitter and the most powerful continuous wave (CW) station in the world, at 768 kW radiated power.

Demographics

In 2000, the county had there were 8,854 people, 3,345 households, and 2,515 families residing in the county, with the density of 10 people/sq mi. Racial breakdowne county was 95.54% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.12% Asian 4.87% of the population were Hispanic of any race. There were 3,345 households out of which 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.00% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. Of all unmarried partner households, 89.8% were heterosexual, 1.9% were same-sex male, and 8.3% were same-sex female. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median income for a household in the county was $38,514, and the median income for a family was $45,984. About 6.80% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics Voters of Archer County favored the Democratic candidate in every presidential election from 1900-1968. After 1972, when Republican Richard Nixon carried the county, the area began to trend Republican. Democrat Jimmy Carter carried the county in 1976. Since this Archer county has voted Republican in every presidential election from 1980 through 2004.

Highways:

  • U.S. Highway 82
  • U.S. Highway 277
  • U.S. Highway 281
  • Texas State Highway 25
  • Texas State Highway 79
  • Texas State Highway 114


Lakes

  • Lake Arrowhead
  • Lake Cooper
  • Lake Diversion
  • Lake Kickapoo
  • Lake Olney
  • Lake Wichita

Railroads

  • None


Cities

Population as of Jan 1, 2014 is shown in parenthesis.

Unincorporated Towns

Ghost Towns

  • Anarene, Texas
  • Huf, Texas

Events and Festivals

  • Annual County Rodeo in July
  • Annual German Sausage Festival in in Scotland and Windthorst
  • Mayfest in Spring in Holliday
  • Livestock Show
  • Rattlesnake Rroundup
  • Royal Theatre Productions in Archer City

Schools

Archer City Independent School District Holliday Independent School District Iowa Park Consolidated Independent School District (partial) Jacksboro Independent School District (partial) Olney Independent School District (partial) Windthorst Independent School District Megargel Independent School District once served portions of Archer County, but it closed after the fall of 2006.


  • 1988 Larry McMurtry opened a second "Booked Up" rare book store in Archer City, which made the town to be known as an American "Book City". Of note, Larry McMurtry was born in Archer City and was raised there.
  • Large "La Escalera Ranch", ( Seymour Division) of the sprawling 320,000 deeded acres is in this county. Location of the La Escalera Ranch is north of Seymour, Texas in Baylor County and part of Archer County. The Seymour Division consists of 34,000 acres (120 km²) originally known as Cross Bar Ranch. La Escalera Ranch extends over Pecos County as well as and part of Reeves, Brewster, Archer and Baylor Counties. It is known for its reputation herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife.[7]
  • Joseph Sterling Bridwell, the Wichita Falls philanthropist and oilman, also owned a ranch in Archer County.

Historical Census

1880 -- 596 —
1890 -- 2,101 252.5%
1900 -- 2,508 19.4%
1910 -- 6,525 160.2%
1920 -- 5,254 −19.5%
1930 -- 9,684 84.3%
1940 -- 7,599 −21.5%
1950 -- 6,816 −10.3%
1960 -- 6,110 −10.4%
1970 -- 5,759 −5.7%
1980 -- 7,266 26.2%
1990 -- 7,973 9.7%
2000 -- 8,854 11.0%
2010 -- 9,054 2.3%
Est. 2015 -- 8,715


Notables

  • Branch Tanner Archer, doctor from Virginia, participatied in the battle of Gonzales in 1835, legislator
  • Larry McMurtry Author, born Archer City. Books about Archer City include: "Thalia", " Anarene". "The Last Picture Show and "Texasville", fiction about Archer City.
Thadd Harrison Blanton - American Air Force Officer. Participant in the Doolittle Raid on Japan during World War II, serving as co-pilot on crew 12, was born in Archer City in February 25, 1919 and died in Florida in 1961 as a Lt. Colonel, Air Force, retired. Interred in Gainesville, Texas.
Angela Kinsey - American actress who portrays Angela in the comedy series The Office.
Graham B. Purcell, Jr. - U.S. representative from Texas' 13th congressional district from 1962 to 1973, was born in Archer City in 1919.

Veterans Korea

LYNCH ELWIN R CPL ARMY ARCHER TEXAS 07 JUNE 1951 KILLED IN ACTION
NORMAN JOHN T PFC ARMY ARCHER TEXAS 16 JULY 1950 KILLED IN ACTION

Vietnam

COFFELT BOBBY J SP4 ARMY ARCHER CITY TX 15AUG66
JOHNSTON GARY CLARENCE SSGT ARMY ARCHER CITY TX 16APR70

WikiTree Profiles

Branch Tanner Archer

Larry McMurtry

Cemeteries


  • Saint Boniface
  • [[Category: Lake Creek Cemetery, Archer County, Texas|Lake Creek Cemetery

Sources

  1. ↑ http://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/publications/texas-heritage-travel-guide.pdf
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_County,_Texas
  3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_County,_Texas
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hca05
  5. ↑ http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-biggest-ranches/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6
  7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_County,_Texas

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/aob01





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