Schleicher County, Texas
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History/Timeline
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| Schleicher co. Seal. |
(Schleicher County was formed from Crockett County in 1887 and organized in 1901.
Schleicher County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. [1][1] Its county seat is Eldorado. The county was created in 1887 and organized in 1901. It is named for Gustav Schleicher, a German immigrant who became a surveyor and politician.[1]
- Schleicher County was home to the YFZ Ranch, the past headquarters of the FLDS movement headed by Warren Jeffs.[1]
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| FLDS temple. |
- 8000 B.C. By estimation, Jumano Indians, first. Later inhabitants are Lipan Apache, Comanche.[1]
- 1632 Fray Juan de Salas and Father Juan de Ortega do missionary work among the Jumanos.[1]
- 1808 Soldier Francisco Amangual leads an expedition across the area.[1]
- 1882 Christopher Colombus Doty becomes the first permanent citizen of Schleicher County.[1]
- 1887, April - The Texas legislature establishes Schleicher County from Crockett County and named it in honor of Gustav Schleicher.[1]
- 1887 Schleicher County was separated form the Crockett County area.. It can be found west of Menard County. Fort McKavett protected the area in the western part of the county, when settlers first arrived.. The Concho River enters Schleicher county so that its streams and water irrigate up to 500 acres. Live stock is the primary industry. The nearest railroad passed through San Angelo, Texas in Tom Green County on the north.. A branch of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient has been surveyed south from San Angelo to extend to Del Rio, Texas. This is still in the works.[2]
- 1890 Population 155, of whom 134 were listed as white, four black, and 17 as American Indian.
- 1894 County’s first public school opens at Verand, later moved to Eldorado.[1]
- 1895 W. B. Silliman founds Eldorado community and names it after the mythical city. In order to populate it, he offers free town lots to residents of nearby Verand.[1]
- 1901 Schleicher County was created 1887, but organized in 1901. It was named in honor of Gustav Schleicher, German emigrant, engineer, surveyor, and legislator of Texas.[3]
- 1930 The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company continued work on a previous railroad, making access possible to San Angelo and Sonora.[1]
- 1941, February 27 - Grand opening of West Texas Woolen Mills plant in Eldorado, with a parade and BBQ lunch. 5000 people are in attendance. Governor "Pappy" W. Lee O'Daniel is the guest speaker.[1]
- 1950’s Oilfield discoveries on school lands enable Schleicher County to build new library and gymnasium facilities for its students.[1]
The Mystery of FLDS on YFZ Ranch
The Mystery
Members of the FLDS Church arrived and began putting up structures and dormitory type structures on the YFZ Ranch in Schleicher County, population 3,000. They did not hire workers from Eldorado or the Schleicher county, but did their own work.. Soon a limestone-mining operation and cement plant were set up on site. It appears YFZ Ranch stands for Yearning for Zion. Next a 4 story temple was constructed. FLDS officials have asked the sheriff and a Texas ranger to be on the grounds, as well as tax assessor. The organization had created well defined roads, solid buildings. But they did not obtain the necessary builders need to obtain in Texas: building permits. They had a pond for wastewater, when Texas stepped in.. Court ruled First, the state of Texas fined the organization for not filing building permits and no permit for the septic system. Then to court for leaders were eventually convicted for their participation in marriages to teen girls.
Today, the YFZ Ranch is owned by the state of Texas. The ranch officially became Texas property more than a year ago.Texas 'thinks' crimes may have happened on the ranch. Texas now owns the Ranch. The sheriff has to ensure that the grass is mowed there, that the "pond" does not go dry Texas contended most of the crimes were committed on the ranch, But Texas appears a long way from disposing of it. . The sheriff is in charge of ensuring no crimes are committed, but also inherited having to take care of the ranch until it is sold.[4][5][6]
Government Offices
Schleicher county has had two courthouses: 1902 and 1924
1st courthouse, 1902There is a painting of the 1902 courthouse and jail[7]
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| painting of 1902 courthouse and jail. |
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| 1902 courthouse |
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| 1902 Courthouse. |
2nd Courthouse, 1924 Style - Classical Revival, built of Stone. Constructed in 1923-24, this courthouse replaced an earlier building on this site which burned in 1917. Designed by noted architect Henry T. Phelps of San Antonio, the 3-story Classical Revival structure features four half-round giant order Doric columns which support a large entablature. Native stone for the building was obtained from nearby quarries. The courthouse has been the site of numerous community events over the years.[7]
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| 1924 Courthouse |
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| 1924 Courthouse and Jail. |
Geography
- Location -West-central Texas 290 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico 90 miles NE of the Texas-Mexico boundary.
- County Seat -Eldorado, -intersection of U.S. Hwys 190 and 277, 45 miles south of San Angelo. :Center -5 miles NE of Eldorado at 30°54' north latitude and 100°31' west longitude.
- Type - the Edwards Plateau
- Size - 1,309 sq mi
- Terrain = rolling to hilly terrain
- Elevation - 2,100 to 2,400 feet above sea level.
- Soil = dark, loamy soils
- Vegetation -tall grasses, oak, cedar, and mesquite.
- Prime Farmland 11- 20% of the land is prime farmland.
- Drainage -SW part of the county is in the Rio Grande basin, creeks of of the Devil's River draining the runoff toward south
- Rest of the county lies within the Colorado basin, drained by the San Saba River to the east and by the South Concho River to the north.
- Wildlife deer, turkey, javelina, bobcat, coyote, badger, fox, raccoon, squirrel, skunk, birds, fish, and reptiles.
- Mineral resources are dolomite, limestone, industrial sand, oil, and gas.
- Climate is subtropical
- Temperature of 32° F in January and high temperature of 96° in July.
- Growing season averages 229 days annually
- Rainfall averages twenty inches.
Adjacent counties
- Tom Green County (north)
- Menard County (east)
- Sutton County (south)
- Crockett County (west)
- Irion County (northwest)
- Kimble County (southeast)
Protected areas
Demographics
[1] In 2000, there were 2,935 people residing in the county giving a population density of 2 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 76.59% White, 1.53% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 18.98% from other races, and 2.62% from two or more races. 43.54% of the population were Hispanic.[1]
The median income for a household in the county was $29,746, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $28,412 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,969. About 16.00% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.00% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.[1]
Politics: - majority of Schleicher County voters were conservative Democrats. They favored the Democratic presidential nominee in every election from 1904 through 1948, with the exception of 1928, when they preferred Herbert Hoover to Al Smith. From 1952 through 1992 they chose the Republican presidential candidate, the one exception for this later period being a preference for Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry Goldwater in 1964. In local and state politics, however, the county remained staunchly Democratic.
Churches
- LDS
- Christian Churches
- Catholic
Highways
- U.S. Highway 190
- U.S. Highway 277
Towns
- Eldorado (county seat)
- Fort McKavett Ghost town (mostly in Menard County and San Saba County) Fort McKavett
Formed From
- 1887--Schleicher County was created 1 April 1887 from Crockett County.
County Resources
Census
- 1890 --- 155 —
- 1900 --- 515 232.3%
- 1910 --- 1,893 267.6%
- 1920 --- 1,851 −2.2%
- 1930 --- 3,166 71.0%
- 1940 --- 3,083 −2.6%
- 1950 --- 2,852 −7.5%
- 1960 --- 2,791 −2.1%
- 1970 --- 2,277 −18.4%
- 1980 --- 2,820 23.8%
- 1990 --- 2,990 6.0%
- 2000 --- 2,935 −1.8%
- 2010 --- 3,461 17.9%
- Est. 2015 --- 3,211
Notables
Cemeteries
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Sources
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleicher_County,_Texas
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/tex/hillcountry/schleicher/history.html
- ↑ http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/counties/texas/schleicher.html
- ↑ http://www.sltrib.com/home/2665487-155/texas-is-trying-to-care-for?page=2
- ↑ https://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/17/texas-seizes-polygamist-groups-ranch-west-texas/
- ↑ http://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2015/07/04/small-town-sheriff-tends-grounds-at-ex-polygamist-ranch-texas-is-trying-to-sell
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/Eldorado-Texas-Schleicher-County-Courthouse.htm#1902
- https://www.wikitree.com/skins/common/images/button_bold.pnghttps://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcs06
- Cemeteries of Schleicher county
- FindaGrave cemeteries
- http://txgenweb.org
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