Welcome to Pecos County, Texas
| Pecos County, located in the far western area of Texas, is bordered on the
east by Terrell County, on the south by Brewster County, on the west by Jeff Davis, and Reeves counties, and on the
north by Ward, Crane, and Crockett counties. Pecos County was created from Presidio County on 3 May, 1871, and was
formally organized on March 9, 1875, at St. Gall, which became the county seat. There were 1,100 people living in the
county that year.
The first permanent settlement was a United States Army outpost, Fort Stockton, which was established in 1859 at Comanche Springs to guard the San Antonio-El Paso Mail. That same year the Butterfield Overland Mail began service to the army post. The town of St. Gall, later renamed Fort Stockton, was established near the Fort Stockton army post at Comanche Springs by Peter Gallagher, who purchased land for a town site in 1868. St. Gall became a supply center for the army, mail stages, wagon trains, and travelers. One of the first modern attempts at irrigation farming in Texas took place near the settlement in the 1870s. Construction of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway Company of Texas across Pecos County in 1913 caused a boom in land speculation and community growth. Irrigation projects along the Pecos River in the northern part of the county were started to attract land buyers. The communities of Baldridge, Belding, Buena Vista, Chancellor, Girvin, and Imperial were established during this period County records -- deeds, marriages, probates, and district court minutes -- from 1875 are available. Some of these records have been microfilmed. Records prior to 1875 may be found in the counties which contained land now comprising this area of western Texas. Pecos County Courthouse
Towns and Communities - Current
Towns and Communities - Historical
Mountain Peaks & Ranges
Rivers
Other |
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