Wilbarger County

Wilbarger County TX Was Established

Wilbarger County is in the north central region of Texas and the county seat is Vernon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,535. The county was created in 1858 from part of Bexar County and organized in 1881. Wilbarger is named for Josiah Pugh Wilbarger and Mathias Wilbarger, two early settlers. However, these brothers settled near Bastrop (in Bastrop County) around 1830, and the family never lived in Wilbarger County.  Seated in northeastern Texas against the Oklahoma border is Wilbarger County.  Its rolling plains are surfaced by sandy, loam, and waxy soils that support tall grasses, mesquite, and oak trees. Wilbarger is bordered by the Texas counties of Archer, Wichita, Baylor, Foard and Hardeman, and the Oklahoma counties of Jackson and Tillman. Until the 1870s, the area that is now Wilbarger County was part of the buffalo hunting ground of the Wanderers Band of Comanche. The first Great Western Trail drives came through the county and crossed the Red River near Doan's Crossing.  Wilbarger County is located on the Red River near the base of the Texas panhandle.  Though the area was within the boundary of the Peters colony, because of Indian hostilities it attracted no settlers until 1878, when the first settlement was made and the county was attached to Clay County for judicial purposes. Wilbarger County was organized in 1881 with 50 settlers, and the town of Vernon was designated the county seat.
Located in the Central Time Zone

I hope you find my efforts helpful in your research of Wilbarger County roots. I am unable to do additional research on your family as I live in Colorado and do not have direct access to records. I post everything I have for all to use.

Research Resources

Make sure you check the "Research Resources" section! I am gathering helpful links, look up volunteers and local researchers to help you out.  Some interesting facts :

Ned Green drove the first car in Texas on October 5, 1899. It took five hours to make the trip from Dallas to Terrell, a 6-mph average.

On March 7, 1901 the bluebonnet became the state flower.

As the herds were drive north the vicinity of Wilbarger was regarded as an ideal resting place for the stockman and cowboy. The fine grasses and abundance of pure water made it a favorite place in the progress of cattle from Texas to the northern pastures or the northern markets.
In 1882 the county's taxable property was assessed at $582,283; in 1903 values had risen to $3,815,973, and in 1913 to $11,466,140.
In 1885, Wilbarger County, in one of its most prosperous years saw 300,000 head of cattle, 200,000 head of sheep and 192,000 head of horses pass through Doan's Crossing on the Great Western cattle trail.
Before 1890, the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway ran across the northern half of the county.
During the '90s a branch of the Frisco Railway was constructed across Red River into Wilbarger County, with Vernon as its terminus.
In 1905 the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway was opened from Sweetwater to the Red River, passing through the northwest corner of this county.
The 1910 census showed that Wilbarger had a larger proportion of cultivated land than many of the older counties of the state. The total area is 593,920 acres, of which 411,936 acres were reported in farms or ranches. Of this amount about 202,000 acres were classified as "improved land," as compared with 116,000 acres in 1900. There were 1,435 farms in 1910, against 636 in 1900. The stock interests at the last census were: cattle, 17,325; horses and mules, about 10,400; hogs, 10,504, and poultry, 53,110. The largest crop was corn, to which 62,550 acres were planted in 1909; 55,077 acres in cotton; 19,625 acres in wheat; 10,997 acres in oats; 6,122 acres in hay and forage crops; 2,185 acres in kafir corn and milo maize; about 750 acres in potatoes, sweet potatoes and other vegetables; while about 18,000 orchard fruit trees were enumerated. In comparison with many other counties of the state Wilbarger had a high rank as an agricultural country.

And just because...
Did you know? A ten-gallon hat holds three-quarters of a gallon.