King County, Texas

King County, Texas
King County Courthouse in Guthrie
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1891
Named for	William Philip King
Seat	Guthrie
Largest community	Guthrie
Area
• Total	913 sq mi (2,365 km2)
• Land	911 sq mi (2,359 km2)
• Water	2.5 sq mi (6 km2), 0.3%
Population
• (2010)	286
• Density	0.3/sq mi (0/km²)
Congressional district	13th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.kingcountytx.com

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 286, making it the second-least populous county in Texas and the third-least populous of any county in the United States. King County has no incorporated communities. Its county seat is the Census Designated Place of Guthrie. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1891. It is named for William Philip King, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented King County in the Texas House of Representatives.

Apache and Comanche were early tribes in the area. The Red River War of 1874-1875 was a United States Army campaign to force the removal of Natives in Texas and their relocation to reservations, to open the region to white settlers.

On August 21, 1876, the Texas legislature formed King County from Bexar County. By 1880 the United States Census counted forty residents in the county. In 1891, the county was organized. Guthrie was designated as the county seat.

Early ranchers preserved water by damming canyons and draws to hold the heavy spring rains. In the 1890s windmills became the method of water preservation. Some of the earliest settlers were Isom Lynn, A. C. Tackett, Brants Baker, and Bud Arnett. The Four Sixes Ranch. was established in 1902 by Samuel Burk Burnet. The formerly-named Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company was organized in 1883, and SMS ranches were established during the same time frame. The 6666 (called Four Sixes Ranch), also founded in 1883, was managed from 1965–1986 by Jim Humphreys, who was also affiliated with the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock.