Pecos County, Texas
| Pecos County, Texas | |
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Pecos County Courthouse in Fort Stockton
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 Location in the U.S. state of Texas |
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 Texas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1875 |
| Seat | |
| Largest city | Fort Stockton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,765 sq mi (12,341 km2) |
| • Land | 4,764 sq mi (12,339 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2), 0.02% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 16,203 |
| • Density | 3.3/sq mi (1/km²) |
| Congressional district | 23rd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Pecos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 15,507. The county seat is . The county was created in 1871 and organized in 1875. It is named for the Pecos River. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.
Archeological digs at Squawteat Peak uncovered prehistoric hunter-gatherer artifacts. 14 clusters of stones interpreted as wickiup and tipi rings indicate human habitation. A ring midden in the camp provided a radiocarbon date of 1300 A.D. Archeological finds along Tunas Creek include a burial site, pictographs, and artifacts; a possible modified Langtry projectile point (2,000 B.C. to A.D. 700–800).
The Comanche Trail crossed Pecos County near Horsehead Crossing and through Comanche Springs. The Chihuahua Trail connecting Mexico’s state of Chihuahua with Santa Fe, New Mexico brought travelers through the area by Comanche Springs about 1840.
United States Army outpost, , was established in 1858 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 began near the army post at Comanche Springs as St. Gall, Texas but was renamed in 1880.Pecos County was established by the Texas legislature in 1871 originally out of Presidio County. In 1971, Pecos County was organized and St. Gall (which would be renamed ) was named the county seat. There were 1,100 people living in the county that year. By 1890 the county had 227 cattle and 150 sheep that year, and 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) were planted in corn. By 1900 the area's economy had become almost completely dominated by cattle and sheep ranching, though plots of wheat, rye, corn, and oats were grown. Around 1900, a small settlement known as Sheffield sprang up in eastern Pecos County on land owned by Will Sheffield and served as a supply point for the surrounding ranches. In 1913, construction of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway across Pecos County caused a boom in land speculation and community growth, as did irrigation projects along the Pecos River. The town of Girvin, named for rancher John H. Girvin, grew around a train stop on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway that served as a cattle shipping point. Construction of Texas State Highway 290 linking to Big Bend National Park gave a boost to the tourism dollar. In the 1980s the economy of Pecos County continued to be based on farming, ranching, oil and gas production, and tourism. The Yates Oil Field in Crockett County, Texas and Pecos County in 1927 resulted in a financial boom period for the county. Towns such as Red Barn, Iraan (combination of the names Ira and Ann Yates) and Bakersfield rose up in response to oil-related employment opportunities. The population of the county more than doubled during the 1920s. Oil production helped to stabilize the local economy.
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