Gail is a Census Designated Place in Borden County

Borden County, Texas

Borden County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 729. Its county seat is Gail. Gail and Borden County are named for Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Located at the junction of U.S. Highway 180

U.S. Route 180

U.S. Route 180 is an east–west United States highway. Like many three-digit routes, US 180 no longer meets its "parent", US 80. US 80 was decommissioned west of Mesquite, Texas, and was replaced in Texas by Interstate 20 and Interstate 10. The highway's eastern terminus is in Hudson Oaks,...

 and Farm to Market Road 669

Farm to Market Road 669

Farm to Market Road 669 is a Farm to Market Road in West Texas. It extends in a northerly direction for from Big Spring in Howard County to Post in Garza County....

, it is the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Borden County. The town and county are named for Gail Borden, Jr., of Houston

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, the inventor of condensed milk

Condensed milk

Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...

. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 236.

History

Founded in 1891 to coincide with the organization of Borden County, Gail has served as county seat for the duration of its existence. Borden County had remained quite sparsely populated until 1903, when the locally famed "War of Ribbons", inspired by a state sanctioned land grab, took place. The conflict took its name from the practice of established ranchers displaying their affiliation and identity by way of a blue ribbon on their sleeves, whereas new settlers to the area designated theirs with a similarly placed red ribbon. By 1910, Gail was home to more than 700 residents, and though this would fall to 600 by 1912 the community remained the economic and governmental hub of Borden County.

Changes in agricultural practices and patterns coupled with the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 brought any prosperity the town and county might have had to an abrupt halt, however, and by 1936 Gail's population had dwindled to 250 residents. By 1980 this had fallen to around 190 but the census of 2010 counted 236 residents in Gail.

Places of interest

• Borden County Courthouse
• Borden County Historical Museum
• J.B. Thomas Lake
• Scenic Drive on Farm to Market Road 669
  Farm to Market Road 669
  Farm to Market Road 669 is a Farm to Market Road in West Texas. It extends in a northerly direction for from Big Spring in Howard County to Post in Garza County....
  
  

External links

• Handbook of Texas Online entry for Gail