Hudspeth County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Hudspeth County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Texas
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
region of West Texas
. As of 2000, the population was 3,344. By 2010, the population had increased to 3,476. Its county seat
is Sierra Blanca
. The largest city is Fort Hancock
. The county is named for Claude Benton Hudspeth
, a state senator
and United States Representative from El Paso
.
, the county has a total area of 4572 square miles (11,841.4 km²), of which 4571 square miles (11,838.8 km²) is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) (0.02%) is water. Part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park
lies in the northeast corner of the county.
of 2000, there were 3,344 people, 1,092 households, and 841 families residing in the county. The population density
was 0.7 people per square mile (0.3/km²). There were 1,471 housing units at an average density of 0.3 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.23% White
, 0.33% Black
or African American
, 1.41% Native American
, 0.18% Asian
, 8.76% from other races
, and 2.09% from two or more races. 75.03% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,092 households out of which 45.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples
living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the county, the population was spread out with 34.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,045, and the median income for a family was $22,314. Males had a median income of $22,862 versus $18,594 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $9,549. About 32.60% of families and 35.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.30% of those under age 18 and 42.60% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income
makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.
, based in Fort Hancock
, covers the western part of the county, along the El Paso County line from the Mexican border to the New Mexico state line. A strip along the Culberson County line in the eastern part of Hudspeth County which includes Allamoore is served by the Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District
based in Van Horn
. Most of the northern part of the county is served by the Dell City Independent School District
, based in Dell City
. Most of the southern part of the county is served by the Sierra Blanca Independent School District
, based in Sierra Blanca
.
Jornada Mogollón peoples were practicing agriculture in the Rio Grande floodplain A.D. 900–1350. These people left behind artifacts and pictographs
as evidence of their presence.
The Rodriguez-Sanchez Expedition of 1581 encountered friendly Indians bestowing gifts upon the explorers. Antonio de Espejo
1582-83 expedition encountered Otomoaco Indians in the county.
The Mescalero Apache
frequented the area to irrigate their crops. In 1849 John Salmon "RIP" Ford explored the area between San Antonio
and El Paso
noting in his mapped report the productive land upon which the Mescalero Indians farmed. By the mid-17th Century the Mescaleros expanded their territory to the Plains Navajos
and Pueblos from the Guadalupes, and El Paso del Norte
. Their feared presence in the area deterred white settlers. January 1870, a group of soldiers attacked a Mescalero Apache village near Delaware Creek in the Guadalupe Mountains. July 1880 soldiers at Tinaja de las Palmas attacked a group of Mescaleros led by Chief Victorio
. August 1880, Buffalo Soldiers ambushed Victorio at Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio retreated to Mexico and was killed in October by Mexican soldiers. Two weeks later, Apaches killed seven Buffalo Soldiers
, members of the famous black Tenth United States Cavalry.
. Hudspeth became known as a place travelers passed through, on their way to somewhere else. Fort Quitman
was established in 1858 to provide protection for travelers.
Lt. Francis Theodore Bryan camped at Guadalupe Pass
while exploring a route from San Antonio to El Paso via Fredericksburg
. Upon reaching El Paso in July 1849 his report recommended sink wells along the route. July 1848, Secretary of War William L. Marcy
wanted a military post established on the north side of the Rio Grande
. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne was sent out in 1849 to establish Marcy's goal.
John Russell Bartlett
, was commissioned in 1850 to carry out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
. Bartlett declared the Guadalupe Mountains
dark and gloomy, and proposed a transcontinental railroad be built south of the peaks. Three years later, Capt. John Pope
was sent to scout out a railroad route, and in the succeeding year to search for artesian water supplies. Texas Commissioner Robert Simpson Neighbors was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
in 1850 to organize El Paso.
The Butterfield Overland Mail
and the San Antonio-San Diego Mail both serviced the area 1857-1861. These mail coaches provided a means for travelers to reach California in 27 days, if the passenger had the $200 for a one-way fare and was courageous enough to withstand the weather and dangers enroute.
Men from San Elizario and the other villages along the Rio Grande near El Paso had become dependent on the salt trade for their livelihoods. After the Civil War they broke a road from Fort Quitman to the Salt Basin in northeastern Hudspeth County. But Anglo politicians tried to capitalize on this trade by asserting ownership of the salt lakes and levying fees on the traders. The result was the 7-year San Elizario Salt War
, which heightened tensions between Mexicans and Americans in the 1870s.
Rival railway companies began competing for rights of way. The Texas and Pacific Railway
and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway eventually reached an agreement to share the tracks, with a number of towns arising along the way
Hudspeth was formed in 1917 from El Paso. Sierra Blanca
was named the county seat, and has the only adobe courthouse in the state of Texas.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
Trans-Pecos
The term Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, refers to the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with "Far West Texas", a subdivision of West Texas...
region of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. As of 2000, the population was 3,344. By 2010, the population had increased to 3,476. Its 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....
is Sierra Blanca
Sierra Blanca, Texas
Sierra Blanca is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census, and had decreased to 510 according to a July 2007 estimate....
. The largest city is Fort Hancock
Fort Hancock, Texas
Fort Hancock is a census-designated place in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2000 census. Fort Hancock and El Porvenir, Chihuahua area is connected by the Fort Hancock-El Porvenir International Bridge.-Geography:...
. The county is named for Claude Benton Hudspeth
Claude Benton Hudspeth
Claude Benton Hudspeth was an American rancher, lawyer, and statesman from El Paso, Texas. He represented Texas in the U.S. Congress from 1919 to 1931....
, a state senator
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
and United States Representative from El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 4572 square miles (11,841.4 km²), of which 4571 square miles (11,838.8 km²) is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) (0.02%) is water. Part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland...
lies in the northeast corner of the county.
Major highways
Interstate 10
U.S. Highway 62/U.S. Highway 180
State Highway 20State Highway 20 (Texas)State Highway 20 or SH 20 is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation that runs from New Mexico State Road 460 at the state line between Texas and New Mexico at Anthony in El Paso County to Interstate 10 at McNary in Hudspeth County. The route passes through the city of El...
Adjacent counties and municipios
- Otero County, New MexicoOtero County, New Mexico-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.7% White*3.5% Black*6.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.2% Two or more races*11.2% Other races*34.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
(north) - Culberson CountyCulberson County, TexasCulberson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,975. Culberson was founded in 1911. It is named for David B. Culberson, a lawyer and Confederate soldier in the American...
(east) - Jeff Davis CountyJeff Davis County, TexasJeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
(southeast) - El Paso County (west)
- Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico (south)
- Práxedis G. Guerrero, ChihuahuaPráxedis G. Guerrero (municipality)Práxedis G. Guerrero is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Práxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua. The municipality covers an area of 808.97 km² and stands on the US border close to Ciudad Juárez.-Name:...
, Mexico (south)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,344 people, 1,092 households, and 841 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 0.7 people per square mile (0.3/km²). There were 1,471 housing units at an average density of 0.3 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.23% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.33% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.41% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.18% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 8.76% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.09% from two or more races. 75.03% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,092 households out of which 45.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.56.
In the county, the population was spread out with 34.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 20.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,045, and the median income for a family was $22,314. Males had a median income of $22,862 versus $18,594 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $9,549. About 32.60% of families and 35.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.30% of those under age 18 and 42.60% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.
Education
Hudspeth County is served by four school districts. The Fort Hancock Independent School DistrictFort Hancock Independent School District
Fort Hancock Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Fort Hancock, Texas .The district has three campuses - Fort Hancock High , Fort Hancock Middle , and Benito Martinez Elementary .During the late 1980s and early 1990s Fort Hancock was a powerhouse in...
, based in Fort Hancock
Fort Hancock, Texas
Fort Hancock is a census-designated place in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2000 census. Fort Hancock and El Porvenir, Chihuahua area is connected by the Fort Hancock-El Porvenir International Bridge.-Geography:...
, covers the western part of the county, along the El Paso County line from the Mexican border to the New Mexico state line. A strip along the Culberson County line in the eastern part of Hudspeth County which includes Allamoore is served by the Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District
Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District
Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District is a public school district based in Van Horn, Texas .The district serves all of Culberson County and eastern portions of Hudspeth County....
based in Van Horn
Van Horn, Texas
Van Horn is a town in and the county seat of Culberson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Van Horn is located at ....
. Most of the northern part of the county is served by the Dell City Independent School District
Dell City Independent School District
Dell City Independent School District is a public school district based in Dell City, Texas .The district operates the Dell City School, which covers grades Kindergarten through 12....
, based in Dell City
Dell City, Texas
Dell City is a city in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 413 at the 2000 census.It was incorporated in 1948 shortly after the discovery of an underground water supply by oil prospectors, which attracted farmers to the area...
. Most of the southern part of the county is served by the Sierra Blanca Independent School District
Sierra Blanca Independent School District
Sierra Blanca Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Sierra Blanca, Texas .The district has one school that serves students in grades kindergarten through twelve....
, based in Sierra Blanca
Sierra Blanca, Texas
Sierra Blanca is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census, and had decreased to 510 according to a July 2007 estimate....
.
Native Americans
PrehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
Jornada Mogollón peoples were practicing agriculture in the Rio Grande floodplain A.D. 900–1350. These people left behind artifacts and pictographs
Pictogram
A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...
as evidence of their presence.
The Rodriguez-Sanchez Expedition of 1581 encountered friendly Indians bestowing gifts upon the explorers. Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition into New Mexico and Arizona in 1582-1583. The expedition created interest in establishing a Spanish colony among the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande valley.-Life:...
1582-83 expedition encountered Otomoaco Indians in the county.
The Mescalero Apache
Mescalero
Mescalero is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southcentral New Mexico...
frequented the area to irrigate their crops. In 1849 John Salmon "RIP" Ford explored the area between San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
noting in his mapped report the productive land upon which the Mescalero Indians farmed. By the mid-17th Century the Mescaleros expanded their territory to the Plains Navajos
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
and Pueblos from the Guadalupes, and El Paso del Norte
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
. Their feared presence in the area deterred white settlers. January 1870, a group of soldiers attacked a Mescalero Apache village near Delaware Creek in the Guadalupe Mountains. July 1880 soldiers at Tinaja de las Palmas attacked a group of Mescaleros led by Chief Victorio
Victorio
Victorio was a warrior and chief of the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua Apaches in what is now the American states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua....
. August 1880, Buffalo Soldiers ambushed Victorio at Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio retreated to Mexico and was killed in October by Mexican soldiers. Two weeks later, Apaches killed seven Buffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
, members of the famous black Tenth United States Cavalry.
County explored and settled
The demand for new routes from Texas to California caused an uptick in explorations. The San Antonio to El Paso leg of the San Antonio-California Trail was surveyed in 1848 under the direction of John Coffee HaysJohn Coffee Hays
Col. John Coffee "Jack" Hays was a Texas Ranger captain and military officer of the Republic of Texas. Hays served in several armed conflicts, including the Indian and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
. Hudspeth became known as a place travelers passed through, on their way to somewhere else. Fort Quitman
Fort Quitman
Fort Quitman was a United States Army installation on the Rio Grande in Texas, south of present-day Sierra Blanca, twenty miles southeast of McNary in southern Hudspeth County. The fort was named for Mississippi Governor John A...
was established in 1858 to provide protection for travelers.
Lt. Francis Theodore Bryan camped at Guadalupe Pass
Guadalupe Pass
Guadalupe Pass is a mountain pass in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas traversed by U.S. Highway 62-180 connecting El Paso, Texas with Carlsbad, New Mexico....
while exploring a route from San Antonio to El Paso via Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
. Upon reaching El Paso in July 1849 his report recommended sink wells along the route. July 1848, Secretary of War William L. Marcy
William L. Marcy
William Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:...
wanted a military post established on the north side of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne was sent out in 1849 to establish Marcy's goal.
John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett was an American historian and linguist.-Biography:Bartlett was born in Providence, Rhode Island...
, was commissioned in 1850 to carry out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
. Bartlett declared the Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, as well as Carlsbad Caverns...
dark and gloomy, and proposed a transcontinental railroad be built south of the peaks. Three years later, Capt. John Pope
John Pope (military officer)
John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.Pope was a graduate of the United States Military Academy in...
was sent to scout out a railroad route, and in the succeeding year to search for artesian water supplies. Texas Commissioner Robert Simpson Neighbors was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Governor of Texas and represented the state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Background:Bell was born March 11, 1810 in Culpeper County, Virginia...
in 1850 to organize El Paso.
The Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
and the San Antonio-San Diego Mail both serviced the area 1857-1861. These mail coaches provided a means for travelers to reach California in 27 days, if the passenger had the $200 for a one-way fare and was courageous enough to withstand the weather and dangers enroute.
Men from San Elizario and the other villages along the Rio Grande near El Paso had become dependent on the salt trade for their livelihoods. After the Civil War they broke a road from Fort Quitman to the Salt Basin in northeastern Hudspeth County. But Anglo politicians tried to capitalize on this trade by asserting ownership of the salt lakes and levying fees on the traders. The result was the 7-year San Elizario Salt War
San Elizario Salt War
The San Elizario Salt War, also known as the Salinero Revolt or the El Paso Salt War, was an extended and complex political, social and military conflict over ownership and control of immense salt lakes at the base of the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas...
, which heightened tensions between Mexicans and Americans in the 1870s.
Rival railway companies began competing for rights of way. The Texas and Pacific Railway
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway eventually reached an agreement to share the tracks, with a number of towns arising along the way
Hudspeth was formed in 1917 from El Paso. Sierra Blanca
Sierra Blanca, Texas
Sierra Blanca is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census, and had decreased to 510 according to a July 2007 estimate....
was named the county seat, and has the only adobe courthouse in the state of Texas.
Cities and towns
- AllamooreAllamoore, TexasAllamoore is a small, unincorporated community in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. It is located just north of Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 80, approximately southeast of Sierra Blanca and west of Van Horn....
- Dell CityDell City, TexasDell City is a city in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 413 at the 2000 census.It was incorporated in 1948 shortly after the discovery of an underground water supply by oil prospectors, which attracted farmers to the area...
- Fort HancockFort Hancock, TexasFort Hancock is a census-designated place in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2000 census. Fort Hancock and El Porvenir, Chihuahua area is connected by the Fort Hancock-El Porvenir International Bridge.-Geography:...
- Salt FlatSalt Flat, TexasSalt Flat is an unincorporated community in northeastern Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. It lies along the concurrent U.S. Routes 62 and 180 north of the CDP of Sierra Blanca, the county seat of Hudspeth County. Its elevation is 3,730 feet . Although Salt Flat is unincorporated, it...
- Sierra BlancaSierra Blanca, TexasSierra Blanca is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census, and had decreased to 510 according to a July 2007 estimate....
External links
- Historic Hudspeth County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.