Sterling County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Sterling County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau
in the U.S. state
of Texas
. In 2000, its population was 1,393. Its county seat
is Sterling City
. The county is named for W. S. Sterling, an early settler in the area. Sterling County is one of 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.
, the county has a total area of 923 square miles (2,392 km²), virtually all of which is land.
of 2000, there were 1,393 people, 513 households, and 385 families residing in the county. The population density
was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 633 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.71% White
, 0.07% Black
or African American
, 0.29% Native American
, 0.07% Pacific Islander
, 11.84% from other races
, and 2.01% from two or more races. 31.01% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 513 households out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.10% were married couples
living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,129, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $28,173 versus $19,615 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $16,972. About 13.90% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.
included Comanche
, Lipan Apache, Kiowa
, and Kickapoo.
, no resulting settlement happened in the area.
Fur traders
, Texas Rangers, and federal troops passed through the area between 1800 and 1860. Settlers began arriving after the American Civil War
, after the demise of the buffalo
herds and the departure of Indian tribes. Indian fighter and buffalo hunter W. S. Sterling settled in the area circa 1858. Two decades later, Sterling became a U.S. Marshal
in Arizona
and was killed in an Apache
ambush near Fort Apache
. Fellow buffalo hunter S. J. Wiley also settled in the county about the same time as Sterling. According to legend, Frank and Jesse James hid out on Sterling Creek in the 1870s to raise horses and hunt buffalo. Camp Elizabeth began as a Texas Rangers camp circa 1853. It became an outpost hospital facility of Fort Concho
1874-1886. Large ranches and cattle drives to Colorado City
and Fort Worth
preceded homesteading in the county. By the 1880s homesteaders competed with ranchers for land. North Carolinian James Jefferson Lafayott Glass came to the county in 1883 and signed on with the Sterling Brothers’ Half Circle S spread. He and would later homestead on Lacy Creek.
The Constitution of 1845 embodied the homestead principle. The Constitution of 1876 defined the homestead as the family home on up to 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of rural land or urban land worth up to $5,000 (at the time of homestead designation) with its improvements and used as a family home or place of business.
s in Texas lasted for approximately five years, 1883-1888. As open range areas gave way to farming homesteaders who fenced their land, cattlemen found it more difficult to feed their herds. In some cases, large land owners would also fence public land as their property. As water and grass became more scarce in a drought, cowboys cut through fences. Newspapers condemned the fence cutters, and property owners employed their own armed security forces. Texas Governor John Ireland
prodded a special assembly to order the fence cutters to cease. In response, the legislature made fence-cutting and pasture-burning crimes punishable with prison time, while at the same time regulating fencing While the practice abated, sporadic incidents of related violence continued through 1888.
and Cummins for the county seat. Sterling City won, and most of the Cummins population moved to Sterling City by the end of the year. Cummins became a ghost town. County voters in 1898 elected to make Sterling a dry county
, prohibiting the sale of alcohol within its boundaries.
Sheep ranching was introduced to the area about 1890. County cotton was first planted in 1889. Sterling City opened its first cotton gin in 1895; with others established later. By 1900, 136 acre (0.55037296 km²) were planted in cotton, and by 1910 production of the fiber had expanded to 1626 acres (6.6 km²). Eventually, it became more evident that county lands were most suitable for grazing. The cotton gins eventually failed; by 1920 only 650 acres (2.6 km²) in Sterling County was planted in cotton. Ranching continued to expand in the county. Sterling County experienced a brief boom when the number of farms and ranches in the area increased from 131 in 1920 to 176 by 1925. The county's economy declined during the Great Depression
of the 1930s. Oil was discovered in Sterling County in 1947 and helped to bail out the area's declining economy. By the beginning of 1991, 286548000 barrels (45,557,491,407.7 l) of crude had been extracted from within the county.
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a region of west-central Texas which is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area...
in the U.S. state
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...
. In 2000, its population was 1,393. 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 Sterling City
Sterling City, Texas
Sterling City is a city in and the county seat of Sterling County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census, but had dropped to 982 by 2009....
. The county is named for W. S. Sterling, an early settler in the area. Sterling County is one of 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.
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 923 square miles (2,392 km²), virtually all of which is land.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 87
State Highway 158State Highway 158 (Texas)State Highway 158 or SH 158 is a state highway running from near Goldsmith, Texas eastward to Ballinger, Texas.-History:SH 158 was designated by 1933 on a route starting at Robert Lee travelling through Bronte then turning northeast, terminating at Abilene. The route was slowly built, being...
State Highway 163
Adjacent counties
- Mitchell County (north)
- Coke County (east)
- Tom Green County (south)
- Reagan CountyReagan County, TexasReagan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,326. The seat of the county is Big Lake. It is named in honor of John Henninger Reagan , who served as postmaster general of the Confederate States of America and also as a U.S....
(southwest) - Glasscock County (west)
- Howard County (northwest)
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 1,393 people, 513 households, and 385 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 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 633 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 85.71% 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...
, 0.07% 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...
, 0.29% 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...
, 0.07% Pacific Islander
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...
, 11.84% 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 2.01% from two or more races. 31.01% 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 513 households out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.10% 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, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,129, and the median income for a family was $37,813. Males had a median income of $28,173 versus $19,615 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 $16,972. About 13.90% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.
Native Americans
Original native Plains IndiansPlains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
included Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, Lipan Apache, Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, and Kickapoo.
Early Settlements
Although the county was part of the 1842 Fisher-Miller Land GrantFisher-Miller Land Grant
The Fisher-Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the Republic of Texas. Its 3,878,000 acres covered between the Llano River and Colorado River. Originally granted to Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller, the grant was sold to the German colonization company of Adelsverein...
, no resulting settlement happened in the area.
Fur traders
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
, Texas Rangers, and federal troops passed through the area between 1800 and 1860. Settlers began arriving after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, after the demise of the buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
herds and the departure of Indian tribes. Indian fighter and buffalo hunter W. S. Sterling settled in the area circa 1858. Two decades later, Sterling became a U.S. Marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and was killed in an Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
ambush near Fort Apache
Battle of Fort Apache
The Battle of Fort Apache was an engagement of the Apache Wars between the cavalry garrison of Fort Apache and dozens of mounted White Mountain Apache warriors...
. Fellow buffalo hunter S. J. Wiley also settled in the county about the same time as Sterling. According to legend, Frank and Jesse James hid out on Sterling Creek in the 1870s to raise horses and hunt buffalo. Camp Elizabeth began as a Texas Rangers camp circa 1853. It became an outpost hospital facility of Fort Concho
Fort Concho
Fort Concho is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated since 1935 by the city of San Angelo, the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas...
1874-1886. Large ranches and cattle drives to Colorado City
Colorado City, Texas
Colorado City is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,281 at the 2000 census....
and Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
preceded homesteading in the county. By the 1880s homesteaders competed with ranchers for land. North Carolinian James Jefferson Lafayott Glass came to the county in 1883 and signed on with the Sterling Brothers’ Half Circle S spread. He and would later homestead on Lacy Creek.
The Constitution of 1845 embodied the homestead principle. The Constitution of 1876 defined the homestead as the family home on up to 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of rural land or urban land worth up to $5,000 (at the time of homestead designation) with its improvements and used as a family home or place of business.
Fence Cutting Wars
The county suffered droughts in 1883 and 1886-87. The former ignited fence cutting wars in the county, and the latter of which bankrupted the Half Circle S ranch. Fence Cutting WarFence Cutting War
The Fence Cutting War occurred at the end of the 19th century and was a dispute between advocates of the open range, and ranchers who wished to fence off their property, all taking place in Texas.-War:...
s in Texas lasted for approximately five years, 1883-1888. As open range areas gave way to farming homesteaders who fenced their land, cattlemen found it more difficult to feed their herds. In some cases, large land owners would also fence public land as their property. As water and grass became more scarce in a drought, cowboys cut through fences. Newspapers condemned the fence cutters, and property owners employed their own armed security forces. Texas Governor John Ireland
John Ireland (politician)
John Ireland was the 18th Governor of Texas from 1883 to 1887. During Ireland's term, the University of Texas was established, and construction on the Texas State Capitol began...
prodded a special assembly to order the fence cutters to cease. In response, the legislature made fence-cutting and pasture-burning crimes punishable with prison time, while at the same time regulating fencing While the practice abated, sporadic incidents of related violence continued through 1888.
County Established and Growth
The county was established and organized in 1891 from Tom Green County. A competition developed between Sterling CitySterling City, Texas
Sterling City is a city in and the county seat of Sterling County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census, but had dropped to 982 by 2009....
and Cummins for the county seat. Sterling City won, and most of the Cummins population moved to Sterling City by the end of the year. Cummins became a ghost town. County voters in 1898 elected to make Sterling a dry county
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...
, prohibiting the sale of alcohol within its boundaries.
Sheep ranching was introduced to the area about 1890. County cotton was first planted in 1889. Sterling City opened its first cotton gin in 1895; with others established later. By 1900, 136 acre (0.55037296 km²) were planted in cotton, and by 1910 production of the fiber had expanded to 1626 acres (6.6 km²). Eventually, it became more evident that county lands were most suitable for grazing. The cotton gins eventually failed; by 1920 only 650 acres (2.6 km²) in Sterling County was planted in cotton. Ranching continued to expand in the county. Sterling County experienced a brief boom when the number of farms and ranches in the area increased from 131 in 1920 to 176 by 1925. The county's economy declined during 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...
of the 1930s. Oil was discovered in Sterling County in 1947 and helped to bail out the area's declining economy. By the beginning of 1991, 286548000 barrels (45,557,491,407.7 l) of crude had been extracted from within the county.