Crosby County, Texas

{{Infobox U.S. county

| county = Crosby County

| state = Texas

| seal =

| founded = 1886

| named for = Stephen Crosby

| seat wl = Crosbyton

| largest city wl = Ralls

| area_total_sq_mi = 902

| area_land_sq_mi = 900

| area_water_sq_mi = 1.5

| area percentage = 0.2%

| census yr = 2020

| pop = 5133

| density_sq_mi = 5.7

| web = www.co.crosby.tx.us|

| ex image = Crosby County Texas courthouse 2020.jpg

| ex image size = 250

| ex image cap = Crosby County Courthouse in Crosbyton

| time zone = Central

| district = 19th

}}

Crosby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,133.{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Crosby County, Texas|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/crosbycountytexas/PST120221|access-date=January 31, 2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}{{Cite web|title=Crosby County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US48107|website=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=January 30, 2022}} The county seat is Crosbyton.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }} The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1886.{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=Texas: Individual County Chronologies|work=Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=The Newberry Library|date=2008|access-date=May 21, 2015|archive-date=May 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513024355/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}} Both the county and its seat are named for Stephen Crosby, a land commissioner in Texas.

Crosby County, along with Lubbock and Lynn Counties, is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Lubbock MSA and Levelland Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), encompassing only Hockley County, form the larger Lubbock–Levelland Combined Statistical Area.

Until the passage of a referendum to permit liquor sales, held on May 11, 2013, Crosby County had been one of 19 remaining prohibition or entirely dry counties within Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/local_option_elections/index.asp |title=TABC Local Option Elections General Information |access-date=May 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516154641/http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/local_option_elections/index.asp |archive-date=May 16, 2014 }} That same day, voters in Denver City and Yoakum County also approved separate referendums to permit liquor sales. The number of prohibition counties in Texas at that time hence dropped to 17.{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/|title=Voters approve sales of alcohol in three elections|publisher=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, May 12, 2013|access-date=May 13, 2013}} Part of the large Matador Ranch of West Texas extends into the county.{{cite web|url= http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/alyssa-dizon/2011-04-04/cattle-raisers-honor-matador-ranch-rangeland-management|title=Alyssa Dizon, "Cattle raisers honor Matador Ranch with rangeland management award"|publisher=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, April 4, 2011|access-date=April 29, 2011}}

History

Around 11,000 BC, Paleo-Indians were the first inhabitants. Archeological artifacts indicate hunter-gatherers hunted the mammoth, mastodon, saber-toothed cat, and giant ground sloth. Later Native American inhabitants included the Comanche.{{cite web|last=Leffler|first=John|title=Crosby County, Texas|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc27|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 16, 2010}}

In 1871, Ranald S. Mackenzie fought Quanah Parker and other Comanches at the Battle of Blanco Canyon. The campaign established the Mackenzie Trail used by the first settlers in Crosby County in the late 1870s.{{cite book|last=Gwynne|first=S. C. |title=Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History|year=2010|publisher=Scribner|isbn=978-1-4165-9105-4|pages=10, 11}}

The Texas Legislature formed Crosby County from Young and Bexar districts in 1876. Bavarian Heinrich Schmidtt (Henry “Hank” Clay Smith) and his wife Elizabeth Boyle and their six children became the first permanent settlers in the area in 1878; Hank was active in the county's organization.{{cite book|last=Rodenberger |first=Lou Halsell |title=Writing on the Wind: An Anthology Of West Texas Women Writers|year=2005|publisher=Texas Tech University Press|isbn=978-0-89672-548-5|chapter=Elizabeth Boyle (Aunt Hank) Smith|author2=Butler, Laura Payne |author3=Kolosoy, Jacqueline |page=174}}{{cite web|title=Smith, Henry Clay (1836–1912) – Crosbyton, Crosby County, Texas|url=http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5107002477|work=Texas Historical Markers|publisher=William Nienke, Sam Morrow|access-date=December 16, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314205102/http://www.9key.com/markers/marker_detail.asp?atlas_number=5107002477|archive-date=March 14, 2012}}{{cite web|last=Pearce|first=William M|title=Henry Clay Smith|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fsm24|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 16, 2010}}

Confederate veteran Paris Cox first visited the Caprock Escarpment of the Llano Estacado with a group of buffalo hunters in 1879.{{cite web|last=Lively|first=Jeanne F|title=Paris Cox|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fco86|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 16, 2010}} Estacado was named the county seat in 1886.{{cite web|title=Estacado, Texas|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Estacado-Texas.htm|work=Texas Escapes|publisher=Texas Escapes – Blueprints For Travel, LLC|access-date=December 16, 2010}} By 1900, the beef industry was thriving, supporting 30,618 head.

The country and western song (Ghost) Riders in the Sky was inspired by a legend of a stampede that took place in Crosby County in 1889[https://texashillcountry.com/legend-ghost-riders/ The Haunting Legend of ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’ is Based on a True Story]

In 1908, the Bar-N-Bar Ranch began selling acreage to farmers.

Crosbyton became the new county seat in 1910.{{cite web|title=Crosbyton, Texas|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/CrosbytonTexas.htm|work=Texas Escapes|publisher=Texas Escapes – Blueprints For Travel, LLC|access-date=December 16, 2010}} Some {{convert|45400|acre|km2}} in the county were planted in cotton, and 15,000 apple and peach trees were growing in the county in 1920. By 1929, farmers owned 83,000 chickens and sold 395,000 dozen eggs that year.

The first soil conservation district in the county was formed in 1941. In 1955, oil was discovered in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|902|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|900|sqmi}} are land and {{convert|1.5|sqmi}} (0.2%) are covered by water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 21, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}

=Major highways=

=Adjacent counties=

Floyd County (north)
Motley County (northeast)
Dickens County (east)
Kent County (southeast)
Garza County (south)
Lynn County (southwest)
Lubbock County (west)
Hale County (northwest)

=Geographic features=

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1880= 82

|1890= 346

|1900= 788

|1910= 1765

|1920= 6084

|1930= 11023

|1940= 10046

|1950= 9582

|1960= 10347

|1970= 9085

|1980= 8859

|1990= 7304

|2000= 7072

|2010= 6059

|2020= 5133

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=}}
1850–2010{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010|publisher=Texas Almanac|access-date=April 21, 2015}} 2010 2020

}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Crosby County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Crosby County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48107&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Crosby County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48107&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Crosby County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48107&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!% 2000

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

White alone (NH)

|3,301

|2,625

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,076

|46.68%

|43.32%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |40.44%

Black or African American alone (NH)

|262

|199

|style='background: #ffffe6; |117

|3.70%

|3.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.28%

Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|11

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.16%

|0.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

Asian alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12

|0.03%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%

Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.07%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.00%

|0.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.12%

Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|31

|37

|style='background: #ffffe6; |85

|0.44%

|0.61%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.66%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|3,460

|3,171

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,829

|48.93%

|52.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.11%

Total

|7,072

|6,059

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,133

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, 7,072 people, 2,512 households, and 1,866 families resided in the county. The population density was {{convert|8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|spell=in}}. The 3,202 housing units averaged {{convert|4|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|spell=in}}. The racial makeup of the county was 63.77% White, 3.89% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 29.89% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. About 48.93% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,512 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county, the population was distributed as 30.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,769, and for a family was $29,891. Males had a median income of $23,775 versus $17,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,445. About 22.6% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

=Cities=

Crosbyton (county seat)
Lorenzo
Ralls

=Unincorporated communities=

=Ghost towns=

Education

School districts serving the county include:{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48107_crosby/DC20SD_C48107.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48107_crosby/DC20SD_C48107.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Crosby County, TX|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=June 29, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48107_crosby/DC20SD_C48107_SD2MS.txt list]

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]

Gallery

File:Mt Blanco 2005.jpg|Mount Blanco

File:Blanco Canyon in Crosby County Texas 2009.jpg|Blanco Canyon

File:Llano_Estacado_Caprock_Escarpment_south_of_Ralls_TX_2009.jpg|Caprock Escarpment south of Ralls

Politics

Republican Drew Springer Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Crosby County in the Texas House of Representatives.{{cite web|url=http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/adam-d-young/2013-07-16/state-rep-springer-announces-district-tour-july-30#.UefOvhUo45s|title=State Rep. Springer announces district tour July 30|publisher=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, July 16, 2013|access-date=July 18, 2013}}

{{PresHead|place=Crosby County, Texas|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 21, 2018}}}}

References

External links

[http://www.panhandleplains.org/ Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20180516071834/http://www.co.crosby.tx.us/ Crosby County government’s website]
{{Handbook of Texas|id=hcc27|name=Crosby County, Texas}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130801103245/http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48107 Crosby County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20170809090025/https://www.lbk.ars.usda.gov/WEWC/llano/estacado.htm Photos of the Llano Estacado]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Crosby County, Texas

|North = Floyd County

|Northeast =

|East = Dickens County

|Southeast =

|South = Garza County

|Southwest =

|West = Lubbock County

|Northwest =

}}

{{Coord|33.61|-101.30|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}