Hemphill County, Texas
Hemphill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,351. It is named for John Hemphill, a judge and Confederate congressman. Hemphill County is one of 30[1] prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas. The county seat and only incorporated community in the county is Canadian[2].
Contents |
Early history
For the two hundred years leading up to 1875, nomadic Indian tribes representing the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and others roamed the Panhandle following the huge buffalo herds. In search for an alternate route to California through Santa Fe, Josiah Gregg (1840), and Capt. Randolph Marcy (1845) surveyed trails that crossed Hemphill County, following the south bank of the Canadian River.
The battles of the Red River War of 1875-1876, an effort by the United States Army to contain the Indians in the Panhandle, took place. In September, 1874, two of thee major battles occurred in what would become Hemphill County: the Battle of Lyman’s Wagon Train and the Battle of Buffalo Wallow.
On April 12, 1879, Wheeler County became the first organized county in the Panhandle, with 14 other unorganized counties attached to it, one of which was Hemphill County. Hemphill County was later organized in July, 1887.
On July 4, 1888, the first rodeo in Texas and perhaps the world was held on the Main Street of Canadian, Texas. It began as a competition among some of the larger ranches in the area the annual Fourth of July Rodeo continues in present times.
An emphasis on eco-tourism, taking advantage of the incredible landscape and habitat has diversified the economy of Hemphill County. Farmers and ranchers continue efforts to preserve the land and habitat for future generations.
Santa Fe Railroad Influence
In 1886, the Southern Kansas Railway Company, a Santa Fe subsidiary, began to build a rail line into the Panhandle of Texas. The tracks entered Hemphill County during 1887 and further encouraged settlement in the area creating three town sites: Mendota, Canadian, and Glazier.
Canadian was designated a division point by the Santa Fe in 1907 diversifying the principally ranching economy present up to that time. The Santa Fe influence would remain very strong until the mid 1950s when Santa Fe moved its employees to Amarillo.
Oil Production
During the 1970s, the county grew, thanks to a rapid expansion of oil production. Though oil was discovered in the county in 1955, production remained relatively small because the technology had not yet progressed to efficiently capture the very deep reserves known to exist. By 1974, oil production had reached 999,000 barrels and more than 1,891,000 barrels in 1978. 2000 about 505,000 barrels of oil and more than 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas were produced in the county but the future looked very bright.
The Abraham dynasty
One of Hemphill County's well-known citizens was Tom Abraham (1910•2007), an immigrant from Lebanon. A department store owner and civic booster in Canadian, Abraham also worked to assist immigrants in becoming American citizen.
Abraham's younger brother, Malouf Abraham, Sr., was a wealthy oil and natural gas developer and philanthropist who served as mayor of Canadian in the 1950s and in the Texas House of Representatives in the 1960s.
Malouf Abraham, Jr., is a retired allergist from Canadian and a major patron of the arts. He is building a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) home and art museum in Canadian, which will be called the "Citadel". Malouf, Jr., and his wife, the former Therese Browne of North Carolina, have three sons, a part of the fourth generation of Abrahams in Canadian. Eddie Abraham is a cattle-calf rancher; Salem Andrew Abraham is a futures trader. Jason Abraham operates a large horse ranch.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 912 square miles (2,362 km²), of which, 910 square miles (2,356 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (0.26%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Lipscomb County (north)
- Ellis County, Oklahoma (northeast)
- Roger Mills County, Oklahoma (southeast)
- Wheeler County (south)
- Roberts County (west)
National protected area
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 3,351 people, 1,280 households, and 948 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,548 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.65% White, 1.55% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.48% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 15.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,280 households out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,456, and the median income for a family was $42,036. Males had a median income of $31,154 versus $19,423 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,929. About 10.90% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.70% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
See also
References
- ^ http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/local_option_elections/index.asp
- ^ . National Association of Counties. . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Hemphill County from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Canadian Chamber of Commerce
- River Valley Pioneer Museum
- The Citadelle Art Foundation
- Canadian Independent School District
- The Canadian Record
| Lipscomb County | Ellis County, Oklahoma | |||
| Roberts County | ||||
| Hemphill County, Texas | ||||
| Wheeler County | Roger Mills County, Oklahoma |
|
||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 35°50′N 100°17′W / 35.83°N 100.28°W
Categories: Texas counties | Hemphill County, Texas Served by srv242 in 0.044 secs. -->