Jeff Davis County, Texas

See also Jeff Davis County.

Jeff 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. Its seat is Fort Davis.

The county contains the 270,000-acre (1,100 km²) Texas Davis Mountains American Viticultural Area, though only about 50 acres (0.2 km²) is currently under vine. The McDonald Observatory is located near Fort Davis, and is owned by the University of Texas at Austin.

History

Native Americans

Prehistoric peoples camped at Phantom Lake Spring,^[1] in northeastern Jeff Davis County, and may have used the springs for irrigation. Indian pictographs in The Painted Comanche Camp of Limpia Canyon were discovered by the Whiting and Smith Expedition of 1849. ^[2]

August 1861, Mescalero Apaches under Chief Nicolas made an attack on Fort Davis, driving off livestock and killing three people. In the ensuing chase by the cavalry, Nicolas ambushed the soldiers, killing them all. ^[3] September 1868 at Horsehead Hills, a group of volunteer Mexicans and Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Davis attacked and destroyed a Mescalero village to recover captives and stolen livestock.^[4] 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 lead by Chief Victorio.^[5] August 1880, Buffalo Soldiers ambushed Victorio at Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio retreated to Mexico and was killed in October by Mexican soldiers. ^[6] The last Indian depredation in the area was at Barry Scobee Mountain in 1881. ^[7]

Early Days

In March 1849 lieutenants William H. C. Whiting and William F. Smith were sent out by Maj. Gen. William J. Worth of the Texas 8th Military Department to look for a route from San Antonio to El Paso del Norte. ^[8] A second party, led by Dr. John S. Ford and financed by a group of Austin merchants, pioneered a trail that ran north of the Davis Mountains before turning southward toward El Paso. June 1849 Lt. Col. Joseph E. Johnston, attached to Bvt. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne’s battalion, was sent for additional surveying. At El Paso, Horne established Fort Bliss.

Texas Ranger Big Foot Wallace escorted the San Antonio-El Paso Mail coach through the mountains.

Fort Davis was established in 1854 ^[9]:

Head Quarters, Department of Texas Painted Camp on the "Limpia" October 23d, 1854 Order No. 129 Lieutenant Colonel Washington Seawell with his command of six companies of the 8th Infantry will occupy the Camp where he is at present in position, which will be called "Fort Davis," where he will proceed to make his command as comfortable as circumstances will admit of for the winter. He will immediately make requisitions for the necessary stores, provisions and forage for the half year commencing November 1st next, drawing as little as possible upon forage already, and about, to be delivered. Preparations will be made for an additional quantity of provisions, supplies and forage for detachments which may shortly be expected for service in the field. By order of Bvt. Maj. Gen'l Smith A. GIBBS Bvt. Capt. A.D.C. & A.A.A.G.

The land was leased from Surveyor John James^[10] at $300 a year. ^[11] The fort was surrendered to the Confederacy in 1861, and abandoned in 1862 after Confederate defeat at Glorieta Pass, New Mexico, but was re-occupied by Federal troops July 1, 1867.

County Established and Growth

The legislature established Jeff Davis County on March 15, 1887. Fort Davis^[12] was named county seat.

Cattle ranchers began operating in the county in the 1880s. The towns of Valentine^[13] and Chispa^[14] became supply centers for the ranchers and later railroad stops. Fort Davis has always been the county's largest town. By 1970 Madera Springs^[15] was known as the smallest town in Texas.

Fort Davis National Historic Site was established in 1961. Davis Mountains State Park opened to the public in the 1930’s.^[16] The Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute arboretum was established in 1974.^[17]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,265 sq mi (5,870 km²), with a total area of 0.01% water. The county is home to the Davis Mountains, the highest mountain range located entirely within the state of Texas.

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• U.S. Route 90
• State Highway 17
• State Highway 118
• State Highway 166

Adjacent counties and municipios

• Reeves County (northeast)
• Pecos County (east)
• Brewster County (southeast)
• Presidio County (southwest)
• Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico (west)
• Hudspeth County (west)
• Culberson County (northwest)

Protected areas

• Fort Davis National Historic Site, National Park Service
• Davis Mountains State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
• Davis Mountains Preserve, The Nature Conservancy of Texas

Demographics

US Census^[18] 2000

The average housing unit density in the county was of less than 1/sq mi (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.53% White, 0.91% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 5.17% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. 35.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 896 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 30.00% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 104.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,212, and the median income for a family was $39,083. Males had a median income of $27,011 versus $21,384 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,846. About 14.10% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Fort Davis
• Valentine

Education

Western Jeff Davis County is served by the Valentine Independent School District, while central and eastern Jeff Davis County is served by the Fort Davis Independent School District.

Jeff Davis County in popular culture

The musical group The Mountain Goats recorded a song called Jeff Davis County Blues on their 2002 album All Hail West Texas.

References

1. ^ Handbook of Texas, Phantom Lake Spring [1]
2. ^ TexasBeyondHistory, The Painted Comanche Camp[2]
3. ^ NPS.gov, Fort Davis Indian War [3]
4. ^ US Army, The Ninth Regiment [4]
5. ^ King Snake, Chief Victorio [5]
6. ^ Buffalo Soldier, Victorio’s War [6]
7. ^ Texas Historical Marker, Barry Scobee Mountain [7]
8. ^ Handbook of Texas, Jeff Davis [8]
9. ^ NPS Fort Davis [9]
10. ^ Handbook of Texas, John James [10]
11. ^ NPS Leasing of Fort Davis [11]
12. ^ Texas Escapes, Fort Davis [12]
13. ^ Texas Escapes, Valentine [13]
14. ^ Texas Escapes, Chipsa [14]
15. ^ Handbook of Texas, Madera Springs [15]
16. ^ TPWD Davis Mountains [16]
17. ^ Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute [17]
18. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

• Jeff Davis County Government
• Jeff Davis County from the Handbook of Texas Online
• TXGenWeb Project for Jeff Davis
• Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce
• West Texas Weekly- a local weekly newspaper.

Coordinates: 30°43′N 104°08′W / 30.72°N 104.13°W

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