Armstrong County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. It is in the
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...
and its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is
Claude Claude may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Claude (surname), a list of people
* Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...
.
As of the
2020 census, its population was 1,848.
Armstrong County is included in the
Amarillo metropolitan area.
The county was formed in 1876 and later organized in 1890. It was named for one of several
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
pioneer families named Armstrong.
History
Native Americans
Paleo-Indians first inhabitants as far back as 10,000 BC.
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...
an cultures roamed the county until
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
dominated around 1700. The Comanches were defeated by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
in the
Red River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains, and forcibly relocate the tribes to reservatio ...
of 1874. Later tribes include
Kiowa
Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...
and
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
.
County established and growth
In 1876, the
Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ...
established Armstrong County from portions of
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...
, and it organized in 1890 with Claude as the county seat.
In 1876,
Charles Goodnight brought a herd of 1,600 cattle into the Palo Duro Canyon, and he and
John George Adair
John George Adair (3 March 1823– 4 May, 1885), sometimes known as Jack Adair, born in County Laois, Ireland, was a Scots-Irish businessman and landowner, financier of JA Ranch in the Texas Panhandle.
Adair had made his fortune in Ireland bu ...
established ranching in the county. The JA Ranch encompassed over a million acres (4,000 km
2), spread over Armstrong County and five adjoining counties. The county land use was primarily ranch-related, even after the trickling in of homesteaders, for the remainder of the 19th century.
In 1887, the JA Ranch split up, giving way to a terminus for the
Fort Worth and Denver City Railway
The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road", was a Class I railroad, class I Rail transport in the United States, American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influ ...
. The first town from the ranch was
Goodnight. Landowner Robert E. Montgomery platted the town of Washburn, named after railroad executive D.W. Washburn.
The next year, railroad lines turned Washburn into a boom town. In the same year, Armstrong City was renamed
Claude Claude may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Claude (surname), a list of people
* Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...
in honor of railroad engineer Claude Ayers. In 1890, the two towns competed for the county seat, with Claude winning.
At the beginning of the 20th century, ranching began to share the land with cotton and wheat crops, although ranching remained the leading industry. The
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
had a severe effect on the county's economy, and recovery took years. Ranches still occupied about 68% of the land in the county in 2005.
Many scenes of the 1963
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
film ''
Hud
Hud or HUD may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman
* ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film
* ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program
Places
* Hud, Fa ...
'' were filmed at Goodnight and Claude.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has a total area of , of which (0.5%) are covered by water.
Major highways
*
U.S. Highway 287
*
State Highway 207
Adjacent counties
*
Carson County (north)
*
Gray County (northeast)
*
Donley County (east)
*
Briscoe County (south)
*
Swisher County (southwest)
*
Randall County (west)
*
Potter County (northwest)
Demographics
''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 can be of any race.''
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, 2,148 people, 802 households, and 612 families resided in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 2 people per square mile (1/km
2). The 920 housing units averaged 1 per square mile (0/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 95.44% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 2.79% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. About 5.40% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 802 households, 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.20% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were non-families. About 21.40% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was distributed as 26.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,194, and for a family was $43,894. Males had a median income of $30,114 versus $21,786 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the county was $17,151. About 7.90% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The
Claude Independent School District
Claude Independent School District is a public school district based in Claude, Texas ( USA).
In 2009, the school district was rated " recognized" by the Texas Education Agency.
Schools
In the 2012-2013 school year, the district had students i ...
serves almost all of Armstrong County.
Three school districts headquartered in surrounding counties,
Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District
Clarendon Independent School District is a public school district based in Clarendon, Texas, United States.
Located in Donley County, Texas, Donley County, portions of the district extend into Briscoe County, Texas, Briscoe and Armstrong County, ...
,
Groom Independent School District, and
Happy Independent School District, include small unincorporated portions of Armstrong County.
Communities
City
*
Claude Claude may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Claude (surname), a list of people
* Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...
(county seat)
Unincorporated communities
*
Fairview
*
Goodnight
*
Malden
*
Paloduro
*
Washburn
Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...
*
Wayside
Government
Law enforcement
The current
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of Armstrong County is Melissa Anderson.
She is assisted by three deputies. In addition to law enforcement duties, the Armstrong Sheriff's Office operates a
county jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correct ...
that houses up to eight
inmates
The Inmates are a British pub rock band, which formed after the split of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In 1982, they had a medium-sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with their cover of Jimmy M ...
. The jail is staffed by five
jailers (four full-time and one part-time) that are dual-hatted as
dispatcher
A dispatcher is a communications worker who receives and transmits information to coordinate operations of other personnel and vehicles carrying out a service. A number of organizations, including police and fire departments, emergency medical s ...
s.
This
jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
, located in
Claude, Texas
Claude is a city in and the county seat of Armstrong County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,196 at the 2010 census. It is located east of Amarillo in the south Texas Panhandle. Claude is part of the Amarillo Metropolitan Statistica ...
was erected in 1953 with the designs of Lawrence A. Kerr and Clayton B. Shiver. It was built with
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
quarried 14 miles to the south of Claude in
Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo and Canyon, Texas, Canyon. As the second-largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an ...
that was recycled from the demolition of the former jail built in 1893. The jail houses inmates on the second floor and the first floor formerly served as the home of the Sheriff, though it has been converted to office space. The jail is also the location of the county's
public-safety answering point
A public-safety answering point (PSAP), sometimes called public-safety access point, is a call center where emergency/non-emergency calls (like police, fire brigade, ambulance) initiated by any mobile or landline subscriber are terminated. It can ...
(PSAP) and dispatch center.
Politics
See also
*
Armstrong County Sheriff's Office
*
List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
This article was split from List of museums in Texas
The list of museums in the Texas Panhandle encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that co ...
*
*
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Armstrong County
References
External links
Armstrong County*
Armstrong Countyfrom the
Texas Almanac
The Texas Almanac is a biennially published reference work providing information for the general public on the history of the US state of Texas and its people, government and politics, economics, natural resources, holidays, culture, education, rec ...
Armstrong Countyfrom the TXGenWeb Project
Armstrong County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
{{coord, 34.97, -101.35, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990
1890 establishments in Texas
Populated places established in 1890
Texas Panhandle