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Garza 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 sove ...
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 ...
. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in 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 ...
, and only incorporated municipality,
Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...
. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1907. Garza is named for a pioneer
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 Brau ...
family, as it was once a part of that county.


History

Indigenous peoples of the Americas The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
were the first inhabitants of the area, with evidence from around 2000 BC. Later inhabitants were the
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
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 ...
. In 1875, W. C. Young of Fort Worth and
Irishman The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...
Ben Galbraith of Illinois established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwestern part of Garza County. Garza County was formed in 1876 from
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 Brau ...
, and named for the prominent Bexar County family of
José Antonio de la Garza José Antonio de la Garza (May 31, 1776 – 1851?), was a Tejano who was the first landowner in San Antonio, Texas and the first man to create a coin in this state. Antonio de la Garza was elected mayor of San Antonio in 1813 and 1832. Biography ...
. By 1880, the county census count was 36 people. The Square and Compass Ranch was started 2 years later by the Nave and McCord Cattle Company. They put up the first
barbed-wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is ...
fence in 1884. That same year, OS Ranch was founded by brothers Andrew J. and Frank M. Long of
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. The county's population reached 185 persons by the last year of the 19th century.
Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...
was founded in 1907 as a utopian venture by, and named for, cereal king
C.W. Post Charles William Post (October 26, 1854 – May 9, 1914) was an American innovator, breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry. He was the founder of what is now Post Consumer Brands. Early life Char ...
. From 1909 to 1913, C.W. Post built a cotton gin and a cotton mill, and attempted to improve agriculture production through rainmaking, involving the heavy use of explosives fired from kites and towers along the rim of the Caprock Escarpment. In 1926, oil was discovered in the county. Quanah and Bryan Maxey discovered a 16-foot-long tusk of a prehistoric imperial
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
in 1934. This tusk is currently located in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. In 1957, a
prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
Indian site was recorded at Cowhead Mesa by Emmet Shedd of Post. In 1960–1965, South Plains Archaeological Society excavations of Cowhead Mesa found artifacts to date inhabitation back to 2000 BC. The most important businesses in the county by 1980 were agribusiness, oil and gas extraction, and textile mills.


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 are land and (0.3%) are covered by water. It is located southeast of
Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
in the Canyonlands of the Llano Estacado Escarpment.


Major roads and highways

* U.S. Highway 84 * U.S. Highway 380 * State Highway 207 *
Farm to Market Road 669 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...


Adjacent counties

* Crosby County (north) * Dickens County (northeast) * Kent County (east) *
Scurry County Scurry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,932. Its county seat is Snyder, which is the home for Western Texas College. Scurry County is named for Confederate General William ...
(southeast) * Borden County (south) * Lynn County (west) *
Lubbock County Lubbock County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 United States Census, 2020 census placed the population at 310,639. Its county seat and largest city is Lubbock, Texas, Lubbock. The county was cre ...
(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, 4,872 people, 1,663 households, and 1,217 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 5 people/sq mi (2/km2). The 1,928 housing units averaged 2/sq mi (1/km2). 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 56.7% White, 4.8 African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 17.1% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 37.2% of the population. Of the 1,663 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the population was distributed as 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,206, and for a family was $31,173. Males had a median income of $26,604 versus $18,105 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 $12,704. About 17.50% of families and 22.30% 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 29.6% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.


Communities


City

*
Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...
(county seat)


Unincorporated communities

* Close City * Justiceburg *
Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...


Politics

Republican
Drew Springer, Jr. Drew Alan Springer Jr. (born October 27, 1966) is an American businessman and politician serving as a Republican member of the Texas Senate who represents District 30. Education Springer graduated from Weatherford High School in 1985. He then ...
, a businessman from
Muenster Muenster may refer to: * Münster, Germany * Muenster, Saskatchewan * Muenster, Texas * Muenster cheese Muenster ( or ) or munster is a semi-soft cheese from the United States. It is thought to be an imitation of the Alsatian washed-rind Muns ...
in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Garza County in the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
.


Education

School districts serving the county include: * Crosbyton Consolidated Independent School District *
Post Independent School District Post Independent School District is a public school district based in Post, Texas ( USA). Located in Garza County, small portions of the district extend into Lynn and Kent counties. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptab ...
* Southland Independent School District The county is in the service area of
South Plains College South Plains College (SPC) is a public community college in Levelland, Texas. It operates satellite branches in Plainview, at the Reese Technology Center, formerly Reese Air Force Base, in western Lubbock, and the Lubbock Center near centra ...
.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
/ref>


See also

*
C.W. Post Memorial Camp South Plains Council serves Scouts in the area of Lubbock, Texas. Organization * Chaparral District (Including Tasiwoo chapter) * Comanche Trail District * George White District * Haynes District * Quanah Parker District Camps C. W. Post Mem ...
*
Double Mountain Fork Brazos River The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River is an ephemeral, sandy-braided stream about long, heading on the Llano Estacado of West Texas about southeast of Tahoka, Texas, flowing east-northeast across the western Rolling Plains to join the Salt Fork ...
*
Duffy's Peak Duffy's Peak is a small hill or butte near the Salt Fork Brazos River in Garza County, Texas. Duffy's Peak extends less than above the river, yet despite its small size, it served as an important landmark for early surveyors of the region and is ...
*
Farm to Market Road 669 A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
* Garza County Historical Museum *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Garza County, Texas This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Garza County, Texas. This is intended to be a complete list of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Garza County, Texas. There are six properties ...
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Garza County *
Mushaway Peak Mushaway Peak is a small but conspicuous butte located southeast of Gail in central Borden County, Texas. It is one of the region's most venerable landmarks. The summit of this peak rises to an altitude of above sea level, which is roughly the ...
*
Salt Fork Brazos River The Salt Fork Brazos River is a braided, highly intermittent stream about long, heading along the edge of the Llano Estacado about east-southeast of Lubbock, Texas. From its source, it flows generally east-southeastward to join the Double Mou ...


References


External links


Garza County government's website


*
Garza County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
{{coord, 33.18, -101.30, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1907 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1907 Majority-minority counties in Texas