Lynn County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,596. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Tahoka. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1903. Lynn County, along with Crosby and Lubbock 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 (CSA). Lynn County was one of 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in Texas, but is now a moist county. The county has two historical museums, the O'Donnell Heritage Museum, with a Dan Blocker room in

O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...

, and the Tahoka Pioneer Museum in Tahoka. The county is also home to th
Lynn County Hospital District
that provides medical care to the county and surrounding area.

History

Native Americans

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

and

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

peoples roamed the high plains until various military expeditions of the 19th century pushed them away. The Red River War of 1874 was a military campaign to drive out the Apaches, Comanches, and

Kiowa Kiowa ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, 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 Colora ...

s in Texas. In 1877, the ill-fated Nolan Expedition crossed the county in search of livestock stolen by

renegades. The various Indian tribes had moved on by the time of white settlement due to the depletion of the buffalo herds by hunters.

Settlers

In the early 1880s, sheep and cattle ranchers began to set up operations in the county. The situation changed as large-scale ranching spread into the county. W C. Young of

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Irishman The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhab ...

Ben Galbraith established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwest part of Garza County. By 1880, it spilled over into Lynn County. The Square Compass Ranch of Garza County also protruded into Lynn County. The county remained sparsely settled ranching territory for two decades after 1880. It had no towns; the population was nine in 1880, 24 in 1890, and 17 in 1900. Farmers began to move into the county and invest in corn, grains, and cotton.

County established

Lynn County was formed in 1876 from Bexar. The county was organized in 1903, with Tahoka becoming the county seat. New towns were founded during the early years of the 20th century. O'Donnell, named for railroad man Tom J. O'Donnell, was established in 1910 as a speculative venture based on the opening up of new farmlands in southern Lynn and northern Dawson Counties. Wilson, northeast of Tahoka, was established in 1912 to attract farmers to the newly opened lands of the Dixie Ranch. A large number of Central Texas Germans purchased county lands, thus beginning a small-scale migration of Germans into the county that lasted into the 1950s. Cotton farming prospered in the early part of the 20th century. Farmers later expanded to wheat and sorghum, plus cattle, sheep, hogs, and poultry, chiefly chickens and turkeys. Oil was discovered in the county in 1950. By 1983, the total production was .

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is covered by water.

Geographic features

* Caprock Escarpment, eastern edge of Lynn County * Double Mountain Fork Brazos River, begins as a small depression between Draw, Redwine, and Grassland, Texas. * Double Lakes, northwest of Tahoka * Guthrie Lake, southwest of Tahoka * Tahoka Lake, northeast of Tahoka

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 84 * U.S. Highway 87 * U.S. Highway 380

Adjacent counties

* Lubbock County (north) * Garza County (east) * Borden County (southeast) * Dawson County (south) * Terry County (west) * Hockley County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 6,550 people, 2,354 households, and 1,777 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . The 2,671 housing units averaged . The county's racial makeup was 75.53% White, 2.84% Black or African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 18.24% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. About 44% of the population was

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. Of the 2,354 households, 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were not families; 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.25. In the county, the population was distributed as 31.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,694, and for a family was $33,146. Males had a median income of $27,972 versus $19,531 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,090. About 19.30% of families and 22.60% 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 ...

, including 28.00% of those under age 18 and 24.40% of those age 65 or over. The county is served by a weekly newspaper, nearby stations KBXJ (FM) and KPET (AM), and the various Lubbock radio and TV stations. KAMZ (FM) and KMMX (FM) are licensed to Tahoka, but have offices and studios in Lubbock and originate few if any programs from Lynn County.

Communities

Cities

* New Home *

(small part in Dawson County) * Tahoka (county seat) * Wilson

Unincorporated communities

Grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

* Wayside

Notable people

* Dan Blocker, actor * Jerry "Bo" Coleman, radio

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

* Phil Hardberger, politician * E L Short, former member of both houses of the

Texas State Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. 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 po ...

Politics

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Education

School districts serving the county include: * Dawson Independent School District * New Home Independent School District * O'Donnell Independent School District * Post Independent School District * Slaton Independent School District * Southland Independent School District * Tahoka Independent School District * Wilson Independent School District The county is in the service area of South Plains College.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Lynn County government’s website
*
Lynn County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties

Roadside America, Dan Blocker Memorial
{{authority control 1876 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1876