Rocksprings is a town in
Edwards County, Texas
Edwards County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census its population was 1,422. The county seat is Rocksprings. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1883. It is named for Ha ...
, in the United States. As of the
2010 census, the town population was 1,182,
down from 1,285 at the 2000 census. It is the
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 ...
of Edwards County.
The town received its name from natural springs associated with the porous
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
rocks in the area.
History
J. R. Sweeten sited Rocksprings in 1891 because of the springs nearby. Also in 1891, the town acquired a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
and was made county seat. The original
courthouse built in the town burned in 1897. By 1914, Rocksprings had a population around 500.
During the early 1900s, hostilities between Anglos and Mexicans along the "Brown Belt" were common. In Rocksprings, Antonio Rodriguez, a twenty-year-old Mexican, was
burned at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...
by a white mob for allegedly killing a white woman, Effie Greer Henderson. This event was widely publicized and protests against the treatment of Mexicans in the U.S. erupted within the interior of Mexico, namely in Guadalajara and Mexico City.
This was part of a series of racist killings known as ''
La Matanza
''La Matanza'' (Spanish for "The Massacre") refers to a communist- indigenous rebellion in El Salvador that took place between 22 and 25 January 1932. It was succeeded by large-scale government killings in western El Salvador, which resulted ...
''.
On April 12, 1927, the town was hit by an
F5 tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town. The tornado killed 72 townspeople and injured 205, almost a third of the population at the time.
Geography
Rocksprings is located northeast of the center of Edwards County at (30.016161, –100.209023).
Rocksprings sits on top of the
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central Texas, Central, South Texas, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the ...
. According to the
United States 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 t ...
, the town has a total area of , all of it land.
U.S. Route 377
U.S. Route 377 (US 377) is a north–south United States highway. Originally formed as a short spur to connect Denton, Texas with Fort Worth, Texas, it has since been extended to Oklahoma and Mexico.
Route description
Texas
The south ...
passes through the center of the town, leading northeast to
Junction
Junction may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film
* Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film
* Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille
* Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002
* Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...
and southwest to
Del Rio.
Texas State Highway 55
State Highway 55 (SH 55) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas. It runs from Uvalde, Texas, Uvalde northwestward through the western Texas Hill Country, Hill Country onto the Edwards Plateau, ending south of Sonora, Texas, Sonora.
His ...
joins US 377 as Main Street through Rocksprings, but leads northwest to
Sonora and south to
Uvalde.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Rocksprings has a
humid subtropical climate, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Rocksprings, Texas
/ref>
Economy
The economy of Rocksprings is centered on the wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
and mohair
Mohair (pronounced ) is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. (This should not be confused with Angora wool, which is made from the fur of the Angora rabbit.) Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster ...
industry, and the town is recognized as the Angora goat
Angora may refer to:
Places
*Angora, the historic name of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey
*Angora, Philadelphia
** Angora (SEPTA station), a commuter rail station
* Angora, Minnesota
* Angora Township, Minnesota
*Angora, Nebraska
*Angora Lak ...
capital of the world. Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
has become a growing part of the economy with the opening of Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area located about northeast of Rocksprings.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 874 people, 559 households, and 340 families residing in the town.
2000 census
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 in ...
of 2000, 1,285 people, 420 households, and 312 families resided in the town. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 1,064.1 people per square mile (410.0/km). The 535 housing units averaged 443.0 per mi2 (170.7/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 town was 76.26% White, 1.17% African American, 0.93% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 18.75% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 66.69% of the population.
Of the 420 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were not families. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.58.
In the town, the population was distributed as 33.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $19,970, and for a family was $22,614. Males had a median income of $21,369 versus $14,408 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 town was $8,957. About 31.7% of families and 38.2% 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 51.6% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The town is served by the Rocksprings Independent School District and home to the Rocksprings High School Angoras. The school mascot is Rocko, the fighting Angora billy.
In Pop Culture
The town of Rocksprings was the location of the Texas State Penitentiary, Spring Valley Unit, in two episodes in season three of the television show '' Brooklyn Nine-Nine''.
Photo gallery
Image:Rocksprings, TX, sign IMG 1337.JPG, Entrance sign to Rocksprings, burn ban in effect in 2011
Image:Rocksprings Visitor Center IMG 1353.JPG, Rocksprings Visitor Center arranges tours of the nearby Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area.
Image:Rocksprings, TX, City Hall IMG 1347.JPG, Rocksprings City Hall
Image:Edwards county tx courthouse2.jpg, Edwards County Courthouse
Image:First Methodist Church, Rocksprings, TX IMG 1350.JPG, First Methodist Church in Rocksprings
References
{{authority control
Towns in Edwards County, Texas
Towns in Texas
County seats in Texas
Populated places established in 1891
1891 establishments in Texas