Crockett County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located on the

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, 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 Pecos River and Chihua ...

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 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,098. 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 ...

is Ozona. The county was founded in 1875 and later organized in 1891. It is named in honor of

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

, the legendary frontiersman who died at the

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

History

* Prehistoric people lived in Gobbler Shelter, located on a small tributary canyon of Live Oak Creek. Earliest known Native American tribes are

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...

, Lipan Apache, 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 ...

. * 1590 Spanish explorer Gaspar Castaño de Sosa leads a mining expedition of 170 who pass through the western section of Crockett County to reach the Pecos River. * 1684, May 22 - Juan Domínguez de Mendoza and his expedition cross the Pecos River and camp at San Pantaleón. * 1849 John Coffee Hays expedition charting waterholes for transporting people and freight. * 1852 U. S. Army Colonel Joseph K. Mansfield recommends establishing a new post on Live Oak Creek to protect travelers. * 1855, August 20, Fort Lancaster is established in response to Mansfield's recommendation. * 1866 The Texas legislature provides three battalions of Texas Rangers to protect settlers in the area. * 1868 Camp Melvin established. * 1875, January 12 - Crockett County, named for

, is formed from Bexar County. * 1880s Sheep and cattle ranchers establish themselves in the county. Kirkpatrick Hotel built to serve stagecoach passengers and cowboys. * 1885 W. P. Hoover becomes one of the first settlers, on the

Pecos River The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexic ...

. Crockett County becomes a subsidiary of

Val Verde County Val Verde County is a county located on the southern Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population is 47,586. Its county seat is Del Rio. In 1936, Val Verde County received Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 5625 to ...

. * 1887 Crockett County is further reduced as Sutton and Schleicher counties are formed from it. * 1889

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

becomes first town in Crockett County. * 1891 Crockett County is organized. Ozona becomes the county seat. The first water well is drilled at the First Baptist Church in Ozona. * 1900 Stagecoach service begins in Crockett County. County reports seven manufacturing firms. * 1902 Crockett County Courthouse built, Empire style, architect Oscar Ruffini. The building does multiple duty for courtroom and county offices, as well as a community center and dance hall. * 1925 First producing oil well within the World oil field, on L. P. Powell's ranch in north central Crockett County, by Chester R. Bunker's World Oil Company. * 1938 Ozona erects a statue of Davy Crockett in the town square. * 1939 Ozona opens the Crockett County Museum. In 1958, it was moved to its current location on the town square.Brochure, Crockett County Museum, Ozona, Texas

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 , virtually all of which is land.

Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

U.S. Highway 190 U.S. Route 190 (US 190) is an east–west United States Highway in Louisiana and Texas. Segments of US 190 will be upgraded to Interstate 14 (I-14); the first segment was opened on January 26, 2017. Route description , - , TX , , - , ...

State Highway 137 * Texas 163

State Highway 163 * Texas 349

State Highway 349

Adjacent counties

* Upton County (north) * Reagan County (north) * Irion County (northeast) * Schleicher County (east) * Sutton County (east) *

(south) * Terrell County (south) *

Pecos County Pecos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 15,193. The county seat is Fort Stockton. The county was created in 1871 and organized in 1875.. By Glenn Justice and John Leffler. Retri ...

(west) * Crane County (northwest) Crockett County is among the few counties in the United States to border as many as nine counties.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 4,099 people, 1,524 households, and 1,114 families residing 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 1.46 people per square mile (0.56/km²). There were 2,049 housing units at an average density of 0.73 per square mile (0.28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.34%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.68%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.59% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 19.71% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. 54.70% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,524 households, out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were

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

living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.19. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.90% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,355, and the median income for a family was $34,653. Males had a median income of $29,925 versus $14,695 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 $14,414. About 14.90% of families and 19.40% 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 24.30% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Census-designated place

* Ozona (county seat)

Ghost town

Politics

References

External links

Crockett County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

''Inventory of county records, Crockett County courthouse, Ozona, Texas''
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{coord, 30.73, -101.41, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1891 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1891 Texas Hill Country Davy Crockett Majority-minority counties in Texas