Lynn 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 ...

in the U.S. state of

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 5,596. 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 ...

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, 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 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 a ...

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 ...

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 () 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 e ...

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 the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

Irishman Ben Galbraith established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwest part of

Garza County Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in Its county seat, and only incorporated municipality, Post. The county was created ...

. 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 Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

, 13 miles (19 km) 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 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 an area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is covered by water.

Geographic features

Caprock Escarpment The Caprock Escarpment is a term used in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico to describe the geographical transition point between the level High Plains of the Llano Estacado and the surrounding rolling terrain. In Texas, the escarpment stretches ...

, eastern edge of Lynn County * Double Mountain Fork Brazos River, begins as a small depression between Draw, Redwine, and

Grassland, Texas Grassland is an unincorporated community in Lynn County, West Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had an estimated population of 61 in 2000. Geography Grassland lies on the level plains of the Llano Estacado in ...

. * Double Lakes, northwest of Tahoka * Guthrie Lake, southwest of Tahoka * Tahoka Lake, northeast of Tahoka

Major highways

U.S. Highway 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–west U.S. Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it had been extended all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distan ...

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

Adjacent counties

* Lubbock County (north) *

(east) * Borden County (southeast) * Dawson County (south) * Terry County (west) * Hockley 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 inc ...

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 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 7 people per square mile (3/km²). The 2,671 housing units averaged 3 per square mile (1/km²). The county's

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 ...

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'' ( 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. 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 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, 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 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 $14,090. 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 * O'Donnell (small part in Dawson County) * Tahoka (county seat) *

Unincorporated communities

Grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

* Wayside

Notable residents

* Dan Blocker, actor *

Jerry "Bo" Coleman Gerald Marlin "Jerry Bo" Coleman (born July 1, 1936) is an American former radio personality. Born in Wilson, Texas, the son of Grover and Christeen Coleman. Coleman worked on cotton as a teenager. He worked at the RC Bottling Company. He atte ...

, 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 DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...

Phil Hardberger Phillip Duane Hardberger (born July 27, 1934) is an American politician and lawyer who served as mayor of San Antonio, taking office in June, 2005. A Democrat, he was elected on a non-partisan ballot. Life and career Family and early years Hard ...

, politician * E L Short, former member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature

Politics

Education

School districts serving the county include: * Dawson Independent School District * New Home Independent School District *

O'Donnell Independent School District O'Donnell Independent School District is a public school district based in O'Donnell, Texas ( USA). Located in Lynn County, portions of the district extend into Dawson and Terry counties. In 2009, the school district was rated "academically a ...

* Post Independent School District *

Slaton Independent School District Slaton Independent School District is a public school district based in Slaton, Texas, United States. In addition to Slaton, the district serves students in rural southeastern Lubbock County and parts of Ransom Canyon. A small portion of extreme ...

Southland Independent School District Southland Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Southland, Texas (USA). Located in Garza County, portions of the district extend into Lynn and Lubbock counties. Academic achievement In 2009, the sch ...

* 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.
/ref>

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