Val Verde 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 ...

located on the southern

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region forming the crossroads of Central, South and West Texas, United States. It is named in honor of Haden Edwards. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east; the Llano Uplift and the Lla ...

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 ...

. The 2020 population is 47,586. 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 Del Rio. The Del Rio micropolitan statistical area includes all of Val Verde County. Val Verde, which means "green valley", was named for a battle of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In 1862, soldiers of Sibley's Brigade took part in the Texas invasion of

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

, where they captured several artillery pieces at the Battle of Val Verde. The battle is memorialized both in the name of the county and a small settlement in Milam County.

History

Early history

The first inhabitants of what is now known as Val Verde County lived there some 6,000–10,000 years ago. Their descendants include such Native American peoples as the

Lipan Apache Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan languages, Southern Athabaskan Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people, who have lived in the Oasisamerica, Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European ...

Coahuiltecan The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter ga ...

, Jumano, Tamaulipan 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 ...

Colonial rule

In 1590, Spanish explorer Gaspar Castaño de Sosa led a mining expedition of 170 who passed through Devils Draw. He referred to a stream by the name of Laxas, which is believed to be Devils River. In 1673, Juan Larios opened a mission school at a location between Del Rio and Eagle Pass. In 1675, traveling Franciscan priests celebrated Mass at San Felipe Springs. In 1736, Lt. Miguel de la Garza Falcón led 100 soldiers along the Devils River in pursuit of Apache natives. During 1834, James Grant and John Charles Beales established a settlement on San Felipe Creek, which became hazardous due to Indian attacks.

Aftermath of Mexican–American War

During the 1850s, military bases established to protect against Indian attacks included Camp Blake, Camp Hudson and Camp San Felipe. As of 1860, the county had a population of 2,874, including 108 blacks and 1,103 foreign-born.

Post–Civil War

During 1868, the San Felipe Del Rio community is established on San Felipe Creek, next to Camp San Felipe. From 1869 through 1882, Seminole Negro Indian Scouts (mixed heritage Seminoles with African blood) under John Lapham Bullis, namesake of

Camp Bullis Camp Bullis Military Training Reservation is a U.S. Army training camp comprising in Bexar County, Texas, United States, just northwest of San Antonio. Camp Bullis provides base operations support and training support to Joint Base San Antoni ...

, defend the Texas border against Indian attacks. In 1883, the Galveston Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway was completed. Italian immigrant Frank Qualia established Val Verde winery. In 1884, the Langtry community was established, named after George Langtry (an engineer and foreman). It has mistakenly been attributed to being named after British entertainer

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isla ...

by Judge Roy Bean. In 1885, Val Verde County was organized from Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos counties. Roy Bean was elected justice of the peace in Langtry, operating out of the Jersey Lily Saloon and becoming renowned as "the Law West of the Pecos". In 1886, the Juno and Devils River communities were established. In 1888, the Comstock community was established. In 1889, the community of Norris was established.

Twentieth century

* 1928 Lake Hamilton Dam complete. * 1904 Lillie Langtry visits the community of Langtry. * 1929 Lake Walk Dam complete. * 1936 Val Verde County received

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

number 5625 to commemorate its founding. * 1942 Laughlin Field/Laughin Army Air Field opens to train World War II pilots. * 1945 Laughlin Field closes. * 1952 Laughlin Field reopens as

Laughlin Air Force Base Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest Aviator, pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Educa ...

, and serves as a secret U2 unit. Major Rudolf Anderson, a U-2 pilot based out of Laughlin, was the only casualty of the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

. * 1969 Amistad Dam and Reservoir complete. The project cost $78 million.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.7%) are covered by water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. It generally travels near Int ...

U.S. Highway 277 U.S. Route 277 (US 277, US-277) is a north–south United States Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 77. It no longer connects to its parent route, US 77, although it does intersect another one of its spurs ( U.S. Route 377). It runs ...

U.S. Highway 377 * Texas 163

State Highway 163 * Texas Loop 79

Loop 79

Adjacent counties and'' municipios''

Crockett County Crockett County is the name of two counties in the United States, both named for frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia ...

(north) * Sutton County (northeast) *

Edwards County Edwards County is the name of several counties in the United States: *Edwards County, Illinois *Edwards County, Kansas *Edwards County, Texas Edwards County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the ...

(east) * Kinney County (east) * Terrell County (west) * Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico (south) * Jiménez, Coahuila, Mexico (south)

National protected areas

* Amistad National Recreation Area *

Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River is a U.S. National Wild and Scenic River that protects of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Texas, in the United States. The designation was first applied in 1968 to a stretch of the river in New Mexico; an ...

(part)

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, 44,856 people, 14,151 households, and 11,320 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 16,288 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 76.36% White, 4.54% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 18.22% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. About 75.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 14,151 households, 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were married couples living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.00% were not families. About 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.55. In the county, the population was distributed as 32.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,376, and for a family was $31,434. Males had a median income of $26,485 versus $18,039 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 $12,096. About 22.10% of families and 26.10% 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 33.80% of those under age 18 and 26.40% of them age 65 or over.

Education

School districts include: * Comstock Independent School District * Rocksprings Independent School District * San Felipe-Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District Sometime prior to 1976 the Comstock district absorbed the Langtry and Pandale common school districts. The former Juno Common School District consolidated into Comstock ISD in 1992. There was formerly a Star Route School on Miers Ranch. In 1964 the school had 13 students. Southwest Texas Junior College is the designated

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

for the county. The Val Verde County Library in Del Rio serves the county.

Government

Val Verde County government is led by a four-member board of county commissioners, each commissioner representing one of four districts. The county commission appoints a county administrator as chief administrative officer of the county. The chief law-enforcement authority of Val Verde is the Val Verde County Sheriff's Office
Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office
The fire-protection arm of the Val Verde is the Val Verde County Fire Rescue
Val Verde County Fire Rescue

County commissioners

One county commissioner is elected from each district to serve a 4-year term. Commissioners are chosen in partisan elections by voters from the districts in which they live. The board appoints a county judge to be chief administrative officer of the county, responsible to the commission for the orderly operations of matters within the board's jurisdiction. The current office holders are: * Val Verde County Judge: Honorable Judge Lewis Owens * Val Verde County Precinct 1: Martin Wardlaw * Val Verde County Precinct 2: Juan Vazquez * Val Verde County Precinct 3: Robert Beau Nettleton * Val Verde County Precinct 4: Gustavo Flores * Val Verde County Secretary: Elizabeth Ferrino

Politics

Val Verde County has been a longtime swing county, having voted for both Republicans and Democrats throughout its history.

Communities

City

* Del Rio (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Amistad *

Box Canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to ...

* Cienegas Terrace * Lake View *

* Val Verde Park

Former census-designated places

* Box Canyon-Amistad

Unincorporated communities

* Comstock * Juno * Langtry * Pandale

Ghost town

* PumpvillePumpville
(

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

)

Notable people

* Judge Roy Bean

References

External links

*
Texas Beyond History, Hinds Cave

"Val Verde County Profile" by the Texas Association of Counties
{{coord, 29.89, -101.15, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1885 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1885 Texas Hill Country Majority-minority counties in Texas Hispanic and Latino American culture in Texas