The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 65, July 1961 - April, 1962 Page: 345
663 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Population Trends in the Western Cross Timbers
were major calamities and affected every phase of Cross Timbers
life. Major drought years were 1864, 1881, and 1883,24 but without
doubt the worst drought occurred in the period from 1885 to
1887. The 'Texas legislature selected thirty-seven counties as
stricken areas and appropriated $100oo,ooo to be used to purchase
corn, flour, and meal for destitute people in the drought region.
The three counties in the heartland receiving the largest amount
of aid were Jack, Parker, and Eastland, each receiving $6,500.29
TABLE 6
RURAL DISTRIBUTION, 1900oo-96o
County 190025 191025 192026 193026 194027 195027 19602s
Montague 22,200 22,249 19,021 16,028 14,367 9,504 7,200
Young 6,540 13,657 10,835 11,009 10,332 6,303 4,877
Jack 10,224 11,817 9,863 9,046 10,206 4,804 3,602
Wise 27,116 26,450 23,363 19,178 16,496 13,219 10,231
Stephens 6,466 7,980 15,403 8,991 6,530 3,987 2,612
Palo Pinto 12,291 15,556 15,541 11,590 12,153 9,353 9,463
Parker 21,037 21,257 17,179 13,847 14,558 13,435 13,016
Eastland 17,971 23,421 19,302 17,273 17,075 11,097 8,422
Erath 29,966 26,983 21,265 16,860 13,446 8,518 8,877
Comanche 23,009 24,430 18,922 18,430 16,036 11,676 8,450
Brown 12,054 15,968 13,459 13,593 12,526 8,426 7,754
By 1890 the rural society was reasonably stable, and the inter-
mittent arrival of migrants and continued high birth rates pushed
the heartland population upward. Large rural populations were
to be found in Jack, Wise, Palo Pinto, Erath, and Comanche
counties by 1900. Incorporated and unincorporated settlements
thrived, for the inhabitants of the rural areas were dependent
upon the little towns for trade purposes. In the beginning of the
urban migration, the lack of mobility on the part of rural in-
habitants was the greatest stimulant to urban growth. The im-
portance of the trading centers increased as the rural population
24Lindsey, History of Eastland County, 86-87.
2sFourteenth Census of the United States: o1920, Population, I, 172-174.
2eFifteenth Census of the United States: 193o, Population, I, 1o58-10o62.
27Seventeenth Census of the United States: z95o, Population, I, Pt. 43, pp. 13-16.
28U. S. Census of Population: z96o, Number of Inhabitants, Texas, Pt. 45, pp. 24-27.
2oLindsey, History of Eastland County, 86-87.343
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 65, July 1961 - April, 1962, periodical, 1962; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101195/m1/391/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.