The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 376

Population rreads i8 the Western
Cross Zimbers of rexas, 1890-1960:
coftoti c haHge ald Social Hala/ace
B. P. GALLAWAY
STUDY OF THE GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION
of the Western Cross Timbers during the first half of
the twentieth century reveals that the urban migration
in the United States following World War I wrought profound
changes in the culture of the area. The dearth of large cities in
this locality of Texas resulted in an exodus of many of the
younger and more active inhabitants of the province. Economic
and social structures were altered, and forces of cultural change
were set in motion which were both beneficial and detrimental.'
The purpose of the present study is to continue and supplement
the earlier demographic study by investigating the changing
complexion of the Cross Timbers economy with particular em-
phasis upon population composition and social balance. Brief
attention will be given to income differences, ethnic minorities,
national origins, educational attainments, age variations, and
religious affiliations. While death rates, divorce statistics, sex
ratios, mental defects, and crime rates also are relevant in this
study, simple expediency and the vastness of the area to be ex-
plored precludes the inclusion of all of these culture-molding
elements, although their importance should be appreciated by the
reader.
The Western Cross Timbers province extends southward from
the Red River, sprawling across some 8,457,600 acres south and
west of Fort Worth, and including the cities of Mineral Wells and
Brownwood. Composed largely of sandy and sandy-conglomerate
soils, scrub oak and blackjack forests, and a generous proportion
xB. P. Gallaway, "Population Trends in the Western Cross Timbers of Texas,
189o-196o: Growth and Distribution," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, LXV,
333-347.