Texas Almanac, 1939-1940 Page: 407
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COUNTIES AND CITIES. 407
shipped in carloads. Fuller's earth and com-
mercial clays are also produced, and there is
some oil and gas production.
Crops: The county raises from 15,000 to
35,000 bales of cotton annually, nearly 1,000,-
000 bushels of corn, small grains, hay, toma-
toes and other truck crops. It was one of the
first counties in Texas to practice diversifi-
cation on a large scale. New crops for new
income are peanuts and onions. Thousands of
acres have been terraced and sodded for soil
conservation.
Livestock: The county is known for its pro-
duction of turkeys, with more than 500,000
birds, or one fifth of the state's total, located
in the Guadalupe Valley. Cuero is known as
the world's "Turkey Capitals" However, there
is considerable production of beef cattle-
nearly 500 cars of stocker cattle are shipped
annually-hogs, poultry other than turkeys,
horses and mules. Numerous milk plants offer
farmers a ready market for dairy products.
This county, along with. Gonzales and Vic-
toria, has a rich historical background. Many
of the citizens are lineal descendants of early
Texas colonists who developed the Southwest
Texas coastal country. Beautiful trees, cool
sea breezes and picturesque Guadalupe River
attract hundreds of tourists annually.
Cuero (5,100), county seat, is the center of
the Guadalupe Valley crop and livestock re-
gion and has a cotton mill, oil mill, cream-
eries, compress, poultry-dressing plants and
wholesale grocery houses. It is the home of
the celebrated -'Turkey Trot" held to pay
tribute to the bird that means much to the
income of the region. Yoakum (5,900) is a
market for diversified farm products. It also
has an industrial pay roll of $425,000 annually,
including leather-tanning plant, milk and
meat-processing plants and several wholesale
houses. It sponsors the annual Tomato Tom-
Tom. Yorktown (2,100) is an important crop
and livestock shipping center, with a cotton-
seed oil mill, cream stations, grist mills,
wholesale grocery house, chick hatchery, tur-
key-dressing plant and home of the Little
World's Fair. Nordheim (400) serves the
southwestern part, and Westhoff (500) the
northwestern.
*DICKENS.-in Northwest Texas, below
the High Plains, created in 1876 from Bexar
County, organized in 1891 and named for J.
Dickens, hero of the Alamo.
Area (sq.mi.) 881 No. farms. 1,062
Pop.......... 8,601 Crop land (a) 73,521
Pop. sq. mi... 9.8 Mfr. val..
Tax val...... $5,123,355 Retail S... $1,724,000
Tot. val...... $8,510,000 Auto reg . 2,362
Income ..... $2,900,000 Inc. tax ret 46
Dickens is a typical cotton and cattle coun-
try, with a generally rolling surface with
grassy ranges. Altitude 2,500 to 3,000 feet;
rainfall 22 inches; mean annual temperature
61.4 degrees.
Resources: Soils vary, red, dark and choco-
late and sandy loam predominating. It is an
open country with very little timber except
mesquite and cottonwood along streams.
There is an abundance of underground water
at an average depth of 70 to 200 feet. Gypsum
is available in commercial quantities.
Crops: The county raises from 20,000 to
35,000 bales of cotton annually, more than
100,000 bushels of grain sorghums, 10,000 tons
of hay, oats, alfalfa and 25,000 to-50,000 bush-
els of wheat. There is widespread interest in
terracing to save the soil. Farmers produce
most of their feed and much of their home
food in small gardens.
Livestock: The county has considerable beef
cattle and hog production, shipping severalcars to market. Poultry raising is increasing
slightly, and there is great interest in dairy-
ing. Three famous ranches are partly in the
county-Pitchfork, Spur and Matador. Dickens
ships considerable quantities of eggs and but-
ter. Average annual value of livestock is
from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000.
Much of the credit for the crop and live-
stock development in the county is due to the
scientific land practices taught by the Spur
Agricultural Station. In experiments showing
value of storing water in the ground, stopping
runoff during rains and in terracing, the sta-
tion has greatly contributed to the stability
of West Texas agriculture.
Dickens (400), county seat, is a trading cen-
ter in the central part of the county. Spur
(1,899), in the southern part, is the principal
commercial market and shipping point. It has
cotton gins, compress and creamery and the
location of the agricultural experiment station.
*DIMMI T.-In Southwest Texas, created in
1858 from Webb, Bexar, Uvalde and Maverick
Counties, organized in 1880 and named for
Philip Dimmit, early settler who espoused the
cause of Texas in 1835 and commanded the
troops at Goliad after its capture.
Area (sq.mi.) 1,360 No. farms. 452
Pop.. ....... 8,828 Crop lrnd (a) 19,395.
Pop. sq. ml.:. 6.5 Mfr. val..
Tax val...... $6,422,570 Retail S... $1,227,000
tTot. val..... $12,843,140 Auto reg.. 1,623
Income ..... $2,077,000 Inc. tax ret 7&
This county, lying in the "Winter Garden"
of Southwest Texas, has a generally rolling
surface broken by small valleys and streams
and partly covered with mesquite. Altitude
600 to 900 feet; rainfall 21 inches; mean an-
nual temperature about 73 degrees. The
Nueces River crosses from the northwest to
the southeast.
Resources: Soils, which are excellently
drained, vary from red sandy loam to black
waxy. Besides mesquite there is oak, elm
and pecan trees used mostly for firewood.
Minerals include coal, lignite and brick clays.
Crops: Large-scale development of irriga-
tion from artesian wells has made the county
one of the leading shippers of truck and fruit
in Texas. Bermuda onions, spinach, cabbage,
tomatoes, citrus fruits, figs, dates and grapes
are shipped. The northern half of the county
is in the Winter Garden district.
Livestock: The county has considerable
production of poultry for market, and some
beef cattle, goats, hogs and horses are raised.
Hbney is sold on the local market.
Carrizo Springs (3,200), county seat, is the
principal commercial center and shipping
point. Asherton (1,858), in the central part, is
a retail center with a growing vegetable-
shipping business. Catarina (592) serves the.
southeastern part and Bigwells (700) the
northeastern.
*DONLEY.-In the Texas Panhandle, created
in 1876 from Bexar County, organized in 1882
and named for Judge Stockton P. Donley, a
prominent attorney who practiced law in
Tyler and Clarksville.
Area (sq.mi.) 906 No. farms. 1,140-
Pop.. .... 10,262 Crop land (a) 122,089
Pop. sq. m.. 11.3 Mfr. val... $47,577
Tax val..... $5,625,920 Retail S... $1,772,000
Tot. val...... $12,490,000 Auto reg.. 2,063.
Income ..... $2,860,000 Inc. tax ret 105
Lying in the southeastern part of the Pan--
handle, partly in the High Plains and partly in
the breaks, Donley is situated on an elevated.
plain which gradually breaks off into small.
hills with valleys of varying width between.
*tti See notations on page 386.
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Texas Almanac, 1939-1940, book, 1939; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117163/m1/409/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.