Texas Almanac, 1939-1940 Page: 428
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428 THE TEXAS ALMANAC.-1939.
Davis Mountains, is a tourist resort. Valen-
tine (629) is a shipping and retail trade cen-
ter in the western part of the county.
*JEFFERSON.-On the coastal prairies of
Southeast Texas, created in 1836 from one of
original counties, organized in 1837, named for
Thomas Jefferson.
Area (sq.mL) 920 No. farms. 1,616
Pop..... .... 145,500 Crop land (a) 44,205
Pop. sq. mi... 169 Mfr. val...$219,988,938
Tax val......$116,671,018 Retail S .. $52,166,000
Tot. val......$291,677,545 Auto reg - 41,258
Income...... $91,356,000 Inc. tax ret 5,703
The leading rice county in Texas, Jefferson
lies on a level, low plain on the Gulf. Alti-
tude sea level to 100 feet, rainfall 51,27 inches;
mean annual temperature about 68.9 degrees.
Northern half is drained artificially.
Resources: Spindle Top oil field began in
1901 and is still producing. The county in
1938 produced 3,802,574 barrels of oil and has
commercial development of clay and shells.
Some lumber is still produced commercially
from pine, oak, magnolia and cypress, mostly
second growth. Wide variety of soils include
heavy clay, black clay, loam, black sandy
loam and pine sand, twenty different types in
all.
Crops: The county grows some 2.200.000
bushels of rice, 1,000 bales of cotton, corn and
other feed crops, figs and truck crops. Experi-
ments, stimulated by Beaumont Chamber of
Commerce, are being made in growing tung
trees. Some 50,000 acres are irrigated. The
county has one large canal system and
twelve privately-owned systems. Farmers
grow nearly all their feed for stock and an
appreciable portion of the home food supply.
Livestock: Most important 'livestock indus-
try is beef cattle, with the Grade Brahma
breed a specialty. Dairying, bringing an an-
nual income of over $500,000, is next most im-
portant livestock industry, followed by hogs,
poultry and sheep and goats. Range lands
have been improved by planting of 30,000
pounds of grass seed and clover.
Beaumont (65,000), county seat, has a large
foreign and coastwise trade, situated on the
Sabine-Neches channel. Commodities shipped
include oil, cotton, lumber and other products,
and tonnage is showing a steady increase. In-
dustries include oil refining, oil well ma-
chinery manufacturing, ship building and re-
pairing, rice milling, food processing and
crate manufacturing. It is an important
wholesale and retail center and has a law
school and Lamar College.
Port Arthur (57,800), headquarters of the
Sabine customs district, has a substantial
coastwise and foreign trade, shipping oil, cot-
ton, lumber, wheat and other commodities.
Industries include oil refineries (some of
largest in world), brass foundry, ship build-
ing, chemical plant, container manufacturing
plant, can factory, garment factory and sev-
eral wholesale houses. Near here animals are
trapped for furs. Just completed is the
South's tallest highway bridge, the Port Ar-
thur-Orange bridge over the Neches River,
with a vertical clearance of 176 feet over the
water. It is on the Hug-the-Coast Highway.
The city has a business college and twelve-
grade school system and enjoys some tourist
business.
Port Neches (2,327) is an=industrial center
connected with Gulf by channel, with large
petroleum refining industry. Nederland
(1,500) is one mile from the Neches River and
has an oil refining industry. Sabine Pass
(363) is a commercial center below Port Ar-
thur on the channel.*JIM HOGG.-In lower South Texas, creat-
ed and organized in 1913 from portions of Du-
val and Brooks Counties, named for Gov.
James Stephen Hogg.
Area (sq.mi.) 1,140 No. farms. 242
Pop.......... 5,680 Crop land (a) 14,730
Pop. soq. mi... 4.9 Mfr. val..
Tax val...... $4,314,190 Retail S .. $1,201,000
tTot. val..... $8,628,380 Auto reg. 1,287
Income...... $3,052,000 Inc. tax ret 130
Near the southern tip of Texas, Jim Hogg
County has a level to rolling surface, mostly
an open prairie. Altitude 200 to 500 feet;
rainfall 19 inches; mean annual temperature
73 degrees.
Resources: Soils are mostly red sandy
loams and clay, particularly suited to grasses
for an extensive livestock production. Only
timber is dwarf mesquite, oak and shrubbery.
Petroleum and gas are produced, oil output
in 1938 totaling 134,245 barrels.
Crops: The county raises 3,000 bales of cot-
ton, corn and sorghums for hay, with some
vegetable and citrus fruit production for mar-
ket. Farmers grow nearly all their feed,
much of which is stored in an increasing num-
ber of trench silos.
Livestock: Production of beef cattle is the
principal industry, with 35,000 on farms in
1935. Hogs, goats and sheep are also raised,
and thoroughbred horses are being produced
for racing and polo. Dairying is showing
some development.
Hebbronville (2,400), county seat, is a ship-
ping and distribution point for livestock and
oil industries. It has wholesale houses, cot-
tonseed oil mill, machine shop and new $70,-
000 high school. Catholic Church maintains a
small college here to train workers in Fran-
ciscan order.
*JIM WELLS.-In lower South Texas, cre-
ated in 1911 from Nueces County, organized
in 1912, named for Judge James B. Wells,
prominent South Texas citizen.
Area (sq.mi.) 791 No. farms. 1,550
Pop......... 16,500 Crop land (a) 89,890
Pop. sq. mi... 20.9 Mfr. val... $411,761
Tax val...... $10,011,025 Retail S .. $3,307,000
Tot. val...... $18,201,863 Auto reg. 4,108
Income . $5,049,000 Inc. tax ret 292
Jim Wells, a diversified and farming area,
has a level to rolling surface. Altitude 200 to
300 feet; rainfall 25 inches; mean annual tem-
perature 71.8 degrees.
Resources: Considerable oil and gas devel-
opment is under way in the county, petro-
leum production in 1938 totaling 711,689 bar-
rels. The county is partly open prairie, but
some timber is available for local use, main-
ly mesquite, huisache and oak. Chocolate
and gray loam and sandy soils prevail, and a
good supply of artesian water is available.
Crops: The county grows 10,000 to 20,000
bales of cotton, 115,000 bushels of corn and
other feeds, and considerable amounts of cit-
rus fruits, winter vegetables, watermelons
and grapes. Farmers grow most of their feed.
A one-variety cotton improvement program is
under way.
Livestock: The county as a large beef cat-
tle industry, followed irorder by hogs, sheep
and goats, horses and fules. Dairying is de-
veloping rapidly, stim iated by a cheese plant
at Alice.
Alice (5,200), county seat, a railroad division
point, is the principal retail and wholesale
center for the area. It has a cheese plant,
cottonseed oil mill, cotton gins and oil field
machinery manufactory. Nearly 70 per cent
of population own their homes and residen-
tial construction is increasing at fast rate.
*ttl See notations on page 386.
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Texas Almanac, 1939-1940, book, 1939; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117163/m1/430/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.