The 1928 Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 309

                                
THE TEXAS ALMANAC.                 309

FRIO-*Created, 1858; organized, 1871;
area, 1,124 sq. mi , Pop, 1920, 9,296; *1927,
11,000, Alt, 650 ft.; *rainfall, 22 in; South-
west Texas.
The surface is the typical rolling plain
that lies just ab 've the low coastal plain.
Frlo is one of the "winter garden" coun-
ties  The Frio River and its tributaries
drain the county and being largely spring
fed, furnish an abundance of good water.
The soils are sandy loams and s-lty clays
and are exceptionally productive. There
is considerable  production  of cotton,
corn, grain sorghum  and other staple
crops, but the county's future lies in its
rapidly developing truck and citi us fruit
industries There is a large production of
watermelons, spinach, onions, cauliflower,
lettuce and other vegetables  The grow-
ing season extends throughout the win-
ter and there are heavy shipm, nts to
Northern markets    A large createe is
being put in e ti us  An inexhaistible
supply of underground water is available
and about 4,000 acres are now under irri-
gation, and a tentati-e project on the.
Frieo River ab ve Pearsall would irri-
gate 40,000- acres.
There are forty-seven miles of asphalt
along the Mrr'd an Way, and fifty miles
Sf gravel and clay roads  Work was pro-
ceeding on Winter Garden Trail in 1927.
Pearsall is a town of about 4,000 popu-
lation satuated on the Missouri Pacific
Railroad  It is a shipping point and mar-
ket center for a wide area
GAINES-*Created,    1876,  organized,
1905, area  1,570  sq  mi , Pop, 1920, 1,018,
*1927, 2,500: Alt, 3.000 ft., *rainfall, 21 in.;
on New Mexico border.
The surface is a comparatively level,
treeless plain, broken by a few draws
which 1-ad into the North Concho and
the Sulphur Fork of the Colorado   The
soil has more sand than the soil of the
plains region farther north, being largely
a sandy loam   red, chocolate and gray.
Some cotton has been grown durng re-
cent years and there is a considerable
production of feed crops  The principal
industry is live stock raising, and there is
a large beef cattle business  Seminole is
the county seat, a town of about 600 pop-
u'ation situated at th terminus of the
Midland & Northwestern Railroad, con-
cerning the removal.of tracks of which
has been litigat on  fo  several years.
Seaigraves. in the no there  pa t of the
county, is a retail trade and distributing
enter at the south n terminus of a
branch of the Santa Fe connecting it with
Lubbock
GALVESTON-*Creatted, 183 . ogan-
ized 1839: area. 395 sq mi.. Pop . 1920,
53,150, *1927, 68,600, Alt, 0 to 40 ft ; *rain-
fall, 47 in.; on the coast.
The county lies on the coastal plain,
part of it being on Galveston Island and
part on the mainland west of Galveston
Bay. Clay, clay loam  and sandy loam
soils prevail and the surface is level.
Melons, berries and miscellaneous other
truck crops are grown. Many fig orchards
have been set out and there was a produc-
tion of 10,000,000 pounds in 1927. There
is a growing interest in citrus fruit. Much
hay is produced, but little c,)tton is
grown. The soils are fertile, but in many
parts drainage is necessary before land
can be cultivated. The ranges are util-
ized for beef cattle raising and there is a
growing dairy industry for the Galveston

and Houston markets    There are fifteen
miles of paved and 140 miles of shell
road.
Galveston, the county seat, is a city of
49,500 according to the 1927 estimate of
the United States Bureau of the Census,
but is estimated usually at about 60,000
It is one of the leading ports of America.
(See p 278 ) It was the first port on the
Texas coast, and the State owes much of
its early development to the fact that na-
ture provided Galveston Harbor. A num-
ber of large manufacturing industries are
located in Galveston  The medical branch
of the University of Texas is located
Here, the city has probably the most note-
worthy public library in Texas. Galves-
tdn beach and surf are unsurpassed and
the city is visited annually by many
tourists.
Texas City is located on the mainland
on Galveston Bay. It is a port, doing a
large foreign  and   coastwise business.
(See p 278)   Several industries are lo-
catd here, including a large sugar le-
finery.
GARZA-*Created, 1876; organized, 1907;
area, 870  sq  mi ; Pop.. 1920, 4,253, *1927.
8,000; Alt., 2,400 to 3,000 ft., *rainfall, 22
in ; Northwest Texas.
The "cap rock" which bounds the high
plains cuts the county, the western third
being a level plain with rich sandy loam
soil, the central part lying in the breaks
below the "cap rock," and the eastern part
being the rolling plain characteristic of
Middle West Texas. Drainage is rnto the
Double Mountain Fork     of the Brazos
River, which flows through the county.
The plains section is devoted to cotton and
grain sorghum growing, the "breaks" to
large scale cattle raising, and the eastern
section to combination cattle raising and
farming. Mesquite is the principal tim-
ber; it is found on the lower plains.
Post, the county seat, is an attractive
city of 3,400 population, lying just bel6w
the "cap rock " A cotton mill and other
industries are located here.
GILLESPIE-*Created     and   organized,
1848: area, 1,109 sq. mi.; Pop, 1920, 10,015;
*1927,  13,000; Alt.,  1,800  ft.;  *rainfall,  25
in.; Southwest Texas.
This county is in the picturesque "hill
country" of the Edwards Plateau. The
country is rolling with numerous ranges
of hills. There is much mesquite and ce-
dar, and along the Pedernales River and
its tributaries grow fine pecan trees. In
the valleys and on the tablelands there is
much cultivable land, and cotton, oats,
wheat, corn and other staple crops are
grown in addition to truck crops. There
is a large live stock industry devoted pri-
marily to beef cattle and sheep and goats.
Many minerals are found; granite being
the most extensively worked.
Fredericksburg, the county seat, is a
place of about 4,000. Originally settled by
German colonists, there is still a large
number of German extraction. It is a
unique city, being probably the largest
unincorporated place in Texas. It is built
primarily along one street, which is 110
feet wide and paved with granite. The
surrounding country is of great scenic
beauty, traversed with numerous spring-
fed streams, and abounding in wild game,
and there are many tourists. Highways
*See page 338 for explanatory notes and references
to additional information on counties and cities.