Texas Almanac, 1939-1940 Page: 427
This book is part of the collection entitled: Texas Almanac and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
COUNTIES AND CITIES. 427
berry, elm, walnut and pecan. West Fork of
the Trinity River crosses from northwest to
southeast.
Crops: The county grows from 2,000 to
5,000 bales of cotton, 125,000 bushels of corn,
150,000 bushels of oats, 9,000 tons of hay for
forage, grain sorghums, melons and small
plots of vegetables for home use. Farmers
raise all their feed and three fourths of their
home food supply.
Livestock: Beef cattle raising is the prin-
cipal industry, with some 45,000 head in the
county, followed by hogs, dairy cattle, sheep
and goats and poultry. For several years in-
terest in dairying has been increasing, with
about 8,000 cows now in the county.
Jacksboro (2,100), county seat, is the prin-
cipal trading and shipping point for a wide
livestock area. Industries include flour mill,
refinery, rock crushing plant, cotton gin and
machine shop. It is the site of the first In-
dian trial by white men in the United States,
and one mile iouth is old Fort Richardson,
noted frontier post. Bryson (800) is an oil
center in the southwestern part.
*JACKSON.-On coastal prairies, created in
1836 from one of original counties, organ-
ized in 1837, named for Gen. Andrew Jackson.
Area (sq.m.) 893 No. farms. 1,555
Pop.......... 12,300 Crop land (a) 82,609
Pop. sq. mi... 13.8 Mfr. val... $46,567
Tax val...... $8,548,180 Retail S .. $2,211,000
Tot. val..... $14,246,966 Auto reg. 2,427
Income...... $3,688,000 Inc. tax ret 106
Surface of the county is a generally level
prairie, gently sloping to the Gulf. Altitude
72 to 150 feet; rainfall 37 inches; mean annual
temperature about 70 degrees. The Lavaca
and Navidad Rivers furnish drainage.
Resources: There are in general three types
of soils-sandy, mixed land and black waxy
hog wallow. Along streams are growths of
mesquite, postoak, pin oak, blackjack, elm. In
1938 production of oil was 122,015 barrels, and
gas sand and gravel are produced.
C ops: From 8,000 to 10,000 bales of cotton,
150,000 bushels of corn, 170,000 bushels of rice,
hay for forage, onions, cabbage, turnips,
greens and other vegetables are produced.
Figs are sold on the market. More than 10,-
000 acres of rice are irrigated.
Livestock: With grass available all the
year and with mild grazing conditions, beef
cattle production is the principal industry
(37,500 on farms in 1935), followed by dairy
cattle, sheep, hogs, mules and horses. Dairy-
ing and poultry raising are increasing. Av-
erage annual value of livestoclk $2,000,000 to
Edna (1,752), county seat, is the principal
retail and shipping point. Other market cen-
ters are Ganado (626) in the northeast and
Francitas (300) in the southeast.
*JASPER.-In lower East Texas timbered
region, created in 1836, one of original coun-
ties, organized in 1837, named for Sergeant
William Jasper, a hero of American Revolu-
tion.
Area (sq.mi.) 978 No. farms. 1,859
Pop.. 17,064 Crop land (a) 28,321
Pop. sq. mi... 17.4 Mfr. val... $1,110,373
Taxval...... $7,301,605 Retail .S .. $2,726,000
Tot. val...... $11,233,234 Auto reg. 2,840
Income..... $3,984,000 Inc. tax ret 107
A heavily timbered area bordered on the
west by the Neches River, Jasper County has
a level to rolling surface. Altitude 100 to
200 feet; rainfall 50 inches; mean annual tem-
perature about 68 degrees.
Resources: The county is heavily tim-
bered with second-growth longleaf and lob-
lolly pine, white oak, hickory and ash, sup-
porting a large lumbering industry. Sandyloam and sandy soils predominate, with some
alluvials in bottoms. The county produces
some oil and gas and has deposits of clays and
lignite.
Crops: About 3,000 bales of cotton are
grown annually, 100,000 bushels of corn,
1,000 bushels of grain sorghums, 700 tons of
sugarcane and considerable quantities of truck
crops, particularly sweet potatoes. Farmers
grow most of their feed and do considerable
canning for home food supply.
Livestock: Beef cattle, hogs and wool are
sold on the market, and there has been a
marked increase in dairying and poultry
raising.
Jasper (3,393), county seat, is a retail cen-
ter with a substantial lumber industry, in-
cluding lumber mill, veneer plant and crate
factory. A state fish hatchery is located
near by.
Kirbyville (1,350) is a cotton market and'
lumber center in the eastern part, near a
state forest reserve of 1,700 acres reforested
with pine. Buna (650) is a retail center in
the southern part. Bessmay (1,000), Blox
(500) and Evadale (300) are other small com-
munities in ,a farming and lumbering terri-
tory.
*JEFF DAVIS.-In Trans-Pecos of West
Texas, created and organized in 1887 from
Presidio County, named for Jefferson Davis,
President of the Confederacy.
Area (sq.mi.) 2,263 No. farms. 110
Pop.. ....... 2,250 Crop land (a) 788
Pop. sq. mi... 0.9 lMfr. val..
Tax val...... $3,565,243 Retail S .. $232,000
Tot. val...... $5,942,071 Auto reg. 703
Income .... $804,000 Inc. tax ret 40
Located on a high plateau in picturesque
mountains and dotted with beautiful ranches
producing Hereford cattle, Jeff Davis County
s 4,500 to 8,500 feet above the sea. Rainfall
15 inches a year; mean annual temperature
64 degrees.
Resources: The county is arid and thinly
populated, with soils of clay, loam and inter.
mountain wash. In the mountains are some
pi cedar, postoak and live oak timbers.
d g stone and some metallic minerals are
C : Very little of the land is available
f crop production, but in the valleys corn
d other feed crops and apples are raised.
V ue of all crops annually is from $50,000
$75,000.
Livestock: Large-scale ranching is, the prin-
cipal industry, with some 75,000 beef cattle,
10,000 sheep, 9,000 goats. Much attention has
been devoted to developing high-quality Here-
ford cattle which find ready sale in Northern
and Midwest markets. Some wool and mohair
are shipped.
The county has much to offer the tourist,
principally the beautiful Davis Mountains,
Limpia and Madera Canyons. In summer
months these mountains attract thousands of
vacationists because of unusually cool nights
and recreational features. Davis Mountain
Park has been developed as a CCC project,
and Mount Livermore in the Davis range is
the second highest peak in Texas.
Fort Davis (1,000), county seat, mile above
sea level in the mountains, is enjoying an in-
creasing tourist trade. Here is old Fort Da-
vis, frontier post established in 1854 and a
large number of adobe and stone structures
in the "land of the purple canyons" On
Mount Locke is the new $1,000,000 University
of Texas McDonald Observatory 6.791 feet
above the sea. The Bloys camp meeting
ground is widely known.
Madera Springs, high in the heart of the
*tt See notations on page 386.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Texas Almanac, 1939-1940, book, 1939; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117163/m1/429/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.