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This County Website is available for adoption.
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Although the county was marked off from Bexar County
in 1876, it remained unorganized until 1890, when the growing
population felt the need for a local government. Accordingly, the
county was organized in March of that year, with Claude as the
county seat. |
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Ranching came to Armstrong County and the Panhandle with Charles
Goodnight and John Adair. In 1876 Goodnight brought a herd of 1,600
cattle into the Palo Duro Canyon. A short time later, in 1877, he
formed a partnership with John G. Adair from Ireland. Their ranch,
the JA, grew to encompass over 1,335,000 acres by the early 1880s.
This included most of Armstrong County and parts of five surrounding
counties. Although the partnership ended and the assets were divided
in 1886, the two ranches continued to dominate the area well into
the twentieth century. |
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During 1887 the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway built across the
county as it extended its line from Fort Worth across North Texas to
New Mexico and Colorado. This provided the local ranchers with
improved access to markets and eventually encouraged settlers to
enter the area. Homesteaders, intending to raise stock and crops,
began to trickle into the county in the late 1880s. They initially
settled near the townsites laid out by the railroad: Washburn,
Claude, and Goodnight. |
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Cities and towns
Claude
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ONLINE DATA |
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Mockingbird
State Bird
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