WARD COUNTY HISTORY

Bounded on the west and south by the Pecos River, and lying at the extreme western end of original Tom Green County, from which it was detached in 1887, Ward County has some special distinctions to differentiate it from the other counties of the Tom Green district. These are due chiefly to the Pecos River. For many years the semi-arid plains of the county supported only a meager population of stockmen, and the first stations established along the Texas & Pacific Railway in the early '80s—Sand Hills, Aroya, Pyote and Quito—were merely points for the receiving of stock from the surrounding ranges, but about twenty-five years ago the feasibility of using the Pecos River for irrigation caused an influx of settlers and capital and enterprise was directed to the cultivation of the lands in the valley of that stream. By far the greater'part of the population is found along the river, and the chief wealth of the county is restricted to the same limits. Ward County was organized March 29, 1892. About the same time the first practical irrigation enterprise was launched, and since then there has been a gradual development all along the water front and a steady growth of population. The county seat and the chief town is Barstow, located on the railway near the irrigation district. The first irrigation plants were the Barstow Irrigation Company and the Grand Falls Land & Irrigation Company, both of which derived their water supply from the rivers and brought a large amount of land under cultivation. The census report for 1910 gave the following statistics concerning irrigation in Ward County: Of the 231 individual farms or ranches in the county, 178 were irrigated in 1909. The total area of the county is 529,280 acres, more than half of which is occupied in farms or ranches, and 17,590 acres were classified as "improved land." Of this latter area, 16,406 acres were irrigated in 1909, comprising about 93 per cent of the total land under cultivation. In 1899 only about four thousand acres were under irrigation. At the time of the report there were six irrigation enterprises in the county, with sixty-five miles of main ditches, and capable of irrigating about twenty-nine thousand acres. At that time nearly eight hundred thousand dollars had been invested in these plants. The same report indicates the chief crops raised through irrigation methods. In 1909 there were 4,137 acres in hay and forage crops, and of this 2,493 acres were in alfalfa. While many other counties of Texas claim credit for the growing of alfalfa, the last census gave very meager statistics for acreage in this crop, and Ward County was one of the few deserving of special mention. The acreage in cotton for 1909 was 2,987. There Were about seven thousand trees in orchard fruits, and over thirtyone thousand grape vines, which is in many ways the characteristic fruit crop of the county.

 Continuing the statistics from the same source, the number of cattle in 1910 was 13,595; and horses and mules, about 2,200. A less statistical account of the county's economic status is contained in the following sentences from the Texas Almanac for 1914: "Ward county is more noted for its irrigation farming than for its cattle industry. The soil of the Pecos river valley, both the lower and upper shelves, is rich alluvial, the washings of centuries, and exceptionally productive when water is applied. This was recognized several years ago, and advantage was taken of the Pecos river to construct irrigation systems, which made possible the cultivation of between 15,000 and 20,000 acres by irrigation within the limits of the county in 1913. There are many thousands of acres yet unirrigated which may be brought into cultivation when plans and construction work for the conservation of water materialize. A reservoir system is to be installed which will hold the winter run-off of the river and conserve flood waters, adding a large area to the irrigated acreage. Alfalfa is the big crop in the irrigated section. Opportunities for fruit production are inviting. There is a large acreage of grapes and many peach, pear, apricot and plum orchards. Ward county grapes have a reputation for color, size and quality not excelled by any grape produced in the country.'' The population of the county in 1890 was only 77; in 1900, 1,451; and in 1910, 2,389. The increase in assessment values during the past ten years is indicated by the following figures: In 1903, $1,203,063; in 1909, $4,024,083; and in 1913, $4,462,366.  source: History of Texas and Texans.

Ward County is named for Thomas William Ward.