Bailey County Texas History

Bailey County borders the Panhandle country and New Mexico and belongs to what is known as the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains, country. It was created from a portion of what was one time Bexar County, In 1876, and is still unorganized. When the Federal census of 1900 was taken, there were but four people living in Bailey County, and of these but one was a voter. There are now about 200 inhabitants.
The country is a rolling prairie, with a reddish sandy loam soil, which produces readily with sufficient rainfall. The wild mesquite and gramma grasses grow luxuriantly, and this, in connection with frequent pools of surface water, makes it a splendid cattle grazing country. The soils are very fertile, and while the country was regarded for many years as suitable only for cattle grazing, farmers are learning that by scientific methods the lands may be made to yield without much rainfall. Conservation of moisture in the ground has always been the problem with agriculturists in this part of the State. Forage crops produce well, as may be seen from a statement of the average yield per acre: Corn, 20 bushels; alfalfa, five tons; oats, 30 to 40 bushels; milo maize, six to eight tons; Kaffir corn, six to eight tons; sorghum, 12 to 15 tons; cotton. one-third bale. Wheat is being grown in small fields and it yields well. The forage crops add greatly to the value of the cattle industry, as these feeds enable stockmen to more fully develop their stock for the beef market. Until the last two or three years, Bailey County may be said to have been one immense cattle range. It is still largely taken up with cattle ranches, though these are being reduced in size as lands are plowed for cultivation. Last year there were 13,142 cattle in the county, 518 horses and mules, 785 sheep and 208 hogs. Property assessments totaled $226,806. The Santa Fe's new cut-off from Texico to Coleman will cross the north end and afford the first railroad facilities the county ever had. Bailey is attached to Castro County for judicial purposes. [Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide, 1910]

Still unorganized, Bailey County was created in 1876. It lies against New Mexico, and until very recently has been almost uninhabited and in pasture alone has contributed to the economic wealth of the state. When the federal census of 1900 was taken there were but four people living in the county, and of these but one was a voter. In 1910 the census enumerated 312. In 1911 the division of the Sante Fe Railroad from Texico to Coleman was built through the county, and improved transportation has given agriculture and general development a great impetus. There were five farms in the county in 1900, and seventy-one in 1910. Of a total area of 659,200 acres, while more than half wa3 included in farms in 1910, only 11,000 acres were "improved land," and the amount of land in cultivation in 1900 was only 275 acres. The last census reported 13,389 cattle and 2,337 sheep. The chief crop in 1909 was kafir corn and milo maize, in which 3,094 acres were planted, and 1,409 acres in hay and forage crops, besides some wheat and corn. A description of the county and of some recent developments is taken from the Texas Almanac for 1914: "The surface is almost level plain, with wide, shallow valleys. In the shallow water belts all staples produce large yields, while fruit and vegetables grow luxuriantly. The possibilities of irrigation are many and development in the shallow water belt in the northern section is making rapid progress. Until a year ago Bailey County was practically one large pasture. Although the live stock interests predominate, stock farming and diversified agriculture and horticulture in the irrigated sections are claiming an increasing amount of attention, these features being entirely responsible for the increase in population and wealth recorded during the last two years. While an accurate survey of the shallow water districts has never been made, it is estimated that there are approximately 45,000 acres in the northern portion of the county with an abundant supply of pure water at a depth ranging from eight to fifty feet." The assessed wealth of Bailey County in 1913 was $299,958.
["A History of Texas and Texans", Volume 2 By Francis White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler]