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| Crosby County was named for Texas land commissioner Stephen Crosby. Crosby County
was created in 1876 but was not organized until 1886. Early settlement was slow due to widespread Comanche, Kiowa,
and Kickapoo Indian raids on isolated farms and ranches. Crosby County is situated upon the Llano Estacado,
or Staked Plains, and lies in the central part of same. It is distant 110 miles from Canyon City, on the Pecos
Valley railroad, and this is the nearest railroad point. It is 125 miles from Colorado City, on the Texas &
Pacific railroad. Crosby county is named for Stephen Crosby, land
commissioner. Stephen Crosby served as General land Commissioner throughout the civil war, until he
was removed from office by "military authority's for his known hostility toward the general government"
during the reconstruction years of 1865. He later returned to serve another term in 1866. Crosby County was
formally organized after elections held in 1886, with Estacado (the new name of the town formerly called Marietta)
designated as the county seat. Open-range grazing continued until the mid-1880s, when barbed wire was introduced and small ranchers and farmers began
competing for the land. By 1890 the population of the county was 345. As more settlers moved in to establish farms
and ranches, the influence of the Quakers declined and the religious orientation of the community was lost. In
1891 Emma became the seat of government until the railroad was was routed five miles to the north of the town.
In 1910 Crosbyton became the new county seat. As development proceeded, the population of the county grew. As late
as 1910 only 1,765 people lived in Crosby County, but in 1920 the census counted 6,084 residents. In 1992 Crosbyton,
the county seat and largest town, had a population of 2,026. For residents and tourists the county offers such
attractions as White River Reservoir, Silver Falls,and Blanco Canyon. |
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| "Emma" _ The population in 1900, 788. Property assessment 1903, $1,338,827.
Crosby County lies two-thirds on the plains and one-third in the breaks, the breaks on the east being known as
Blanco canyon, and on the south as Yellow house canyon. On the plains the soil is about three feet deep, and is
a dark chocolate loam, with some sandy land toward the southwest. There is no large timber in this county, with
the exception of several cottonwood groves in the breaks, and some mesquite timber, which is very small. The land
in the breaks is rocky and sandy, with "shinnery," or scrub oak. In the eastern part of the county is
the White river, running south, and in the western part is Salt fork. Both these streams are tributaries of the
Brazos river. An inexhaustible supply of underground water is obtained at 80 to 200 feet. In the northeastern part
of the county water is obtained at 200 to 250 feet. No irrigation has been tried on the plains, except for gardens.
This has been very successful. The principal crops are milo maize, Kaffir corn,, Indian corn, millet, sorghum and
Johnson grass. Some cotton was planted in 1903. and averaged one-half bale to the acre. Milo maize and Kaffir corn
produce about 30 bushels to the acre. There are no known minerals in the county. Lands sell at $2.5O to $3 per
acre. At least one-half of the county is taken up by large pastures. There are 8 public schools in the county;
the scholastic population is nearly 300. Emma, the county seat, is situated within 5 miles of the geographical
center of the county. The population is 200. Other towns are Estacado, 15 miles northwest of Emma, and Cone, 14
miles north. The county is out of debt.—J. J. Hammack, Emma.
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