Hemphill County, Texas

Hemphill County, Texas
Hemphill County Courthouse in Canadian, Texas
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1876
Seat	Canadian
Largest city	Canadian
Area
• Total	912 sq mi (2,362 km2)
• Land	906 sq mi (2,347 km2)
• Water	6 sq mi (16 km2), 0.6%
Population
• (2010)	3,807
• Density	3/sq mi (1/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.hemphill.tx.us

Military monument at Hemphill County Courthouse

The former Woman's Christian Temperance Union building in Canadian is being converted into a new Hemphill County Library. Completion is expected in the fall of 2010.

Canadian Record newspaper office serves Hemphill County.

Hemphill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,807.^[1] The county seat and only incorporated community in the county is Canadian.^[2] It is named for John Hemphill, a judge and Confederate congressman. Hemphill County is one of 30^[3] prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.

History

Early history

For the two hundred years leading up to 1875, nomadic Indian tribes representing the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, and others roamed the Panhandle following the huge buffalo herds. In search for an alternate route to California through Santa Fe, New Mexico, Josiah Gregg (1840), and Caprain Randolph B. Marcy (1845) surveyed trails that crossed Hemphill County, following the south bank of the Canadian River.

The battles of the Red River War of 1875-1876, an effort by the United States Army to contain the Indians in the Panhandle, took place. In September,1874, two of thee major battles occurred in what would become Hemphill County: the Battle of Lyman’s Wagon Train and the Battle of Buffalo Wallow.

On April 12, 1879, Wheeler County became the first organized county in the Panhandle, with fourteen other unorganized counties attached to it, one of which was Hemphill County. Hemphill County was organized in July 1887.

On July 4, 1888, the first rodeo in Texas and perhaps the world was held on the Main Street of Canadian, Texas. It began as a competition among some of the larger ranches in the area the annual Fourth of July Rodeo continues in present times.

An emphasis on eco-tourism, taking advantage of the incredible landscape and habitat has diversified the economy of Hemphill County. Farmers and ranchers continue efforts to preserve the land and habitat for future generations.

Influence of Santa Fe Railroad

In 1886, the Southern Kansas Railway Company, a Santa Fe subsidiary, began to build a rail line into the Panhandle of Texas. The tracks entered Hemphill County during 1887 and further encouraged settlement in the area creating three town sites: Mendota, Canadian, and Glazier.

In 1907, Canadian was designated a division point by the Santa Fe, a factor which brought diversification to the previously ranching economy of the area. The Santa Fe influence would remain very strong until the mid-1950s when the railway moved its employees to Amarillo.

Meanwhile, Hemphill County was roughly the mid-way point of two smaller lines, the Clinton, Oklahoma, and Western Railroad Company and the Clinton-Oklahoma-Western Railroad Company of Texas, which by the late 1920s collectively linked Clinton, Oklahoma, with Pampa, Texas.^[4]

Oil production

During the 1970s, the county grew, thanks to a rapid expansion of oil production. Though oil was discovered in the county in 1955, production remained relatively small because the technology had not yet progressed to efficiently capture the very deep reserves known to exist. By 1974, oil production had reached 999,000 barrels (158,800 m³) and more than 1,891,000 barrels (300,600 m³) in 1978. 2000 about 505,000 barrels (80,300 m³) of oil and more than 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas were produced in the county but the future looked very bright.

The Abraham dynasty

Abraham Companies are based in the Moody Building, a former hotel in Canadian.

Tom Abraham, an immigrant from Lebanon, operated a department store for many years in Canadian. He also worked to assist immigrants in becoming American citizens.

Abraham's younger brother, Malouf Abraham, Sr., was a wealthy oil and natural gas developer and philanthropist who served as mayor of Canadian in the 1950s and in the Texas House of Representatives from 1967-1971.

Malouf Abraham, Jr., is a retired allergist from Canadian and a major patron of the arts. He has reconstructed a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m²) house in Canadian into an art museum known as "Citadel Garden.". Malouf, Jr., and his wife, the former Therese Browne of North Carolina, have three sons, a part of the fourth generation of Abrahams in Canadian. Eddie Abraham is a cattle-calf rancher; Salem Andrew Abraham is a futures trader. Jason Abraham operates a large horse ranch.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 912 square miles (2,360 km²), of which 906 square miles (2,350 km²) is land and 6 square miles (16 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 83
• State Highway 33

Adjacent counties

• Lipscomb County (north)
• Ellis County, Oklahoma (northeast)
• Roger Mills County, Oklahoma (southeast)
• Wheeler County (south)
• Roberts County (west)

National protected area

• Black Kettle National Grassland (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 3,351 people, 1,280 households, and 948 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,548 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.65% White, 1.55% Black or African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.48% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 15.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,280 households out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,456, and the median income for a family was $42,036. Males had a median income of $31,154 versus $19,423 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,929. About 10.90% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.70% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Canadian 2,649

See also

• Dry counties
• List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hemphill County, Texas

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 17, 2013. 
2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ↑ http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/local_option_elections/index.asp
4. ↑ "Clinton-Oklahoma-Western Railroad". tshaonline.org. Retrieved April 27, 2013. 
5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2013. 
7. ↑ Texas Almanac: County Population History 1850-2010 Retrieved December 17, 2013
8. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14. 

External links

• Hemphill County from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Canadian Chamber of Commerce
• Hemphill County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
• River Valley Pioneer Museum
• The Citadelle Art Foundation
• Canadian Independent School District
• The Canadian Record

		Lipscomb County	Ellis County, Oklahoma
	Roberts County
	(enter city)
		Wheeler County	Roger Mills County, Oklahoma

v t e Municipalities and communities of Hemphill County, Texas, United States County seat: Canadian City Canadian Unincorporated community Glazier

v t e Texas counties Anderson Andrews Angelina Aransas Archer Armstrong Atascosa Austin Bailey Bandera Bastrop Baylor Bee Bell Bexar Blanco Borden Bosque Bowie Brazoria Brazos Brewster Briscoe Brooks Brown Burleson Burnet Caldwell Calhoun Callahan Cameron Camp Carson Cass Castro Chambers Cherokee Childress Clay Cochran Coke Coleman Collin Collingsworth Colorado Comal Comanche Concho Cooke Coryell Cottle Crane Crockett Crosby Culberson Dallam Dallas Dawson Deaf Smith Delta Denton DeWitt Dickens Dimmit Donley Duval Eastland Ector Edwards Ellis El Paso Erath Falls Fannin Fayette Fisher Floyd Foard Fort Bend Franklin Freestone Frio Gaines Galveston Garza Gillespie Glasscock Goliad Gonzales Gray Grayson Gregg Grimes Guadalupe Hale Hall Hamilton Hansford Hardeman Hardin Harris Harrison Hartley Haskell Hays Hemphill Henderson Hidalgo Hill Hockley Hood Hopkins Houston Howard Hudspeth Hunt Hutchinson Irion Jack Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis Jefferson Jim Hogg Jim Wells Johnson Jones Karnes Kaufman Kendall Kenedy Kent Kerr Kimble King Kinney Kleberg Knox Lamar Lamb Lampasas La Salle Lavaca Lee Leon Liberty Limestone Lipscomb Live Oak Llano Loving Lubbock Lynn Madison Marion Martin Mason Matagorda Maverick McCulloch McLennan McMullen Medina Menard Midland Milam Mills Mitchell Montague Montgomery Moore Morris Motley Nacogdoches Navarro Newton Nolan Nueces Ochiltree Oldham Orange Palo Pinto Panola Parker Parmer Pecos Polk Potter Presidio Rains Randall Reagan Real Red River Reeves Refugio Roberts Robertson Rockwall Runnels Rusk Sabine San Augustine San Jacinto San Patricio San Saba Schleicher Scurry Shackelford Shelby Sherman Smith Somervell Starr Stephens Sterling Stonewall Sutton Swisher Tarrant Taylor Terrell Terry Throckmorton Titus Tom Green Travis Trinity Tyler Upshur Upton Uvalde Val Verde Van Zandt Victoria Walker Waller Ward Washington Webb Wharton Wheeler Wichita Wilbarger Willacy Williamson Wilson Winkler Wise Wood Yoakum Young Zapata Zavala

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Coordinates: 35°50′N 100°17′W / 35.83°N 100.28°W / 35.83; -100.28