Clay County, Texas
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History/Timeline
Clay County, Texas was founded 1857 from Cooke County. Indians forced disorganization, 1862; reorganized, 1873[1]
Clay County is part of the Wichita Falls, Metropolitan Statistical Area in North Texas.[2]
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| Mural Clay County Courthouse depicting both new and old towers |
Named for Henry Clay, statesman, Kentucky Senator and United States Secretary of State.[3]
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| Henry Clay. |
- Archaic Age - Wichita and Taovaya Indians, hunter-gatherers came into this area from Kansas and Nebraska. These people were dependent on agriculture even using hoses, which had been introduced by the Spanish. See Nueva Espana. These indians came into conflict with the Lipan Apaches, Comanches. Both sets of American Indians claimed the area, coming to hunt, even after they had been removed into Oklahoma.[4]
- 1759 -Diego Ortiz Parrilla crossed when on his way to attack the Taovayas at the site of present Spanish Fort in Montague County.[4]
- 1786-87 Pedro Vial and José Mares crossed the area exploring for routes from San Antonio to Santa Fe. [4]
- July 1841 the Texan Santa Fe expedition crossed the area heading west. [4]
- 1843 -Snively expedition came across NE corner. [4]
- 1849 - California Trail cut across the southern section.[4]
- post1850- these American Indians often had contact with white settlers in the region when federal troops forced them to move to reservations north of the Red River.[4]
- Spanish Explorers were earliest Europeans in the region. Some crossed Clay County area when skirting the Cross Timbers.[4]
- 1850's - first settlers W. T. and Wess Waybourne built their cabins on South fork Wichita River 2 miles from present day Henrietta on the south fork of the Wichita River [4]
- Dec 24, 1857 Clay County was formed, from Cooke County.
- 1858- Earl Van Dorn crossed on expedition to Oklahoma, followed arc shaped route crossing Western Clay County heading from Cottonwood Spring of Young county region to Little Wichita River.[4]
- 1860 -population of the new county was only 109. Indians were a constant threat at this time, and the army conducted regular patrols of the area. [4]
- 1861 -Henrietta, the largest community, 10 homes, general store. County was organized this year, but Federal troops were removed during civil War. People feared for their lives. County was almost no population[4]
- post Civil War -Fort Sill in the Indian Territory was established, settlers slowly returned. [4]
- Henry A Whaley - farm near mouth of Wichita River, raised grain, vegetables and sold them to the army at Fort Sill. [4]
- 1870 - NO population for Clay County. Few ranchers, farmers were near the Red River.[4]
- 1870's gradually new settlers moved in raising cattle and small crops corn, cotton.
- 1873 county reorganized, with Cambridge as the county seat, [4]
::Most of the early settlers raised cattle, along with small crops of corn and cotton.
- 1882 - Fort Worth and Denver Railway was built across the county through Henrietta, which had been abandoned during Civil War, started bustling with activity. It did not go through Cambridge.[4]
- Most of Cambridge residents moved to Henrietta due to the railroad. Henrietta became the new county seat.[4]
- 1870-1880 population grew from a few hundred in 1870 to 5,045 by 1880. [4]
- Buffalo hunters shipped their hides from Henrietta, and the city became the principal trading center with nearby Fort Sill.[4]
- 1880 the county had 635 farms with 1,155 bales of cotton and 92,766 bushels of corn; cattle numbered 58,763. [4]
- 1880-1900 - cotton production grew to 3,774 bales, corn yields increased to 721,020 bushels, and the number of cattle rose to 91,212. [4]
- 1887 - 2 new railroads: the Gainesville, Henrietta and Western, a branch line of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas reached Henrietta.[4]
- 1890 -1910 population grew from 7,503 to 17,043. [4]
- 1900 - leading crop was corn, Cotton became major crop planted on 71,086 acres)
- 1904 - Wichita Valley Railway, which was constructed to Byers.[4]
- 1911 - The Wichita Falls Railway linked Henrietta with Wichita Falls. Built in 1894-1895 and sold in to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, (Katy). This original 18 miles of track was abandoned 1970.[4]
- 1930 one of every two farms (80,000) was given over to cotton production.[4]
- 1930's -Great Depression prosperity came with the Cotton culture
- Farmers had borrowed against the next year's crop, [4]
- 1930 -half of the farmers in Clay County were tenant-sharecroppers (worked someone else's land for a share of the harvest.) when the cotton price dropped, farmers were hit hard. Many gve up farming. [4]
- 1930 and 1940 the number of farms in the county fell from 2,106 to 1,710. Half of farmers were forced off the land, almost none of the tenants remained.
- Depression changed the county economy. The depression years permanently changed the face of the county's farming economy in other ways as well.
- Post World War II cotton farming gave way to cattle ranching.[4]
- Late 1960s - 3/5 of farm income was from beef cattle.[4]
- Betw 1920s- 1980s population declined slowly by 1990 population was 10,024 due to manufacturing .[4]
- Joseph Sterling Bridwell owned a ranch in Clay County, Wichita Falls rancher, oilman, and philanthropist
Government Offices
The county seat is Henrietta.
- 1st County seat Cambridge, Clay County - Cambridge, Clay County was founded 1860. In 1863 -(Civil war), Federal troops were removed during that time Settlers feared the Indians, thus the town Cambridge was abandoned to marauding indians. Settlers returned 1870. It had post office, school, church and Fort Sill - Fort Richardson Military telegraph came through, newspaper. Railroad (ft worth, Denver RR 1882. County seat moved to Henrietta. (No image)[5]
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| 1884 courthouse with original clock tower |
1884 2nd Clay County Seat, in Henrietta courthouse is quite close in appearance to that of 1885 Red River courthouse. it is Italianate style built of brick and sandstone.Alterations were done to this roof. During renovations, the current the dome was place, replacing the former clock tower. [5] Before the alterations to the roof, the building strongly resembled the 1885 Red River County courthouse in Clarksville, TX designed by architect William H. Wilson.
- The dome on the Clay County courthouse was placed on the roof years after its construction, replacing the original clock tower. Gabled roofs were also added to each wing. - Terry Jeanson Texas Escapes [5]
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| 1884 Clay county courthouse c/ dome. |
Geography
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc12 Clay County is part of the Wichita Falls, Metropolitan Statistical Area in North Texas. It can be found on Hwy 287 and 82 near the Red River, northern Texas. It is 90 miles NW of DFW Latitude/Longitude: 34°48' north latitude, 98°15' west longitude.[4]
- 98th meridian dividing USA E and West runs through the E part of county
- Size - forty-six miles from north to south and twenty-five miles from east to west.
- Land area 1,150 square miles.
- Terrain - level to gently sloping.
- Farmland - 1/3 county prime farmland
- Flora- Cross Timbers and prairie- grasses, mesquite, cacti, trees - mesquite, blackjack, post oak, elm
- Terrain -nearly level to gently sloping.
- Elevation varies from 1,100 feet (SW) to 900 feet in the east.
- Rainfall - 30 inches/year
- Temperatures- January range average low of 28° F to average high of 53° July, August - 98°.
- Growing Season - 229 days a year
- Last freeze - late March, first freeze in mid-November.
- Snowfall averages six inches a year.
- Size-1,117 square miles (2,890 km2)
- Land:- 1,089 sq miles (2,820 km2) is land, 28 sq miles (73 km2) (2.5%) is water.
- Minerals - building stone and clays for brick, tile, and ceramics.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc12
Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County, Oklahoma (north)
- Montague County (east)
- Jack County (south)
- Wichita County (west)
- Archer County (west)
- Cotton County, Oklahoma (northwest)
Protected areas
- Lake Arrowhead State Park, a 524-acre (212 ha) development on Lake Arrowhead in Clay County, encompasses 14,390-acres. The lakeshore extends 106 miles; the park offers bicycling, birding, boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, nature study, picnicking, swimming, and wildlife observation[2]
Demographics
- Clay County is part of the Wichita Falls, Metropolitan Statistical Area in North Texas.
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| former Clay County Jail. |
in the census of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county, giving a density of people of 10 people/ per square mile (4/km²). Housing units density were 4 per square mile (2/km²) Racial breakdown showed 95.35% White, 0.42% African American, 1.03% Native American, 1.68% from other races, with 3.67% of the population being Hispanic.[2]
In the 4,323 households 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone 65 years of age or older. [2]
Income for this county was $35,738, and the median income for a family was $41,514. There were 10.30% of the population below the poverty line. [2]14 percent had college degrees.
Creeks/Rivers -Red River on N Edge, the Wichita River flows through the center of the county emptying into the Red River. Others are: Turkey, Dry Fork, Hay, and East Post Oak creeks. and Lake Arrowhead,
Railroads:
- 1894-95 Wichita Falls Railway linked Henrietta with Wichita Falls in 1894-1895 was a property of Joseph A. Kemp, brother-in-law Frank Kell and other stockholders This was sold in 1911 to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, became referred to as the Katy. This 18 miles of track, was abandoned in 1970. [4]
Fauna:
deer, bobwhite quail, and migratory game birds provide excellent hunting.
1986 - Unemployment was 1.1% It is still below the statewide average. (2000 was 2.1%), only 2.1 percent of the workforce was unemployed. In 1986 over 82% of Clay County residents owned their homes. New Jobs were created by light manufacturing which had been started in 1970-1980 In 1965 -181 were working in oil and gas operation with 241 employed in retail plants. As late as 1965, 181 people were employed in oil and gas operations and 241 worked in retail business, but in the early 1990s only a handful of oil workers remained. Mobile-home and wood-products plants, established during the 1970s and 1980s, added 189 jobs to the county's rolls and helped to offset losses in other areas.[4]
HIGHWAYS and FM Roads
| Road | Road | Road |
| U.S. Highway 82 | U.S. Highway 287 | Texas State Highway 79 |
| Texas State Highway 148 | Texas FM 171 | Texas FM 173 |
| Texas FM 172 | Texas FM 174 | Texas FM 2847 |
| Texas FM 175 | Texas FM 1177 | Texas FM 2606 |
| Texas FM 1197 | Texas FM 1288 | Texas FM 1740 |
| Texas FM 1883 | Texas FM 1954 | Texas FM 2332 |
| Texas FM 2393 |
- Representative for Clay County Republican James Frank.
Town/Communities
| Town | Town | Town |
| Bellevue | Bluegrove, Texas | Buffalo Springs |
| Byers | Charlie | Dean |
| Halsell, Texas | Jolly | Henrietta (county seat) |
| Hurnville, Texas | Thornberry, Texas | Petrolia |
| Shannon, Texas | Stanfield, Texas | Vasti, Texas |
| Joy , Texas | Scotland (partial) | Wichita Falls (Partial |
POLITICS - - Clay County has been staunchly Democratic through most of its history. A majority of the county's voters voted for Democratic presidential candidates in virtually every election from 1876 through 1968;. The trend became more Republican with Richard Nixon. Democrats were strong 1976,n1980, 1988 and Bill Clinton carried the county by a plurality. Republican George W. Bush won majorities in the county during the 2000 and 2004 elections. Thus the trend goes up and down.
Formed From
- Cooke County on Dec 24, 1857
Resources
- Building stone and clays for brick, tile, and ceramics
- Oil
- Pioneer Reunion Festival held annually in Henrietta
- Junior Stock Show, both held annually in Henrietta.
Census
- 1860 -- 109 —
- 1880 -- 5,045 —
- 1890 -- 7,503 48.7%
- 1900 -- 9,231 23.0%
- 1910 -- 17,043 84.6%
- 1920 -- 16,864 −1.1%
- 1930 -- 14,545 −13.8%
- 1940 -- 12,524 −13.9%
- 1950 -- 9,896 −21.0%
- 1960 -- 8,351 −15.6%
- 1970 -- 8,079 −3.3%
- 1980 -- 9,582 18.6%
- 1990 -- 10,024 4.6%
- 2000 -- 11,006 9.8%
- 2010 -- 10,752 −2.3%
- Est. 2015 10,360
Notables
- Joseph Sterling Bridwell rancher
Land Grants
Cemeteries
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- Cemeteries Clay County, Gloria Mayfield
- FindaGrave Cemeteries, Clay county
- FindaGrave#2 Clay county Cemeteries
Sources
- ↑ https://texasalmanac.com/index.php?q=topics/government/clay-county
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County,_Texas
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Clay
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc12
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Henrietta-Texas-Clay-County-Courthouse.htm
- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc12
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Clay
- http://www.co.clay.tx.us
- Cemeteries Clay County, Gloria Mayfield
- Roots Clay County Cemeteries
- FindaGrave Cemeteries, Clay county
- FindaGrave#2 Clay county Cemeteries
- FamilySearch Clay County Cemeteries
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