Dawson County
Dawson County, Texas
Dawson County, Texas
Dawson County lies on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado on the southern High Plains. The center point of the county is at 32°45' north latitude and 101°57' west longitude, sixty miles south of Lubbock. The county comprises 902 square miles of rolling prairie, broken on the east. The land, surfaced with sandy and loam soils, drains to playas. The altitude ranges from 2,600 to 3,200 feet above mean sea level. The average annual rainfall is 16.09 inches. The average minimum temperature in January is 28° F; the maximum average in July is 94°. The growing season averages 212 days. The county is crossed by Sulphur Springs Draw, a natural trail used by the Indians since prehistoric times and by the first White men who entered the South Plains. The area was the summer home of Comanches and Kiowas, who moved from waterhole to waterhole in a region that White men supposed waterless. A portion of the future county was included in a Mexican grant issued to Dr. John Cameron on May 21, 1827. Cameron contracted to settle 100 families, but there is no record of any attempt to carry out the contract.
In the fall of 1875 the Twenty-fourth United States Infantry, commanded by Col. William Rufus Shafter, visited the area to prepare a report on the local Indians. On October 18, 1875, the company discovered an Indian encampment at Laguna Sabinas or Cedar Lake, the legendary birthplace of Quanah Parker; the band, however, escaped to the west. The Shafter party made the first wagon roads on the plains and reported favorably on grazing conditions, but the Indian menace remained too severe for immediate settlement. The Nolan expedition of 1877 got lost in the area of the future Dawson and Lynn counties, and several members of the party of sixty died of thirst. Buffalo hunters, more than soldiers, were probably responsible for driving the Indians from the area. A surveying party for Texas and Pacific Railway lands in 1875 reported the presence of thousands of buffalo, and hunters moved in. As cattlemen learned that the grass on the Plains would produce fat cattle, ranchmen moved from the Lower Plains south of the Caprock to the new lands. By the mid-1880s four ranches, C. C. Slaughter's Lazy S, the TJF, the Fish, and the Bartow, occupied most of the land in Dawson County. The Texas and Pacific reached Big Spring in neighboring Howard County in 1881, and that community served as the shipping point for the area. By 1890 there were 28,536 cattle reported in the county.
Leona M. Gelin, Mark Odintz | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
- ✅ Adoption Status:
- This place is available for adoption! Available for adoption!
- Adopted by:
- Your name goes here
- Dedication Message:
- Your message goes here
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Dawson County is classified as a County
Altitude Range
2580 ft – 3220 ft
Size
Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does
- Land Area: 900.3 mi²
- Total Area: 902.1 mi²
Temperature
January mean minimum:
26.0°F
July mean maximum:
93.1°F
Rainfall, 2019
19.1 inches
Population Count, 2019
12,728
Civilian Labor Count, 2019
4,608
Unemployment, 2019
9.9%
Property Values, 2019
$1,263,512,450 USD
Per-Capita Income, 2019
$37,111 USD
Retail Sales, 2019
$222,427,746 USD
Wages, 2019
$47,257,167 USD
County Map of Texas
Dawson County
- Dawson County
Places of Dawson County
Place | Type | Population (Year/Source) | Currently Exists |
---|---|---|---|
Town | 265 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 8 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 40 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 8 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | 20 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 10 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | 50 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 8,751 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 22 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 12 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | 20 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 726 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 50 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 8 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 40 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 30 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 210 (2021) | Yes |
Photos Nearby:
O'Donnell, Texas
O'Donnell is a small city in west Texas that lies in both Lynn and Dawson counties. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.
The City of Los Ybañez, Texas
The City of Los Ybañez in Dawson County, Texas. Photograph by Unknown author, Texas Almanac.
City of Lamesa, Texas
The City of Lamesa is the seat of Dawson County. Photograph byBilly Hathorn.
Ackerly, Texas
Ackerly City Hall, Ackerly, Texas. Photography by Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 4.0.
Patricia, Texas
Patricia is an unincorporated communityin Dawson County, Texas. Photograph by Leaflet.
Proud to call Texas home?
Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.
Search Places »