Jones County
Jones County, Texas
Jones County, Texas
Jones County is on the West Texas prairies, bounded on the north by Stonewall and Haskell counties, on the east by Shackelford County, on the south by Taylor County and the city of Abilene, and on the west by Fisher County. The center of the county lies at 32° 45' north latitude and 99° 54' west longitude. The county was named for Anson Jones, statesman of the Republic of Texas. Anson is the county seat. The county is crossed by U.S. highways 180, 83, and 277, State highways 6 and 92, and the Burlington Northern Railroad. Jones County covers 937 square miles of rolling plains with elevations that range from 1,600 to 1,900 feet above sea level. Annual rainfall is twenty-five inches. January's average minimum temperature is 31° F; July's average maximum is 97° F. The county has a growing season of 223 days, soils are black to sandy loam with clayey subsoils, and between 51 and 60 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. Jones County is in the rolling plains vegetation area, with tall grasses and mesquite trees. It is drained by the Clear Fork of the Brazos River and its tributaries.
In the years before Anglo settlement, several nomadic groups roamed the area that would eventually become Jones County, including the Comanche, Kiowa, and Tonkawa Indians. Caddos and Delawares camped along the Clear Fork, and Wichitas occasionally hunted in the area. Large herds of bison provided food and other necessities for these Indian groups. The earliest White settlement of Jones County was in 1851 when Fort Phantom Hill, near the site of present Hawley, was established as one of a line of forts from the Red River to the Rio Grande. These military outposts guarded the frontier and furnished protection to Forty-niners following the Randolph B. Marcy trail across Texas. Supplies were hauled from Austin. The fort was abandoned in 1854, and in 1858 the location was made a station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco. Jones County was established on February 1, 1858, from Bexar and Bosque counties. During the Civil War Indian raids forced the frontier back to the east, and the area was not settled for another fifteen years. In 1872 the military post was reestablished, and a settlement was made on a stream four miles distant. The actions of Ranald S. Mackenzie and federal troops removed the Indian threat in the mid-1870s. Buffalo hunters were followed by bone haulers, and the last buffalo was seen in the county in 1879. Owners of herds of longhorn cattle moved in to take advantage of the grass-covered range. In 1873 Creed, John, and Emmett Roberts and Mode and J. G. Johnson established ranches in the area of Fort Phantom Hill. Other early ranches included the T-Diamond, established in 1876, and the Ericsdale Ranch of the Swenson Land and Cattle Company, established in 1882 (see SMS RANCHES). In 1880 John Merchant built a mesquite corral at the site of the future county seat, and Henry Foster put up the first wire fence in the county. The population of Jones County reached 546 that year, and when the county was organized in 1881 Jones City was declared the county seat. In 1882 the name of the county seat was changed to Anson.
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:
Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Jones County is classified as a County
Altitude Range
1480 ft – 1970 ft
Size
Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does
- Land Area: 928.6 mi²
- Total Area: 937.1 mi²
Temperature
January mean minimum:
31.1°F
July mean maximum:
96.2°F
Rainfall, 2019
26.1 inches
Population Count, 2019
20,083
Civilian Labor Count, 2019
5,585
Unemployment, 2019
7.9%
Property Values, 2019
$1,311,313,200 USD
Per-Capita Income, 2019
$30,559 USD
Retail Sales, 2019
$218,929,396 USD
Wages, 2019
$32,984,292 USD
County Map of Texas
Jones County
- Jones County
Places of Jones County
Place | Type | Population (Year/Source) | Currently Exists |
---|---|---|---|
Town | – | – | |
Town | 125,070 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 2,347 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 121 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 10 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 35 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 26 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 1,879 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 566 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 150 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Lake | – | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 261 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 21 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | 9 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 40 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 50 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 10 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | 2,977 (2021) | Yes | |
Town | 50 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | 26 (2014) | Yes | |
Town | 42 (2009) | Yes | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – | |
Town | – | – |
Photos Nearby:
Lueders, Texas
Downtown view of Lueders, a Texas town located in the eastern part of Jones County and Shackelford County. Photograph by Lothar1976.
Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas, Skyline. Photo by Atownbman on Wikimedia Commons
Hawley, Jones County, Texas
View of downtown Hawley, a town in southeastern Jones County, Texas. Photograph by Lothar1976.
Anson, Jones County, Texas
View of the opera house in downtown Anson, the county seat of Jones County, Texas. Photograph by Renelibrary.
Stamford, Texas
Downtown view of Stamford, a city located in both Haskell County and Jones Counties, in West Central Texas. Photograph by Larry D. Moore.
City of Hamlin, Fisher County, Texas
Strauss Dry Goods Company Storefront, Historic Building in downtown Hamlin, Texas in Fisher County. Photograph by CletusDitto.
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