Dickens County

Dickens County, in Northwest Texas, is bordered on the north by Motley County, on the west by Crosby County, on the south by Kent County, and on the east by King County; its center point is 33°38' north latitude and 100°45' west longitude fifty miles east of Lubbock. The county was named for J. Dickens, who died at the Alamo. The broken terrain is surfaced by sandy, chocolate, and red soils. Croton and Duck creeks drain the county. The flat northwest part of Dickens County is above the Caprock on the Llano Estacado, and the rest, with rolling terrain, is below. The altitude over the county's 931 square miles varies from 2,000 to 3,000 feet. Trees include mesquite, hackberry, and cottonwood. Grasses are blue grama, sideoats, grama, white tidena, vine mesquite, and Indian grass. The average annual rainfall is 20.24 inches. The average minimum temperature in January is 28° F; in July the maximum is 95° F. The growing season is 217 days. Dickens County produces about $21.5 million worth of goods annually, mostly from beef cattle, horses, cotton, wheat, and sorghums. The county has no manufacturing and only a modest amount of oil. The road network includes U.S. Highway 82 (west to east) and State Highway 70 (north to south).

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.