Lampasas County

Lampasas County covers an area of 714 square miles near the center of Texas. The county's center point is at 31°15' north latitude and 98°14' west longitude, seventy-five miles northwest of Austin. The major part of Lampasas County lies within the Grand Prairies region in an area formed during the Cretaceous period and is characterized by high rolling prairie with steep slopes and limestone benches that give a stairstep appearance to the landscape, and by some areas of flat to rolling prairie and steeply to moderately sloping hills, particularly along the county's eastern and western edges. The northwestern corner lies on the edge of the Cross Timbers region in an area formed during the Pennsylvania era; the southwestern corner is on the edge of the Llano basin in an area formed during the Ordovician era and is characterized by somewhat rougher and more dissected terrain. Soils consist chiefly of shallow and sometimes stony clays and loams over a limestone base, with darker, richer soils in the lowland areas along the riverbeds. The primary natural resources are derived from the limestone and sandstone formations underlying these areas and include sand, gravel, crushed stone, and lime, with some coal, lignite, and clay in the western portion of the county. Most of the county displays an assortment of scrub brush, grasses, and open stands of live oak, mesquite, and juniper, with some cacti growing in the west. Oak, elm, pecan, and willow trees also grow along the streams, particularly in the west along the Colorado River, and cedars can be found in some areas. The county's abundant wildlife includes white-tail deer, game birds, and a variety of furbearing mammals; Lampasas County is a popular hunting and trapping area. Coyotes, which had been hunted nearly to extinction by 1915, became common again by 1965, especially in the western and northern sections, and caused much damage to livestock through the 1980s. The majority of Lampasas County is drained by the Lampasas River, which runs north to south in the eastern portion of the county. The remainder of the county is drained by the Colorado River, which forms the county's western border. There are a number of spring-fed creeks throughout the county. Four reservoirs are located near the town of Lampasas in the southwestern corner of the county, as well as various mineral springs along Sulphur and Burleson creeks. Lampasas County water is usually hard and somewhat mineralized. The county also overlies the Trinity Group aquifer, with some sections overlying the Ellenburger-San Saba, Hickory Sandstone, and Marble Falls Limestone aquifers. Rainfall averages approximately thirty inches a year, temperatures range from an average high of 96° F in July to an average low of 30° in January, and the growing season lasts approximately 225 days.

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.