Mills County

Mills County, Texas

Mills County, Texas

The Mills County Courthouse is located in Goldthwaite, Texas, the county seat. Photograph by Aualliso.
Mills County, Texas

Mills County, Texas

Map of Mills County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Mills County is in central Texas, bordered on the north by Comanche County, on the east by Hamilton County, on the south by San Saba and Lampasas counties, and on the west by Brown County. The center of the county lies at approximately 31°30' north latitude and 98°35' west longitude, 110 miles northwest of Austin. The county lies partly in the Grand Prairie region and partly in the western Cross Timbers. The county was named for John T. Mills, and its area covers 734 square miles of hills and plateaus that drain to the Colorado River, its western boundary. Elevations range from 1,100 to 1,700 feet above sea level. A range of hills, the Cowhouse Mountains, extends from southeast to northwest, and picturesque San Saba peak (1,712 feet), covered by cedars and large white rocks, is a local landmark. Pecan Bayou flows north to south across the western section. Soils are alluvial, black waxy, sandy, and loam; timber includes live oak, post oak, cottonwood, shinnery, and pecan. Temperatures in Mills range between an average minimum of 34° F in January to an average maximum of 87° F in July. The average annual rainfall is 27.52 inches, and the growing season lasts 230 days. The county's agricultural economy produces an income of $28 million annually, 90 percent of which is from sheep, beef cattle, goats, and hogs; crops of small grains, sorghums, and forage account for the remainder. Manufactures, chiefly of farm equipment, yield $2,200,000 annually. Fishing and hunting support a tourist industry on the Colorado River. Major roads are U.S. Highway 84/183 (west to east) and State Highway 16 (north to south).

In earlier times the region was a hunting ground for Apaches and Comanches, who fought over it until the mid-nineteenth century. Although the area was off the route of Spanish explorations, Pedro Vial did pass through the area in 1786 and 1789 while exploring a route from San Antonio to Santa Fe. The first White traveler was probably Capt. Henry S. Brown, who led a party across the Colorado River in 1828 to recover stock stolen by Indians. The first permanent settler, Dick Jenkins, established himself in the area in 1852; other early pioneers were D. S. and Sam Hanna, W. Lee Brooks, B. F. Gholson, John Williams, R. D. Forsythe, and Mr. and Mrs. Mose Jackson. A Methodist circuit rider held the first religious service in the cabin of Charles Mullin in 1857. The first settlers, like the Indians, subsisted primarily on hunting. A number of the early settlers were German immigrants who toiled, as one put it, in a "place that was a heaven for men and dogs-but hell for women and oxen." Life on the frontier was often precarious; Dick Jenkins and several other early pioneers were killed by Indians. In 1858 Mr. and Mrs. Mose Jackson and two of their children were killed by Indians at Jackson Springs, while two other children were carried into captivity. After a force of settlers routed the Indians at Salt Gap, their pursuers and a company of Texas Rangers recovered the captive Jackson children. In 1862 a band of twenty Comanches raiding for horses was pursued by settlers to the mouth of Pecan Bayou and put to flight after three Indians and one White, O. F. Lindsey, were killed. After Indians killed John Morris, a rancher, settlers pursued them and killed or wounded seven of the twenty-seven raiders. Few of the settlers joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War because their own frontier required protection against the depredations of Indians and outlaws.

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William R. Hunt, John Leffler | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

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.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Mills County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

1112 ft – 1762 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 748.3 mi²
  • Total Area: 749.8 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 33.0°F
July mean maximum: 91.5°F

Rainfall, 2019

30.6 inches

Population Count, 2019

4,873

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

1,763

Unemployment, 2019

4.5%

Property Values, 2019

$1,893,187,235 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$37,153 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$93,880,794 USD

Wages, 2019

$11,654,231 USD

Mills County

Highlighted:
  • Mills County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
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Town 35 (2009) Yes
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Town 20 (2009) Yes
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Town 27 (2009) Yes
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Town 15 (2009) Yes
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Town 1,715 (2021) Yes
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Town 131 (2021) Yes
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Town 160 (2021) Yes
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Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
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Town 97 (2009) Yes
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