Wharton County

Wharton County, named for brothers William H. and John A. Wharton, is southwest of Houston on U.S. Highway 59 on the Coastal Plain of southeast Texas at the coastal bend. The county is bounded by Matagorda, Colorado, and Jackson counties and the San Bernard River, which forms its northeastern border and the Fort Bend county line. Wharton County comprises 1,086 square miles and is divided primarily between prairie and timber land. The Colorado River, which traverses the county from northwest to southeast, divides it roughly in half and flows through Wharton and Glen Flora. The county lands are drained by Mustang Creek in the extreme west, the Colorado River in the central portions, and the San Bernard River and West Bernard Creek in the eastern portions. Major creeks west of the Colorado River are the Blue and Jones creeks; those east of the Colorado River are the Peach and Caney creeks. Level to undulating plains rise toward the north and are marked by a timber belt of ash, pecan, live oak, and other varieties of hardwood trees along the river; closer to the Gulf, in an area referred to as Bay Prairie, prairie and bunch grasses, mesquite, and oak predominate. The upper northeastern portion, Lissie Prairie, is treeless with prairie and bunch grasses. Altitude varies from 50 to 200 feet. The climate is considered subtropical humid, and rainfall averages forty-two inches annually. The average temperature is 93° F in the summer and 44° in the winter months. Occasional snow falls, and the growing season lasts 268 days per year. The county originally had bear, fox, wolves, raccoon, possum, deer, armadillos, rabbits, ducks, geese, crane, quail, and dove; it continues to permit hunting. Loam, sand, coastal clay, and alluvial soils predominate in Wharton County. Natural resources include salt domes, sand and gravel, oil, gas, and sulphur; all have been tapped for commercial and industry use. The county is served by State Highway 60, U.S. Highway 90 A, Interstate Highway 59, and State Highway 71. The Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads own the remaining rail lines in the county. The county's incorporated and largest communities are Wharton, the county seat, located at the center of the county (at 29°19' N, 96°06' W) east of the Colorado River, and El Campo, located west of the Colorado.

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.