Moore County
Moore County, Texas
Moore County is located in the north central part of the Panhandle of Texas, bordered by Sherman, Hutchinson, Potter, and Hartley counties. Dumas, the county seat, is located in the center of the county, at 101°55' west longitude and 35°50' north latitude, about forty-eight miles north of Amarillo. The area is named for Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, the commander of the Texas Navy during the Republic of Texas. Moore County occupies 909 square miles of the High Plains. The sandy and loam soils support abundant native grasses as well as various local crops such as wheat, corn, milo, and other grains. In general the terrain consists of nearly level prairies varied by the Canadian River brakes in the southeast and by Grapevine, Plum, South Palo Duro, North Palo Duro, and Big Blue creeks, which flow west to east and drain into the Canadian River. Part of Lake Meredith, a man-made lake on the Canadian River, is in the far southeastern corner of the county. Elevations in the county range from 2,900 to 3,700 feet above sea level. Average rainfall is 18.33 inches per year. The average minimum temperature is 20° F in January, and the average maximum is 93° in July. The growing season averages 185 days per year.
Although early Spanish explorers and later American expeditions crossed the county by way of the Canadian River, the entire region remained the domain of Indians from prehistoric times until the 1870s. Following the Red River War of 1874, the Comanches and Kiowas were permanently removed to Indian Territory. In 1876 the Texas legislature formed Moore County from lands formerly assigned to Bexar County, and soon ranchers began moving into the area. Ranching dominated the local economy from the 1870s to the 1920s, when farming began to develop significantly. During 1877 George W. Littlefield established his famous LIT Ranch in southwestern Moore and eastern Hartley counties. Soon others followed. The LX Ranch, with headquarters in Potter County, had substantial Moore County acreage, as did the LS Ranch, which was headquartered in eastern Oldham County. Lesser stock-raising operations developed in the unclaimed ranges between these larger ranches. During the 1880s the local ranching economy stabilized, and the few stock raisers and farmers who lived in the county saw the need for a local government. The founding of the town of Dumas by Louis Dumas and the Panhandle Townsite Company in 1890 encouraged county organization. As a result, Moore County was organized with Dumas as the county seat following an election held on July 5, 1892. By 1900 there were fifty-seven ranches and farms in the county, encompassing about 115,500 acres, and the United States agricultural census reported 6,885 cattle and 300 sheep. Only 1,708 acres were classified as "improved," and only forty-two were devoted to corn, at that time the county's most important crop. The county population grew from 15 to 209 between 1890 and 1900.
Donald R. Abbe | © 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.
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Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Moore County is classified as a County
Altitude Range
2915 ft – 3825 ft
Size
Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does
- Land Area: 899.7 mi²
- Total Area: 909.6 mi²
Temperature
January mean minimum:
22.1°F
July mean maximum:
91.6°F
Rainfall, 2019
18.4 inches
Population Count, 2019
20,940
Civilian Labor Count, 2019
10,124
Unemployment, 2019
4.6%
Property Values, 2019
$2,701,995,431 USD
Per-Capita Income, 2019
$41,275 USD
Retail Sales, 2019
$466,720,815 USD
Wages, 2019
$142,817,410 USD
County Map of Texas
Moore County
- Moore County
Places of Moore County
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Town | 3,050 (2021) | Yes | |
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Town | 1,851 (2021) | Yes | |
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Lake | – | Yes | |
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Town | 2 (2009) | Yes | |
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Town | 1,702 (2021) | Yes | |
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Photos Nearby:
Dumas, Texas
View of Downtown Dumas, the seat of Moore County, Texas. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.
Fritch, Texas
Fritch is a city located in the southwest corner of Hutchinson County, and lies in both, Hutchinson and Moore Counties. Photo credit: Barclay Gibson via TexasEscapes.
A pair of hikers near Lake Meredith
Photo by Nic5702, CC2
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