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Texas Counties
Texas is divided into two hundred and fifty-four counties, more than any other state. Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931Lynn County, Texas
Lynn County Education, Geography, and History
Lynn County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 5,915. Its county seat is Tahoka. The
county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1903.
Lynn County, along with Crosby and Lubbock Counties, is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Lubbock MSA and Levelland
Micropolitan Statistical Area , encompassing only Hockley County, form the larger Lubbock-Levelland Combined Statistical Area (CSA).
Etymology - Origin of Lynn County Name
William Lynn (also sometimes spelled Linn), a soldier in the Texas Revolution from Massachusetts who is believed to have died defending the Alamo
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Lynn County History
Apache and Comanche roamed the high plains, until pushed away by various military expeditions of the 19th Century.
The Red River War of 1874 was a military campaign to drive out the Apache, Comanche and Kiowa in Texas. In 1877, the ill-fated Nolan
Expedition crossed the county in search of livestock stolen by Comanche renegades. The various Indian tribes had moved on by the time of white
settlement, due to the depletion of the buffalo herds by hunters.
In the early 1880s sheep and cattle ranchers began to set up operations in the county. The situation changed as large-scale ranching spread
into the county.
W C. Young of Fort Worth and Illinois Irishman Ben Galbraith established the beginnings of the Curry Comb Ranch in the northwest part of Garza
County. By 1880, it spilled over into Lynn County. The Square Compass Ranch of Garza County also protruded into Lynn County.
The county remained sparsely settled ranching territory for two decades after 1880. It had no towns; the population was nine in 1880,
twenty-four in 1890, and seventeen in 1900. Farmers began to move into the county and invest in corn, grains and cotton.
Lynn County was formed in 1876 from Bexar. The county was organized in 1903, with Takoha becoming the county seat.
Handbook of Texas Online
The county remained sparsely settled ranching territory for two decades after 1880. It had no towns; the
population was nine in 1880, twenty-four in 1890, and seventeen in 1900. However, after 1900 the situation began to
change. Farmers began to encroach on the ranchers' domain, especially after land appropriations for education
were carried out. By 1903 enough people lived in Lynn County to call for its formal political organization. The
county had been formed in 1876 and named for Alamo defender George Washington Lynn (or Linn), but it remained
unorganized until 1903. In that year a majority of its residents forced organization on the outnumbered ranchers. In
an election held on April 7 the county was organized, with the new town of Tahoka as the county seat. Subsequently,
Lynn County began to grow steadily as farmers pushed ranchers off most of the land. Between 1900 and 1910 the number
of farms in the county grew from five to 201 and the number of improved acres from 246 to 20,108. Initially corn and
grains were the leading crops, but by 1910 cotton emerged as the premier farm product. By 1920, 23,085 acres was
devoted to cotton production; the crop that year was 9,969 bales. In 1930 the acres had increased to 204,005, and
production had risen to 27,179 bales. More at
Donald R. Abbe, "LYNN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcl15),
accessed January 24, 2016. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 893 square miles (2,314 km2), of which, 891
square miles (2,310 km2) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km2) of it (0.18%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Lubbock County (north)
- Garza County (east)
- Borden County (southeast)
- Dawson County (south)
- Terry County (west)
Education
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