Where is childress texas

Cotton, already the county's most important crop by , became even more important during this time. By , almost , acres of county land was devoted to cotton cultivation. Wheat production also increased during this time, so that by over 40 percent of the land in the county was under cultivation.

By this time poultry had also become a significant part of the local economy; in Childress county farmers owned almost 71, chickens and sold more than , dozen eggs. Smaller ranchers also increased their production, and in more than 18, cattle were counted in Childress County. During the first half of the twentieth century, Childress County emerged as the center of a transportation network. The construction of the railroad through the county gave it an early advantage.

Shortly after the turn of the century, the Fort Worth and Denver City moved its division point and shops from Clarendon to Childress, a process that began in and ended in late The addition of the railroad facilities boosted an already expanding economy and population. The construction of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway from Estelline to Plainview and Lubbock in —28 further stimulated the Childress County economy because Childress served as the terminal for that branch line.

Childress also served as the terminal for the Fort Worth and Denver Northern Railway, built from the main line at Childress to Pampa via Wellington and Shamrock during and Thus by the early s Childress County's economy benefited from both the Fort Worth and Denver City's mainline and two of its major branch lines. Between and the early s, this expansion of transportation facilities in Childress, combined with the expansion of agricultural activity in the county, resulted in a substantial increase in the local population.

In only 2, people had been counted by the census in Childress County; by the population had jumped to 9,, by to 10,, and by to 16, The hard years of the Great Depression , combined with effects of the Dust Bowl and farm mechanization, however, worked to reduce the number of small farmers and farm laborers in Childress County during the s.

Harvested cropland dropped from more than , acres in to only , in ; cotton production was reduced to about 57, acres, and the number of farms dropped from 1, to during the same period.

Railroad workers were also hurt during the depression, as the conversion from steam to diesel locomotives and the mechanization of some shop activities reduced the number of railroad employees during most of the decade.

By the population of Childress County had declined to 12, The presence of Childress Army Air Base probably kept the population from declining further during the s; but after the population declined continuously, to a low of 6, in The loss is related to the great reduction in railroad operations and the unprofitability of small-scale farming.

Though the county's population increased slightly to 6, in , in only 5, people lived in Childress. By , however, the population had grown to 7, This major route, originally U. Highway , is now U. During the s and s a network of crude farm-to-market roads developed. This system was paved during the s and s. By the s U. Highway ran through the county, U.

For many years afterward, however, the voters of Childress County favored Democratic candidates, who won majorities in the area in virtually every presidential election from through The only exception occurred in , when Republican Herbert Hoover took the county. After , however, when Republican Dwight Eisenhower carried the county, presidential elections there became more competitive.

Democratic presidential candidates took the county in , , and , but by slimmer majorities than before, and Republican Richard Nixon actually carried the county in Though Democrat Jimmy Carter won in Childress County in , the area went Republican in every presidential election from through In the s Childress County continued with an economy based on agriculture, both farming and ranching.

It developed out of two separate townsites, Childress City and Henry, which were platted about four miles apart on land previously occupied by the OX Ranch. When Childress County was organized upon the arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway in February , the two towns contested for the position of county seat.

In the first election, held on April 11, , Childress City, which already had three businesses, won the honor. A wooden courthouse was built under the supervision of Amos J. Fires , the "Dean of the Panhandle Lawyers. Montgomery, the railroad's right-of-way and townsite agent, had always favored Henry as the county seat because of the rougher terrain at Childress City, which he claimed would prevent the railroad from building a depot there.

Significantly, he had also purchased half the property in Henry. After the court's action, Montgomery proposed that the railroad give those owning lots in Childress City lots in Henry. Furthermore, when Henry was chosen county seat in another election, the company offered to change the name of Henry to Childress. Fires and his associates agreed to this compromise, and the businesses and residences were moved to the new Childress by September The town then enjoyed a boom from the railroad, which constructed the Dwight Hotel, the section house, and the depot.

The Childress Lumber Company opened for business soon afterward. Christler became the first physician and one of the town's first businessmen. Fires, who was elected county judge, started the first bank and helped organized the first school system.

James S. Harrison began the town's first newspaper, the Childress County Index later the Childress Index , in The city was incorporated in It had a post office, a livery stable, a boarding house, a restaurant, three stores, a local YMCA, a theater, and a population of There were also several saloons at first, but in a fatal shooting prompted the citizens to vote the town dry.

The population was 6, at the census. It is the county seat of Childress County. Like the county, the city is named for George Campbell Childress, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who was the principal author of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The county and city were incorporated more than four decades after Childress's death.