In the mid- to late 19th century, the county was the site of the trading post known asRed River Station, established near the river of the same name byJesse Chisholm, aCherokee merchant who also served as an important interpreter for the Republic of Texas and the United States. Together withBlack Bear, aLenape guide, he had scouted and developed what became known as theChisholm Trail north throughIndian Territory, where he had more trading posts, and into Kansas.
In the post-Civil War period, ranchers suffered from low prices for their beef cattle, as overproduction had occurred during the war, when their regular markets were cut off. Learning about high prices and demand in the East, they began to have their cattle driven to railheads in Kansas for shipment to the east. Red River Station became the southern terminus for the Chisholm Trail, and the gathering place for thousands ofTexas Longhorns during annualcattle drives to railheads in Kansas. Over the years, an estimated five million cattle were driven north to Kansas. The cattle were gathered by cowboys from ranches inEast andWest Texas; the cattle were then driven overland north to Kansas. They were shipped east, where they could command much higher prices. After railroads were constructed into Texas, the cattle drives to Kansas ended.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 938 sq mi (2,430 km2), of which 931 sq mi (2,410 km2) are land and 7.4 sq mi (19 km2) (0.8%) are covered by water.[6]
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–2010[8] 2010[9] 2020[10]
Montague County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[12] of 2000, 19,117 people, 7,770 households, and 5,485 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 20 people/sq mi (7.7 people/km2). The 9,862 housing units averaged 11 per square mile (4.2/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 95.95% White, 0.18% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 1.67% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. About 5.41% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 7,770 households, 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were not families. About 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.00% under 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,048, and for a family was $38,226. Males had a median income of $31,585 versus $19,589 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,115. About 10.00% of families and 14.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
Prior to 1996, Montague County was strongly Democratic in presidential elections. The only Republican Party candidates who managed to win the county from 1912 to 1992 wereHerbert Hoover in 1928 andRichard Nixon andRonald Reagan in their 49-state landslides of 1972 and 1984, respectively. Since 1996, the county has swung hard to the supporting Republican Party, in similar fashion to almost all white-majority rural counties in theSolid South.
United States presidential election results for Montague County, Texas[14]
