Until the passage of areferendum to permit liquor sales, held on May 11, 2013, Crosby County had been one of 19 remainingprohibition or entirelydry counties within Texas.[5] That same day, voters inDenver City andYoakum County also approved separate referendums to permit liquor sales. The number of prohibition counties in Texas at that time hence dropped to 17.[6] Part of the largeMatador Ranch ofWest Texas extends into the county.[7]
The Texas Legislature formed Crosby County fromYoung andBexar districts in 1876.[8]Bavarian Heinrich Schmidtt (Henry “Hank” Clay Smith) and his wife Elizabeth Boyle and their six children became the first permanent settlers in the area in 1878; Hank was active in the county's organization.[10][11][12]
Confederate veteran Paris Cox first visited theCaprock Escarpment of theLlano Estacado with a group ofbuffalo hunters in 1879.[13] Estacado was named the county seat in 1886.[14] By 1900, the beef industry was thriving, supporting 30,618 head.[8]
The country and western song(Ghost) Riders in the Sky was inspired by a legend of a stampede that took place in Crosby County in 1889[15]
In 1908, the Bar-N-Bar Ranch began selling acreage to farmers.[8]
Crosbyton became the new county seat in 1910.[16] Some 45,400 acres (184 km2) in the county were planted in cotton, and 15,000 apple and peach trees were growing in the county in 1920.[8] By 1929, farmers owned 83,000 chickens and sold 395,000 dozen eggs that year.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 902 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 900 square miles (2,300 km2) are land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.2%) are covered by water.[17]
Crosby 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 the2020 census, the county had a population of 5,133. The median age was 42.0 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.5 males age 18 and over.[24][25]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[26]
There were 1,984 households in the county, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[24]
There were 2,652 housing units, of which 25.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.7% were owner-occupied and 27.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.5%.[24]
As of the census[27] of 2000, 7,072 people, 2,512 households, and 1,866 families resided in the county. The population density was eight people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). The 3,202 housing units averaged four units per square mile (1.5 units/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 63.77% White, 3.89% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 29.89% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. About 48.93% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,512 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the county, the population was distributed as 30.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,769, and for a family was $29,891. Males had a median income of $23,775 versus $17,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,445. About 22.6% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.
^abcdefghLeffler, John."Crosby County, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 16, 2010.
^Gwynne, S. C. (2010).Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. Scribner. pp. 10, 11.ISBN978-1-4165-9105-4.
^Rodenberger, Lou Halsell; Butler, Laura Payne; Kolosoy, Jacqueline (2005). "Elizabeth Boyle (Aunt Hank) Smith".Writing on the Wind: An Anthology Of West Texas Women Writers. Texas Tech University Press. p. 174.ISBN978-0-89672-548-5.
