Presidio County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTexas. As of the2020 census, its population was 6,131.[1] Itscounty seat isMarfa.[2] The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1875.[3] Presidio County (K-5 in Texas topological index of counties) is in theTrans-Pecos region ofWest Texas and is named for the border settlement ofPresidio del Norte.[4] It is on the Rio Grande, which forms the Mexican border.
Paleo-Indians (hunter-gatherers) existed thousands of years ago on theTrans-Pecos, and often did not adapt to culture clashes, European diseases, and colonization. The Masames tribe was exterminated by the Tobosos,circa 1652.[5] TheNonojes suffered from clashes with the Spanish and merged with the Tobosos. The Spanish made slave raids to the La Junta de los Ríos, committing cruelties against the native population.[6] TheSuma-Jumano tribe sought to align themselves with the Spanish for survival. The tribe later merged with theApache people. Foraging peoples who did not survive the 18th century include the Chisos, Mansos, Jumanos, Conchos,Julimes, Cibolos, Tobosos, Sumas,Cholomes, Caguates, Nonojes, Cocoyames, and Acoclames.[7]
Theentrada ofJuan Domínguez de Mendoza[8] and Father Nicolás López[9] in 1683–84 set out from El Paso to La Junta, where they established seven missions at seven pueblos. In 1683, Father López celebrated the first Christmas Mass in Texas at La Junta.[10]
In 1832, José Ygnacio Ronquillo was issued a conditional land grant, and established the county's first white settlement on Cibolo Creek. Military obligations forced him to abandon the settlement, and he then sold the land.[11]
By 1848, Ben Leaton builtFort Leaton, sometimes called the largest adobe structure in Texas, on the river as his home, trading post, and private bastion. Leaton died in debt in 1851, with the fort passing to the holder of the mortgage, John Burgess. In 1934, T. C. Mitchell and the Marfa State Bank acquired the old structure and donated it to the county as a historic site. The park was opened to the public in 1978.[14][15][16]
Milton Faver became the county's first cattle baron.[17] In 1857, he moved his family toChinati Mountains in the county. Milton Faver bought small tracts of land around three springs-Cibolo, Cienega, and La Morita and established cattle ranches. He built Fort Cienega and Fort Cibolo.[18]
Presidio County was established fromBexar County on January 3, 1850. Fort Leaton became the county seat. The county was organized in 1875 as the largest county in the United States, with 12,000 square miles (31,000 km2). Fort Davis was named the county seat. The boundaries and seat of Presidio County were changed in the 1880s. Marfa was established in 1883, and the county seat was moved there from Fort Davis in 1885.[19]
In 1854, the army builtFort Davis in northern Presidio County.[20]Fort Davis closed during the Civil War and reopened in 1867. The black population increased to 489 whenBuffalo Soldiers were stationed at Fort Davis.[21][22]
John W. Spencer, a local rancher and trader, found a silver deposit in the Chinati Mountains in 1880 that resulted in the opening of Presidio Mine and the beginning of the company town ofShafter.[23] From 1883 until 1942, the mine produced over 32.6 million ounces of silver.[24]
Map of Presidio County, Texas, and the counties of Brewster, Buchel, Foley, and Jeff Davis created from Presidio in 1887: Buchel and Foley were abolished and joined to Brewster in 1897.
W. F. Mitchell built the first barbed wire fence in the county at Antelope Springs in 1888. The widespread use of barbed wire resulted in the refinement of cattle breeds, improvement of ranges, and innovative use of water supplies.[25]
Windmills, water wells, and earthen tanks were introduced on Presidio County ranches in the late 1880s.[26]
Elephant Butte Dam was built in 1910 on the Rio Grande, creating a large, reliable irrigation source for the county.[27][28]
The growth of Presidio County's population in the 1910s reflected the impact of the Mexican Revolution on border life. Refugees migrated to the county from Chihuahua as the fighting moved into northern Mexico. The United States Army established several posts in the county. Marfa became the headquarters for the Big Bend Military District, and in 1917, the Army established Camp Marfa, later calledFort D. A. Russell, at Marfa to protect the border.[29] As Presidio County entered the 1930s the people faced a drought and a population decline. Low silver prices closed Presidio Mine at Shafter. Economic recovery began by 1936. DuringWorld War II, Presidio County enjoyed economic prosperity as the home for two military installations-Fort Russell and Marfa Army Airfield.[30][31]
Wagon trains on the Chihuahua Trail reported seeing unexplained lights in the mid-19th century.[33][34][35] The first recorded incident of theMarfa Lights was in 1883 when Robert Reed Ellison and cowhands camped at Mitchell Flats.[36][37]They thought the lights might have been Apaches, but later found no evidence of an Apache encampment. Since that time, the lights continue to appear between Marfa and Paisano Pass. Speculation and fascination spark imaginations about the source. Some say they are caused by car headlights; some say extraterrestrial visitors. One theory is that the lights are similar to a mirage caused by atmospheric conditions. Marfa celebrates with a Mystery Lights Festival every Labor Day.[38]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,856 square miles (9,990 km2), of which 3,855 square miles (9,980 km2) are land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.02%) is covered by water.[39] It is the fourth-largest county in Texas by area.
Presidio County is triangular in shape and is bounded on the east byBrewster County, on the north byJeff Davis County, and on the south and west for 135 miles (217 km) by theRio Grande and Mexico.Marfa, the county seat, is 190 miles (306 km) southeast of El Paso and 150 miles (241 km) southwest of Odessa. The center of the county lies at 30°30' north latitude and 104°15' west longitude.
Geographically, Presidio County comprises 3,857 square miles (9,990 km2) of contrasting topography, geology, and vegetation. In the north and west, clay and sandy loam cover the rolling plains known as the Marfa Plateau and the Highland Country, providing good ranges of grama grasses for the widely acclaimed Highland Herefords. In the central, far western, and southeastern areas of the county, some of the highest mountain ranges in Texas are found. These peaks are formed of volcanic rock and covered with loose surface rubble. They support desert shrubs and cacti and dominate a landscape of rugged canyons and numerous springs. The spring-fed Capote Falls, with a drop of 175 feet (53 m), the highest in Texas, is located in western Presidio County. In the southern and western parts of the county, the volcanic cliffs of the Candelaria Rimrock (also called the Sierra Vieja) rise perpendicular and run parallel to the river, separating the highland prairies from the desert floor hundreds of feet below them. The gravelpediment, which allows only the growth of desert shrubs and cacti, extends from the Rimrock to the flood plain of the river.
Along the Rio Grande River, irrigation allows the farming of vegetables, grains, and cotton. No permanent streams exist in the county, although many arroyos become raging torrents during heavy rainfalls. Major arroyos are Alamito Creek, Cibolo Creek, Capote Creek, and Pinto Canyon. San Esteban Dam was built across Alamito Creek about 10 miles (16 km) south of Marfa and on the site of a historic spring-fedtinaja in 1911 as an irrigation and land-promotion project.[40][41] The reservoir lake is a source of water for irrigation. Tinaja refers to a depression in the land formed by water flow from a spring, or under a waterfall. In this arid county, it is due to the spring.Capote Falls, which is formed by Capote Creek, is the tallest waterfall in the state.[42]
Altitudes in the county vary from 2,518 to 7,728 feet (767 to 2,355 m) above sea level. Temperatures, moderated by the mountains, vary from 33 °F (1 °C) in January to 100 °F (38 °C) in July. Average rainfall is 12 inches (300 mm) per year, mainly in June, July, and August. The growing season extends for 238 days.
Natural resources under production in 1982 were perlite, crushed rhyolite, sand, and gravel. Silver mining contributed greatly to the economy of the county from the 1880s to the 1940s. Presidio County has no oil or gas production.
Presidio County's unusual shape has it facing more of Mexico than the rest of the United States. The county is bounded on the east by Brewster County, on the north by Jeff Davis County, and on the south and west for 135 miles (217 km) by the Rio Grande and Mexico. Along the international border, the county faces the Manuel Benavides and Ojinaga Districts of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, on the south side, and the municipality of Guadalupe of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, on its southwestern side.
Map this section's coordinates usingOpenStreetMapDownload coordinates asKML
More than half of Presidio County, 54.6%, experiences a hotarid desert climate (KöppenBWh). The remainder has asemiarid steppe climate with 34.7% classified as a cold steppe climate (KöppenBSk) and 10.8% as a hot steppe climate (KöppenBSh).[43] Temperatures are coolest and rainfall most abundant in the higher elevations of the Davis and Chinati Mountains. By contrast, the lowlands along the Rio Grande along the southern and western areas of the county are dry with often extreme summer daytime heat and where winter snowfall is unusual. Throughout the county, May through October marks the rainy season, while the remainder of the year is predominantly dry.
Presidio 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[55] of 2000, 7,304 people, 2,530 households, and 1,864 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). The 3,299 housing units averaged 1 units per square mile (0.39/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 84.95% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 13.48% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. About 84.36% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,530 households, 40.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were not families. Around 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.43.
In the county, the population was distributed as 32.70% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $19,860, and for a family was $22,314. Males had a median income of $23,218 versus $16,208 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $9,558. About 32.50% of families and 36.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 43.40% of those under age 18 and 44.10% of those age 65 or over. The county'sper capita income makes it one of thepoorest counties in the United States.
Despite a hard rightward shift in heavily Hispanic South Texas in 2024, in which many counties shifted right by over 10 points, Presidio remained strongly Democratic, with Donald Trump only increasing his vote share by 2 points, making Presidio the only county on the Mexican border where Democrats received over 60 percent.
United States presidential election results for Presidio County, Texas[60]
The Riata house and exteriors forGiant, released 1956, were filmed at Marfa.[63][64][65] The big stars, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, and others stayed at the Hotel Paisano for two months.
High Lonesome, released in 1950, starring Chill Wills and John Drew Barrymore, was filmed in Antelope Springs, near Marfa.[66]
The county was mentioned inHunter during part one of "City Under Siege" in the 1988–89 season.
InThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, the mountains of Presidio County stand as Coahuila, where Pete carries friend Mel to be buried among the ruins of his Mexican town of Jimenez.
^Collier, Michael; Webb, Robert H; Schmidt, John C (1996).Dams & Rivers: Primer on the Downstream Effects of Dams. Diane Pub Co. pp. 28–37.ISBN978-0-7881-2698-7.
