In September 1718Martín de Alarcón crossed the area on his way to explore the bay of Espíritu Santo. Pedro de Rivera y Villalón crossed the county in 1727 as part of an expedition to inspect the frontier defenses ofNew Spain.[5]In 1766–67 theMarqués de Rubí included the area in his inspection of the Spanish frontier,[6] and the 1798 explorations of the coast byFrancisco Vásquez de Coronado[7] skirted the area.
The first two land grants in the area were to Luis Menchaca and Andrés Hernández,[8] who established ranches circa 1832–1833.
Anglos began arriving in the 1840s,[6] and Southern planters in 1850 and 1860, followed byGerman andPolish immigrants from other counties.
The last Indian raid in the county occurred in 1855, resulting in the death of an African-American slave by the name of “Lucy”.[9]
Wilson County voted in favor ofsecession[6] from the Union, and sent several military units to serve. Wartime hardships were compounded by a three-year drought.
Following the civil war, the county seat[11] was moved toFloresville. The 1872 courthouse was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1884 with a new building[12] designed byAlfred Giles.
Fence Cutting Wars in Texas lasted for approximately five years, 1883–1888. The 40,000-acre (160 km2) ranch of Houston and Dilworth became the focal point in Wilson County. As farmers and ranchers began to compete for precious land and water, cattlemen found it more difficult to feed their herds, prompting cowboys to cut through fences.Texas Governor John Ireland[13] prodded a special assembly to order the fence cutters to cease. In response, the legislature made fence-cutting and pasture-burning crimes punishable with prison time, while at the same time regulating fencing. The practice abated with sporadic incidents of related violence 1888.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 808 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 804 square miles (2,080 km2) are land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) (0.6%) are covered by water.[16]
Wilson 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[22] of 2000, there were 32,408 people, 11,038 households, and 8,830 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km2). There were 12,110 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.19%White, 1.21%Black orAfrican American, 0.58%Native American, 0.30%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 14.25% fromother races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 36.52% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 11,038 households, out of which 40.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% weremarried couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.00% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,006, and the median income for a family was $45,681. Males had a median income of $31,716 versus $23,582 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,253. About 9.20% of families and 11.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.
The "Peanut Marker" at the Wilson County Courthouse lawn commemorates the life of Joe T. Sheehy (1886–1967), who introducedpeanut farming to the area in 1916.
The Wilson County Public Library near the courthouse.
Wilson County is a strongly Republican county in presidential elections. It last voted for a Democrat in 1976, when it supported Georgia's Jimmy Carter. More recently, in 2020, it gave a quarter of its vote to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The last time a Democratic candidate won 35% or more of Wilson County's vote was in 1996.
United States presidential election results for Wilson County, Texas[25]
^Flint, Richard; Flint, Shirley Cushing (2004).The Coronado Expedition to Tierra Nueva: The 1540–1542 Route Across the Southwest. University Press of Colorado.ISBN978-0-87081-766-3.
