Hemphill County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hemphill County
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Hemphill County Courthouse in Canadian
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
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 Texas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Named for | John Hemphill |
| Seat | Canadian |
| Largest city | Canadian |
| Area | |
| • Total | 912 sq mi (2,360 km2) |
| • Land | 906 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
| • Water | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) 0.6% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,382 |
| • Density | 3.7083/sq mi (1.4318/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
Hemphill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,382. The county seat and only incorporated community in the county is the city of Canadian. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1887. It is named for John Hemphill, a judge and Confederate congressman. Hemphill County is one of six prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.
Contents
History
Early history
For the 200 years leading up to 1875, nomadic Indian tribes representing the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, and others roamed the Panhandle following the huge buffalo herds. In search for an alternate route to California through Santa Fe, New Mexico, Josiah Gregg (1840), and Captain Randolph B. Marcy (1845) surveyed trails that crossed Hemphill County, following the south bank of the Canadian River.
The 1874–75 Red River War was an effort by the United States Army to force the Indians of the Southern Plains to move to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Two major battles took place in what would become Hemphill County: the Battle of Lyman’s Wagon Train and the Battle of Buffalo Wallow.
On April 12, 1879, Wheeler County became the first organized county in the Panhandle, with 14 other unorganized counties attached to it, one of which was Hemphill County. Hemphill County was organized in July 1887.
On July 4, 1888, the first rodeo in Texas and perhaps the world was held on the Main Street of Canadian, Texas. It began as a competition among some of the larger ranches in the area the annual Fourth of July Rodeo continues in present times.
An emphasis on ecotourism, taking advantage of the landscape and habitat, has diversified the economy of Hemphill County.
Influence of Santa Fe Railroad
In 1886, the Southern Kansas Railway Company, a Santa Fe subsidiary, began to build a rail line into the Panhandle of Texas. The tracks entered Hemphill County during 1887 and further encouraged settlement in the area, creating three town sites: Mendota, Canadian, and Glazier.
In 1907, Canadian was designated a division point by the Santa Fe, a factor which brought diversification to the previously ranching economy of the area. The Santa Fe influence would remain very strong until the mid-1950s when the railway moved its employees to Amarillo.
Meanwhile, Hemphill County was roughly the midway point of two smaller lines, the Clinton, Oklahoma, and Western Railroad Company and the Clinton-Oklahoma-Western Railroad Company of Texas, which by the late 1920s, collectively linked Clinton, Oklahoma, with Pampa, Texas.
Oil production
During the 1970s, the county grew due to a rapid expansion of oil production. Though oil was discovered in the county in 1955, production remained relatively small because the technology had not yet progressed to efficiently capture the very deep reserves known to exist. By 1974, oil production had reached 999,000 barrels (158,800 m3) and more than 1,891,000 bbl (300,600 m3) in 1978. In 2000, about 505,000 bbl (80,300 m3) of oil and more than 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas were produced in the county, but the future looked very bright.
The Abraham dynasty
Nahim Abraham and his son, Tom Abraham, immigrants from Lebanon, operated for many years The Fair Store, a department store in Canadian which became regionally known for its high-quality merchandise. Tom Abraham also worked to assist immigrants in becoming American citizens and in 1980 won a national award from Freedoms Foundation.
Tom Abraham's younger brother, Malouf Abraham, Sr., was a wealthy oil and natural gas developer and philanthropist who served as mayor of Canadian from 1953 to 1957 and in the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971.
Malouf Abraham, Jr., is a retired allergist from Canadian and a patron of the arts. He has reconstructed a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) former Baptist church in Canadian into an art museum known as "Citadel Garden." Malouf, Jr., and his wife, the former Therese Browne of Mount Airy, North Carolina, the mayor of Canadian from 1981 to 1991, have three sons, a part of the fourth generation of Abrahams in Canadian. Eddie Abraham is a cattle-calf rancher. Salem Abraham is a futures trader. Jason Abraham operates a large horse ranch.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 912 square miles (2,360 km2), of which 906 square miles (2,350 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (0.6%) is covered by water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 60
U.S. Highway 83
State Highway 33
Adjacent counties
- Lipscomb County (north)
- Ellis County, Oklahoma (northeast)
- Roger Mills County, Oklahoma (southeast)
- Wheeler County (south)
- Roberts County (west)
- Gray County (southwest)
National protected area
- Black Kettle National Grassland (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 149 | — | |
| 1890 | 519 | 248.3% | |
| 1900 | 815 | 57.0% | |
| 1910 | 3,170 | 289.0% | |
| 1920 | 4,280 | 35.0% | |
| 1930 | 4,637 | 8.3% | |
| 1940 | 4,170 | −10.1% | |
| 1950 | 4,123 | −1.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,185 | −22.8% | |
| 1970 | 3,084 | −3.2% | |
| 1980 | 5,304 | 72.0% | |
| 1990 | 3,720 | −29.9% | |
| 2000 | 3,351 | −9.9% | |
| 2010 | 3,807 | 13.6% | |
| 2020 | 3,382 | −11.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,656 | 2,090 | 69.77% | 61.80% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4 | 4 | 0.11% | 0.12% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 12 | 18 | 0.32% | 0.53% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 18 | 10 | 0.47% | 0.30% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 3 | 0 | 0.08% | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 0 | 4 | 0.00% | 0.12% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 28 | 119 | 0.74% | 3.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,086 | 1,137 | 28.53% | 33.62% |
| Total | 3,807 | 3,382 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
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 can be of any race.
Communities
City
- Canadian (county seat)
Unincorporated community
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Hemphill para niños
