Montague County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Montague County
County
The Montague County Courthouse in Montague
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1858
Named for	Daniel Montague
Seat	Montague
Largest city	Bowie
Area
• Total	938 sq mi (2,430 km²)
• Land	931 sq mi (2,410 km²)
• Water	7.4 sq mi (19 km²) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	19,965
• Density	21.285/sq mi (8.218/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th

Montague County is a county located in the state of Texas. It was created in 1857 and officially started working in 1858. The county is named after Daniel Montague, who was a land surveyor and a soldier.

As of the 2020 census, about 19,965 people live in Montague County. The main town and county seat where the county government is located is Montague.

History of Montague County
- The Chisholm Trail and Cattle Drives
Geography of Montague County
- Counties Next to Montague County
- Protected Natural Areas
Population and People
- Diversity in Montague County
Education in Montague County
- School Districts Serving Montague County
Transportation in Montague County
- Major Highways in Montague County
- Farm to Market Roads
Towns and Communities
Images for kids
See also

History of Montague County

In the middle to late 1800s, Montague County was home to an important trading post. This place was called Red River Station. It was set up near the Red River by Jesse Chisholm.

The Chisholm Trail and Cattle Drives

Jesse Chisholm was a Cherokee merchant. He was also a very important interpreter for the Republic of Texas and the United States. With the help of Black Bear, a Lenape guide, Chisholm explored and developed a famous path. This path became known as the Chisholm Trail. It stretched north through Indian Territory (which is now Oklahoma) and into Kansas.

After the American Civil War, ranchers in Texas had a problem. There were too many cattle, and prices for beef were very low. They learned that people in the East wanted beef and would pay high prices. So, ranchers started to move their cattle to Kansas. In Kansas, the cattle could be loaded onto trains and sent East.

Red River Station in Montague County became the starting point for these cattle drives. Thousands of Texas Longhorn cattle were gathered there each year. Cowboys from East and West Texas would bring their cattle. Then, they would drive them overland all the way to Kansas. It's estimated that about five million cattle were moved north this way. This helped ranchers get much better prices for their cattle. Later, when railroads were built into Texas, the long cattle drives to Kansas were no longer needed.

Geography of Montague County

Montague County covers a total area of about 938 square miles. Most of this area, about 931 square miles, is land. The remaining 7.4 square miles, or 0.8%, is covered by water.

Counties Next to Montague County

Montague County shares its borders with several other counties:

Jefferson County, Oklahoma (to the north)
Love County, Oklahoma (to the northeast)
Cooke County (to the east)
Wise County (to the south)
Jack County (to the southwest)
Clay County (to the west)

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland is located within Montague County. This is a special area managed for conservation and public use.

Population and People

The population of Montague County has changed over the years. Here's how it has grown:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	849	—
1870	890	4.8%
1880	11,257	1,164.8%
1890	18,863	67.6%
1900	24,800	31.5%
1910	25,123	1.3%
1920	22,200	−11.6%
1930	19,159	−13.7%
1940	20,442	6.7%
1950	17,070	−16.5%
1960	14,893	−12.8%
1970	15,326	2.9%
1980	17,410	13.6%
1990	17,274	−0.8%
2000	19,117	10.7%
2010	19,719	3.1%
2020	19,965	1.2%
2021 (est.)	20,409	3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

Diversity in Montague County

The people living in Montague County come from different backgrounds. Here's a look at the racial and ethnic groups:

**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.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	17,717	17,347	16,342	92.68%	87.97%	81.85%
Black or African American alone (NH)	28	38	73	0.15%	0.19%	0.37%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	123	137	155	0.64%	0.69%	0.78%
Asian alone (NH)	49	59	84	0.26%	0.30%	0.42%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	3	4	0.02%	0.02%	0.02%
Other Race alone (NH)	2	3	34	0.01%	0.02%	0.17%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	160	202	912	0.84%	1.02%	4.57%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,035	1,930	2,361	5.41%	9.79%	11.83%
Total	19,117	19,719	19,965	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

In 2000, there were 19,117 people living in the county. The average number of people per square mile was about 20. Most people were White (95.95%). About 5.41% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had 2.41 people, and the average family had 2.91 people. About 28.70% of households had children under 18 living with them. The median age in the county was 41 years old.