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Montague County, Texas facts for kids

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Montague County
County
The Montague County Courthouse in Montague
The Montague County Courthouse in Montague
Map of Texas highlighting Montague County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting 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

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:

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.

Education in Montague County

Montague County has several school districts that serve its students. These districts help make sure children get a good education.

School Districts Serving Montague County

  • Alvord ISD
  • Bowie ISD
  • Forestburg ISD
  • Gold-Burg ISD
  • Montague ISD
  • Nocona ISD
  • Prairie Valley ISD
  • Saint Jo ISD
  • Slidell ISD

For students seeking higher education, a branch of North Central Texas College is located in Bowie.

Transportation in Montague County

Montague County is crossed by several important roads that help people travel and transport goods.

Major Highways in Montague County

  • US 81.svg U.S. Highway 81
  • US 82.svg U.S. Highway 82
  • US 287.svg U.S. Highway 287
  • Texas 59.svg State Highway 59
  • Texas 101.svg State Highway 101
  • Texas 175.svg State Highway 175

Farm to Market Roads

These roads connect rural areas and farms to larger towns and markets.

  • Texas FM 103.svg FM 103
  • Texas FM 174.svg FM 174
  • Texas FM 455.svg FM 455
  • Texas FM 677.svg FM 677
  • Texas FM 730.svg FM 730
  • Texas FM 922.svg FM 922
  • Texas FM 1106.svg FM 1106
  • Texas FM 1125.svg FM 1125
  • Texas FM 1630.svg FM 1630
  • Texas FM 1655.svg FM 1655
  • Texas FM 1749.svg FM 1749
  • Texas FM 1758.svg FM 1758
  • Texas FM 1759.svg FM 1759
  • Texas FM 1806.svg FM 1806
  • Texas FM 1815.svg FM 1815
  • Texas FM 1816.svg FM 1816
  • Texas FM 1956.svg FM 1956
  • Texas FM 2382.svg FM 2382
  • Texas FM 2634.svg FM 2634
  • Texas FM 2849.svg FM 2849
  • Texas FM 2953.svg FM 2953
  • Texas FM 3043.svg FM 3043
  • Texas FM 3301.svg FM 3301
  • Texas FM 3394.svg FM 3394
  • Texas FM 3428.svg FM 3428

Towns and Communities

Montague County has several towns and smaller communities where people live.

Cities in Montague County

Census-Designated Places

These are areas identified by the census for statistical purposes, but they are not officially incorporated as cities.

Other Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated communities.

Ghost Towns

These are places that were once communities but are now mostly abandoned.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Montague para niños

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