Culberson County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Culberson County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Texas
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
region of West Texas
. In 2000, its population was 2,975. Culberson was founded in 1911. It is named for David B. Culberson
, a lawyer and Confederate
soldier in the American Civil War
. The seat
of the county is Van Horn
.
, the county has a total area of 3813 square miles (9,875.6 km²), of which 3812 square miles (9,873 km²) is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) (0.01%) is water. The largest part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park
lies in the northwest corner of the county, including McKittrick Canyon
, one of the most beautiful spots in Texas, and Guadalupe Peak
, the highest natural point in Texas at 8,751 feet (2,667 m).
of 2000, there were 2,975 people, 1,052 households, and 797 families residing in the county. The population density
was less than 1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 1,321 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.94% White
, 0.71% Black
or African American
, 0.47% Native American
, 0.57% Asian
, 27.13% from other races
, and 2.18% from two or more races. 72.24% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,052 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples
living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the county, the population was spread out with 32.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,882, and the median income for a family was $28,547. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $14,817 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $11,493. About 21.50% of families and 25.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.
Clovis culture
peoples in Culberson County lived in the rock shelters and caves nestled near water supplies. These people left behind artifacts and pictographs
as evidence of their presence. With its treacherous topography, the area remained untouched by white explorations for centuries.
Jumano Indians
led the Antonio de Espejo
1582-1583 expedition near Toyah Lake on a better route to the farming and trade area of La Junta de los Ríos. Espejo's diary places the Jumano along the Pecos River
and its tributaries.
Antonio de Espejo was also the first white person to see the Mescalero Apache
just east of the Guadalupe Mountains
. The Mescalero frequented the area to irrigate their crops. In 1849 John Salmon "RIP" Ford
explored the area between San Antonio
and El Paso
noting in his mapped report the productive land upon which the Mescalero Indians farmed. By the mid-17th Century the Mescaleros expanded their territory to the Plains Navajos
and Pueblos from the Guadalupes, and El Paso del Norte
. Their feared presence in the area deterred white settlers. January 1870, a group of soldiers attacked a Mescalero Apache village near Delaware Creek in the Guadalupe Mountains. July 1880 soldiers at Tinaja de las Palmas attacked a group of Mescaleros led by Chief Victorio
. August 1880, Buffalo Soldiers ambushed Victorio at Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio retreated to Mexico and was killed in October by Mexican soldiers.
.
Texas Commissioner Robert Simpson Neighbors was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
in 1850 to organize El Paso.
Lt. Francis Theodore Bryan camped at Guadalupe Pass
while exploring a route from San Antonio to El Paso via Fredericksburg
. Upon reaching El Paso in July 1849 his report recommended sink wells along the route. July 1848, Secretary of War William L. Marcy
wanted a military post established on the north side of the Rio Grande
. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne was sent out in 1849 to establish Marcy's goal.
John Russell Bartlett
, was commissioned in 1850 to carry out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
. Bartlett declared the Guadalupe Mountains
dark and gloomy, and proposed a transcontinental railroad be built south of the peaks. Three years later,
Capt. John Pope
was sent to scout out a railroad route, and in the succeeding year to search for artesian water supplies.
The San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
and the Butterfield Overland Mail
both serviced the area 1857-1861. These mail coaches provided a means for travelers to reach California in 27 days, if the passenger had the $200 for a one-way fare and was courageous enough to withstand the weather and dangers enroute.
Rival railway companies began competing for rights of way. The Texas and Pacific Railway
and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway eventually reached an agreement to share the tracks.
. The county was organized in 1912. Van Horn
became the county seat.
With the opening of the railways, ranchers began to settle in the county. Lobo
was settled in part due to misreprentation by promoters. A class action lawsuit by the residents forced the promoters to build the Lobo Hotel. Unfortunately, the area was struck by two powerful earthquakes - one in 1929, and the 6.0 quake near Valentine
that was felt as far away as Dallas
. The hotel was destroyed.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
was established in 1972. President Lyndon B. Johnson
signed the 1966 legislation to create the park. Stipulation was made that all mineral, oil and gas rights had to be ceded to the Federal government.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
Trans-Pecos
The term Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, refers to the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with "Far West Texas", a subdivision of West Texas...
region of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. In 2000, its population was 2,975. Culberson was founded in 1911. It is named for David B. Culberson
David B. Culberson
David Browning Culberson was a Confederate soldier, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.-Early years:...
, a lawyer and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
soldier in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the county is Van Horn
Van Horn, Texas
Van Horn is a town in and the county seat of Culberson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Van Horn is located at ....
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 3813 square miles (9,875.6 km²), of which 3812 square miles (9,873 km²) is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) (0.01%) is water. The largest part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland...
lies in the northwest corner of the county, including McKittrick Canyon
McKittrick Canyon
McKittrick Canyon is a scenic canyon within the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. The steep towering walls of McKittrick Canyon protect a rich riparian oasis in the midst of the Chihuahuan Desert....
, one of the most beautiful spots in Texas, and Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Peak is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of . It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and is part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The mountain is about east of El Paso and about southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico...
, the highest natural point in Texas at 8,751 feet (2,667 m).
Major highways
Interstate 10
U.S. Highway 62/U.S. Highway 180
U.S. Highway 90
State Highway 54State Highway 54 (Texas)State Highway 54 or SH 54 is a highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation that runs from Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 90 in Van Horn north to US 62 and US 180 between Salt Flat and Pine Springs near Guadalupe Mountains National Park...
Adjacent counties
- Eddy County, New MexicoEddy County, New Mexico-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*77.4% White*1.4% Black*1.5% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.0% Two or more races*16.0% Other races*44.1% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
(north) - Reeves CountyReeves County, TexasReeves County is a county located in the US state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 13,137. Its seat is Pecos. Reeves County is named for George R. Reeves, a Texas state legislator and colonel in the...
(east) - Jeff Davis CountyJeff Davis County, TexasJeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
(south) - Hudspeth CountyHudspeth County, TexasHudspeth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. As of 2000, the population was 3,344. By 2010, the population had increased to 3,476. Its county seat is Sierra Blanca. The largest city is Fort Hancock...
(west) - Otero County, New MexicoOtero County, New Mexico-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.7% White*3.5% Black*6.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.2% Two or more races*11.2% Other races*34.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
(northwest)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,975 people, 1,052 households, and 797 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was less than 1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 1,321 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.94% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.71% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.47% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.57% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 27.13% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.18% from two or more races. 72.24% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,052 households out of which 39.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the county, the population was spread out with 32.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,882, and the median income for a family was $28,547. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $14,817 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $11,493. About 21.50% of families and 25.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.
Native Americans
PrehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
Clovis culture
Clovis culture
The Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleo-Indian culture that first appears 11,500 RCYBP , at the end of the last glacial period, characterized by the manufacture of "Clovis points" and distinctive bone and ivory tools...
peoples in Culberson County lived in the rock shelters and caves nestled near water supplies. These people left behind artifacts and pictographs
Pictogram
A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...
as evidence of their presence. With its treacherous topography, the area remained untouched by white explorations for centuries.
Jumano Indians
Suma-Jumano
The Suma and the Jumano were people in western Sonora and Trans-Pecos region of western Texas. The Suma was the western division and the Jumano were the eastern division.-History:...
led the Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition into New Mexico and Arizona in 1582-1583. The expedition created interest in establishing a Spanish colony among the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande valley.-Life:...
1582-1583 expedition near Toyah Lake on a better route to the farming and trade area of La Junta de los Ríos. Espejo's diary places the Jumano along the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
and its tributaries.
Antonio de Espejo was also the first white person to see the Mescalero Apache
Mescalero
Mescalero is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southcentral New Mexico...
just east of the Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, as well as Carlsbad Caverns...
. The Mescalero frequented the area to irrigate their crops. In 1849 John Salmon "RIP" Ford
John Salmon Ford
John Salmon Ford , better known as "Rip" Ford, was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate, and mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was also a Texas Ranger, a Confederate colonel, and a journalist...
explored the area between San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
noting in his mapped report the productive land upon which the Mescalero Indians farmed. By the mid-17th Century the Mescaleros expanded their territory to the Plains Navajos
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
and Pueblos from the Guadalupes, and El Paso del Norte
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
. Their feared presence in the area deterred white settlers. January 1870, a group of soldiers attacked a Mescalero Apache village near Delaware Creek in the Guadalupe Mountains. July 1880 soldiers at Tinaja de las Palmas attacked a group of Mescaleros led by Chief Victorio
Victorio
Victorio was a warrior and chief of the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua Apaches in what is now the American states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua....
. August 1880, Buffalo Soldiers ambushed Victorio at Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio retreated to Mexico and was killed in October by Mexican soldiers.
Explorations
The demand for new routes from Texas to California caused an uptick in explorations. The San Antonio to El Paso leg of the San Antonio-California Trail was surveyed in 1848 under the direction of John Coffee HaysJohn Coffee Hays
Col. John Coffee "Jack" Hays was a Texas Ranger captain and military officer of the Republic of Texas. Hays served in several armed conflicts, including the Indian and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
.
Texas Commissioner Robert Simpson Neighbors was sent by Governor Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell
Peter Hansborough Bell was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Governor of Texas and represented the state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.-Background:Bell was born March 11, 1810 in Culpeper County, Virginia...
in 1850 to organize El Paso.
Lt. Francis Theodore Bryan camped at Guadalupe Pass
Guadalupe Pass
Guadalupe Pass is a mountain pass in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas traversed by U.S. Highway 62-180 connecting El Paso, Texas with Carlsbad, New Mexico....
while exploring a route from San Antonio to El Paso via Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
. Upon reaching El Paso in July 1849 his report recommended sink wells along the route. July 1848, Secretary of War William L. Marcy
William L. Marcy
William Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:...
wanted a military post established on the north side of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne was sent out in 1849 to establish Marcy's goal.
John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett was an American historian and linguist.-Biography:Bartlett was born in Providence, Rhode Island...
, was commissioned in 1850 to carry out the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
. Bartlett declared the Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, as well as Carlsbad Caverns...
dark and gloomy, and proposed a transcontinental railroad be built south of the peaks. Three years later,
Capt. John Pope
John Pope (military officer)
John Pope was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.Pope was a graduate of the United States Military Academy in...
was sent to scout out a railroad route, and in the succeeding year to search for artesian water supplies.
The San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line
The San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line, also known as the Jackass Mail, was the earliest overland stagecoach and mail operation from the eastern United States to California. It was the creation of organized and financed by James E. Birch the head of the California Stage Company. Birch was awarded the...
and the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
both serviced the area 1857-1861. These mail coaches provided a means for travelers to reach California in 27 days, if the passenger had the $200 for a one-way fare and was courageous enough to withstand the weather and dangers enroute.
Rival railway companies began competing for rights of way. The Texas and Pacific Railway
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway eventually reached an agreement to share the tracks.
County established and growth
Culberson County was established in 1911 from El Paso County and named after David B. CulbersonDavid B. Culberson
David Browning Culberson was a Confederate soldier, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.-Early years:...
. The county was organized in 1912. Van Horn
Van Horn, Texas
Van Horn is a town in and the county seat of Culberson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Van Horn is located at ....
became the county seat.
With the opening of the railways, ranchers began to settle in the county. Lobo
Lobo, Texas
Lobo is a ghost town in Culberson County, Texas, United States that was abandoned in 1991.-Geography:Lobo is located at between the Van Horn Mountains and Wylie Mountains. It is situated along U.S...
was settled in part due to misreprentation by promoters. A class action lawsuit by the residents forced the promoters to build the Lobo Hotel. Unfortunately, the area was struck by two powerful earthquakes - one in 1929, and the 6.0 quake near Valentine
Valentine, Texas
Valentine is a town in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 187 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County....
that was felt as far away as Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The hotel was destroyed.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland...
was established in 1972. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
signed the 1966 legislation to create the park. Stipulation was made that all mineral, oil and gas rights had to be ceded to the Federal government.
Cities and towns
- KentKent, TexasKent is an unincorporated village in Culberson County, in West Texas, United States. It lies just north of Interstate 10 at Exit 176, ten miles west of the beginning of Interstate 20 and four miles west of the eastern Culberson County boundary. It is sandwiched between the railroad, immediately...
(unincorporated) - LoboLobo, TexasLobo is a ghost town in Culberson County, Texas, United States that was abandoned in 1991.-Geography:Lobo is located at between the Van Horn Mountains and Wylie Mountains. It is situated along U.S...
(unincorporated) - Pine SpringsPine Springs, TexasPine Springs is an unincorporated community in northern Culberson County, Texas, United States. It is the closest settlement to the headquarters of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in the state of Texas. Pine Springs is located on U.S. Routes 62...
(unincorporated) - Plateau (unincorporated)
- Van HornVan Horn, TexasVan Horn is a town in and the county seat of Culberson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Van Horn is located at ....
National park
- Guadalupe Mountains National ParkGuadalupe Mountains National ParkGuadalupe Mountains National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and contains Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas at in elevation. It also contains El Capitan, long used as a landmark by people traveling along the old route later followed by the Butterfield Overland...
- Guadalupe PeakGuadalupe PeakGuadalupe Peak is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of . It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and is part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The mountain is about east of El Paso and about southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico...
- El CapitanEl Capitan (Texas)El Capitan is a peak in Culberson County, Texas, USA, within Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is the eighth-highest peak in Texas, and rises abruptly out of the Chihuahuan Desert floor; it is considered the "signature peak" of West Texas....
- McKittrick CanyonMcKittrick CanyonMcKittrick Canyon is a scenic canyon within the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. The steep towering walls of McKittrick Canyon protect a rich riparian oasis in the midst of the Chihuahuan Desert....
- Guadalupe Peak
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Culberson County, Texas
External links
- Culberson County Government website
- Historic Photographs of Culberson County from the Clark Hotel Museum, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Culberson County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of TexasUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
- Entry for David B. Culberson, for whom Culberson County was named, from the Biographical Encyclopedia of Texas published 1880, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.