Mobeetie, Texas
Encyclopedia
Mobeetie is a city in northwestern Wheeler County, Texas
, United States
, just across the Sweetwater Creek
from Texas Route 152. The population was 107 at the 2000 census.
hunter's camp unofficially called "Hidetown." The first formal name for the town was "Sweetwater." On January 24, 1876, occurred the "Sweetwater Shootout," Anthony Cook (aka Corporal "Sergeant" Melvin A. King; of the then 4th Cavalry-Company H, stationed at Fort Elliot), shot and killed Mollie Brennan (a dance hall girl and former prostitute). Sgt. King then wounded Bat Masterson
, who in return killed him (King may have shot Masterson first and then killed Brennan, accounts vary). Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight
said about the town: "I think it was the hardest place I ever saw on the frontier except Cheyenne
, Wyoming
."
When the town applied for a post office in 1879, the name "Sweetwater" was already in use. The town took the new name of "mobeetie," believed to be a Native American
word for "Sweetwater." Later it was discovered that the word actually means "buffalo feces".
In 1879 Mobeetie became the first county seat for Wheeler County. From 1880 to 1883, the notorious Robert Clay Allison
ranched with his two brothers, John William and Jeremiah Monroe, twelve miles northeast of town, at the junction of the Washita River
and Gageby Creek. One day, Allison rode through Mobeetie drunk and naked. Allison married America Medora "Dora" McCulloch in Mobeetie on February 15, 1881. By 1881, Mobeetie was the judicial center of the Thirty-fifth District, made up of fifteen counties.
At its peak in 1890, the town had over 400 people, but Mobeetie's boom days ended when Fort Elliot closed that same year. Further decline came with the tornado of May 1, 1898, and then the loss of the county seat, in 1907, to Wheeler
. In 1929 the town had to move two miles when the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway
built their tracks that far away. The town steadily grew again until the start of World War II
brought a peak of about five hundred.
The Pioneer West Museum in Shamrock
, Texas, includes a Fort Elliot exhibit.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 107 people, 48 households, and 28 families residing in the city. The population density
was 175.3 people per square mile (67.7/km²). There were 68 housing units at an average density of 111.4/sq mi (43.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.07% White and 0.93% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.54% of the population.
There were 48 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,059. There were no families and 2.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, just across the Sweetwater Creek
Sweetwater Creek (Gray County, Texas)
Sweetwater Creek forms in the northeastern Gray County, Texas, and terminates with its joining with the North Fork of the Red River just northeast of Texola, Oklahoma....
from Texas Route 152. The population was 107 at the 2000 census.
History
A trading post for hunters and trappers for nearby Fort Elliot (aka "Cantonment Sweetwater"), the settlement was first a buffaloBison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
hunter's camp unofficially called "Hidetown." The first formal name for the town was "Sweetwater." On January 24, 1876, occurred the "Sweetwater Shootout," Anthony Cook (aka Corporal "Sergeant" Melvin A. King; of the then 4th Cavalry-Company H, stationed at Fort Elliot), shot and killed Mollie Brennan (a dance hall girl and former prostitute). Sgt. King then wounded Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson
William Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
, who in return killed him (King may have shot Masterson first and then killed Brennan, accounts vary). Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
said about the town: "I think it was the hardest place I ever saw on the frontier except Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
."
When the town applied for a post office in 1879, the name "Sweetwater" was already in use. The town took the new name of "mobeetie," believed to be a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
word for "Sweetwater." Later it was discovered that the word actually means "buffalo feces".
In 1879 Mobeetie became the first county seat for Wheeler County. From 1880 to 1883, the notorious Robert Clay Allison
Clay Allison
Clay Allison was a Texas cattle rancher and gunfighter. He is one of the best known historic figures of the American Old West.-Early life:...
ranched with his two brothers, John William and Jeremiah Monroe, twelve miles northeast of town, at the junction of the Washita River
Washita River
The Washita River is a river in Texas and Oklahoma, United States. The river is long and terminates into Lake Texoma in Johnston County , Oklahoma and the Red River.-Geography:...
and Gageby Creek. One day, Allison rode through Mobeetie drunk and naked. Allison married America Medora "Dora" McCulloch in Mobeetie on February 15, 1881. By 1881, Mobeetie was the judicial center of the Thirty-fifth District, made up of fifteen counties.
At its peak in 1890, the town had over 400 people, but Mobeetie's boom days ended when Fort Elliot closed that same year. Further decline came with the tornado of May 1, 1898, and then the loss of the county seat, in 1907, to Wheeler
Wheeler, Texas
Wheeler is a city in Wheeler County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle. Both the city and the county are named for Royal Tyler Wheeler, a chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. The population was 1,378 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wheeler...
. In 1929 the town had to move two miles when the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway
Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway
The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway is a now-defunct railroad company that was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.It was originally named the Southern Kansas Railway but in 1914 was renamed the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway....
built their tracks that far away. The town steadily grew again until the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
brought a peak of about five hundred.
The Pioneer West Museum in Shamrock
Shamrock, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,029 people, 852 households, and 550 families residing in the city. The population density was 979.7 people per square mile . There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 517.6 per square mile...
, Texas, includes a Fort Elliot exhibit.
Geography
Mobeetie is located at 35°32′1"N 100°26′21"W (35.533551, -100.439228).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all land.
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 107 people, 48 households, and 28 families residing in the city. 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 175.3 people per square mile (67.7/km²). There were 68 housing units at an average density of 111.4/sq mi (43.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.07% White and 0.93% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.54% of the population.
There were 48 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% 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, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $23,125 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 city was $16,059. There were no families and 2.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Education
The City of Mobeetie is served by the Fort Elliott Consolidated Independent School DistrictFort Elliott Consolidated Independent School District
Fort Elliott Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Briscoe, Texas .The district covers northern Wheeler County , southern Hemphill County, and a small portion of northeastern Gray County.Fort Elliott Consolidated ISD has two schools that...
.