This is one of the smallest counties in the state, with a total area of 117,760 acres. This territory was originally comprised in Hood County, and the new county was created March 13, 1875, in response to a petition from residents in North Bosque and South Hood counties. The Brazos River flows through the eastern half of the county, and the topography is one of rocky hills with many small valleys of fertile lands. Though railroads have circled the county on all sides, it is as yet without rail transportation, and its development has consequently been backward. The soil and climate favor the production of fruit and small crops, but farming and stock raising are still the substantial industries. Almost the entire county is underlaid by a basin of artesian water, and there are several hundred artesian wells in the vicinity of Glen Rose. A recent report of the geological survey states that about thirty thousand acres of the valley lands in the artesian belt are capable of economical irrigation. Since the organization of the county the seat of government has been at Glen Rose, and there is no other important town in the county. |
