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Welcome to Texas Genealogy Trails!
*Volunteers dedicated to putting free data online.*
This County Website is available for adoption.
If interested in joining our group, view our
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contact Kim.
[Basic webpage design knowledge and a desire to transcribe data is
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On February 26, 1887, Winkler County was established from territory
in Tom Green County. It was named for Confederate Col. Clinton M.
Winkler. By 1890 eleven men and seven women, all white, lived in
Winkler County. The state ended free use of its land in 1900, and
state agents were sent across West Texas to collect rents from
ranchers on public land. |
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In 1881 the Texas and Pacific Railway was built across nearby Ward
County, giving easy assess to the area. With good transportation,
with the land outside the dunefields covered in tall grasses, and
with a good water supply available, the area was well equipped for
open range ranching. A few ranchers took advantage of free state
land to carve out large ranches. Among those first ranchers were
John Avary, J. J. Draper, and the Cowden brothers-Doc, Tom, and
Walter. |
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On July 16, 1926, oil was discovered when Roy Westbrook and
Company brought in the Hendrick No. 1 on ranchland owned by Thomas
G. and Ada Hendrick in central Winkler County. The boom established
the town of Wink in the southwestern part of the county, seven miles
southwest of Kermit. The increased population caused a housing
shortage and forced newcomers to live in tents and makeshift
structures. |
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