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In 1876 the Texas legislature established Yoakum County from lands
formerly assigned to the Bexar District, but in 1890 the United
States census found only four people living in the area, and as late
as 1900 the county had only twenty-six residents. The county
is named for Henderson King Yoakum, a Texas historian. |
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In 1905 William Jackson Luna established a store and post office at
Plains, and when Yoakum County was organized in 1907, Plains became
the county seat. By 1910 there were 107 farms or ranches in the
area, and the population had increased to 602. Almost 23,000 cattle
were reported that year, but crop farming remained limited. |
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The county gained a newspaper in 1910 when Neil H. Bigger began
publication of the Yoakum County News. Farmers suffered
during the 1910s despite some brief attempts to grow wheat and the
start of a flourmill at Bronco in 1915. By 1920 there were 109
ranches or farms in the area, but the population had fallen to 504.
Substantial economic development began after 1936, when oil was
discovered. Intensive production quickly ensued, and in 1938 more
than 1,239,000 barrels of crude were produced in the county. The
boom centered at Denver City, founded in 1939, and by 1940 the
county population had jumped to 5,345. |
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