Topic · Page 14
History & Culture
Local Notes
History & Culture notes
Wood County · Transportation & Community
Mineola: Wood County's Railroad Town With Amtrak Service
Mineola is Wood County's largest city and still has an active Amtrak stop, making it one of the few rural Texas towns with passenger rail service.
Wood County · County Seat
Quitman: The Small Town That Is Wood County's Seat of Government
Quitman has been Wood County's county seat since 1850 and is where you go for deeds, court filings, and most county government services.
Wood County · County History
Wood County Is Named for a Texas Governor
Wood County was created in 1850 and named for George T. Wood, who served as governor of Texas from 1847 to 1849.
Yoakum County · County History
Yoakum County went from nearly empty rangeland to an oil and cotton center
Yoakum County was established in 1876 but had fewer than 30 residents by 1900. Oil and irrigation farming transformed it in the 20th century.
Young County · History
Fort Belknap Was a Major Frontier Post in What Is Now Young County
Fort Belknap, founded in 1851 near today's Newcastle, was a key U.S. Army outpost on the Texas frontier and is now a museum and archives site.
Young County · Oil and Gas History
Oil Has Shaped Young County's Economy Since the 1920s
Young County struck oil in the 1920s, and production peaked in the 1950s, driving a population and economic boom that still shapes the county today.
Zapata County · Historic District
San Ygnacio: A National Register Historic Town
San Ygnacio, about 14 miles northwest of Zapata on US 83, has some of the oldest stone buildings in Texas and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Zapata County · County History
Zapata County's Roots: A 1750 Spanish Land Grant
Zapata County traces its roots to a 1750 Spanish land grant on the north bank of the Rio Grande — one of the earliest permanent European settlements in what is now Texas.
Zavala County · History
A WWII internment camp once held thousands in Crystal City
The U.S. government ran one of its largest WWII civilian internment camps in Crystal City from 1942 to 1948, holding Japanese, German, and other civilians.
Zavala County · Local History
Crystal City built its identity on spinach farming and the Popeye statue
Crystal City earned the name Spinach Capital of the World in the 1930s. The county still has a Popeye statue from that era.
Zavala County · Political History
Zavala County was the center of a major Mexican American political movement in the 1960s and 70s
In 1963, Mexican Americans in Crystal City organized and won city council seats. That win, called the Crystal City Revolt, sparked a broader civil rights movement.