REEVES COUNTY
Located in Texas’ Trans-Pecos region, the northwest corner of Reeves County abuts New Mexico. The county’s 2,642 square miles stretch from the Barrilla Mountains in the south to rolling plains in the north with elevations varying between 2,500 and 5,000 feet above sea level. Soil types include chocolate loam, clay, sandy, and mountain wash. Its dry climate encompasses a wide range from average lows of 27 in January to mean highs of 99 in July and only 11 inches of rain in an average year. About three-fourths of the county’s inhabitants live in the county seat of Pecos. The State Demographer projects, using mid-range assumptions, that the county’s 2000 population of 13,137 will expand to 14,880 by 2020 which would still leave it below its 1960 high of almost 18,000.
When Spanish explorers entered the area in 1583 they found Jumano Indians irrigating crops from springs near what is now the community of Balmorhea. The first Anglo-American farmers came in 1871 and irrigated their fields using water from Toyah Creek. Open range ranching began a few years later. The county was created from part of Pecos County in 1883. Several small communities were started in the early 1900’s but by the 1990’s most had lost the post offices which had been opened during their early years.
With about 15,000 acres irrigated, cotton is an important crop. Ranching remains another important agricultural activitiy while oil and gas add significantly to its economy. Tourists visit a replica of Judge Roy Bean’s store, the West of the Pecos Museum, and Balmorhea State Park.